Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-18
poBY RIFLEMAN PATRICK MACGiIi.
The Navy Poet.

,tss.' For two hours ever since :he shut OF
nigh, 1t had neen gong on. the she'll
ing of the enemy lines. the throwing
Z of smoke bombs on the level between
Fths trenches and the pumping OF gas
jksaenross no mans land Now that the
.s,nkpps had been silcnccd il WAS time for
,asathe raid The British soldiers. attircd
70 h gas masks and wearing the appoint
.::a4nents OF war. made ineir way across
|ttthc trench Zip and were lost 10 sight
eSfn the ncd in front.
g.,slr Private Cr;.ptrcc. who mad never gone
~ out on such Il job before was one o!
the first 10 Chamber over the paraprt
and one OF the nist 10 venture iut"
~ the mystery OF the smoke screen which
81, lay thick over the SpUnSN ned OF WHr
q, -fne smoke ana saS surrVInceQ hin IN.
H'cioak. warm and stinins. LhdtI ms
n6oksx and craniics ultd Win green
ism lights moving hithcr and tniihe.
;rIss,Gfross the held as II ny!sip,s myers
~ WG:S tracing in nlalci,ccnt pattern on
..t.le Srnurd pictures OF Things uitholc
hin tc'noniaCal.
fI,.y, Crabtree had not gone more than a
lew PAGES when he came TO a halt.
&-s feeling that he had gone astray The
blanket OF fog, soft 9ut heavy seemed
tateo have been pulled down over his
head sufocatinG him. The elastic
- 6and round mis- forehead grew iightei:
-The veins OF his temples throhbcu and
f"'the blood pounded through his head a
If trying TO shattcr the bounds when
~, confined il.
But he certainly was not astray. for
although he could not his mates
lshow they were with him moment ago
sight. lie peered blindly through his
&c mask all objective blocked and every
ssiise of direction gone; He had 10
was Impossible TO say The ground
E{iIsitEsneath his feet was speekied Win.
Knocks Of earth, black with their out
lines dimiy defined and holes filled wiih
INC s ,S ius,er Of poison gas Near
-%ther off the grey had darker tinsc.
And at the distance of seven yards inc
b!ackness. This wall rising to the
SKIES pehned the man or from the
s. sion clutched at his body with long
..,Spectral arms. The man fell into :.
never known. out of touch with his
.,.ft.tiow ere atures he was alone in
ss.Wprld OF phantoms
-ld1rection of the enemy trench. and
- right towards big black mass whirh
stood aEains, the wall, its contour
r-Misible and it's outlines dimly defined.
'She went up TO H. thinking that il was
>'she stopped short When his body came
--tr- contact with something hard. He
had run into dereiict tank
ssashadows IN the gloom; his mates. prob
tstss&; The ,,i"a.; Xwere All waking in the
heavily. their boots and puiiecs lii UP
aS If million glow-worms encirc!ed
.ehem. IL occurred to Crabtree that
rSS6esc men did hot know where they
;ssGere going, that they were simply
t,12pyins anywhere without plan or pur-
'eAt'rahtree 10 reach it.
, wv. the heii,s the ;rench?' he
asked his mask putting out AS ne spoke
land its tube webbing a!mIcssly III
head hHad throbbine with the pressure of
hlnod and the nose-clip, which had be
:.!lins him ON the eye. Wen follow
the others"
He walked on. keeping step with his
companion and staring il. front a, Inc
dark shadows shod with Elow.wor!ns.
Here the gas luminosity was spread
all over the ground like a sea Of liquid
nre: And Ike sea il flowed rising
+s1h irridescent waves over tree trunks
and and sand and bags IT'S eolors merging "a
reflection on soap bubbles in tie sun
s::!ising into fiery spray flashing 10
'sraftarIt"d blue and purple fading and
Erowins brigns. again.
.g.srhe hring OF :. machine gun became
sirs!: mgtiied and reschoa crab:
20, haii*,naes falling on Deu Of soft
SNOW. y shell splinter we: and ehoked
o. -, ~ drunniel past his ears Nth 7
a melancholy CrOue and sank with a
gasp into the mud Noise had no a.sce
rsin the fog II rose for uomsnt. be-
t.7tane iHr@ttlea and died a"ay The
-s-.lcr g: guns. The c.atier j, l,c.,ons
seemed when taey made themselves
M H!its; not 20 belong - 'he locality. +
OCT a2?eared = II iayy had 80 l- from :
rsome i'anitc distance.
'.:Hn SUI one shade following an
oLher pve' nc a@ld u liquid ire !;,fo
-sAt ieac@n grey Z .pofniuess d..ajG nf
sRaGiHss and painfully uonotcno,.s /.
stsy throLEr -ac r v..s,7v.r =, ~,
ncdtsS ~ eGo: and realH.nu ~ pusl
-! *as useless ana rlra9sr' Al
Ways tins same .ersf-l..t 81 ". .fr.i
Gus waves aaG ereire.lt- fae ...s rs
sS?raii, a!"ays y. front aud 'e-ee.ns as
----.-Su dden!y Craotrce st.frr-ef Oval
1; .Hd feii !ntg desD -.ets poo
u, lie stood in posture ~ d.f.-.r-
it Was the instinct 90 H.. ,yfti,..
ready at any nor .r, to gI.- -.--,
70 an enemy. After Z, -norn.-.y .,s.
he placed The Du,t-ena OF .is ,ig. IL,
sin a shel-hoje ne tried 70 t,a,rbe-
out but was unable to climb. fa- IN
side he csSayed. was strelgn, s-.s..
and slippery IL tried ano,her and
Swaiked towards Z wall which made vsst
;6elore him ii" followed j, a ~
yards. then stopped ana hrougn- fi.
;srtayont; 10 the point as Ec rcaiiz,d
that ne was in a trench. probahiy fhe
Suddenly he was conscious Of long
M VA scTeech near him as !: smell
The side Of the trench. his elbo.S 7si,,!
ling into the soft wall and wtii"d
s. 1S1~ CrIHS' over ms head a yellow and
.gagged splotch dGlI red In bgn 49,
into The fog and los, itself II Vas
sybHy, 49, ""'"Nt''I
crabtree tclt his way ROMA ,bo
7eraVerse and stumbled into a numbo-
q MASKED ghosts groupcd torntha,
W. sheep in a bay. Instiuciivc7v Inc
flshcr knew that these were e;cr
--A-.Ans and inst:nctiveiy Nc I0oscn.d :.
,omb from his equipment drew m"
6in and flung the bomb into tho n,jJs,
of them. There Was a clear 81 n
4 lighted fuse travelling tnroli.h ~ f
gasp OF stranGled terror. and an tx.
( rs This. and the groans OF aco,y ,rht..
~ sfsHowed It,. Crb,rce heard from The
shelter OF the traverse ana =, ~
syss same moment ne saw a I'm.