Pushed and the Return Push | Page 8

of some camouflage netting posts. It was
Hetherton of C Battery.
The colonel came outside. "The Huns came on us in the mist, sir,"
panted Hetherton, "out of the wood. They've killed Dawson, sir." His
voice broke--"and some of the others. There were only four of us got
away. I came on to tell you." He stopped and breathed hard.
The colonel looked stern, but his voice was smooth and collected.
"That's all right," he said, almost soothingly. "You cut off with your
party and report to the retiring position."
The young man looked dazed, but saluted, and was moving off when
the colonel caught him by the arm. "Come and have a drink, Hetherton,
before going on," he said; "it'll do you good."
"No, thank you, sir," replied Hetherton, and this time he saluted with
body as erect and arm as taut as if on parade. In another second he had
vanished.
There was tense silence as the colonel seized the telephone.
"Put me through to B Battery," he said. Turning towards me, he added:
"Turn out all the men not on telephone duty to take post on the top of
the quarry."
I slipped out and passed the order to the sergeant in charge of the
signallers, roused up the servants, and saw that each man had his rifle.
"Now, Duncombe," I said to the left-handed orderly who had beaten the
infantry crack shot a few days before, "you may have a chance to see if
your eye is in to-day."
When I got back to the mess, I learned that the infantry had news that
the Boche was coming over the crest towards our battle positions. The
major commanding B Battery had told the colonel that his battery and
A had the enemy in full view, and were firing with open sights. "We

are killing hundreds of 'em, sir," he had reported with delightful
insouciance.
One sharp outburst from the colonel. As he came outside to see if our
twenty-odd men were placed in the best positions for defending the
quarry, he looked across and noted that the officers' chargers were
saddled up, and that the grooms were leading them on to the road
above.
"Stop those horses!" he called out angrily. "Who gave orders for them
to leave? Have my horses unsaddled at once. There's always some
damn fellow who does a stupid thing like that and puts the wind up
people."
The situation was really saved by the adjutant's new charger, which,
startled by an overcoat the groom had flung over him, began the best
exhibition of bucking he had given since he joined us. As he was in the
lead, and access to the road was by a narrow closed-in track, no one
could get by him.
The grooms in a shamefaced way protested that some one had passed
the "Saddle-up" order, and had a few hectic stinging words addressed
to them. Apparently a mounted orderly, galloping past with a message,
had shouted out something about the enemy being close behind.
The incident being closed, the colonel and myself strapped on belts and
revolvers. The colonel glanced swiftly at the map position of the
battery that the approaching Huns had scuppered, and then said
quickly--
"Whatever happens, we shall have time for something to eat. Tell
Manning to bring in lunch."

III. THE END OF A BATTERY.
We none of us exactly enjoyed that lunch. It was a nice lunch, too: the
steak cut thin, like steak à la minute, and not overdone, with crisp

onion sprigs--"bristled onions" the cook always called them; and,
wonder of wonders! a pudding made by cribbing our bread allowance,
with plum jam and a few strips of macaroni to spice it up. But the
thought that the Boche had scuppered C Battery not a thousand yards
away, and was coming on, did not improve the appetite. And news of
what was really happening was so scant and so indefinite! The colonel
commented once on the tenderness of the steak, and then looked
thoughtful; the doctor remained dumb; for myself, I felt keyed up to the
state that seems to clear the mind and to make one doubly alert in
execution, but my hand did perhaps shake a trifle, and I drank two
whiskies instead of my usual one. I thought of one or two things I
ought to have done and had left undone. I remember feeling distinctly
annoyed because a particular hair lotion on its way from England might
not be delivered. I made sure that a certain discoloured Edward and
Alexandra Coronation medal--given me for luck--was secure in my
pocket-book, and stuffed my breast-pockets with all the cigars they
would hold.
Lunch was finished in about eight minutes, and the imperturbable
Manning cleared away.
"What about these