Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-11-23

1preS is alInO6t StIhlBnt, anu onc Sah
see right into the city before n comes
within two kilometers of 1t.
As we swung into this straight
stretch I noticed several German aero
planes V the city, and 1t was plain
to be seen that they were dropping
bombs. This time they were dropping
petrol bombs, and the instant they ex-
ploded they would spray petrol all
oyer the place and a fame would shoot
up into the air. In this way they were
setting fire to the city.
1t was a sight that I shall never for
get. The shells were falling just the
same, and, what with the ground fairly
trembling from-the terrific explosions,
the smoke from the bursting shehs and
burning houses, the flames and
that filed the air, it made a scene that
would need a Dante to describe and do
it justice.
The thought that we were to attempt
the passage through all this was terri
flying. An awful fear, almost panic,
seemed to grip me, and | longed to
jump from that car and hide my face
from the flaming hell which seemed to
be stretching out its ~tentacles of fire to
draw us into its gaping nav.
l felt weak all over and was wet
with cold perspiration. / looked at the
officer, almost praying that he would
give the order to stop, but even as l
looked l knew there was no chance OF
that. He was as white as death, but
there was a look of determination on
his face. and the clenched teeth and
set jaws gave no promise of his back
ing down.
1 think the bulldog grit that he was
showing helped me, for l resolved that,
while l might get SO weak as to be I'M
, able to drive that car, l would stick by
him as long as l could hold out. And
he certainly showed that he was
white" clear through, for he told me
to stop a moment. l did, and he got
out Of the car.
"Robinson," he said, i've just been
thinking that there won't be any need
for you to come any further. 1t Is a
rotten business, and as there are am
balances going up all the time, l can
get a lift in one and will stand just as
much chance of getting through as
though you were to take me. l don't
believe In any one taking unnecessary
risks, and In this case 1t would be risk
ing an extra man and a car, too, and l
don't mind going ON in an ambulace
the least bit"
+ l thought 1t was Just about one of the
finest things l had eve heard of a mar
doing, and l want to say right here
that such things as this are typical OF
the true British officer. There are mel
holding commissions who couldn't dc
such q thing as this to ave their necks,
but they are the ''pikers' found in ey-
cry country, temporary gentlemen
as they are called by the real men who
are obliged to associate with them.
My officers generosity did not helI
me any, but l appreciated 1t more than
l can tell. | had orders to take him tc
Potijze and to bring him back, and II
l stayed behind and anything happened
to him | would be worse off than If
were lying beneath the ruins of Ypres
l explained this to him and said that
1 would rather take him. God knows
whether it was true or not, but l said
it, anyway. While we were talking an.
other car passed us, and as my officer
jumped In l resolved to follow the man
who was now ahead of me.
/ noticed as the car passed us thai
there were two officers In 1t. One, a
major, was sitting beside the driver
and the other, a colonel, was In the
back. The car was about 200 yards
that much ahead all the way up to the
outskirts of the city. AS we got nearer
the noise became d%eafening and the
smoke began to bother us too.
Before one enters the city proper one
must cross a double line of railroad
tracks. The machine ahead of us had
Just crossed these when a big fifteen
inch shell screamed e and burst just
beside the car I'm front. From where
we were it looked as If the car and its
occupants must have been wiped off
the face of the earth.
I stopped our car to wait until the
smoke cleared away before going on.
1t seemed Ike hours before we saw
the spot again, but when the smoke
was finally gone you can imagine our
surprise at seeing the car turned COM
pletely around and coming toward us.
The chauffeur was gathering speed
all the time, and when he passed us his
car was going at a fairly decent pace.
We had time enough, though, to see
one of the most horrible sights that l
witnessed during the whole time l was
at the front.
The car itself was In awful condi-
ton. The two rear doors were torn
away, the body was full of Jagged
holes, the front and rear mud guards
and the running board on one side were