The Irish standard., 1915-07-24

human being coming up, running,
here? -. he Is coming with
rush /. he will leap upon our
backs halt! halt! halt! He
stumbles upright into the trenches,
and tumbles sobbing and bowling,
among our rifles. He strikes out at
us with hands and feet he is
crying and struggling like a child, and
yet no man dares go up to him 90.
for now he Is rising on his knee
and then we see! Half his face has
been torn away one eye gone
=. the twitching muscle Of the
cheek is hanging down -. he Is
kneeling, and opening and closing his
hands, and is bowling to us for
mercy. r.
We gaze at him horror.stricke and
are paralyzed then at length
the yokel-and our eyes thank him for
lt-raises the butt of his rifle and
places the muzzle against the sound
temple bang! =. and
the MANNED wreckage falls over back
ward and lies still in his blood.
And again the darkness casts up
shapes they run up and reel
about like drunken men -. they
tall over and pick themselves up anew
they race forward through the
night in zigzags. until they at last
collapse exhausted, and lie still under
our very eyes and make an end Of
And at length some one comes
crawling toward us he is
crawling up on all fours he is
dragging something behind him with
his body, and all the time he is whin-
Ing like sick dog, and is bowling
shrilly in long-drawn tones =. he
Is still crawling along fast-and when
he has reached us we see-and the
blood stands still in our hearts-they
are his entrails hanging out Of his
body -. his belly has been ripped
up from below he is crawling,
he is crawling up on his entrails
-. he is coming the en-
trails are coming horror
breaks out. from every pore
for hardly three PAGES away from me
he lies still -. and then
May God forgive me! he
raises himself slowly on his hands
:. he succeeds for a moment
and looks Merciful
God! he looks at me, and re-
fuses to let my eyes go again
! can see nothing except these great.
death-stricken eyes -. =. Merciful
God! his eyes, those eyes!
Those are mothers eyes looking
down on me unspeakably II. that
is a son of his mother lying there
before US butchered. -. I will
break out of my fastness. I
will throw myself on him, sobbing, and
kiss his face, and battle his anguish
away in my tears. will do
It! will! and cannot stir
myself from my rigid tension. -. j.
Then the monstrous strain relaxes-
his arms give way he falls
forward on his face and sinks down
on his tortured body. His hands
witch once more ~. then he
lies still and kisses Mother Earth,
who has slain her children so hor.
ribly.
! am done my hands are
trembling. Then all of q sud.
den, voice behind US begins to sing
-. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. {.
'Now thank we all our God" {.
that is madness singing there j.
we are all next door to madness.
look round, and see gray, dis.
torted faces, and blazing,v startled eye.
balls And suddenly the sing
ing voice changes to loud, impudent
burst of laughter.
Ella! Ha! Ha! Hat" The laugh 10
full of horror, and mingles with the
dying whine beyond. The
laugh grows ever. louder, and ever
wilder, and laughs in triumph at the
naked, pitiful dying, littering the
ground.
"Drummers! Strike up!" shouts the
voice.
Uncover for prayerl"
We recognize him; he is a reservist
belonging to some pious sect. A SER
geant has seized him, and tries to
hold him the captain has run
up. but the mailman tears himself
away and runs ahead of them to OIL
rifle pit -. he stands aloft, oil
black, wild silhouette against the
pale sky, and spreads out his arms in
blessing over the sick night ;.
he stands there like rapt priest, and
raves, and is blessing the mangled
darkness. "In the name Of the Father,
and Of the Son. and Of the Holy
Ghost
Then arms seize him from behind
and pull him down -. they drag
him to the ground. sour Fa.
Their" he howls aloud. and strikes and.
kicks out all round him, and goes on
praying from his raging body until at
length breath fails him they
have tied him hand and foot. and have
gagged him.
But how the thing-that-c couldn't hap.
pens-that none the less was bound
to happen. =
And when tho voice calls out II
comes over me % II ! had lived It all
once before
"Captain!" shouts the hard, naked,
mpudent voice We all know. Have
Mt you got any cotton wool for NJ 70
plug our ears within.
We have an turned round % IL at
- "a r.