The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-07-10

quarter of an inch, but got away with
every drop of that ale. 1t tasted just
like Blighty, and that Is heaven to.
Tommy
The doctor said something to an or;
derly, the only word could catch was
"chloroform," then they put some kind
OF an arrangement over my nose and
mouth and it was me for dreamland.
|. When I opened my eyes I was lying
on a stretcher. in a low wooden
building. Everywhere I looked saw
rows Of Tommies on stretchers, some
! dead to the world. and the rest with
flags in their mouths.
The main topic Of their conversation
was Blghty. Nearly all had grin on
| their faces, except those who didn't
have enough face left to grin with. L
.grinned with my right eye, the other
was bandaged.
/ Stretcher-bearers came in and be-
gan to carry the Tommies outside. You
could hear the chug of the engines in
the waiting ambulances.
I was put into an ambulance with
three others and away we went for an
, eighteen-mile ride.
4 ] was on a bottom stretcher. The
lad right across from me was smashed
up something horrible.
Right above me was q man from the
Royal Irish rifles, while across from
him was a Scotchman.
We had gone about three miles when
i heard the death-rattle in the throat
of the man opposite. He had gone to
rest across the Great Divide. I think
at the time envied him
| The man of the Royal Irish rifles
had had his left foot blown off, the
! jolting of the ambulance over the
rough road had loosened up the band
ages on his foot, and had started it
bleeding again. This blood ran down
the side of the stretcher and started
dripping. was lying on my back, too
weak to move, and the dripping of this
blood got me in my unbandaged right
eye. I closed my eye and pretty soon
could not open the lid; the blood had
CONCEALED and closed it, as if 1t were
glued down.
An English girl dressed In khaki was
driving the ambulance, while beside
her on the seat was a corporal Of the
lR. A. M. c., They kept up a running
conversation about Blighty which al
J most wrecked my nerves; pretty
soon from the stretcher above me, the
Irishman became aware of the fact
that the bandage from his foot had be-
come loose; it must have panied him
| horribly. because he yelled in loud
voice:
| ''If you don't stop this bloody death
wagon and fix this d bandage on
my foot, / will get out and walk
! The girl on the seat turned around
and in a sympathetic voice asked,
Poor fellow, are you very badly
iwounded?'
The Irishman, at this question, let
! out howl OF indignation and an
severed. "Am I very badly wounded.
what bloody cheek no, I'm not wound
/ ed, I've only been kicked by a canary
, bird"
The ambulance Immediately stopped,
and the corporal came to the rear and
J fixed him up, and also washed out my
| right eye. I was too weak to thank
| him, but 1t was a great relief. Then
I must have become unconscious, be
cause when regained my senses, the
| ambulance was at standstill, and my
'stretcher was being removed from it.
\
here and there, and could see stretch
:er-bearers hurrying to and fro. Then
i was carried into hospital train.
| The inside of this train looked like
| heaven to me, just pure white, and we
f., met our first Red Cross nurses; we
| thought they were angels. And they
were.
Nice little soft hunks and clean,
| white sheets.
/ A Red Cross nurse sat beside me
, during the whole ride which lasted
three hours. She was holding my
| wrist; I thought had made hit. and
tried to tell her how I got wounded.
| but she would put her finger to her lips
and say, Eyes, know, but you mustn't
talk now, try to 60 to sleep, it'll do you
good, doctors orders" Later on
| learned that she was taking my pulse
| every few minutes, as I was very weak
| from the loss Of blood and they ex-
pected me to snuff 1t, but I didn't.
| From the train we went into ambu-
! lances for a short ride to the hospital
ship Panama. Another palace and more
angels. / don't remember the trip
across the channel.
| I opened my eyes; I was being car
| ried on a stretcher through lanes Of
| people, some cheering, some waving
| flags, and others crying. The flags were
Union Jacks, I was In Southampton.
Blighty at last. My stretcher was
| strewn with flowers, cigarettes, and
chocolates. Tears started to run down
| my cheek from my good eye. like
BOBBY was crying. Can you beat it?-
Then into another hospital train, a
f1ve-hour ride to Paignton. another am
bulance ride, and then I was carried
L a nf ~l 80 $h4