PURSUIT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20669, 15 September 1930, Page 16

PURSUIT.

BY ROLAND PERTWEE. Author of " Seain' ' Reason," " Swank," " Return oi imry, ovo.

CHAPTER XXVlll—(Continued.) Ho sat down again and mado some pretence of reading a paper. But the hand that held it was trembling, and ho crumpled tho paper into a ball and jerked it aside.

" And when ?" he demanded. " When do you propose marrying?" " As soon as I can get leave." Fawlk seemed to relax.

" In that case you may have to wait a long time. I had a chit an hour ago cancelling all leave warrants —indefinitely."

Harley sucked in a sharp br<yith. " But, look hero, sir, that doesn't mean young Drayton J"

" Obviously. It is not the habit of the General Staff to make exceptions." "In that case," said Harley tensely, " Drayton must see an M.0." Fawlk's eyes narrowed to slits. " And why 1"

" Because if ever a boy needod a break, he docs. Ho's as near tho end of his tother as no matter." " That is for me to docide," said Fawlk.

" Yes, sir, but he had a nasty bump to-day and it did him no good. The knowledge that be was duo for leave was about tho only thing that kept him together. Take that away and—" llarloy humped his shoulders expressively. " Captain Trevclyan," said Fawlk, choosing his words as though thoy were very hard to find, " while I command this battory I shall run it without the advice or assistanco of my subordinates. I do not practico favouritism and I will not countenanco its practico by any one of my officers." The blanket at the door was pushed aside and Frost, his face more scarlet than usual, stumbled in. " Sir." " Yes, Mr. Frost."

" Telephone call from the O. Pip. Lamington has been hit." " Hit ?"

" Killed, sir. Caught it in the head." Anxions to say moro Frost turned to Harley, but before he could speak Fawlk cut in.

" That will do, Mr. Frost." " Very good, sir. Oh, sir, do you want me to go up and take over 1" " I have no recollection of having said anything but that will do, Mr. Frost." Poor old Lamington," said Frost, saluted clumsily, and went out. Fawlk picked up the telephone. "An orderly to ask Mr. Drayton to report here at once," said he. As ho hung up the receiver he raised his eyes challengingly.

It was perhaps five seconds before Harley took up tho challenge. " Are you sending that boy np the line again ?" j> " I am. And why ?"

" Because, if you don't mind, I'd liko to go instead, and because, sir, to send Drayton would bo a—" he checked the imprecatory adjective—" an impractical thing to do. Fawlk noddod slowly.

" You are determined to question my command, Captain Trevelyan." Harley was holding himself on a light rein.

" No, sir. I am as keen on tho discipline and efficiency of this battery as you are, and I have every right to say that a shell-shocked boy is unfit to bo in charge of the 0. Pip." Onco again Fawlk nodded. " I will put that, opinion on record." said he " Have you anything further to say ?" " I ask to be allowed to go instead."

" Which is an act of heroism and selfsacrifico you will not bo required to make."

" Sir," said Harley, and there was genuine appeal in his voice. "No doubt through my own fault I have offended you, and I'm ready to t-ake what's coming on that account, but don't talco it out of a lad who's not responsible. That would be brutal."

There was no need to reply, for at that moment David, heavy and perplexed by sleep, blundered in and stood stupidly to attention.

" Mr. Drayton," snid Fawlk, " yon will bo sorry to hear Mr. Lamington has boon killed at tho 0. Pip." Save that his tongue wandered over parched lips David mado no movement. " In the circumstances you will report there for duty forthwith." " At the—o. Pip, sir ?" " At tho 0. Pip." " The same 0. Pip 7" " Certainly." Once more tho horror to which sleep had pur. a merciful period gathered liko a storm at tho back of David's eyes, but ho only said: " Very good, sir," and turned drunkenly towards tho door. " And Mr. Drayton." David stopped. " Sir ?" " I ain sorry to say that your leavo, in fact, that all leave, lias been temporarily cancelled." "Oh, God," said David Drayton. " What was that ? Turn and face me—face mo, at once." Tho words rattled out sharp and venomous as bullets from a machine gun. " Was that a proper expression to use before your commanding officer? What does it mean ? What does it imply ? You don't answer. You leavo mo to form my own conclusions, which are that they wero the words of someone who is unfit to hold a commission. In short, tho words of a coward."

