A REAL PRIZE FIGHT.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 May 1916, Page 2

A REAL PRIZE FIGHT.

BRITON AND HUN IN "NO MAN'S LAND." . Where opposing armies are separated by not more than fifty yards of .waste land it is only natural, the men> on opposing sides often, meet, for little chijts in a brief, respite taken .from their business of killing. Just what,happened as a result of one of these little talks is told in a letter to his mother written by a wounded private in « Bedfordshire regiment. He says:—. ~ "Most of us thought the: Germans had mended their ways, but I am sorry to say they have not. Recently there ha* been a revival of tho old tricks, an* familiar ruses are adopted in order to reaeh our lines. In my last engagement a Gorman officer made. a. signal to our lines that he would like'to have a' quiet word, with one of us. We're nothing if not sporty over there, and we don't mind taking a chance now and then.

'•'Come on,' we said. 'What do,you want to say?'

"The German approached witli a few yards of our trenches and said, 'Why don't you give in? Everybody in the world knows that you are beaten.' '"Half a moment,' answered one of our lads. It's not quite as bad as that. There's life in the old dog yet.' '"Ha. ha!' said the German, and immediately he Hung a number of bombs at us. Happity. we dodged them and, I am pleased to add, none of us was injured. Next day we drew lots as to who would get our own hick on the shabby beggars. I clicked and there was nothing for me to do but face the music. It was evening. The German linos were not fifty yards away. I crept over the parapet, noiselessly as I thought, and got within hearing of a conversation among the enemy. "Suddenly a voice broke in, just in a whisper, Is that you, Bill?' "I did not reply. I was a little doubtful, as a matter of fact. The voice went on again, 'Bill, help me.' "I said to myself that you are not one. of us and I proved right, for in an instant someone pounced on me. He had a good, grip on my throat. Then we had a hand-to-hand set-to, and a searchlight from our trenches was turned on us.

" 'Evens on the field,' shouted the boys, and so it was for 'five minutes, during which we exchanged hard blows. In the last round my luck was in and T landed him one under the chin which sent him reeling. I wasn't satisfied with that, so I lifted him across my shoulder and just as T reached our trenches tie German machine guns opened fire. In a moment, just as I was popped in the leg, I flung my man over our parapet, and when they picked him up they found his back was broken. Papers found on him showed that he belonged to a Bavarian regiment."