Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-28
rrgeant replied in a somewhat bored

sergeant replied in a somewhat bored tone:
 "Oh, them's the guns up the line We'll be up there in a couple O days of. so. Don't worry, my laddie, you'll see more of 'em than you want be- fore you get 'ome to Bighty again that is, if you're lucky enough to get back. Now lend a hand there un- loadin' them cars and quit that ever lastin shakin'. I believe yer scared The last with contemptuous sheer.
 They marched ten kilos full pack, to d little dilapidated village, and the sound of the guns grew louder. con stantly louder. Gr6 The village was full of soldiers who turned out to inspect the new draft, the men who were shortly to be their mates in the trenches, for they were going up the line" on the morrow, to f'take over" their certain sector of trenches.
 The draft was paraded in front of
 Battalion Headquarters and the men were assigned to companies. Lloyd was the only man assigned to l D. Company. Perhaps the officer in l charge of the draft had something to l do with it. for he called Lloyd aside i and said:
 Lloyd, you are going to new com pany. No one knows you. Your bed will be as you make it, so for Gods 1 sake, brace up and he q man. l l think you have the suff in you, my boy, so goodby, and the best of luck l to you"
 The next day the battalion took 1 over their part of the trenches. It 1 happened to be a very quiet day. The | artillery behind the lines was still, l except for an occasional shell sent ! over to let the Germans know the 1 gunners were not asleep. 1 In the darkness, in single file, the copmany slowly wended their way l down the communication trench to the front line. No one noticed Lloyd's
 white and drawn face.
 After they had relieved the com
 pany in the trenches, Lloyd. with two
 of the old company men, was put on guard in one of the traverses. Not a shot was fled from the German lines,
 and no one paid any attention to him crouehed on tine firing step.
 On the first time in a new recruit l is not required to stand with his head lover the top" He only "sits it out" while the older men keep watch.
 l At about 10 o'clock all of a sud- | den, he thought hell had broke loose,
 and crouched and shivered up against the parapet. Shells started bursting
 as he imagined, right in their trench
 when in fact they were landing about a hundred yards in rear of them, in
 the second lines.
 One of the older men on guard,
 turning to his mate, said:
 There goes Fritz with those damn
 ed trench mortars again. It's about |, time our artillery taped' them, and !; sent over a few. We'll, I'll be damned,
 where's that blighter of draft man !: gone to? There's his rife leaning . against the parapet. He must have 1 legged it. Just keep your eye peeled, , Dick, while l report it to the ser geant 1 wonder if the fool knows he , can be shot for such tricks as leavin'
 his post" l Lloyd had gone. When the trench mortars opened up, a maddening ter TOT seized him and he wanted to run to get away from the horrible din l anywhere to safety. So quietly sneak g ing around the traverse, he came tc : the entrance of a communication
 trench and ran madly and blindl, 6 down it, running into traverses s stumbling into muddy holes and fall }. ing full Tenth over trench grids. f Cropping blindly, with his arm Il stretched out in front of him, he a d last came out of the trench into ths NIlaSe, or what use to pc village e before the German artillery razed it.
 Mixed with his fear, he had a pecul
 1 jar sort of cunning, which whispered l to him to avoid all sentries, becaust II if they saw him he would be sen back to that awful distraction in tht front line, and perhaps be killed ol laimed. The thought made hin
 shudder, the. cold sweat pouring ou
 in beds on his face. v t On his left, in the thenches h. = could make cut the shattered forms 0 0 trees; crawling on his hands and knee
 stopping and cruuddled with fea,
 at each shell burst, he gradual. t lreached an old orchard and hid at tn s base of a shot torn apple tree. II To Be Continued Tomorrow.