David scorned hardly aware of what was said until the namu coward pierced his dull consciousness.

In an instant all tho limpness vanished and ho drew himself as taut as a steel tio. With clenched fists he took ono stop forward which brought him to the table. Through shut teeth ho said two words: " Stand up." With tho realisation of what was coming Harley Trevelyan pivoted on iiis heel and faced tho wall. " Stand up." At tho repetition Fawlk pushed back tho box on which ho was seated, roso and leaned across tho table with his jaw out. So for ono second boy and man faced each other and then tho boy struck. Who shall say what strength accumulated misery, hatred, indignation and disenchantment lent to that blow ? It was delivered with every particle of energy his, mind and body possessed. It landed on tho point of tho jaw and Fawlk, lost to all senso of time and space, crumpled and went down behind the table. David stood over him, gasping and grunting liko a runner at the end of a race. Then:

" Drayton," said Harley, his face was still to tho wall. "You had your orders. Don't hang about. Got off at once." 11 —but—but—"

" You had your orders. Obey 'em." He did not look at tho boy. Ho heard rather than saw David stumble out into tho friendless night. After ho had gone ho still stood without moving. Shells wore bursting down tho road. In that confinod place their detonations sounded liko tho roar of hungry lions. Slowly another sound intruded itself, the scrapo of boots on a stone floor—tho bump and rustle of a hand falling heavily on a litter of papors—someono breathing with difficulty, and a voico corning, it seemed, from a long way off. " Whero—is—he ?"

Harley turned. Propping himself against the tablo and rocking on his heels stood Fawlk. " Sir?"

Where's Drayton?" " Gono."

" Gono—gono. Whoro ?" " To carry out your orders." Fawlk loaned forward, peering in bo> wilderment.

on woro a witness, Trevelyan,." ho said slowly. " I was" a witness that the ordors were given.

(COPYRIGHT.)

A GRAPHIC AND THRILLING STORY OF DEEP INTEREST.

(To be continued dnily.)

" Orders—hang the orders—of the assault —of the blow he struck." " I don't understand," caine the very slow rejoinder. "What blow?" Abandoning tho support of the table Fawlk lurched across tho floor and stared into Harlcy's eyes. But Harley's eyes wore as barton of expression as tho wall behind him. "What blow?" he repeated. " S-so,' 1 said Fawlk. " S-so." For a while neither spoke. Thon with a sudden rcsolvo Fawlk moved swiftly to tho entrance and ho flung the blanket aside. Against the flash of a distant shell-burst his figure resembled the silhouette of a monstrous scarecrow. " Orderly," ho cried. " Orderly," and again, " Orderly." An orderly camo running from fifty yards away. " Sir!"

Follow Mr. Drayton towards tho 0. I'ip. Instruct him to return at onco." " Very good, sir." Once more he turned to Harley. " You know what this means ? lie will be shot."

"On your word alone?" said Harloy. " I fancy that his word will bo more damning than mine—or your silence." " Tho word of a shell-shocked boy—which I shall deny ?" Fawlk moved to tho table and picked up tho telephone. "Put that down," said Harley, " and listen to mo To-night you gave a needless order to a boy who was in no fit state to carry it out. You followed it up with tho brutal announcement that his leave had beei cancelled- You knew what tho result would be, because I'd warned you. But even so your foul conceit wasn't satisfied —and like tho swino you are you called him a coward. If you want my ovidence at tho court martial you can have it. But that ovidence ends with the word ' coward " and with a boy who went out into tho night. If your imagination can supply a sequel, and I can think of a just ono—go ahead and provo it—alone."

Fawlk pushed the telephone aside and sat at tho table with his clenched hands stretched out before him.

