The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1914-08-19

able.
The head OF the column Is nj.
ready swinging round and we are
retracing our steps toward the de-
file to get out OF the rat-trap
And In tho middle OF the
meadow:
Halt, Form sections"
The companies have fallen in.
The officers have assembled and
are pow-wowing.
We seem 20 have lost touch.
Tho sergeant beside me IL swear.
Ing up his sleeve. and is cursing
at something about lunacy and
blind mans buff.
! am gazing up meditatively at
tho heights. overgrown with trees
and underground. and am thinking
what fun II would be II we were TO
have to make our way back TO the
dcfile now. and IN the thick OF II
tho enemy was to break In on US
right and left--no man would come
out OF II alivc-thc battle OF the
Teutoburger forest rccurs TO me-
! am trying to make out II they are
oaks or beeches over there
or sudden there is flash OF
lightning from tho underground:
tho very armament cracks and
sways "a II II were going to fall In
on us.
Lie DOWN.
Horror screams somewhere or
other
And trembling we lie down
and over our heads rushes some.
thing that bowls for our flesh
What's tho next thing7 Up and
at them nowi Rush straight nj the
guns. suffoca,e their fiery mouths
with our flesh and bones.
''Up' Get up,-
Tho captain comes up to Us at
run.
The breath OF tho iron holds us
tight pressed TO the ground as II
In vice. =.
Turn your head away.
Now!
Now.
Then--A-a-h'
The vault Of heaven has cracked
above us and has spurted down on
10 the sand from above.
Life 10 lying there wrlgallno on
the earth, and the hands THAT were
elawlno the ground are now clutch.
ing Idly az the shattered air.
rise 10 my feet again. -. have
not been hit
But the man who leaped up be-
side me---he 10 lying flat In the
sand and screaming In . broken
voice.
He 10 lying ~ n he had beea
nailed firmly through his stomach 20
the earth, and a. n he could not
get free e0aIn.
The body itself 10 dead, only the
arms and legs are stiIi alive. And
arms and legs are working wildly
through The air.
"Upl Get upl Quick march,"
voice yells In our ears.
We no longer know who II In
shouting TO US and we don't know
from what quarter they have called
us.
We leap to our feet
We leave the captain and the
wounded In their blood: We start
up and run away and are running
running for our bare. naked life.
Butt the shells have the legs OF
Us.
They catch us MP from behind IN
our backs and wherever the invisible
sheaf plunges kissing down, men
are falling with II and rolling heller.
sksiter I'm their blood.
But we speed away over witch
ing and dismembered bodies. turn
ing somersaults. and look neither
to the right nor TO the left.
We are on the run and shrink
into ourselves IA we run.
We draw our necks deep between
our shoulders, for every man feels
that the next moment his head will
be Ieaping out from between his
shoulderblades from behind.
And eyes OF iron are glaring nj US
from behind.
The swamp, Tho swamp!
The thought suddenly uprears It's
head IN me. We are running blind
ly straight into the swamp. 4.
only another twenty PAGES now
already the foremost have reached
it-the water spurts up Highland
now-what has happened now7
Their feet are stuck fast--they
tilt over forwards--they claw for
something TO hold on to--the rifle
flies out OF their hand-and face
forward they plunge into the water
and close on our heels they come
stamping up-the tight packed. mad
dened mob.
Back Get backi"
But every one has ceased TO be
conscious OF what he IN doing.
And though our eyes start out OF
our heads at the terror we see in
front Of us, death In breathing Its
cold breath into the back OF our
necks.
And into the gurgling water.
wriggling with bodics and alive with
lungs. over human bodies writing
beneath tho water. death tramples
Ms TO the other bank.
Any man who goes down In lost.
for they are pressing on behind us
past all holding.
The water 10 already up to our
arm pits.
But there In n firm bottom be-
meath our feet.
True, the bottom may clutch at
us and cling round our feet.
IL