IN A SKYLINE TRENCH.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 266, 13 April 1917, Page 2 (Supplement)

IN A SKYLINE TRENCH.

By DENIS GARSTIN, in the Daily Express.

"If you show so much as the rim of a wish they'll blow you to hell at once," said a complacent fellow. "They'ro queer ones to see," he added, though tfuiy regarding a piece of bully be (if before he swallowed it. "There was a lad fell to cursing the Germans, and lie madb the air so tluck with curses that they saw it." The two officers who had 1 crawled into his sliell-hole peered cautiously over tho German lines, then up again to Thicpval, and the hill bghind, where tho enemy guns were. For tho moment there way a lull in the firing, and they could see over all the wasted land. It was like a piece of putrid brown cloth held together by iwhito seams, that ran in every direction, untidily and, it seemed, without care. In some places there were big patches of d'rty white, where the shells had concentrated aJid laid bare the chalk subsoil. But for tho most part tho ground was pitted with small innumerable holes, so innumerable that they gave, more than all else, to the earth its appearance of coarse texture, looely woven, whereoi the deep trenches wero the seams. In all the panorama there was no sign of life; tho ground bore 110 likeness to any living earth. It was horrible and rotten, bearing nothing, not even a blade of grass, nor any colourful thing to break the monotony of the dead place. And upon it no living thing could be seen to move. "Must bo four or five thousand Boclio there somewhere," said ono of the officers. "Where's your map? Let's have a look." For a few minutc-3 they trie;! to recognise various positions, but suddenly the lull passed and the guns 011 both sides roared out. " They're like the dogs in the village who take to barking all at once," observed the soldier. " They'll be strafing us in a minute's time. They arc terrible chaps to fire their guns." There was no question of seeing anything now. On both sides the guns were thundering away. Overhead the sheila wailed, screamed .and groaned. The sky had suddenly become alive with all manner of savage noise and burst hero and there and thrashed the earth into a storm of dust and fragments. Then out of all tho clamour? came the sound that soldiers learn to recognise so soon. Tney threw themselves flat against the side of the holo just r.s a shell burst a, few yards in front of them. " Wasn't I saying .. . began the soldier lifting his head only to shudder into the earth agan, as another shell gave its quick warning df approach. " They've spotted us," said' an officer; then crouched quickly. For ten minutes they lay there, proved hard against the soil wMle shells burst all about them, casting up great spouts of earth and stones and smoke. " Better get a move on," said one, at last; but the other, a mere boy, did not move. Ho was white and shaking. "Como on, old son," said his companion, "or we'll be late for tea." The boy started, looked at his friend, and then at the hurricane of war around him. The older man smiled. "They get so bored if we're late, he said. "AH right," said the boy.

They scrambled out of their shelter and ran a short distance, dodging from hole to hole, while fragments of shell whipped past them with sharp thuds into the ground, and at last found a piece of trench. It was full of men, mostly wounded. "Been here five days," said a scarecrow of a man. His face was black with hair, dirt, and dry blood, and his clothes were filthy and ragged. It was hard to see ho was an officer. " Getting rather tired of it. Lost nearly all my men. Good fellows, too. And I'm sorry, but I haven't a drink to offer you. Everything's gone west. What's the news?"

They talked for a while, discussing tho situation. " Yes, it's real good,' said the scarecrow. " We're putting it across the Hun now all right. But I shouldn't mind letting my fellows have a bit of a rest. They've had a bad time. What are you doing Uere?" "Staff," said tho older man, "reconnoitring positions. We must push on." " Good luck," said tho scarecrow, "and think of mo when you climb into bed to-night. " Good-bye." "I used to know that chap by sight," said the boy. " His father left him half a million just before the war." The trench was being badly bombarded when they reached it. In an old German dug-out they found an officer lying. There was a soldier looking after him, soothing him as though he wero a baby. "That officer there," the soldier-ser-vant cried, "is tho finest man in the whole army. Brave as a lion."

''Wo know," said tho older officer. "Look after him and he'll bo ay good again."

"He's tho finest officer in the/world," said tho servant, but less defiantly. "A shell came and buried him. and now he's wandering a bit. Don't hoed what lio's saying." "Well, get him away to-night," said tho oflicer, " and lend a hand to this fellow we brought in. Things will quiet down soon. Don't worry."

They continued their way down tho trench, running from hole to hole, laughing with the scattered troops they met, lumping wounded into better shelter, in quiet moments taking stock of tho position. Gradually the trench became ijcttir, tho .shelling less. They reached a communication trench, and found it blocked with .wounded, who had dragged themselves so far and could get no further. Several times they lound stretcilier-bcarors dead, together with tho man they had tried to save. Tho few who were left were bandaging tho worst case-*, using every dug-out as a, dressing station. "Whow," said the younger officer at last, "I helicvo we're out of it. You know, I feel rather a rotter coming awav likfl this."

"j think that's enougli for one day, my son," -aid the other. "God, but tho uorkl's a good place to come hack

Boforo them lay tho vulloy of the Ane.ro, with its woods ami broad fields and swelling hillsides. It was already evening, but the light had that luminous clearness that ernes between storms.. Tho ground stil glittered with tho recent rain, so that in that pearly light tho earth seemed far h-s dark than the lowering sky. And th- wet i-oi! smelt clean juul swift and very comforting. I'W a. moment the sun shone out behind tho great cloud--, and al I tho ijiiiet land !■«■!• utn brilliant in the evening radiance instinctively ilicy iurncd to the hill they had just left. Tin y e.ould sen nothing of it. A great cloud of smoke and debris wa.s drifting across the land, hiding its desolation and the wojjry men who lived and d id "-ere