WAR AS IT IS.

Mataura Ensign, 14 January 1916, Page 3

WAR AS IT IS.

r ‘ .‘‘’f 1 “A LIGHT FATIGUE.” (By “Ranker,” in the ‘Daily Mail.’) We had eome down the hill in daylight. 1 1. was against orders, for t-fm road could be seen From the Hun lines, but we were a new dral’t ami’ knew nothing. We had marched past the church and Hie bandstand, ami .seen the rows of knil'e-rest.s Festooned with barbed wire which .sni rounded it. waiting For the latigne (work not directly connected' with military .oreral ions) parlies which laler on would carry them to the trenches. We had heard the distant crackle of Hie rifles, and now that night lmij_ Fallen' we could see the .star-shells lighting up tin' easiern horizon. It was a new and wonderful world which might hold pain but would -surely bold adventure. We were billeted in •> half-ruined house. Two .small shell-holes in the walls won* covered up with sacking, Imt .six ot us had a small room to ourselves, and the Hied iloor made a dry if siony bed. A waterproof sheet hung over the window, and the atmosphere within was ton “Foggy’’ to he- cold. Earlier in the evening most, of n.s had been paraded. .For a Fatigue the. nature oF winch wa s not disclosed, hut we six were left behind, and spreading onr hla (diets we prepared For sleep on tile .si-one IloorA lamt 10, however, we hoard a sharp step outside-and the door- was Hung open: “A corpora 1-aml six - men wanted For Fatigue at once, rifles and 10 rounds each. Out we come, not finite unwillingly. For we wanted to sec* and to know; it was very dark - , .so dark that one could hard’.v see the man in Front, and the rain had startl'd to Fall again as it had done most of the day. We lined up outside, find someone, 1 apparently an oll'icer. came up am! spoke in low tones to the corporal in •charge. “Are your magazines full?” “No. sir.’ “Load. Hum." My ride had been served out to me hi England and had never been loath'd. I put in tt clip, hut Fheeartridg.es would not mns into the magazine. “C’an’t that man load ?" ‘Something wrong with the magazine, s;r." He takes the rille and removes the magazine, hut the spring won’t work. “(let another rille and see Hint yon get a new magazine In-morrow.” I go in the house'. borrow a ride from a man left behind, and rejoin the squad. THE CORNER OK DEATH. We marched off in the darkness past houses which we can hardly -see. and up what seems to he the drive of a large mansion. We are challenged at Hie door, and after a halt are taken inside a large hall. In the centre is a circular settee in red velvet, on which lies a .sleeping Form in khaki. There is no oHi“r Furniture, but at on-e side are Hie iron standard of a pump and some oF hose. An X.C.O. comes out of a room at Ihe side -and speaks to the corporal in elm rge. •‘You are to take the liiimp no to the AI idshire’s trenches. We have a guide Fur von here; 'report when yon return." Konr of ns take up Hie standard by the handles fixed at the side —it is about TH long and very heavy. I gel a roll of hosepipe, wh'di 1 manage to hitch on to one shoulder. Od’ we go again, stumbling over the broken navement ol the village streets, ou t , into ill" open country, and one sees no sigir of life. Si addon iy one hears a. hissing in Hie air ,\m! something hits the road. 1 1 is ,) spr-nt; bullet. Me realise "that lor the first time we are within the tire zone. The Farther we go Hie more -bullets we meet, only the hiss becomes n wail. There is a. >ouml like the niew|iig ot a eat. and someone whispers. “A ricochet." Every . Few minutes a starshell dares tip in.The distance, it rises like :r rocket. hursts into a- Hare of light, and falls Howly to .the ground. In its light we see .a house at. the roadside. half of the Front has gone, and the roof hangs down at one end. The c'liiile wh’spers someth mg and- "the word H parsed down : “No talking, qml go quickly .mist the corner, ft is marked hv a sni nee. and' a limn was killed here two hours au.ii. : ' Thi* is t lie deha la bio land, and no man passes there, bv day. At each s-ihvthe dead may lie unhuried in Hie fields, but at night- it is alive with h.nriying shadows, rebels. Fatigues, and the silent bearers ol the dead atyl wounded. Mb' reach the lop of a pse ami a voice comes out of the darkness. ■' Who goes t here ?

