"I reckon a Tommy's worth a dozen Fritzes. The bleeders ought ter be wiped orf the face o' the bleed'n' earth. I see 'em do a thing or two, I tell yer--me an' my mate was in the line down Plugstreet way when they crucified a Canadian. I see the tree what they did it on wi' me own eyes--dirty lot o' swine!" "Bloody lies! Yer read it in the paper!" "Wha' if I did?" "Yer said yer saw it yerself!" "Well, I read it in the papers and then I see the tree what they did it on arterwards. The nails was still there. An' what _d'you_ know about it? Yer in the artillery, yer don't see no fightin'!" "Don't see no fightin'! Gorblimy, I reckon the infantry wouldn't be much bleedin' cop wi'out the artillery." "I'll tell yer what the artillery do--blow up their own mates what's in the front line, there now!" "If we'd 'ad artillery in August, 1914, the war'd 'a' bin over in three weeks!" "Don't yer believe it! It's the infantry what 'as all the danger an' gits all the rotten jobs. The artillery's cushey compared wi' the infantry." "The artillery 'as a bloody sight 'eavier losses!" "Go on--tell us another! It's no good arguin' wi' yer, yer won't see any side 'cept yer own." But a third man, bringing the argument back to its original subject, said: "I reckon it's all bloody lies what's in the papers. The Belgies is a damn sight worse'n Jerry. [The Germans.] Yer know that there gun what used to shell Poperinge--well, they never knew where the shells came from till they found it was a Belgian batt'ry 'id in a tunnel. They caught the gunners when they was telephonin' to Jerry. They stood the 'ole bleed'n' lot up aginst a wall an' shot 'em--serve 'em right too." "Go on--tell us another!" "I bet yer it's true, now then!" "How much do you bet?" "Fifteen bloody francs!" "All right, I'll take yer on!"