GAHEY'S SOUVENIR

Evening Star, Issue 16777, 4 July 1918, Page 5

GAHEY'S SOUVENIR

THE TALE OF A FIGHT. : |By Rifleman Patrick MagGim., author of 'The Great Push,' etc.] a A man has but one life to save or give away, and, as for meself, I'd rather save me life than lose it," said Rifleman Gahey, the red-haired Irishman, as he seated himself down on the firestep of the trench and looked at his two mates. Bowdy Benners (the Devon man) and Spndhole Bubb (the Cockney). All three belon.-ed to the London Regiment, and all had done hard fighting in the many battles ia which the Londoners had taken part. It was now early morning, with a heavy mist, lying on No Man's Land, almost hiding the near wire entanglements from the sentries in the British trench. There h:.d been a raid the night before, and a cons parry had gone forward and bombed an enemy sap, killing a number of Germans and capturing a few others. But when Bowdy and Bubb, who were out on the raid, returned, they found that Gahey was missing. This was at 2 o'clock in the morning, and it was three hours later when Gahey returned, carrying a wounded German prisoner whom he had captured single-handed. " A man has but the one life to save." repeated Gahey, 'and I'm not the man to risk that life for nothinV •• Blimey, ye've risked it more than once for me!"' said Spndhole. " Well, one has now and agin to go »-outran: to his prino'ples. just as teetotallers will at home when the night is freezing cold, and they meet a pal with a bottle of the right stuff." said Gahey. '■' Now, ye've had ye're say. ye iiinb iv the Divil, ye, and so hold yer tongue till T let srakin*. I'm not a man to risk me life, for I hold high purchase iv it. and I clo me best to safeguard it every time. That's why I learned to use the bay'net. ;:nd mv hand is as ready with the steel now as any' hand in the whole Army." There's a. very few that can pass me guard or slither out iv the lunge that T can give when me blood's up, and when there's an iriimv forninst me. I suppose all iv ye can bear me out in that?"

"If I was up against you with the bay'net. Gahey. von 'eve much chance." said Bubb. " I'd "ust " The Cockney did not finish his sentence, for Gahey reached out. pinioned the boy round the waist, pieced him on the firestep, and sat on him. '• Now ye'll hold yer tongue and listen to what ver betters are savin'," said Gahey. •Ye'll not be allowed to tret up till I finish me storv and tell what's on ms mind. It's about that German that I've taken in, and who is now—lucky divil! — on his way to Blighty. "'Twas all on account iv me wife, her that, is workin' the wee farm iv mine in Balrvrudden and keepin' thin era coin" tilj I cet home again, and the war is over, and the Germansds bite. Her sister is married to a next-door ne : ghbor in the same tnwnland, and the sister's man is in a H : gh'and Tezhnent. My! but there's manv an Tnsh knee, and iranv an English one. too. Cocky (this to Bubbl' beneath the Scottish kilts ! Well and well. then. This man sent home to his wife a lot iv souvenirs, and my wife is verv cut about it. She nskeo me in her last letter—it- came with a big parcel, too—if all the souvenirs were onlv cot be Scots soldiers. Sh? it to me. was it only the men in kilts tnut get the prizes, and iv course it was up to me to show' her that she was wrong. "So I set out to cet a souvenir, and I waited last night till you men were out iv sight so that I might- have a chance to look round on me own. Than this German came along, bay'net down, to see what damage we had done at the sap. I lav low as a rabbit and waited, me hard on mo rifle, and me ready for tbe spring. «' Well, up he comes, slonchm' hke a rat. and when he was almost within armreach iv me I ups to me feet and mak"s a lunge at him. 'Twas more to give bun the fright than anything else, but the bucko was not to be frightened. He was a man with guts and a fellow worth stumblin' across when the night is wet and the ternprathure is low. I said, but not far enough, and he v.as uuick to parrv the blow and get on the defensive. We had a divil of a fight, the two iv us out there on No Man's Land, and I cou'dn't get past his guard. Neither could he get pass mine. Whenever a star shell went up I diild see him right in front iv me. tvA I could take stock iv the set iv the fellow. Big shoulders ho had and a. jaw that was the jaw iv a fiehter." '"But bad you a round in your rifle?" inquired Bowdy Bonners. "That I had." said Gahey, "but 1 wasn't goin' to lose the fun iv ike fight bv drillin* the man with a bullet. There was time enough for that when ho got the pull iv me, but that was a long way off as yet. 1 was like a. two-year-oil struttin' round him. with l-"ft parry ami point and all the things that the drill instructor lama ye, besides some moves iv me own that i" invented when I bad fothin* else to do in the trenches. "It was when he stumbled, cat-chin' his feet on the wire, that I got the right home a'twe-en the shoulder nnd elbow in the thick iv his arm. I got the bay'net well in and k::pt it there, and him lyia' on his face on the ground. "'Kamerad?' I put it to him. "'Kamerad,' says he, maniii' that he was me prisoner. "Well, I eased birr, up, and stood ready while he cot to his f:"-i. Nd sooner was he standin' upright than he fell down a:;aiu in a swoon. He '.vac a heavy man, and I wasn't going to carry lun in, £■:• I put a good divssin' on his woim-hd arm and waited till he ra-mn round. ft took hnr. a hell of a time, and wh-"i Iv came to know things I crave him a drink ir water. He was as dry" a? a. fish, and he emptied me water bottls. When this ■was finished I spoke him fair. "'You like to give souvenirs.?' I asked him. "He lifted his hand and swung lis helmet over to mo by its chin strap, and tedad, but not content with that, he took the Iron Cross from his tunic and off-red me that. But tho feller v.-as a man, and a fighter, mind ye. though, ho was a German. "0 I declined his Cross wid thanks.. but step*; to the helmet, and, damme, but I gave him me fag case; ye mind the ihtie gunmet.il one the captain gave mc at Arras? And then I crooked me aim in his, as friendly as an earwig, an' helped him along. But lie went squiffy again after a bit. and I had to hump him on me shoulder. "Ye saw him the bothjv ye, a while ago, when I brought him in. A big rung iv a man; and, boys, a great fighter, a great fighter!" , Gahey released Spudhole,_ and the Cockney stood up and shook himself. "You're like a bloomin* tank, Gahey." hs said. " I'd rather have a caterpillar howitzer on the too iv me than 'ave you sittin* on me, tellin' the tale."