The Project Gutenberg eBook, No Man's Land, by H. C. McNeile

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Title: No Man's Land

Author: H. C. McNeile

Release Date: December 16, 2007 [eBook #23874]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NO MAN'S LAND***

E-text prepared by Al Haines

Transcriber's note:

In the original book, the author was given as "Sapper," the
pseudonym of Herman Cyril McNeile. This e-book uses the
author's real name.

NO MAN'S LAND

by

H. C. McNEILE

Author of
"Men, Women, and Guns,"
"Sergeant Michael Cassidy, R.E.," and
"The Lieutenant and Others"

Hodder and Stoughton
London ---- New York ---- Toronto
MCMXVII

TO

THE INFANTRYMAN

PREFACE

During the first few days of November 1914 Messines was lost--in
silence; during the first few days of June 1917 Messines was
regained--and the noise of its capture was heard in London. And during
the two and a half years between these two events the game over the
water has been going on.

It hasn't changed very much in the time--that game--to the player. To
those who look on, doubtless, the difference is enormous. Now they
speak easily of millions where before they thought diffidently of
thousands. But to the individual--well, Messines is lost or Messines
is won; and he is the performer. It is of those performers that I
write: of the hole-and-corner work, of the little thumb-nail sketches
which go to make up the big battle panels so ably depicted over the
matutinal bacon and eggs.

And as one privileged to assist at times in that hole-and-corner work,
I offer these pages as a small tribute to those who have done so far
more than I: to the men who have borne the burden of the days, the
months, the years--to the men who have saved the world--to the
Infantrymen.

CONTENTS

PART I

THE WAY TO THE LAND

PART II

THE LAND:

I. A DAY OF PEACE
II. OVER THE TOP
III. THE MAN-TRAP
IV. A POINT OF DETAIL
V. MY LADY OF THE JASMINE
VI. MORPHIA
VII. BENDIGO JONES--HIS TREE
VIII. THE SONG OF THE BAYONET

PART III

SEED TIME:

I. THE SEED