United States or French Southern Territories ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
"But of being afraid yes, most horribly." At five o'clock we halted at a junction, where a troop-train from the Front was already at a standstill. Tommies in steel helmets and muddied to the eyes were swarming out onto the tracks. They looked terrible men with their tanned cheeks and haggard eyes. I felt how impractical I was as I watched them how ill-suited for campaigning.
At last on arrival there I joined a troop-train with reinforcements going to Minsk, where I duly alighted, to discover that General Brusiloff's headquarters were out at a village called Gorodok, about five miles distant, in the direction of Vilna.
The first sections of the divisions were entrained the next day an end to summer road-work.... A day and night of intolerable slowness in a vile coach, and on the following noon the troop-train was halted, while a string of Red Cross cars drew up to a siding to give the soldiers the right of way; a momentary halt the line of passing windows filled with cheering, weeping nurses.
"Where are we going?" said one of the soldiers in Tom's company as they entered a waiting train. "I don't know," said Tom, "but what does it matter? We have nowt to do with that, we have just got to do our job." They spent all the night in the troop-train, which was crowded almost to suffocation. Where they were going they didn't know, scarcely cared.
The Irishman sidled over to Neale. "Say, did yez hear about Casey?" he inquired, in very friendly fashion. "No, I didn't," replied Neale. He remembered Casey, the flagman, but probably there were many Caseys in that camp. "There wus a foight, out on the line, yisteddy," went on the fellow, "an' the dom' redskins chased the gang to the troop-train. Phwat do you think?
As the troop-train moved slowly out of the station the pipers, piping more and more shrilly, swung round and marched beside it to the end of the platform. The band ceased abruptly, and the men answered with shout after shout of violent joy; they reared up through the windows, straining for the last look and were gone. Michael turned to the porter who lifted his luggage from the rack.
I think I already know who she'll be; if I'm right, I shall be so very glad. I feel so humble so apologetic. It's such a different ending from the one we dreamt when I saw you off on the troop-train with my hair all blowy down my back. There's nothing gained by recalling that. I meant so well by you; you've always been so much to me, my dearest, loyal Tabs.
"For one thing, it's a fair test of wind and muscle, and for another it saves time at the docks. We'll suppose this first company to be drawn up on the dock-head and those five others still in the troop-train. How would you get their kit into the ship?"
No great reliance could be placed upon such information, but occasionally statements based on much more stable foundations circulated. That a troop-train was standing in the siding at Palais de Koubbeh, and that there were several transports moored in Alexandria, was absolutely positive proof that the N.Z.M.R. were about to land in Asia Minor or to be at Constantinople in a week or two.
Jigger would rather die than not get it straight, and his salute made that quite plain. "It's made a man of him, anyhow," Stafford said to himself, as he watched the swiftly disappearing figure. "He's as straight as a nail, body and mind poor little devil.... How far away it all seems!" A quarter of an hour later he was standing beside the troop-train which he had seen labouring to its goal.
Word Of The Day