The spectator., 1919-04-04

low whisper, came to us:
 "'BCyS, the men in our trenches have received orders not to fire on ac- count of our reconnoitering patrol be- ing out in front. A strong German raiding party has just circled our left, and is making for our trench. It's up to us to send word back. We can't all go, because we might make too much noise and warn the German par ty so it's up to one of us to carry the news back to the trench that the raid ing party is on it's way. With this information IL will be quite easy for our boys to wipe them out. But it's LID to the rest of us to stick out here, and if we go west we have done our duty in a noble cause. Corporal French, you had better take the news back, because you are too valuable q man to sacrifice
 "French. under his breath, an- Swered:
 "'Sir, Eve been out since Mons, and this is the first time that I've ever been insuited by an officer. If this patrol is going to click it, I'm going to click it too If we come out of this you can try me for disobedience of or dcrs, but here I stick. and I'll be damned if 1 go in, officer or no ofii- cer.'
 "Newall, in voice husky with emo- ton, answered.:
 "'French, it's men like you that make it possible for tour Little Island" to withstand the world. You are a true Briton, and I'm proud of you.
 q was hoping that he would detail me to go back, but he didn't. Tender son was picked for the job. When Henderson left Newall shook hands all around. 1 felt queer and lonely.
 You see, fellows, it was this way: Henderson was to tell the men in the trench that we had returned and that it was xii right for them to turn loose on the r&:ding party with their rifle and machine gunf!re, without us click ing their fire. Ieftenant NeWall sure was lad, not 'arf he weren't.
 "That next twenty minutes of wait ing was hell. Then, from out of the blackneSS, over toward our trench. rang that old familiar Alt, who goes there? We hugged the ground. We knew what was coming. Then, 2 vol ley from our trench, and four type writers machine guns) turned loose. Bullets cracked right over our heads. One hit the ground about a foot from me- ricocheted, and went moaning and signing over the German lines.
 'Leftepant Newall sobbed under his breath:
 "'God, we're in direct line of our own fire The trench-raiding party must have cireled us.'
 "Our boys in our trench sure were doing themselves proud. The bullets were cracking and biting the ground all around us.
 "In between our trcT ch and ou" party, curses rang out in German as the BOchcs clicked the fire from the English trench. Star shells were shooting into the air and dropping in No Mans land. It was a great but terrible sight which met our eyes. FritZ's raidinS party was sure being wiped out.
 "Ten or fifteen dark forms, the rem nantS of the German raiding party, German trench. We huggcd the ground. It was our only chance. We knew that it would only be few seconds before Fritz turned loose. If we had legged it for our trench we would have been wiped out by our we were safely in.
 Then, up went Fritz's star lights, turning night into day, and he'll cut loose. Their bullets were shipping twigs from the hedge over our heads.
 Suddenly the fellow on my left. MacCauley by name, emitted a muf- fled groan, and started kicking the ground: then silence. He had gone west. A bullet through the napper suppose. There were now five of us left.
 Suddenly Leftenant Newall. in a
 
 "'They'vc got me, French; it's through the lung and then fainter you're in command. Sec that His voice died away. Pretty soon he started moaning loudly. The Germans must have heard these moans. because they immediately turned their fire on us. French called to me:
 'Iionncy. come here. my lad, our officer has clicked it.
 "I craWled over to him. He was sitting on the ground with the ieften- ants head resting in his lap, and was getting out his first,aid packet. l told him to get low or he would click 1t. He answered.:
 "Sincc when does bloomln' lance corporal take orders from bloody pri- vate? You tell the rest of the boys, if they've not as yet gone west. to leg It back to our trench nt the double and get a strctchor and you go with them. This lad of ours has got to get medical