side enforced upon the spirits
something of its own desolation. Everywhere the gaunt, shell-shattered
trees, through which o' nights the incessant red glow eastward
penetrated just as it had four months before. Day and night the
perpetual roar of artillery, the heavy shock of falling bombs, the
familiar KR-UMP!

And the knowledge that the brief security of life had passed. Again,
already, none knew who might not glimpse the dawn; again the hell-hot
shrapnel and the writhing human flesh. To-morrow that arm may be a
shattered, jagged hanging "thing" ... how firm, fine, and white it
looks: smooth, strong....

You look curiously along the line of adjacent faces. Can ALL come
through--impossible. Who will go under first ... will it be YOU? Wonder
what it is like to die? Men had often fallen limply near by, a small
round hole in the forehead and a trickle of blood. They seemed calm
enough ... wonder where they went ... did they KNOW they were dead? Do
you feel the bullet whistling through your brain ... do you have one
last lightning thought cut short, "This is Death!"...?

Anyhow, what of it ... others have done it. If they could, you could!

Before going up into the icy-cold of water-logged semi-trenches the feet
were treated with special attention to counteract the action of
continual wet and frost upon the flesh. If the utmost care is not taken,
and the dreaded "trench feet" fastens its fierce grip upon the victim,
there lies before him many weeks of agony in hospital, haunted daily by
a chance of losing one or both feet. All this without the glad
consolation of a WOUND!

Washed in warm water, the feet are greased and powdered and new socks
placed carefully over before setting out on the trudge Linewards.

Trench equipment is issued, two days' rations served out, and a start is
made in the night. Stumpy lost his "grub" by misadventure, but found
somebody else's, withstood a fierce argument for ten minutes and finally
pacified his opponent by "finding" still another issue.

Hoarse orders sent men probing about for their rifles and assortment of
equipment.

The Ten Hundred filed out.

XII

PASSCHENDAELE SECTOR

Eyes gazing eastward at the rising and falling Verey Lights in Jerry's
lines, the Ten Hundred trudged wearily along a sodden plank "road"
winding into a stretch of muddy track strewn on all sides with the
gruesome conglomeration of war's jetsam.

The way had to be carefully chosen past shell-h