" We will continue this discussion when Mr. Drayton returns," he said. But David Drayton did not return, for presently an orderly came running with tho news that his body had been picked up beside a fresh shell hole at the cross roads. A scimitar of flying steel had torn the heart from his breast. Ho was dead and smiling, sharing the jest, perhaps, that all day long had haunted his imagination or learning, perhaps, the truth of what Harley had said, that a laugh can help a man no end on an awkward journey. When the orderly had gone, Harley lifted his arms, and let them fall in a gesture that touched the foundation of dospair. Barely above a whisper ho said: " Poor old boy—poor old boy. It settles his account." " Ours remains open," said a voice behind him. CHAPTER XXIX. It was a strange pulsating world IBat Harley entered as he passed from the 0.0.'s quarters—a world in which the earth's crust trembled to the rhythm of marching hosts—tho clot, clot of cavalry squadrons—the jingling of field guns—the burring of tanks—the moan of motorlorries and tractors and the splutter and clank of caterpillars hauling " heavies " into the lino.

Of tho mighty concentration of troops and war material which poured into tne Cambrai front that November night in 1917 an epic might bo written. Unexpected, unannounced from tho back areas —from north and south they came. In lorries, 'buses, trains, Decauvilles, G.S. waggons, or horses, cycles, mounted and afoot, hour by hour they mustered as clouds gather before a storm. There is no parallel in tho whole history of tho war for the activities of that night. A new spirit had been born in evoryone—a new determination to be done with the whole business —to knock out—wipe out and overwhelm any and every combination of defence which might oppose tho path of victory. A triumph of silent, swift and deadly organisation was afoot—tho launching of a new unadvertised form of attack. A whirlwind barrage—a sector of the enemy lir)cs breached and crashed flat by a wall of juggernaut tanks and an open road for the cavalry to ride through. Nothing was forgotten or left to chance. Even the exact minute was stated when tho R.E.'s should have patched up the broken roads that spanned No Man's Laud for tho guns, ammunition columns and supplies to follow at the heels of tho advancing army. Before this perfection of design and administration failure or collapse was unthinkable. Yet, although in England that night joy bolls rang from steeples and excited patriots firod rockets and shook hands with each other and called for beer, failure and collapse was the final accountancy. A fog—a low whito clinging fog —in which regiments fumbled like lost children, was to blame. A fog and tho fortuitous presence of a reserve division travelling north at tho back of tho German lines and decanted from trains and flung into tho breach.

And presently the cavalry wero riding back wlienco thoy had come, and the tanks went rumbling down tho road and tho infantry dug themselves in and the guns settled down like old hens who sun themsolves in an orchard. And tho gentlemen who drew the war maps for newspapers made nice little semi-circles bulging eastward from (ho old familiar trench lino and filled them in with a cross hatch of grey that all who should behold might rejoice. Tho lightning offensive—the first phase of tho Battlo of Cambrai —had ended in a stalemate.

In the turmoil of those mad days there had been no timo for private animosities. Fawlk and Ilarley had worked in seeming forgotfulness of what had taken placo tho night before tho attack was launched. But with tho stopping of tho machino and with little to occupy them but tho dull routine of a battery situated in a quiet sector of the lino, consciousness of each other awoke. Although no word was spoken Ilarley was awaro that Fawlk was watching him as a cat watches—crouched and balanced for a spring. That what ho had dono wa3 contrary to all military principles did not cause Ilarley an instant of sorrow or unrest. Had David lived and boon court-martialled ho would have sworn, as he could in perfect truth have sworn—that ho had scon nothing. That much ho owed to Paulrv—to David —to a sense of justice and fair play that could never bo influenced by King's Regulations and tho manual of Military Law. lie was not a professional soldier—ho was " in for tho duration " that was all. That few professional soldiers confronted with an act of mutiny would havo acted ns he had did not weigh with Harloy. Ho was satisfied that no professional soldier would have deliberately provoked an attack from a boy whose reason was shellshocked beyond voluntary control. Although Harley would havo welcomed the attempt he knew that Fawlk would not risk taking disciplinary action against him. The man's egotism and personal conceit wore too strong to allow him to embark upon an enterprise that invited so many possibilities of failure. 'Io advertise that ho had been knocked down by a second lieutenant and to bo unablo to prove it was not tho kind of admission to recommend itself to a man of his character.

But, although the incidont was apparently closed, Harloy was awaro that it would novor bo forgotten or forgivon. ITo had made an enemy whoso determination to knifo him in tho dark would never waver or falter.