“hullo, bill!” from will todd, as he passed me going up 76 street.
“hullo,” i answered, “where are you off to?”
“going on patrol,” was the reply. “oh, by the way, you probably know something about this rotten sap opposite the quarry. i’m going out to find out if it’s occupied at night or not.”
“opposite the quarry?” said i. “oh, yes, i know it. we get rather a good view of it from no. 1 post.”
“that post up on the right here? yes, i was up there this afternoon, but you can’t see much from anywhere here. the worst of it is i was going with 52 jones; only his leave has just come through. you see, i’ve never been out before. i’m trying a fellow called edwards, but i don’t know him.”
“if you can’t get edwards,” i said suddenly, “i’ve a good mind to come out with you. meet me at trafalgar square, and let me know.”
as will disappeared, i immediately repented of my offer, repented heartily, repented abjectly. i had never been on patrol, and a great sinking feeling 155 came over me. i hoped with all my might that edwards would be bubbling over with enthusiasm for patrolling. i was afraid. with all the indifference to shells and canisters that was gradually growing upon me, i had never been out into no man’s land. and yet i had volunteered to go out, and at the time of doing so i felt quite excited at the prospect. “fool,” i said to myself.
“edwards doesn’t seem at all enthusiastic about it,” said will. “will you really come out?”
“yes, rather. i’m awfully keen to go. i’ve never been before, either. how are you going?”
we exchanged views on how best to dress and carry our revolvers, which instantly assumed a new interest.
“what time are you going out?”
“eight o’clock.”
it was a quarter to already.
in the dug-out i was emptying my pockets, taking off my equipment, and putting on a cap-comforter. i had my compass with me, and put it in my pocket. i looked on the map and saw that the sap was practically due north of the quarry. and i took a nip of brandy out of my flask. will had gone to arrange with captain robertson about warning the sentries. i was alone, and still cursing myself for this unnecessary adventure. when i was ready, i stodged up 76 street to the quarry. it was certainly a good night, very black. 156
when i saw will and captain robertson together on the fire-step peering over, i felt rather bucked with myself. hitherto i had felt like an enthusiastic bather undressing, nearly everyone else having decided it was not warm enough to bathe; now it was as if i suddenly found that they were watching me as i ran down the beach, and i no longer repented of my resolution. next moment i was climbing up on to the slimy sandbag wall, and dropping over the other side. i was surprised to find there was very little drop at all. there was an old ditch to be crossed, and then we came to our wire, which was very thin at this point. while will was cursing, and making, it seemed to me, rather an unnecessary rattling and shaking of the wire (you know how wire reverberates if you hit a fence by the road), i looked back at our own parapet. i felt it would be a good thing to see on one’s return; again, it struck me how low it was, regarded from this side; i saw a head move along the top of it. this made me jump. already our trench seemed immeasurably far off.
i looked in front again, as the noise of will’s wire-rattling had ceased. in fact he was clean out of sight. this made me jump again, and i hurried on. it was “knife-rest” wire (see next page).
i stepped over it, and my foot came down on to more wire, which rattled with a noise that made me stand stock still awaiting something to happen. 157 i felt like a cat who has upset a tablecloth and all the tea things. i stood appalled at the unexpected clatter. but really it was hardly audible to our sentries, much less to the germans at least a hundred and twenty yards away.
at last i got through and flopped down. immediately will’s form showed up dark in front of me. when i was standing up, i had been unable to see him against the black ground. we lay about a minute absolutely quiet, according to arrangement.
i had fairly made the plunge now, and i felt like the bather shaking his hair as he comes up for the first time, and shouting out how glorious it is. i was elated. the feel of the wet grass was good under my hands; the silence was good; the immense loneliness, save for will’s black form, was good; and a slight rustle of wind in the grass was good also. i just wanted to lie, and enjoy it. i hoped will would not go on for another minute. but soon he began to crawl.
have you done much crawling? it is slow work. 158 you take knee-steps, and they are not like footsteps: they are not a hundred and twenty to the hundred yards they are more like fifty to ten yards, i should think. anyway it seemed endless. the end of the sap was, to be precise, just one hundred and twenty-five yards from our front trench. yet when i had gone, i suppose, forty yards, i expected to be on it any minute. will must be going wrong. i thought of the map. could we be going north-east instead of north? will halted. i nearly bumped into his right foot, which raised itself twice, signalling a halt. i took out my compass, and looked at it. i shaded it with my hand, the luminous arrow seemed so bright: “rather absurd,” i thought immediately, “as if the boches could possibly see it from the trench.” but we were going straight enough. then the figure in front moved on, and i came up to where he had halted. it was the edge of a big shell-hole, full of water; i put my left hand in up to the wrist, i don’t know why.
still the figure crawled on, with a sort of hump-backed sidle that i had got to know by now. it was interminable this crawling....
