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Live Rounds | Ian Hay | |
The Battle Of The Slag-Heaps |
Page 7 of 13 |
Captain Blaikie, directing operations with a walking-stick as if the whole affair were an Aldershot field-day, signalled to the Company to lie down, and began to unbutton a leather pouch in his belt. "You too, Bobby," he said; "and don't dare to move a muscle until you get the order!" He strolled forward, pliers in hand, and began methodically to cut a passage, strand by strand, through the forest of wire. Then it was that invisible machine-guns opened, and a very gallant officer and Scotsman fell dead upon the field of honour. Half an hour later, "A" Company, having expended all their ammunition and gained never a yard, fell back upon the rest of the Battalion. Including Bobby Little (who seemed to bear a charmed life), they did not represent the strength of a platoon. "I wonder what they will do with us next," remarked Mr. Waddell, who had finished his bully. "If they have any sense of decency," said Major Kemp, "they will send us back to rest a bit, and put another Division in. We have opened the ball and done a lot of dirty work for them, and have lost a lot of men and officers. Bed for me, please!" "I should be more inclined to agree with you, Major," said Wagstaffe, "if only we had a bit more to show for our losses." |
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