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Live Rounds | Ian Hay | |
"Dirty Work At The Cross-Roads To-Night" |
Page 5 of 6 |
"Extraordinary how few casualties one gets," continued the Sapper chattily. "Their snipers go potting away all night, but they don't often get anybody. By the way, they have a machine-gun trained on this road, but they only loose it off every second night. Methodical beggars!" "Did they loose it off last night?" "No. To-night's the night. Have you finished here!" "Yes, thanks!" "Right-o! We'll go to the next corner. You'll get a first-class field of fire there, I should say." The second position was duly inspected, the only incident of interest being the bursting of a star-shell directly overhead. "Better lie down for a minute," suggested the Engineer. Ayling, who had been struggling with a strong inclination to do so for some time, promptly complied. "Just like the Crystal Palace on a benefit night!" observed his guide admiringly, as the landscape was lit up with a white glare. "Now you can see your position beautifully. You can fire obliquely in this direction, and then do a first-class enfilade if the trenches get rushed." "I see," said Ayling, surveying the position with real interest. He was beginning to enjoy selecting gun-emplacements which really mattered. It was a change from nine months of "eye-wash." When the German star-shell had spent itself they crossed the road, to the rear of the redoubt, and marked the other two emplacements--in comparative safety now. "The only trouble about this place," said Ayling, as he surveyed the last position, "is that my fire will be masked by that house with the clump of trees beside it." |
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The First Hundred Thousand Ian Hay |
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