SENTRY'S VICTORY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 211, 25 May 1918, Page 13

SENTRY'S VICTORY

PATROL SCAHED AND HUN CAPTUKED. There is a proud man in Iho British Army out here to-dny (writes Mr. Hamilton Pyfe in the "Daily Mail"), lie is a thankful man, too, for by all tho lawn of probability ho ought to be dead, instead of which, as the judge said in tho story, lie is full of beans and exultation. Nor has any man n better right to oxull, as 1 feel sure you will ngreo when you have heard what lie did. Four-thirty yesterday morning found him sentry outside one of our advanced posts in a oeitain muddy No Man's Land. It was ruining on and oft". A wet wind blew. No doubt ho was thinking how glad he would be if he wero tucked up in liis comfortable bed at home. But his thoughts did not prevent, him from keeping good and faithful watch. lie peered into the darkness, slashed with rain. He listened carefully for any mi; usual noise and suddenly" he became aware of something unusual, 'something moving.

Instantly he stiffened into alertness. He would not warn his comrades yet. It might be only imagination. You can im. agine ,a lot when you are on sentry-go in No Man's Land on a raw March nothing. . Then through the gloom ho trying to pierce tho darkness with enget eyes, he thought the sound of movement ciimo nearer. SHU he could set. nuothing. Then through the gloom he heard a muttered word of German ami at the same moment forms seemed to come out of the mist close to him. Hβ knew at onco it was a German patrol. He coultl not. tell whether they wore in tending to attack his post, or whether they hud approached it by accident. Ho did not even know whether they eaw him and he did not wait to make sure. The best plan was to let them know he •had eeen them and to rouse his com indes by giving the alarm. He fired immediately, emptying his clip of five cartridges, liud then slipped in another. But lie did not need to fire any more to slop them. Tho Gorman patrol had turned tail. He could hear their feet, plodding heavily as they ran. Ho.cmikl hear their curses dnd even their troubled breathing into tbo night. He fired again and then wen forward to reconnoitre. Up came his comrades," grasping their rifles and their bombs', but the incident had been dosed no rapidly that they wero 100 late. They could see no enemy, they could not even seo their sentry, but in fi few eecomls they heard him call, and then out of the djrknesa ho came, half supporting, half carrying a wounded German. One of his bullets had hit ono of the patrol; the rest were bo startled that they did not stay to pick him up and carry him back with them. "Kainorad," he said faintly when he saw the sentry approach. "Kamcrad it. is," was the sentry's reply, and then with arm found one another's necks they hobbled towards tho post. I wonder if the wounded German knows why such care was taken of him. That sentry was not going to let his prisoner die if he could help it. He was taking no chance?. The only risk he ran was of killing the man l>y over-kindness and solicitude. He could hardly bear to part froni him. Was ho not tho outward and visible sign of tho victory that: had been won Looking upon him, tho sentry swelled with grateful pride.