True Stories of the Great War, Volume 1 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
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True Stories of the Great War, Volume 1 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
Somewhere (it generally takes a good deal of finding) a tiny puff
of smoke appears against the blue. Never by any chance is it in the
same quarter of the sky as the aircraft. _Whoop-pop!_ _Whoop-pop!_
One after another they leap up to have a look. The airman never takes
the smallest notice, but sails serenely on, and never yet have I seen
Archibald get within a thousand yards of his object. Once, so rumor
has it, he _did_ get nearer, so near, in fact, that two of his bullets
hit a wing of the machine. But the shock of success was too great, and
Archie's empty shell falling to earth put two of his own gunners out
of action! This story I cannot vouch for, but this I know, that after
a monoplane has actually disappeared over the horizon I have seen
Archibald jump viciously at him four times and every time miss him
by quite three miles! Well, here's to you, my comic friend. You add
a humor to life, and I wish the others could follow your lead, and,
taking life less seriously, give us as wide a miss.
* * * * *
(Four weeks later, the writer of this narrative fell in the trenches a
victim of these Turkish guns.)
FOOTNOTES:
[12] All numerals relate to stories herein told--not to chapters in the
original sources.
[13] A sudden attack was made on the right of the 11th Division and
upon the extreme left of the 29th Division about 2 o'clock on the
night of the 1st instant. It commenced with shell, machine gun, and
rifle fire on Jephson's post and along Keretch Tepe Sirt ridge.
Brigadier-General Maxwell was holding the right section of the 11th
Division when a body of the enemy attempted a bomb and bayonet assault
under cover of their bombardment. There was no heart, however, in the
attack, and it was easily repulsed with loss to the enemy.
The Navy, as usual on such occasions, were prompt with their
assistance, and the flanking torpedo-boat destroyer with her
searchlight lit up the northern slopes of Keretch Tepe and effectively
stopped the enemy from pressing in along the coast.
"IN THE FIELD"--THE STORIES OF THE FRENCH CHASSEURS
_Impressions of an Officer of Light Cavalry_
_Told by Lieut. Marcel Dupont, of the French Chasseurs_
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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