THE STREAM OF BULLETS

Wanganui Herald, Volume L, Issue 14698, 1 September 1915, Page 4

THE STREAM OF BULLETS

UNDER FIRE. A VIVID PEN PICTURE. “Perhaps yon,may bo interested to know,-what it fools iiko to he Wilder fine.” writes Captain A. J. Cross, (formerly, hj master at -Wellington College), in a letter'to Mi : Jh p. Firth. Principal of tho

College. ;.‘j shall' try to toll you to tlii) best of ray ability. It is a glorious Saturday} morning, time 9 a.m.. grid we are si (ting, ip .the ..support trenches, thawing out after' a. rotten cold night.}'.. Arrives an orderly' with a'pirik message' Terra. The major reads it, signs receipt, and passes it to me: “The brigade will attack,’ etc. The talk and laughter givd place, to a subdued murmur. Magazine springy tested and, bandoliers refilled from I’esefyo boxes; bolt’s click and bayonet studs and' locking springs arc cleared of dust. Follows a little council of war, when all officers are carefully toM the plan of attack and its limits. At ID h:m;. ; . half an Tipur before the attack R timed to commence. T ani to’’go forward with one observer ‘to obtain any Information ; on position held by the enemy.* “MORTAL FUNK.” “I hope, that the men do, not see that jL am in a mortal funk, arid I.pave, a horrible, suspicion ..that my assuiried jaunti-' ness is palpably forced; . My‘observer, Ati ex-navy man, stands stoically. 7by w|th my bandolier,'full of new, clenm-toraitrii* tiori; - For the .twchtiethTtiine,!' look .hi my watch, At last. ; 10 o’clock.’ , A nod from Captain vFrfffidi, }wp<> }ik feoto’g opt -Horn ' Company - <jri 'the- loft,-.antl we‘ard’over (tho- parapet rind walkiiift steadily forward. Nothing happens*, though I.feel the-hundreds of -eyes on my back. I hope ray hand is quite-steam* as I .light, a cigarette, and I ,find ' speaking of trivial things to iriy observer, Phut! Phut. Two little spurts.of dust flv uo at our feet, and curious buzzing sounds, in the dir. ' Out the advanced tranches of the ~— Regiment (famous Regulars), are quite close now; qnd wo' drop - down among ithem for a ■ ■: >/. Again. WC rirp ovor,the.;j|rJ(H!et, in a field of daisies .and poppies-, i Hero, ar-l there,; be queer; hriddlcd heaps in-thii sulphur-coloured uniforms'of tho. enemy. . . . The little spurts are' gettingthicker. I look furtively over to' Frandl, in the left. Ho is still walking coolly opt ' I can!t rgn while, ho walks. • An eternity passes. ./...,’A semi-circle of'spurts, shows us where a machine-gun has opoljed on us. ‘Como on, Blackmore,’T cry, , I can stand it ito longer. I was never vesy fast on the track, but heat BlackmArei bivTO yards; : . . . The attack hr late—lo.4s. Here they comor-a steady, oven lino, ten paces interval. Thoy.,swivri|i over the parapet and walk steadily cAr! , non-conis. watching and checking. * Till) air above mo whistles and sings. Whisbil They are almost blotted from view. ThA enemy’s, batteries have opehed 'on theiu'i ON PARADE. “The dust clears, and still they walk steadily oil—not a waver, not a falter'. Again and again they are blotted out by bouquets (fours and eights) of shrapnel; each time .they emerge from the smoko, and dust with lines unbroken. At 200 yards' interval the second line swarms over, cool as on parade, and walks .steadily on, • ■ • On they come; limr . v after ‘line, juW as we had taught them to do on the sands of Egypt.. > “Tim first lino is advancing by shorjti rushes, and the din is simply hellish. The air. fjeems full of screaming shells' aijd whistling bullets. Our own brittefies belch st.eel. i.n the iear, and the huge ■ shells throw ; up clouds, of ' egfth,}} in, frorit.}} }lt ’ speriih '-if not -4 niousb could live, but-tho Kpes advaileo , .unjbroken., . .- ' .-} ’}} ' ;■ , }■ ' GETTING VvARMg' • }< } “We can see nothing, but death^-be)Pil-ing scrub in front. . ;“"isut tren^ ing tools, they arc getting ,<mr range, .living, fjgt on his face, each man wofjko and throws the ealtth in front of him. Gradually a shallow trench forms, and just in time; THey have our range now to a yard. and wflli heads ducked low wo dig and dig. .; W “Hera they come ! Fix bayonets, bojfs, And"hold your fire' till ‘ they are I.syds off. . . Now they are coming. Cjjilfr grimy hands clutch our hot rifle barrels. Dusty, sweat-streaked faces peer ’ ower the low parapet.. . . . ' The riflejfjro Ori front breaks out again. Tito fcnoniy think better of'it, but tbey mnko us dig orir noses into mother crirthJ’ '■ }| DEATH OF A HERO, ‘ 'i}, old Fraudi’s out!’ This, wlh ■ -requiem of .one of the bravest men IHAito ever known, and I have seen some br.qib ones during the last five weeks! ,1 “At 5.30 p.rij. there is another bombardment. . . . Their snipers creep out im front of.us. - A.sniper stood up from boliind a' busii levels off arid - let drive. T just , saw his broil'd;-’brass beltbuckle over tho sight of niy 'rie. I shall never forget the look on his face as ho tlirow..up his arras and .fell ; .backwards; ... I did not realise .till,Ahen that I, had taken a man’s life. , ‘K7. ■/..;" V ‘'l. wish .you-could see the men now/— 1 some-in helmets,-some in,.-caps, 'in. all, sorts of tunics and breeches, ragged aqd unshaveni but men, and dc<s£rTmg of all that our. country can do foy. them. I could.write reams of.-theiraaßts of devotion, of the cheerful nluck/of those with ghastly wounds. If ’those' ’ who' have stayed at homo who could, .have come . could, -see this \thev would be /ateriyed ; jfor tthfe rijanhood;. • men. I am not allowed to' sky how many, but if 1 could tell you how rriliVny men we need at this, moment .to .fill .our/depletedi t you . would, scarcely believe -me: ■. M% 'God be merciful id- them all 1 ”