Oxford eagle., 1918-08-01
I va. ann ninnr know Il.

I was ano didnI know It
As the shock Of my sudden stop
gradually wore of IT came to, me that
/ was lying on q ledge and that the
least movement on my part would pre-
cspItate me TO the bottom of the well.
I struck match. In its faint glare
I saw that / was lying in a circular
hole about twelve feet deep-the well
had been filed inl The dripping bad
heard came from a water pipe over on
my right.
with my wounded shoulder it was
Impossible TO shiny up the pipe.
could not yell for help, because the
rescuer would want TO know how the
accident happened, and would be
hailed before the commandant on
charges. l just had to grin and bear
II. with the forlorn hope that one OF
the returning night raiders would pass
and could give him our usual signal
Of "siss-s-s-s," which would bring him
70 the rescue.
Every half-hour / could hear the
clock in the village strike. each stroke
bringing forth a muffled volley Of
curses on the man who had dug the
well.
After two hours / heard two men
talking in low voices. / recognized
Corporal Cook, an ardent might raid
er." He heard my "siss-S-s-s" and
came to the edge of the hole. l ex-
plained my predicament and amid lot
of impertinent remarks, which at the
time did not resent, l was soon fished
out.
Taking off our boots, we sneaked into
the ward. / was sitting on my bed in
the dark, just starting TO undress,
when the man next TO me, "Ginger"
Phillips, whispered. "'Op il, Yank, ere
comes the matron."
1 Immediately got under the covers
and feigned sleep. The matron stood
talking in low tones to the night nurse
and fell asleep.
When / awoke in the morning the
night sister, an American, was bending
The coverlet on the bed and the sheets
We're a mass of mud and green slime.
She was a good sport all right. and
hustled TO get clean clothes and sheets
so that no one would get wise, but "on
her own" she gave me a good tongue
lashing but did not report me. One OF
the Canadians in the ward described
her as being "a Jake Of a good fell
low"
Next visiting day / had an awful
time explaining TO my visitor why
had not met her at the appointed time
and place.
And for week every time 1 passed
patient he would call. swell, well,
here's the Yank. Hope you are feel
ing well. old top"
The surgeon in our ward was an
American, a Harvard unit man. named
Frost. We nicknamed him "Jack
Frost" he was loved by all. II a
Tommy was to be cut up he had no OBJ
lection 10 undergoing the operation IL
Jack Frost" was 10 WELD the knife.
Their confidence in him was pathetic.
he was the best sport have ever met
One Saturday morning the command
ant and some high up officers were
inspecting the ward. when one Of the
patients who had been wounded in the
head by a bit OF shrapnel. fell on the
1oor in fit They brought him round.
and then looked for the ward orderly
10 carry the patient back 10 his bed
at the other end OF the ward. The or
derly was nowhere 10 be found-like
our policemen, they never are when
needed The officers were at a loss
how 10 get Palmer into his bed. Doc
tor Frost was fdgeting around in a
Z nervous manner, when suddenly with
muffied 'd-n" and a few other
qualifying adjectives. he stopped down
& and took the man in his arms ike a
baby-he was no feather, either-and
f staggered down the ward with him. put
him in bed and undressed him. A low
murmur OF approval came from the pa.
uents. Doctor Frost got very red. and
as soon as he had finished undressing
Palmer, hurriedly left the ward.
The wound in my face had almost
healed and / was a horrible-lookins
sight-the left cheek twisted into :
knot the eye pulled down, and my
mouth pointing In a north by north
west direction l was very dOwnheart
ed and could imagine myself durinl
The rest of my life being stunned by
all on account Of the repulsive scar
Doctor Frost arranged for me 10 Q,
10 the Cambridge Military hospital a