The Robesonian., 1918-09-16

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been hiding all night In cemetery
his reason seemed to leave him, and
mad desire to be free from 1t all made
him rush madly away, falling over lit
tie wooden crosses, smashing some and
trampling others under his feet.
In his flight he came to an old
French dugout, half caved in and par
TALLY flied with Shiny and filthy wa
ter.
Like a fox being chased by the
hounds, he ducked into this hole, and
threw himself on a pile of old empty
sandbags, wet and mildewed. Then
unconsciOusness.
On the next day, he came to; far
distant voices sounded in his ears.
Opening his eyes, in the entrance or
the dugout he saw corporal and TWO
men with fixed bayOnets.
The corporal was addressing him:
! "Get up, you white-livered blighter.
Curse you and the day you ever joined
D company, spelling their fine rec
ord! It'll be you up against the WALL
and a good job too. Get hold Of him,
men, and If he makes break, give him
the bayonet, and send it home, the cow
ardly sneak. Come on, you, move,
we've been looking for you long
enough"
Lloyd trembling and weakened by
his long fast, tottered out. assisted by
a soldier on each side Of him.
They took him before the captain,
but could get nothing out of him but:
'For Gods sake, sir, don't have me
shot, don't have me shot!''
The captain, utterly disgusted with
, him, sent him under escort to division
headquarters for trial by court-mar'
tial charged with desertion under fire
They shoot deserters in France.
During his trial, Lloyd sat as one
dazed, and could put nothing forward
in his defense, only an occasional
'Don't have me shot"
. His sentence was passed: ITO bt
shot at 8 :38 o'clock in the morning o1
May 18, 1916" This meant that hi
had only one more day to live.
He did not realize the awfulness o1
his sentence; his brain seemed para
lyzed. He knew nothing Of his trip
under guard, in q motor lorry to th'
sandbagged guardroom In the village
where he was dumped on the floor ant
left, while sentry with fixed bayo
net paced up and down In front Of tn
entrance.
Bully beef, water and biscuits wer
left beside him for his supper.
The sentry, seeing that he ate moth
Ing, came inside and shook him by th
shoulder, saying in kind voice:
"Cheero, laddle, better eat some
thing. You'll feel better. Don't Civ
up hope. You'll be pard0ned befor
morning. I know the way they ru
these things. They're only trying t
scare you, that's all. Come now, that
a good lad, eat something. It'll max
the world look different to you.'
The good-hearted sentry knew h
was lying about the pardon. He kne,
nothing short of miracle could sav
the poor lad.
Lloyd listened eagerly to his sentry
words, and believed them. A look {
hope came into his eyes, and he rave1
ously ate the meal beside him.
In about an hours time, the cha]
q lain came to see him, but Lloyd woul
have none Of him. He wanted no pa
son; he was to be pardoned.
!. The artillery behind the lines su,
denly opened up with everything the
had. An intense bombardment of til
9 enemy's lines had commenced. TT
roar Of the guns was deafenin
L Lloyd's fears came back with a rus
: and he covered on the earthen flot
with his hands over his face.
u The sentry, seeing his position, can
in and tried to cheer him by talking
d shim:
le "Never mind them guns, boy, thu
1t won't hurt you. They are ours. v
d, are giving the Boches a dose of the