FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   >>  
an adversary who was a gentleman; and although there was plenty of risk, the chances were that one came through all right. At any rate, there was no poison gas, and one did not see a whole platoon blown to pieces, or buried alive, by a single shell. If Brother Boer took you prisoner, he did not stick you in the stomach with a saw-edged bayonet. At the worst he pinched your trousers. But Brother Boche is a different proposition. Since he butted in, war has descended in the social scale. And modern scientific developments have turned a sporting chance of being scuppered into a mathematical certainty. And yet--and yet--old Mucklewame is right. One _hates_ to be out of it--especially at the finish. When the regiment comes stumping through London on its way back to Euston--next year, or whenever it's going to be--with their ragged pipers leading the way, you would like to be at the head of 'A' Company, Bobby, and I would give something to be exercising my old function of whipper-in. Eh, boy?" "Never mind," said practical Bobby. "Perhaps we shall be on somebody's glittering Staff. What I hate to feel at present is that the other fellows, out there, have got to go on sticking it, while we--" "And by God," exclaimed Wagstaffe, "what stickers they are--and were! Did you ever see anything so splendid, Bobby, as those six-months-old soldiers of ours--in the early days, I mean, when we held our trenches, week by week, under continuous bombardment, and our gunners behind could only help us with four or five rounds a day?" "I never did," said Bobby, truthfully. "I admit to you," continued Wagstaffe, "that when I found myself pitchforked into 'K(1)' at the outbreak of the war, instead of getting back to my old line battalion, I was a pretty sick man. I hated everybody. I was one of the old school--or liked to think I was--and the ways of the new school were not my ways. I hated the new officers. Some of them bullied the men; some of them allowed themselves to be bullied by N.C.O.'s. Some never gave or returned salutes, others went about saluting everybody. Some came into Mess in fancy dress of their own design, and elbowed senior officers off the hearthrug. I used to marvel at the Colonel's patience with them. But many of them are dead now, Bobby, and they nearly all made good. Then the men! After ten years in the regular Army I hated them all--the way they lounged, the way they dressed, the way they sat, the way they spat. I
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   >>  



Top keywords:
Wagstaffe
 

bullied

 

school

 

officers

 

Brother

 
continuous
 
bombardment
 

gunners

 
truthfully
 

rounds


regular

 

splendid

 
months
 

soldiers

 
lounged
 

trenches

 
continued
 
dressed
 

design

 

elbowed


senior

 

saluting

 

returned

 

allowed

 

hearthrug

 

outbreak

 

salutes

 

pitchforked

 

battalion

 

patience


Colonel

 
marvel
 

pretty

 

trousers

 

proposition

 
pinched
 

stomach

 
bayonet
 

butted

 
sporting

turned
 

chance

 
scuppered
 
developments
 

scientific

 

descended

 
social
 

modern

 
prisoner
 

chances