THREE BLIND MEN.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 290, 24 September 1915, Page 2

THREE BLIND MEN.

CHEERFUL HEROES

STRUCK, DEAF AND DUMB

A cubic to the Sydney Sun frcrn Fremantle, on August CSta, gave the following pathetic picture of the return of wounded soldiers: —

Three soldiers sat together on the deck of the transport 'Hororata, which arrived at Fremantle last week. : They wore dark-coloured glasses, and they differed from the other little throngs. Theirs was an attitude of concentration. They smoked, and apparently were quite placid, but as they hent forward it seemed as if most of their senses were greatly strung-flup — they were listening, hard. Someone brushed hastily past, but none of the three men drew back involuntarily, for all of them were blind —totally blind. "Too true." said a Victorian sergeant, whose elbow had been shattered and who placed his wasted forearm in his tunic in search of warmth. "These bombs and hand grenades do their dirty work too damned well. These things are filled with such fine powder that they are fatal to the eyes. It makes me forget all about my arm when I see these poor chaps."

"Careful!" warned a third member of the observing group. "It is wonderful how these sightless men develop their other faculties. The chap tin's side has heard you." The soldier mentioned turned his, poor sightless eyes towards the group, and smiled genially. It was like a stroke of sun breaking through on a grey, misty day. Then he felt the deck with his stick, passing along the inm rails until it touched a deck char. His face lighted up, and he quickly and dexterously Substituted the chair for an empty biscuit tin lie had been using as a seat. The three sat together again, and though they said nothing ''■■r some minutes, yet there was that in their attitude suggesting complete fraternity and a poignant community of affliction.

"The cruel time will come when they are separated," continued the Oueenslander. "They belong to different .States, and they are much attached to each other. The fellow at the end is •.'. real hard case. He is always stickii;;4 i:p other men, and saying, "Why, you look real miserable to-day. Why aren't you as happy as I am?"

The "hard case," as if lie had heard'the remark, grinned, and began to 'feel in his pockets. Presently, ho pulled from his tunic nn empty tobacco tin containing the badges of the various regiments engaged at the Dardanelles. He fingered these with, great pride, counted them and returned the tin to his pocket. The man in the middle had meanwhile dropped his pipe, and, with his jaw resting on his hands, he gazed southwards. Perhaps he was th.in.ing of the 3ast time he had seen the sun. But he was doleful only for a minute. Boon, a girl's happy voice came from the wharf. Raising his figure to its full height, he took out a handkerchief, and waving it shorewards where he thought, the voice came from, called out heartily, "Hul10a, girls." This vastly amused himself and his pals, and they were all happy once more.

"That man never had a chance," vouchsafed the informative Queenslander. "A piece of shot entered his left eye and shattered the nerves of the other. You see that Kttle chap who.has just sat down with him. Well, he spends all the day reading to the blind men. They have a mate who has oidy lost one eye. He guides them round the deck every day. They place their arms' on each other's shoulders and parade the deck, form fours, and go through other modes of drill with great gusto. - .

A tall, bright-looking young map hastened along an alely-way, and nodded to members of the group. He was anther of the affiieted. One day, as he was peacefully and happily burrowing into a hill, a Turkish shell exploded underneath, and threw him high in the air. When lie came down, he found lie

was unmarked, bat the concussion had destroyed the drums of his ears and his vocal chords —he was deaf and dumb. Someone from the shove spoke to him, and the young man evidently thinking that the Strang'"" was asking how he had been wounded, niotii.ned with his hands, endeavouring 1.1 demonstrate the pasage of himself through the air, up and down. Then he smiled —thought it funny, in fact.