ON ACTIVE SERVICE.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 October 1918, Page 4

ON ACTIVE SERVICE.

:V DOG'S DEVOTION

A. West Coast soldier writing to lus parents in Westland thus relates a pretty story of a dog’s devotion to Ids master, which lias all the merits of being true :

A lrieiul of mine who is now attached to my battery told me a very pretty story of a dog’s devotion to his master. I am going to repeat it to you. Last March my friend was an officer in the Infantry, but lie lias since transferred back to the artillery. Well when w e came down to stop some oi the Him advance in March, my friend went out on a patrol with two men to see if they j could locate the Huns. Going down a trench they came upon a little dog which rushed up to them, and back down the trench in the direction they were going several times. They were verys surprised to see the dog in such a place, and were going to shoot it at first, but decided not to as their shot would give them away to the Huns probably. Well tliey became eurinus and followed the dog until it turned off down a side trench. Fearing a trap they stopped and watched the little booo-ar. Well when the dog found they’ were not following lie ran bade and whimpered to them as much as to say “Come on.” So they -cautiously followed again until presently they came to a trench full of dead soldiers, both British and Huns, very evidently a spot where a pretty stiff fight had taken place. The little dog ran straight to a British soldier who was lying there and started licking his face. The chap opened his eyes, and my friend said “Hullo, are you badly hit ? Hie soldier replied, “Oh no Si<, I f walk if you will pull my feet out of the ground.” So my friend looked and saw his-feet were not in the ground, and said “But-your feet are not in tlm. ground, let me have a look at, you. Well he found the poor chap had been sliot in the spine and lus legs wore paralysed. On questioning the chap my pal found ho had bo. 11 lying there for five days among all those dead men, with onlv the little dog to keep his spirits up. Eventually he was got away to hospital, and his dog was adopted by the boys of my pal’s eomp'any and is still with them. Now don’t you think that a pretty story of wonderful devotion. The boantv of it is that it is perfectly tine The incident occurred a few miles north of the famous town of Albert.