Papurau Newydd Cymru

Chwiliwch 15 miliwn o erthyglau papurau newydd Cymru

Cuddio Rhestr Erthyglau

9 erthygl ar y dudalen hon

WÆn SKETCHES. I

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WÆn SKETCHES. I THE MESSAGE THAT MATTERED. Private William Henrv Brown, runner for C Company of the Crimson Crusher?, turned sharply to his left at the blasted oak-it was an elm, really, but in musketry all broken trees are blasted oaks -slid iiicontlneptlv down a dark bank into the railway cutting below, and ran slap bang into the arms of a Prussian patrol. The Crimson Crushers had only that IDcrning won half a mile of ground from the Boche, and had dug in an outpost. line. It was strange territory, and it was quite J in the nature of things that a hostile patrol should be prowling about just on the edge of our lines. The outposts of both sides, in fact, were in No Man s Land. Private Brown's first sensation was an unpleasant one—that perhaps he should have turned to the right at the blasted oak instead of the left. Then he remem- bered that, anyway, the railway cutting came into his scheme, and so was slightly reassured. He did something to his mouth with his right hand, and then, in his best Cockney, asked his captors wot in 'ell they was a-playing at." But his cap/tors c-ither could or would speak no English, and he was hauled with all the gentleness of a she-bear deprived of her young to a little dug-out half a mile down the cutting, where Private Brown saw an ofifcer eating a. sausage and black bread by the light of j a carefully shaded slush-lamp. The N.C.O. in charge stated wh-at afterwards appeared to be an explanation of the capture; but. as Private Brown said, at the time he thought he was simply going to be sick at the sight of the sausage. When he had heard what the X.C.O. had to say, the officer came cut; and started tc bully Brown in pretty periect English. You have a messare," he said. Give it to me at once "I s-.in't got no bloomin' rsessage," said Brown. You lie, pig: And the Boche hit him in the with a heavy hand. You have a message. Give it to me, at once < Private Brown spat the blood out of his mouth. I ain't got no message, you blarsted he repeated. The Boche hit him agzin, twice— heavier blows still. Search him/' he cried. While two held him, a, third went through all his pockets very diligently. They tore the jacket from his back. They left no part of his clothing or person un- explored. They even opened his mouth, and one slid a grimy finger between the cheeks and the gurus. But lliev found no message. Tie him up, said the cSlccr, when he was satisned that there Was nothing to be found. "Tie him up tight, and leave him cut in the cold. He has destroyed the message, but he knows what was in it. To-Eiorrow he will talk They tied him up so tightly that he had to bite his lip to keep back the cries of pain. They laid him across the rails, which bit into his back and sides. There thev left him. Presently it began to rai, and, as the cords got wet, they tightened. The pain was unbearable. It was then that an idea came to Private Brown. He looked towards the sentry, and saw that he was asleep. He turned over cautiously, got his wrist-ropes against the edge of a rail, and began to saw back- wards and forwards. f "It was slow work. The first tinge of dawn was already in the sky when the last strand parted, and his arms were free. Feverishly lie untied the ropes about his ankles and knees, and rubbed his legs to restore the circulation. The sentry still slept. Brown got. to his feet and made off clown the cutting as hard as his throbbing legs would carrv him. Each step was torture. His wrists were bleed- ing where the rope had rasped them in the eawing. He was wet through and frozen to the bone and, moreover, he was faint with hunger. It was more a dead man than a live one who staggered into Battalion Head- quarters and weakly mumbled something that the sentry eventually took to be: Tak6 me to the Colonel." i The C.O. was just having breakfast j before ins morning tour of the line, and, beui £ an understanding man, lie gave I Private Brown coffee and rum before- he j let him sav a word. Now." he said, when the runner had j somewhat recovered, "Tell me all about it, my i And Private William Henry Brown told. Well done! said the C.O. And now, what was the message ? T suppose yon had it off bv heart be f ore you swallowed the paner?" Yes. sir. C Company relief com- p-lete,' sir. Good Lord Po you mean to say you wfmt through all that for such a message? Whv. it wouldn't have mattered if you had told them I dunno, sir," said Private William Henry B: own, sleepily. Seemed to me as 'ow it wos my message, no marrer wot it wos, an' I wosn't ,gDin' tor give it tor no "bloomin' Boche, any way Then lie swayed. "Catch him," said the Colonel and Private William Brown was carried away to sleep off the rffect of his nisdit in Hun- Land.

TRAFALGAR DAY, OCTOBER 21.

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