Part 4 (1/2)
”I didn't knohat to think first,” was the answer, ”then when I caot a kind of shock just like I'd get when I have a narrow shave with a 'bus in London”
”And you, Pryor?”
”I went cold all over for a minute”
”Bill?”
”Oh! Blast the to do you in 'twill do you in, and that's about the end of it Well, sing a song to cheer us up,” and without another word he began to bellow out one of our popular rhymes
Oh! the Irish boys they are the boys To drive the Kaiser balmy
And _we'll_ smash up that fool Von Kluck And all his blooside a Red Cross motor (p 059) ambulance In front, with the driver, one of our boys was seated; his coat sleeve ripped fro down his arm on to his clothes; inside, on the seat, was another with his right leg bare and a red gash showing above the knee He looked dazed, but was sarette
”Stopped a packet, matey?” Stoner enquired
”Got a scratch, but it's not worth while talking about,” was the answer ”I'll reet back”
”You're all right, ular soldier who stood on the paveive five pounds for a wound like that You're damned lucky, and its your first journey!”
”Have you been long out here?” asked Teak
”Only about nine iment left, and it makes me wish this damned business was over and done with”
”Ye don't like war, then”
”Like it! Who likes it? only them that'sconnected with the ---- work” (p 060)
”But this is a holy war,” said Pryor, an inscrutable s round his lips ”God's with us, you know”
”We're placing unpowder than on God,” I reular
”There'selse They take us out of the trenches for a rest, send us to church, and tell us to love our neighbours Bliain and tell you to kill like 'ell”
”Have you ever been in a bayonet charge?” asked Stoner
”Four of them,” ere told, ”and I don't like the blasted work, never could stoon whirred off, and the march was resumed
We were now about a mile from the enemy's lines, and well into the province of death and desolation We passed the last plough his share, and turning up little strips of earth on his furroorld The old horadually hidden by the green grasses, the old farh, (p 061) and the old horses held hie There was no other world for theat the rear of the destructive dee which had been done
We cah explosive shells in the roadere filled up with fallen masonry This was a point at which the transports stopped Beyond this,that with scissors-like precision cut off, pace by pace, the distance between hi pathetic in the forward crawl, in the auto at the sa backwards and forwards over the hip, and, above all, in the stretcher-bearers with stretchers slung over their shouldersin rear Theof an inevitable event, of forcestowards a destined end All individuality is lost, the thinking ego is effaced, thebecause the otherdeath as hearty oal
We werewith a shrapnel-shi+vered (p 062) roof, and picks and shovels were handed out to us
”You've got to help to widen the communication trench to-day!” ere told by an RE officer who had taken charge of our platoon
As ere about to start a sound land as a h the air, and at the sas which haunt their old and now unfauish as he was sniffing the gutter, and dropped limply to the pavement A French soldier who stood in a near doorway pulled the cigarette frohed A coly