The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-11-24

added % ihe ain, and ehile paffs con-
menefd % burst over ard On ne road
and along ne dark linea Then che
enemy advanced in ruahaa The inoa
opened out a wide Intervals no that
individual Figures could b. clearly
econ, and now lying down. row rinuing
forward, they pressed on towards tho
ridge A cracking Of rillo.fire arose
faint In The din Of crashing guns and
bursting shells. Bits Of turf we're
hickcd up mysteriouely like rain
splpshes In n puddle,
A humming AZ OF innumeinblo insects
passed over the heads Of the regiment.
man raised himself 20 get q better
view Of the enemy. ellie down."
shouted tho Officers, themselves lying
prone. He fell huddlcd, the blood run.
Mug from his mouth. Every man in
the line was aehing to fire, but the
officers restrained them almost with
entreaties. It was intolerablo to lie
there and not reply to this hail Of
death. AT last the order ran along tho
line, "Fifteen hundred yardsi" The
rifles seemed to 60 off Of themselves
with a simultaneous report. Once start
ed there was no stopping tho mon.
They fired until their magazines were
empty. Each shot was relief TO their
overstressed nerves.
Gradually the FIRE slackened and
grew steadier. Each man tried to take
definite aim. Private 99203 stopped
for a minute or two to let his rifle
cool. His head buzzec and was very
hot. He felt atrociously hungry and
thirsty, his lips were cracked, and his
mouth was dry with shouting, although
he did not know he had uttered n
sound. Gazing through the smoke mist
at the enemy he was amazed at the
small effect of the fire of the defence
Bodies dotted the plain, but great NUM-
bers OF the dark figures were still run
ming forward. Some had even reached
the stream 500 yards away and were
firing from the shelter of its banks.
Shells were bursting among them and
above the rifle fire Of his regiment a
Maxim was rafting viciously. Still
the enemy advanced.
| He looked at his comrade on the
right. The man no longer fired; his
| head had fallen on the stock of his
rifle. Private 9920S felt suddenly lone
ly. It seemed to him he was utterly
alone, severed from all companionship,
encompassed by threatening death.
elk bayonetsl'' He scarcely heard
the order but obeyed it automatically.
The fire of the regiment ceased for a
second and then the bullets leaped out
again from a glittring line Of steel,
The enemy were getting very close.
The shrapnel hail had ceased he knew
not when.
He took careful aim at one of the
running figures and saw It fall. A saw
age exultation filled him. He fired
again and again into the oncoming
crowd of rushing men. The foremost
were already half way up the slope.
He heard vOlley 2above his head.
The supports were firing from the
top Of the ridge. Somehow through the
din he caught the encouraging voices
Of the officers. He forgot himself, for.
got everything but the necessity of
firing steadily into the. swiftly advanc-
ing figures.
The crowd dwindled, seemed to melt.
Each group was swept away by the
tempest Of lead. Isolated figures
turned and ran down the slope. Others
followed. Some few struggled on TO b.
shot down. The remainder raced back
to the shelter of the stream bank, where
Injecting their advancing comrades they
| heaped themselves oonfusedly. It was
the regiment 3 chance. Desperately, as
fast as they could aim and pull trigger,
the men poured bullets into the mass.
Tt broke and ran in dire confusion back
across the plain, chased by the burst
ing smoke puffs and dropping dark fl
cures ut every moment
The attack had failed.
At that moment above the noise of
battle the regiment heard a mighty
rushing sound. It came nearer, swell
ing every second, until it revealed it.
self into tremendous, soul-stirrinq
outburst of cheering. Swiftly the
sound approached. tt ran along Their
line also. The men sprang to their feet
waving their helmets in the air, and
cheering as they had never cheered be
fore. Somehow, they knew that they
had won battle.
The guns still Numbered on the re-
firing enemy.