The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-07-28

In fact, British soldiers have a curiously de-
tached and generous way Of regarding their coun-
try's enemies. When the German soldier is
taken prisoner or picked up wounded the British
soldier is disposed, as a hundred thousand in
stances show, to treat him as a pal" to divide
his food and share his cigarettes with him as he
passes to the base.
In the gladiatorial fights for the entertainment
of the people in ancient Rome the defeated COM
blatant was expected to expose his throat to the
sword of the victor, and any shrinking on his
part caused the arena to ring with the angry
shouts of the thousands of spectators, Receive
the STEEL" By all accounts, the Germans have a
dislike of the bayonet. They might well be para
lyzed, indeed, at the affrighting spectacle of that
thin line of cold steel welded by a furious Irish
man but If the bayonet were in the hands of a
soldier of any of the other British nationalities
his cry to the German that recoiled from its
thrust would probably be Receive the steel !" ex-
pressed In the rudest and toughest native idiom.
The way of the Irish at Ginchy was different;
and perhaps the pronunciation of their revenge
was not the least magnificent act of d glorious
day.
IF we Drained them on the spot who could
blame us? TITS ourselves that would think it no
sin If 1t was done by anyone else" said a private
of the Dublin Fusiliers. LET me tell you" he
went on, what happened to myself. AS l raced
across the open with my comrades, jumping in
and out of shell holes, and the bullets flying thick
around us, laying many a fine boy low, l said to
myself: This is going to be a fight to the last
gasp for those of us that get to the Germans
"As 1 came near the trenches 1 picked a man
out for myself. Straight in front of me he was,
leaning out of the trench, and he with a rifle fir
ing away at us as If we were rabbits.
II made for him with my bayonet ready, de-
termined to give him what he deserved, when
what do you think ?-didn't he notice me and
what 1 was up tol Dropping his rifle, he raised
himself up in the trench and stretched out his
hands toward me. What could you do in that
case hut what I did2 Sura uOuIdnit haya tho
heart to strike him down, even If he were to kill
you.
81 caught sight of his eyes, and there was such
a frightened and pleading look in them that 1
at once lowered my rifle and took him by the
hand, saying, You're my prisoner!
81 don't suppose he understood a word of what
I said; but he chung to me, crying, KameradI
Kameradp 1 was more glad than ever that 1
hadn't the blood Of him on my soul. IT'S a queer
thing to say, maybe, of a man who acted like
that; but, all the same, he looked a decent boy,
every bit of him.
II suppose the truth of 1t is this: We soldiers
on both sides have to go through such terrible
experiences that there is no accounting for how
we may behave. We might be devils all out in
the morning and saints no less in the evening"
Trench Repartee and Trench Favorites.
The relations between the trenches include
even attempts at an exchange of repartee. The
wit, as may be supposed, in such circumstances
is invariably ironic and sarcastic. My examples
are Irish, for the reason that 1 have had most to
do with Irish soldiers, but they may be taken as
fairly representative of the taunts and pleasan-
tries which are often banded across No Mans
Land.
The Germans, holding part Of their line In Bel
GUM, got to know that the British trenches oppo-
site them were being held by an Irish battalion.
Hello, Irish p they cried. 'How is King Carson
getting on, and have you got home rule yetf'
The company sergeant major, a big Tipperary
man, was selected to make the proper reply, and
in order that it might be fully effective he sent 1t
through a megaphone which the colonel was ac-
customed to use in addressing the battalion on
parade. "Hello, Gerry - he called out. "Tm
thinking 1t isn't information We want, but divar-
shion; but tbs information I'll be after giving We,
all the same. Later on wen be sending We some
fun that1l make ye laugh at the other side of yer