The hummer. (Houston, Miss.) 1914-19??, 1915-05-28
MACHINES AID THE NAN


for a few minutes he forgot to be
afraid. He lay upon his face behind
the little shelter which he had dug
with his sword. waiting for the com
mand to charge. On either side OF
him he could see his men lying down,
also waiting. and adjusting tho mech
anism Of their rifles.
He was lying amid a pandemoni-
UNI Of noises. The heavy shells from
the guns roared over him necessarily.
Mingled with these sounds came that
OF the smaller artillery, a defying
screech that set his teeth on edge.
And with these, but blending, as II
we're, was the boot Of rifle bullets.
now overhead, now low beside him,
occasionally varied with a squirt Of
dust as a bullet struck the ground.
Rycroft being an imaginative boy,
had anticipated the stunning horrors
Of battle. He knew that It would re-
Quire all a mans resolution to face
them Still, he came OF a military
family, and he had believed that
when his time came. he would not be
proved wanting
But this actual experience was more
terrifying than anything he had ever
conceived. AS he lay there, helpless,
conscious that men we're looking to
him for leadership, he felt his blood
turning to water. He was shaking,
he felt the sweat stream down his
| face.
He had imagined q battle of men,
but this was a battle Of machines.
It was machines that we're vomiting
out that hail OF bullets, that fury Of
shells. Machines, which had caught
HIM in their internal snare and we're
bent on his destruction. And the en-.
envy was not anywhere in sight.
Suddenly a shrin whistle blew Il
was the signal for the attack. Ry-
croft leaped to his feet, with the au.
tomatsm born OF his camp training.
The men had sprung up on either side
Of him. The boot Of the bullets was
terrible. It seemed a miracle that he
had escaped thus far.
He saw men begin to drop on either
side. The sergeant, next to him, flung
up his rife, spun round, and collapsed
upon his face. Stories began to recur
to the lieutenant's mind. He had heard
that men always spun round that
way when shot through the brain. He
saw the blood upon the sergeants
head.
His knees would hardly bear him.
He heard his voice shouting COM
mands to his men, and did not recog-
nize It for his own, or know how It
issued from his lips. He did not
know what he was saying, and list
ened for the words. Forward, boys"
he was shouting.
He halted and erouched low. The
line had swept into an exposed angle
among the trees, and all the FIRE Of
the enemy was concentrated here. It
was hard to go forward, was becom-
ing impossible. The men we're lying
iown again, kneeling, firing. The fig
lres Of the officers and non-cOms
we're seen, urging them to rise. But
every man who stood upon his feet
withered under that internal bullet
stream. Rycroft saw the captain go
down. The machines we're winning
the victory.
And a sitting rage against this des.
tiny rose in his heart and chOked his
throat. He sprang to his feet and
shook his fist in the direction Of the
cannon.
forward. boys!" he screamed. this
time with intent and not automatical
ly. He began to run forward, his
knees quite steady now.
He heard the whole line rise to it,
feet and follow him. He realized that
his anger had communicated itself t.
his followers. The same spirit had
seized upon the entire company, anc
spread from company to company
throughout the regiment
AS he ran he began to see the en-
envy for the first time. He saw Ions
lines Of figures leap from theil
trenches to repel the attack. And hG
became aware, too, that the shells
had ceased. The lines we're too Gloss
together. and the hostile gunner
could fire no longer for fear Of hurt
ing their own men
II was bullet against bayonet now
It was bayonet against bayonet. TIT
attackers were upon the trenches o
the enemy The machines had cease'
to act It was the men behind thu
machines now, and these were pow
erless.
Suddenly Rycroft realized that ~
saw that the same moral force AM
will-power were there, as on the foot
ball field, as at Crecy and Waterloo
The machine was. BY itself. an i'm
potent, dead thing. Il was only tn
man that counted.
He was mixed with the melee. II
was IN the heart Of the stabbing az
sault Bayonet crossed bayonet. n
saw everything as in a dream. H
was conscious Of an inner personality
serene and quiet in the heart Of th
storm. He saw himself cut down
man ct a machine gun. who was ain