’' !bl"s' ‘ We, are gel I ing near th<> trenches. 1 cannot see tlio man in ft mil of ni<* ex-cn-'t a> a. darker shadow against. tin' dark night. Tamil linn' ;> '-tar-shell ri-i's we~sieo anil fall on one knee tinid the linin' fades again. ')')) ere is a whisper Irom tlie Irmd: "Stout v i f ei:,-, tif l ‘i'e js a "In'll hole”; )( has keen partly lilted n. H hj 10.n.1-.,, and covered with Inode umber. A imp slips |hroi)gh pi|n a hole, and mm :* wet lo i;l,e l-ni'es. l|n> standa'd k'lk with a hang, and =n>meo n c nii'-es in a loud ulii'-ner. The road ecases ‘lo tie a road for vanU and we scramble alone; as host we can, then it goes on as before. THK "SOrLS IN TlT’d.k.” Wo are (I'MVtlllili. I'-.T’T and then one sees ;i Minn ol lire in front and all the time ihe rifles keep no an irregular rattle. Suddenly there f s ' a deener, more metallic explosion. ■•Trench' mortar,” whispers the guide The hulleis see.u to In' playing all round ns; one may seem neaiei than mo'i, ami n.- pi.ck p.i|. bmpis .n,i.l|Oc tardy; lint one dot's not consciously fear'them. Kverything is so new and weird that one is too interested to In' afraid. ■■kit' down when the star-sheik rise; we are close there now , and' the German lines art' only oO yards beyond. As tht' win’tl eu'llie.s a <1 ai’-sliell tin res ii]> • like a rocket, and 'before the light hursts forth wo are on onr fact's in several inches of mud anti water. ■•Who's ihai f" come.-; in a low tone from the roadside. “We are going; ton far;' the entrance is here.” AN e tp.!'" lo ] 1 1 <> left of the roatl anil scramble between two moiinds of earth into the trenches. Hei'i' ai)d there are braziers burning, ftitti <|.'(i g (hfll'T'.. Hid' s'Jjd.s jn !|e!l, k*'t' Liatlfereil round theni, ti 11 " anti then a lignre half disappears in the darkness as he leans over the parapet in front: anti lirt's at something; he cannot see. and now and again a bullet thuds into ilm parapet above ns. We are told to leave the pump, and, -. ilh aching arms,' we lean [ho ttandar-d i'lgailisi the .side oi- I (it; trench. ,; 1 he' corporal goes off to report t <> the otl'i-eer-in-eharge and we talk to the men nearest. 1 They tel! ns they have had a quiet night so far, and we get a sip of hot lea brewed on the nearest brazier. "Take cart' when you leave,'' lltev i i ■ 11 ns; ‘'there’s a linn post only 'JD s aril s awav.o The corporal returns and we tile’ oifd again, hut just as we reach the .road a s t a r- -hell Hares tip and we throw onrm'lvi's on our faces. The rifles speak louder anil more quickly, another starshell rises, and another, a regular fusillade breaks out from the main lines, and our men are replying. The

bullets seem to whistle nnsr above our beads, and-one Can Feel the mod'and water of the road soaking into fine’s kiiees ami arm’s. ‘Shall We ever be able to s>;et up ?•.-.• We liebstill For 10 minutes; then the uproar dies down ; it seem* to pass awa,toward,:s the north, and we'get up ami hurry on. Konr times within K") yards we have to throw ourselves on the ground, hut by -degrees we get- oast the crest oF the ridge ami a Friendly hedge, through which stray Indicts whistle, screens i; s From the immediate view or the enemy. We go hack faster than we came, but. when we reach our .billet three hours have paesed since we started. We are plastered wiih mud from head to foot and wet to the skin, but For a beginner it has been quite an interesting evening.