THE ATTACK.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 272, 4 May 1917, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE ATTACK.

(By Patrick McGill.)

"Three minute? more!" said the young officer, looking at his wrist watch, and addressing Lis remark to Rifleman Mike Garney, "tlien we're over the top.

"Yes, sor,'' said Mike, filling his pipo and lighting it. "I sup|)ot>e the Tanks are near the German trench be now." The officer nodded his head, and fingered his whistle. The thousand guns mug in their secret emplacements, were still thundering; the shells were smashing the German trenches to smithereens.

It's the divil's own shindy!"' said Mike. lie was a broad shouldered man of medium height, and with a queer puckered little face, high cheek bones, and a small clay pipe which he always carried about with him, inside his cap on parade, and in his haversack on the march. That was, of course, wheu he wart not smoking, and lie smoked atevery opportunity, the pipe in one side of his mouth and the bowl turned down Mike was a bomber, fond of the work, and a man of merit in the execution of his duties.

The young officer climbed up on tho parapet, took a last look at liis watch and blew the whistle. The .soldiers swarmed over the parajtet, Mike Carney one of the first. Out in the ojiea his first feeling was one of disappointment; to start with, tho charge wan as dull as a church parade. Garney, although orders were given to the contrary, expected a wild, whooping, forward "rush, Imt tho men stepped out soberly, with regulated precision. "They're having a slow march on the parade ground," said Garney. In front, a multitude of German gas shells had exploded, and a curtain of smoky fumes lay over Xo Man's Land. The tanks could not be seen, the enemy trenches were invisible, the air wa;S alive with bullets.

Garney and his mates went forward. A little V-shaped valley formed by the caprico of the breeze opened in tho fumes and at its far end the enemy's wire entanglements could be seen. Garney walked along the valley for some twenty yards then he glanced to his left and found that there was not. a comrade in sight. "There. Murtagh, we've lost connection," he shouted turning to his right. But his words were wasted on smoke and air. Murtagh had disappeared. Garney was all alone in his little glen and invisible birds were flicking angry wings close to his ears. His first inclination was to turn back, not through fear, but with a desire to make enquiries.

"Well, I can't take a German trench on me own," he muttered, standing still and puffing his pipe meditatively. "But it doesn't matter a damn. I'll go forward." He felt fear in a certain measuro now, but he was attracted towards that which engendered the fear, as an urchin attracted towards a wasp's nest longs to poke the hive and annoy the occupants. "Suppose I get killed now afon- T see anything," lie said to himself. "I don't want to get killed without a hit o' divilment."

He reached the enemy's wires, the few that remained, tripod and fill headlong. 'Jetting to his feet, lip took stock of the locality in front. Theie was the Cerinan trench sure enough, with its rows of dirty sandbags, a ma-chine-gun emplacement, and a machinegun peeping furtively through a loophole. A big bearded German was adjusting the range of the weapon. Ho looked at Carney, Carney looked at him, and tightened the grip on his riile. "Ifo! me laddiebuck!" said Miko gripping a bomb and throwing his arm back for the swing. "Have this for yer breakfast." He tlung the bomb but did not see it burst. Something hit him in the head at that moment, and ho dropped out of tho world of conscious tilings. lie lay on the ground for ten minutes lost to everything. Then he eanie to himself, and* his lirst*sensation was of blood running down his nose. He got to his feet anu looked awkwardly round. Nothing to be seen save the trench in front, the r-hell-rippcd sandbags, and the machine-gun emplacements, and a khaki clad soldier who was looking ov< r the parapet smoking a cigarette. "Mother of Cod, they've taken the trenches and I've missed all the fan, .-aid Carney. "Well, 111 have a smoke." He looked on the ground for hi* pipe and found it there, smashed to pieces. "Thcies no damned fun in this business," lie muttered. "No iightiif ar.'l no sinokin'. Hi there!" lie called to the soldier in the trench.

"(,'heero!" came the reply. "Is the lightiu' all doner" allied Mike.

"No indeed !" was the answer. "Over in the light, in a graveyard there's liig ructions." "I'm for that arm o' the glen." Mike ieplied. and lie rushed oft toward;! the churchyard. He accomplished many deeds not without merit in the churchyard and in the afternoon he got wounded again. When he was carried in at night, he recounted some of hi • adventurer, to the M O. at the dressing station. .

• Twas n Doiiybrook ."11 over agm, ho said. ••There' was me without mo pipe ami the blood runnin' all over no face. I got into the graveyard and 'twas lite a wasp's nest with m u-liinc •Mis. They wor ivery-wliore. in tlie giuves even among the dead jteopio s bones. and behind the tombstone-;. There wu« wan gun that wa- goin' pit! pit! al Hi'.' time, and 1 marked it out for meself. 1 could hoc tne pi aft' it was, behind a tombstone, a |> ur tombstolio too, with two angels o'l it, and tliem kneeling in front of the "Saered Heart." I've often a many a fine' seen the same stone on the gr;wos in me own country. Well, a lons' 1 crawl-, up to near the place, and it" n I get • me bomb ready. 1 .Iraw- the ten. ptietehes oil* me arm. ri-e- up. ilwov.s the bomb, and, <i<<l forgive me'. 1 hie v. them two innocent angel* ( fi the tr.ni ibtone. . .

•• \nd the (iernmu ma-chine gunmrnsked the M.O. . , , "H- goi-.: tliev went with tlie i'.ngel.uiiid Mike Canny.