THE TIME OF WAITING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 290, 27 August 1918, Page 6

THE TIME OF WAITING

SYNCHRONISING WATCHES BEFORE THE

ZERO HOUR

IN THE HOWITZER LINES'

(By Major C. J. C. Street, E.G.A.) The night was black, with that strange velvety blackness that only a moonless mid-summer night can show. All round the (own played an incessant summer lightning—the greenish Hashes of the massed field guns, ranged in every vantage point of cover over the flat country. The noise of their discharge came not ira single reports, but in a' dull, pulsating; i;oar, like the sound of an express train thundering through a deep cutting. In the town itself things were fairly quiet. (At one point, certainly, a fire , ) was burning, dully and without inter. - *!:.. in the breathless night. Now and then, a roof or a wall would collapse into thfi heart of the fire, and«then a column of flame and eparks would spring high up towards heaven. When this happened the German fifteen-centimetre battery. Unit was laid in this direction, wouldsend over a dozen shells or so, which burst with a clatter that echoed and reechoed for many long seconds through tho empty streets.

Not far from the si to of the firo was the ruin of a big spinning mill, whoso blackened walls still towered up, overshadowing the sluggish river that rani at their feet. The main doorway was: blocked with debris, the hurrying khakiclad figures that swarmed about the factory like ants moved in and out through a yawning hole that some forgotten shell had torn in the wall. Within the factory was utter darkness, scarcely relieved by half a dozen carefully-shaded hurricane lamps.

Now and then the- flash of an electric torch revealed a ciaos of shattered looms, of bent columns, of strange engines whose purpose might only be guessed at. and, in the midst of all this ruin, four great howitzers, their blunt noses pointing out towards the German lines across the ruins of the factory wan. ■

In a little room behind the main building was a group of nien, each busy with his own preoccupations. J'ho battery commander sat on iv cartridge box, with a. table improvised from a shutter and a pile of bricks in. froni of him, drawing lines and circles on a map by the light; of a guttering candle. Crouching by liis side, so as to get as near as poasibla to this eole source of light, was hia second in command, making out the targets for each separate gun from a closelywritten programme. In the shadows at: the far comer of the little room were ttvp telephonists-, talking together iul hoarse whispers as they bent over a collection of their instruments, froni which; a icuigle of red wires radiated into the.' darkness without.

Suddenly one of the instruments buzzed impatiently—dash-dash-dot, dash-dot, ft was G.N., the battery call. The senior telephonist pressed his key in reply, and picked up his receiver. "G.N. speaking,'" he said quietiy. "Yes, sir, he's here.. Hold ou a minute, sir." Then, turning (o> the Major: "The- Adjutant to speak to you. sir.J' The Major leant back' in his improvised, chair, and took the receiver from the. man's hand. "Yes," he said, "O.C. G.iSspeakjng." "That you, sir?' came tho voice from: tho other end. "Are you getting on all'. "Yes, thanks," replied the Major. "The guns have been in position for some lnne> now, and nearly all the ammunition, is in." "I'll tell the Colonel," said the voice. "Will you synchronise now, sir?" "Yes, hold on i\ niinutt," replied tho Major, reaching for the watch that lay. on. tha table beside the maps. "All right, go, aheadi" ~ ~ • "I'll give you 1.35, sir, and the "There's nearly .a minuto,to go. Fortylive seconds. Thirty seconds, lilteei): seconds, ten, five, now!" . "Bight!" reclaimed the Major. Lv?) got it, 1.35. Thank you. Good-bye. The Major handed tho receiver back to> the telephonist. "This waUih is seven seconds slow," he said to the secuml m command. "Zero time is 3.1. Got tho range time there? What's tho time o* flight to the. first target?" "Twenty-three seconds, , sir,' ircpliea. the captain. . ~,,,, , "Then if we want to hit the target at 3.10, we must give the word at 3.0.3 V, or! 3.9 exactly by this watch," commented the major. The minutes dragged slowly by. Aszero time approached an unwonted mish. pervaded tho night. Even tho restless iield guus in the distance died away in. silence. At about ten minutes to three, the sojiior subaltern came into the room.. "Battery loaded and ready to fire,'sir," he reported. ' "Thanks," said the Major, "lou vegot about twenty minutes io go."-. The senior subaltern saluted, and wont back to 'his guns. Tho minutes passed more slowly than ever. At three o'clock tho Major filled his pipe and lit it at the flame of the caudle, shading it with, his hand. In this momentary eclipse the first faint light of dawn showed faintly grey in the sky without. Tho Major took his watch m his hand, gazing at it intently as ho puffed at his pipe. "One minntoj to go! ho said at. last. An orderly passed the word to the guns, and a rustle of expectancy filled the room. . In a few seconds he spoke agnin, ilook: ■lanyards!" and a sound of rapid movement, followed by an intense stillness, came in from tho guns. The second, hand ticked slowly round.

"Fire!" , , , , Tho little room rocked and swayed, the candle flame leapt and went out, * cloud of dust and acrid smoke swept in through the open door. The four great howitzers hnd spoken, the time for waiting was over.