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The day had been hot and peaceful, the only sound of gun-fire a six-inch how. registering, and, during a morning tour with the second lieutenant who had come from one of the batteries to act as temporary signalling officer, I remembered noting again a weather-beaten civilian boot and a decayed bowler hat that for weeks had lain neglected and undisturbed in one of the rough tracks leading to the front line typical of the unchanging restfulness of this part of the front.
But it had the luck, which most planes, British or German have, to escape antiaircraft gun-fire. It had begun edging away after the first shot and soon was out of range. Archibald had served the purpose of his existence. He had sent the prying aerial eye home. A fight between planes in the air very rarely happens, except in the imagination.
Once having gained a bit of earth or a ruined village, nothing would budge them unless they could be blasted out by gun-fire. General Sixt von Arnim put down some candid notes in his report to Prince Rupprecht. "The English infantry shows great dash in attack, a factor to which immense confidence in its overwhelming artillery greatly contributes. .. It has shown great tenacity in defense.
Now the automatics and the rifles from the redoubt to which the Browns had fallen back opened fire. So close together were these bullet-machines that the orbit of each one's swing made a spray of only a few yards' breadth over the old redoubt, where the Browns' gun-fire had not for a moment ceased its persistent shelling, with increasingly large and solid targets of flesh for their practice.
I jumped to my feet, but, seeing that the rest of the company looked surprised at my vivacity, I sat down, guessing that the six-pounder and the coachman had something to do with it. "Don't be alarmed, Sir," said the General, "it's only gun-fire. We retire about this time." I took the hint, requested to be shown to my room, undressed, jumped into a camp bedstead, and tried to sleep.
A new army of boys has dug itself in at the Yser, and the same wastage by gun-fire and disease is at work on them. One wonders with the Belgians if the price they pay for honor is not too high. There is a sadness in the eyes of Belgian boy soldiers that is not easy to face. Are we quite worthy of their sacrifice? Why should the son of Ysaye die for me?
A heavy column of Brown infantry was swinging in toward the myriad-legged, writhing gray caterpillar on the pass road and many field-batteries were trotting along a parallel road. Their plan developed suddenly when a swath of gun-fire was laid across the pass road at the mouth of the defile, as much as to say: "Here we make a gate of death!"
Once more the powder was low, and by this time the scanty provisions had been reduced to miserably small rations. This was August 23. The end appeared near. On August 25 gun shots sounded, in the timber behind the Shawnee lines. Indians were running. Relief had come the reinforcements were breaking through! Hurrah! No! The gun-fire ceased. Hope died again. The Indians were too thick.
Some of the earlier mercantile vessels in which he was interested were of wood and some of iron. In the field of warship construction, however, his influence through the "Monitor" was more direct, especially as to the value of metal armor as a protection against great gun-fire.
The telephonist repeated the message, listened a moment and commenced, 'The Major says, sir when his officer interrupted sharply, 'Three rounds gun-fire quick. 'Three rounds gun-fire quick, sir, bellowed the telephonist into his mouthpiece. 'Here they come, lads. Let 'em have it, yelled the Platoon commander, and commenced himself to fire through a loophole.
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