A Regimental Fable.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 16 October 1917, Page 4

A Regimental Fable.

Tho battalion were doing an outpost scheme. And the colonol (with adjutant) was going round the piquets .And ho came unto No. 2 Piquet of No. 1 Outpost Comany. And it occurred unto him to play his old game of "testing sontry.'' And, full of this resolve, he went unto the sentry, and said, '' What are you?" And the sentry made reply to him: "Sentry, sir," And ho said unto the sentry: "Look to your front, where the enemy may be. Don't look at me.'' Now this should have, warned tho sontry; but ho was only a recruit. And the colonel asked sundry other questions. And suddenly ho said unto tho sentry: "Give me your rifle." And tho sentry gave him nis rifle. And thereby delivered Himself into his hand. And the C.O. said: "A d— line sentry, indeed, art thou, to give up thy arms. Good heavens! fellow what earthly good arc thou on a piquet?'' .... and much more in the same strain. And the sentry said: '' But, sir, art thou not my 0.0. ? and did'st not thou command mo to yield up my rifle ?'' And the colonel answered him, and said, 11 How do you know? I might be a Hun, a disguised Hun, a spy." And the colonel (with adjutant) having played his game very successfully, departed in a very good humour for tho luncheon interval. And the sontry was much saddened by reason of these things. And later in tho day he took an opportunity of communicating to a friend of his (who was also a sentry farther off) what had happened. And it so fell out that in the afternoon the coloncl came unto this other sentry and essayed similar tactics with him. And this sentry said unto him: "Come round in front,, you two, and let's 'ave a look at yer." Now the colonel was somewhat astonished at being addressed in this wise by a private soldier. But nevertheless, he came round in front as directed. And he put further questions to the sentry, which, were answered in a rather truculent manner. So much so that the colonel began to feel angry. But he dissembled his anger, remembering that he was playing his old game of "testing sentry." And ho suddenly required the sentry (as before) to yield him up his rifle. But the sentry yielded himi it not, anfl answered him, saying: "Ho! that's yer style, is it.'' And he cried out unto his group commander: ' ' —! Come and seize these, two bloomin' dirty spies." But, alas! for the uncertainty of hiunan wishes, the old man became most fearfully wroth and fairly lost his wool. And he said, "Arrest mo there, this impudent scoundrel, and march him back unto the encampment.'' And it was so. And the next morning at orderlyroom this sentry got it in the neck properly, and he was much more saddened than even tho first sentry.