The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-06-17
THE WATER BOTTLE

By PATRICK M'GILI. noe and no a soldier n Irish


 1 cold! A shiver passed through the ! men and they began to speak one 10 the other in whispers. 1 ''Well be all right in the morning, | said the officer to the corporal near him Our people will have time to l look about them by now, and tomor-
 row they'll probably began a new of- | fensive"
 q wish to God they do, sir" said the l corporal I'm so dry" l Som l." said young man who lay | on the ground, his eyes staring up at
 the sky. A first field dressing was 1 tied round his forehead, he had got
 wounded by a shell splinter in the
 morning of the attack. T almost wish 1 that l had begged out. When will we | get out O this fix?" 1 The corporal did not answer At
 that moment the officer spoke to him. | ''On our left" he said. "Do you see anything, corporal?"
 1 Yes, sir"
 l What is it?"
 l "A Jerry" said the corporal. "One; a l straggler, l suppose | Hell have water, maybe. said the wounded man, giving expression to the l thought of all his mates. Can you hold rifle steady" asked l the officer, and he fixed his eyes on the corporal. T cannot" As he spoke he lOOheu at the llItle HOle WHlcn showed III 1 the sleeve of his tunic. The officer had
 received bullet wound in the thick of his arm two days before.i, "I'll try" said the corporal, lying flat on the ground and gripping a rifle which lay near him. He slid out the weapon in front of him, took steady aim and fired. There was a strangled cry of agony and the German dropped to the ground The corporal put his rifle aside. borrowed the officers revolver and crawled on all fours toward the fallen enemy. Five min utes later he came back walking upright l for the darkness had become very dense "Water?' asked the wounded man as the corporal handed a water bottle to the young officer.
 Its full,' said the corporal hunching his shoulders up and shiverng a little And the German" said the officer, lis he dead?"
 He got it in the shoulder" said the corporal Unconscious. 1 The cork was taken out and the bottle handed round. The men drank sparingly. The officer was the last. He took couple of sips. Then he placed the bottle
 on the ground.
 We have got to take that man in," he /, said. If he comes to he may give us away to his people and then it will be I all up. We've stood it -nw that we may as well wait t ~.4ow and maybe then-an attack; TOT our guns are l very quiet now The calm before the storm I've kept a drop of the water for the German when he comes to. He S
 wounded" The German was taken in and | left lying on the ground. The corporal
 dressed his wound. He was a young man
 with a little downy mustache and strag-
 gling fringe of hair running from ear ] to ear along the chin. The men gazed
 at him curiously and one remarked that | he had never had his first shave. | At ? in the morning the German recov- 1 cred consciousness. He fixed a look of l indifference on the strange faces that
 surrounded him and asked for water. He spoke in German but the officer under
 stood him. He got drink, then he fell into a stupor. He was badly hurt At that moment the guns began to thun-
 der vehemently. Over the copse the shells
 screeched and whistled. Right, left and
 all around the guns took up the challenge
 and the batteries settled down to steady
 business. The cold air of dawn was filled
 with the detonation Five o'clock came | and the clamor had not subsided. | 'Well get relieved at S. said the of fcer.
 If we're lucky" said one of the men | with laugh.
 That morning the party was in luck. | The British advancing on the tail of a
 creeping barrage, found the half-famished
 body of men waiting them in the she'll scared copse.
 Glad to be out of it." said the young 1 officer few hours later, as he sat down
 to a good, comfortable meal in head quarters dugout in the rear "I think I
 ami But what pleases the men most, the 1 fact that they stuck it, or the fact that they're out of it, I do not know"