FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   >>  
ation. One F.O.O. saw the French advance. "It was wonderful to see them go in," he said. "Our Batteries were on the extreme right of the British line, so we were actually touching the French left flank. I had met hundreds of _poilus_ back in billets, in _cafes_, and the like. To look at them strolling down a village street in their baggy uniforms, with their hands in their pockets, laughing and chatting to the children, you would never have thought they were such tigers. I remember one big fellow a few weeks ago, home on leave--_permission_--who used to frisk about with a big umbrella under his arm! I suppose that was to keep the rain off his tin hat. But when they went for Maricourt the other day, there weren't many umbrellas about--only bayonets! I tell you, they were marvels!" It would be interesting to hear the _poilu_ on his Allies. The first train moves off, and another takes its place. The long lines of stretchers are thinning out now. There are perhaps a hundred left. They contain men of all units--English, Scottish, and Irish. There are Gunners, Sappers, and Infantry. Here and there among them you may note bloodstained men in dirty grey uniforms--men with dull, expressionless faces and closely cropped heads. They are tended with exactly the same care as the others. Where wounded men are concerned, the British Medical Service is strictly neutral. A wounded Corporal of the R.A.M.C. turns his head and gazes thoughtfully at one of those grey men. "You understand English, Fritz?" he enquires. Apparently not. Fritz continues to stare woodenly at the roof of the dock-shed. "I should like to tell 'im a story, Jock," says the Corporal to his other neighbour. "My job is on a hospital train. 'Alf-a-dozen 'Un aeroplanes made a raid behind our lines; and seeing a beautiful Red Cross train--it was a new London and North Western train, chocolate and white, with red crosses as plain as could be--well, they simply couldn't resist such a target as that! One of their machines swooped low down and dropped his bombs on us. Luckily he only got the rear coach; but I happened to be in it! D' yer 'ear that, Fritz?" "I doot he canna unnerstand onything," remarked the Highlander. "He's fair demoralised, like the rest. D' ye ken what happened tae me? I was gaun' back wounded, with _this_--" he indicates an arm strapped close to his side--"and there was six Fritzes came crawlin' oot o' a dug-oot, and gave themselves up ta
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   >>  



Top keywords:
wounded
 

uniforms

 

Corporal

 
happened
 

English

 

British

 

French

 

aeroplanes

 

hospital

 

beautiful


neutral

 
Western
 

chocolate

 
strictly
 
London
 

advance

 

understand

 

enquires

 

Apparently

 

thoughtfully


continues

 

crosses

 

neighbour

 

woodenly

 

demoralised

 
strapped
 

Fritzes

 

crawlin

 

dropped

 

Luckily


swooped

 

machines

 
simply
 

couldn

 

resist

 

target

 

unnerstand

 

onything

 

remarked

 

Highlander


concerned
 
poilus
 

hundreds

 

suppose

 

bayonets

 
marvels
 

umbrellas

 
Maricourt
 
touching
 

umbrella