Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-13
Corporal Herring's First Fight

| and he looked at it in foolish amaze
| ment.
II wonder where I'm it," he thought.
'I'll ave to lie ERE till they pick me up.
| suppose. They'll send me down to the
bise 'orspital. and then wot o fer beer
| 1t was very comfortable there in the soft
grass. and he could have gone to sleep
| but for the thirst which tortured him.
There was another thing disturbed him.
too. and that vas the GRIM lace ol
! tant.
| stop that! Keep your fee strite!''
shouted Corp. Herring.
Pore beggar, e carnt 'elp 'isself,; he
i'm under rrettv quick or Ell swell or
rible Thenk Cord, I'm out of it
Then it occurred to him that he might
as we'll possess himself Of Dutchy's wa
teE bottle; but when he tried to crawl
| toward it an agonizing pain shot through
| him. He essayed to raise himself upon
his hands and knees, but his hands turn
ed sideways. and his feet had no more
| sensation than horseshoes. The distance
| seemed tremendous.
I'll ave a bit of nap. and proceed
when it gifts cooler" thought Herring,
| sinking back into the grass and watching
| vulture circling over him.
| But few minutes later his strength re-
| turned. He clambered over the corpse
and seized the water bottle. draining 1t
| eagerly: then sprang to his feet and
| fastened after his troop. Bullets whined
| overhead. but none touched him. ITO
| hell with them.' he shouted, waving his
arms Follow me, boys.'' The whole
| line leaped up with a roar.
Elk baynits.'' the corporal screamed.
and led his men right into the trenches.
| leaped up with a pistol. The co poral ha
lost his rifle, but he seized his antagonist
around the waist and grappled with him.
The Dutchman's hat fell off, and his
l. Il
They swayed backward and forward;
until the corporal stumbled and fell full
length into the burning sand. He gasped
and spluttered and opened his eyes; ne
was back where he had been lying, and
the hideous leer Of Dutchy confronted
him. Overhead there passed the shadow
of wings.
stop tibet, sy Stop it," he screamed
shaking his clenched hands at Dutchy
You bloomin' squarehead. will you stop
by the throat and choke him, but Dutchy
disappeared. and in his place stood the
white tents of the encampment bellying
in the wind. The company cooks were
boiling bully beef with compressed vege-
tables over a fire of wet wood. SILLY
FOOLS yelled the corporal, you've fer
got to put in the pertyters.' The cooks
| threw down their utensils and advanced
with threatening gestures. but. the cor
poral was not afraid. He knew that they
were only phantoms. Something that he
knew very well, had always known in the
most intimate manner, was lying upon
the veldt, thirsting with an unquenchable
thirst. winking away the flies: and
Dutchy was back again and grinnlng at
him.
low did you git back, Dutchy?' he
thought he said. but only the rafting of
air came through his open jaws.
a vulture swOoped down from the blue,
and now hung poised directly over him,
hon nailed
| the armament. Then. one by one out OF
the distance, pin-points appeared. at
equal intervals. grew larger. and hung
poised in their places, motionless against
their background of cloudless sky.
You'll ave to wife a long time for
your Dime, myte," thought Corporal
Herring, mentally apostrophizing the
leader. AS If in answer, one simultaneous
to each. They swept downward and cir
cled over him, their wings outspread
their claws contracted tightly against
their breasts He quivered In abtect fear
MY Cord he whimpered, what will
do? Suppose a snike should bite me?"
The rustling grass seemed to betoken
snakes stealthy approach, and in antici-
patton he could feel the smooth contrac-
ton of the sleek coils about him. FROM
where he lay he could perceive the mud
colored felt covering OF Dutchys water
bottle which had been torn from its sup
porting strap. and rested between the
cOrpSeS knees. only ten PAGES diStdEt.
He heard the breath hiss through his
swollen lips as he strained his avid eyes
toward it; but not a muscle would re-
sponu to his minds promptings and the
corpse still lay facing him with its de-
riding smile.
Slowly, after unaccountable epochs. his
fears subsidized. And now he no longer
suffered from that tortGrlng thirst. His
nlIl,d was clearer than cry stall, but he
could no longer reason inductively, for
tie sentinel of his consciousness had
fdiien at his post, and ideas, no longer
ushered in with sequence, poured through
IVY are my lands so ," he thought
1T must be ryning-and l feraot to arsk
the ole woman for 'er umbrelier."
Presently he was aware OF companies