The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-11-21

hardships. Yet thsy have come ir
I steady streams. tens ana tens Of
thousands, until the Belgian army. re-
duced TO a shattered remnant at the
J battle of the User. IL now fully re-
stored to strength, prepared and al.
ready beginning not only to hold al
| II can manage of the Flanders line
but to take its part with the French
and British in active operations
against the German positions on the
Interests opposite.
! Noviccs Get Many Thrills.
| Even though comforted by the vet
erens' air of unconcern. one cannot
escape an inward tremor when one
I goes forward as l did toward the ad-
vance posts. Shells pass overhead
continuously. and high UP in the SIX,
comes the steady pop. pop, pop that
betokens fighting aircraft.
You know the aircraft are too busy
! TO worry about you, but you wish tney
would fight elsewhere. You know the
shells aren't aimed at you. but at bat
teries hidden behind your trenches
! whose staccnto bark or duller below
according to their calibre. adds TO the
general uproar. The sound of shell
passing above is like that of train
! lust before It enters a subway station.
a
explodes. 1t gets on your nerves and
! you duck your head instinctively.
Then, perhaps. somewhere ahead
| Just where the point for which You
ars hound appears to be situated
there Is a sudden ruff OF black smoke
4; In the air, perhaps fifty feet from the
! ground, followed by a bang and a pro-
I lorged whine. "Shrapnel," says one
of the old hands, lust getting the
range. They're probably going to land
few shells thereabouts before long"
| All the time you are steadily ap-
preaching said thereabouts. and you
wonder why on earth the last speak
err takes the matter so calmly.
! There Is another pun of smoke. and
tarother. and as you are now nearer.
perhaps stray shrapnel bali buzyes
close to your ear, as II seems. Again
YOU duck.
"saluting your III St strapnei." says
the old Ea0d, smiling. Never mind,
everyone does II at the beginning"
Can Detect Shells Coming Near.
Then follows the same disquieting
! subway train rattle. horribly near this
time. and n tremendous explosion
throws UP column Of smoke and mud
perhaps nifty yards TO your right.
Pieces OF shell buzz hastily overhead.
an" you ara very observation-disclosures Out
none OF the veterans seem to mind. SO
you hope It's all right. One OF them
says:
'sh ellis are never dangerous as long
as you can hear them. The one you
don't hear is the one that gets you.
Anyway. when they burst in soft
ground like this the pieces fly up
ward, instead Of keeping low. as when
the ground is hard You just watch
me II a shell IL coming too close.
! can tell by the difference in the
sound. and II there is real danger
you'll see me go flat on my face
mighty suddenly. You follow my ex-
ample and do 1t quickly and you'Il be
all right" ........
After that YOU feel better. though
YOU still can't help ducking your head.
II the shell fire gets really heavy you
all dive into shelters. where you are
safe from anything but direct hits.
And 80 by degrees you get 'saited-
ito danger.
There ~ always the risk Of stray
bullet or n flying splinter. but It is no.
very great BEYOND that nothing but
6irt-h yass~--------------------
In any case why worry before
hand? In that sentence lies the whole
philosophy OF the battlefront as I
learned II. Our first troops In line
are learning IT now. and ell the hun
creds Of thousands or millions who
viii follow them must learn II also
II is lesson that can only be learn ed
by experience