“swis—s—sh.” a german flare shot up from ever so close. it seemed to be falling right over us. then it burst with a “pop.” i had my head down on my arms, but i could squint out sideways. it seemed impossible we should not be seen; for there, hardly twenty yards away, was the german 159 wire, as clear as anything. meanwhile the flare had fallen behind us. would it never go out? i noticed the way the blades of grass were lit up by it; and there was an old tin or something.... i started as a rat ran across the grass past me. i wondered if it were a german rat, or one of ours.
then at last the flare went out, and the blackness was intense. for a while longer we lay still as death; then i saw will’s foot move again. i listened intently, and on my right i heard a metallic sound. quite close it was; it sounded like the clank of a dixie. i peered hard in the direction of the sound. faintly i could distinguish earth above the ground-line. i had not looked to my right when the flare went up, and realised, as will already had done, that we were out as far as the end of the sap. it was perhaps ten yards off, due right. i lay with my ear cocked sideways to catch the faintest sound. clearly there was someone in the sap. but there was a wind swishing in the grass, and i could not hear anything more. then my tense attitude relaxed, and i gradually sank my chin on my arm. i felt very comfortable. i did not want to move....
“bang!!” and then a flame spat out; then came that gritty metallic sound i had heard before, and another “bang!” i kept my head down and waited for the next, but it did not come. then i heard a most human scroopy cough, which 160 also sounded very near. the “bangs” were objectionably near; i literally shrank from them. to tell the truth, i had the “wind up” a bit. those bullets seemed to me vicious personal spits that were distinctly unpleasant and near; and i wanted to get away from so close a proximity to them. i remembered a maxim of some famous general to the intent that if you are afraid of the enemy, the best thing was to remember that in all probability he was just as afraid of you. the maxim did not seem to apply somehow here. at the first “bang” i had thought we were seen; but i now realised that the sentry was merely blazing off occasional shots, and that the bullets had just plopped into our parapet.
then will turned round, and i did the same. our business was certainly ended, for there was no doubt about the sap being occupied. then i heard a thud behind us, and looking up saw the slow climbing trail of a canister blazing up into the sky; up it mounted, up, up, up, hovered a moment, then turned, and with a gathering impetus blazed down somewhere well behind our front trench.
“trafalgar square,” i thought, as i lay doggo, for the blaze lit up the sky somewhat.
“bomp.” the earth shook as the canister exploded.
“thud,” and the process was repeated exactly as before, ending in another quaking “bomp!” 161
i enjoyed this. it was rather a novel way of seeing canisters, and moreover a very safe way.
two more streamed over.
then our footballs answered, and burst with a bang in the air not so very far over into the german lines. the trench-mortar fellow was evidently trying short fuses, for usually our trench-mortar shells burst on percussion.
then in the distance i heard four bangs, and the boche 4·2’s started, screaming over at maple redoubt. i determined to move on.
then suddenly came four distant bangs from the right of our lines (as we faced them), and with “wang—wang ... wang—wang” four whizz-bangs burst right around us, with most appalling flickers. “bang—bang ... bang—bang” in the distance again, and i braced every muscle tightly, as you do when you prepare to meet a shock. behind us, and just in front, the beastly things burst. i lay with every fibre in my body strained to the uttermost. and yet i confess i enjoyed the sensation!
there was a lull, and i began crawling as fast as i could. i stopped to see if will was following. “by god,” i heard, “let’s get out of this.” so i was thinking! then as i went on i saw the edge of a crater. where on earth?
i halted and pulled out my compass. due south i wanted. i found i was bearing off to the right far too much, so with compass in hand i corrected 162 my course. some crawling this time! it was not long before we could see wire in the distance. then i got up and ran. how i got through that wire i don’t know; i tore my puttees badly, and must have made a most unnecessary rattling. after which i fell into the ditch.
“thank heaven you’re all right,” was the greeting from captain robertson. “i was just coming out after you. those d—d artillery fellows. i sent down at once to ’phone to them to stop....”
and so on. i hardly heard a word. i was so elated, i could not listen. as we went back to trafalgar square for dinner, i heard them warning the sentries “the patrol’s in.” i looked up at the sandbag parapet. “in,” i thought. “one does not realise what ‘in’ is, till one’s been out.”
i have been out several times later. i never had any adventures much. but always, before going out, i felt the shivers of the bather; and always, after i came in, a most splendid glow.
