On they came, these marching men, until we could see them by the hundred, by the thousand, their serried5 ranks stretching away and away until they were lost in distance. Scots were here, Lowland and Highland6; English and Irish were here, with bronzed New Zealanders, adventurous7 Canadians and hardy8 Australians; men, these, who had come joyfully9 across half the world to fight, and, if need be, die for those ideals which have made the Empire assuredly the greatest and mightiest11 this world has ever known. And as I listened to the rhythmic12 tramp of these countless feet, it seemed like the voice of this vast Empire proclaiming to the world that Wrong and Injustice13 must cease among the nations; that man, after all, despite all the "Frightfulness15" that warped[Pg 64] intelligence may conceive, is yet faithful to the highest in him, faithful to that deathless, purposeful determination that Right shall endure, the abiding16 belief of which has brought him through the dark ages, through blood and misery17 and shame, on his progress ever upward.
So, while these men of the Empire tramped past through blinding rain and wind, our car stopped before a row of low-lying wooden buildings, whence presently issued a tall man in rain-sodden trench18 cap and burberry, who looked at me with a pair of very dark, bright eyes and gripped my hand in hearty19 clasp.
He was apologetic because of the rain, since, as he informed us, he had just ordered all men to their quarters, and thus I should see nothing doing in the training line; nevertheless he cheerfully offered to show us over the camp, despite mud and wind and rain, and to explain things as fully10 as he could; whereupon we as cheerfully accepted.
The wind whistled about us, the rain pelted20 us, but the Major heeded21 it nothing—neither did I—while K. loudly congratulated himself on having come in waders and waterproof22 hat, as, through mud and mire23, through puddles24 and clogging25 sand, we followed the Major's long boots, crossing bare plateaux, climbing precipitous slopes, leaping trenches26, slipping and stumbling, while ever the Major talked, wherefore I heeded not wind or rain, for the Major talked well.
He descanted on the new and horribly vicious methods of bayonet fighting—the quick thrust and[Pg 65] lightning recovery; struggling with me upon a sandy, rain-swept height, he showed me how, in wrestling for your opponent's rifle, the bayonet is the thing. He halted us before devilish contrivances of barbed wire, each different from the other, but each just as ugly. He made us peep through loopholes, each and every different from the other, yet each and every skilfully27 hidden from an enemy's observation. We stood beside trenches of every shape and kind while he pointed28 out their good and bad points; he brought us to a place where dummy29 figures had been set up, their rags a-flutter, forlorn objects in the rain.
"Here," said he, "is where we teach 'em to throw live bombs—you can see where they've been exploding; dummies30 look a bit off-colour, don't they?" And he pointed to the ragged31 scarecrows with his whip. "You know, I suppose," he continued, "that a Mills' bomb is quite safe until you take out the pin, and then it is quite safe as long as you hold it, but the moment it is loosed the lever flies off, which releases the firing lever and in a few seconds it explodes. It is surprising how men vary, some are born bombers32, some soon learn, but some couldn't be bombers if they tried—not that they're cowards, it's just a case of mentality33. I've seen men take hold of a bomb, pull out the pin, and then stand with the thing clutched in their fingers, absolutely unable to move! And there they'd stand till Lord knows when if the sergeant34 didn't take it from them. I remember a queer case once. We were saving the pins to rig up[Pg 66] dummy bombs, and the order was: 'Take the bomb in your right hand, remove the pin, put the pin in your pocket, and at the word of command, throw the bomb.' Well, this particular fellow was so wrought35 up that he threw away the pin and put the bomb in his pocket!"
"Was he killed?" I asked.
"No. The sergeant just had time to dig the thing out of the man's pocket and throw it away. Bomb exploded in the air and knocked 'em both flat."
The Major smiled and shook his head.
"I have a good many sergeants37 here and they can't all have 'em! Now come and see my lecture theatres."
Presently, looming38 through the rain, I saw huge circular structures that I could make nothing of, until, entering the larger of the two, I stopped in surprise, for I looked down into a huge, circular amphitheatre, with circular rows of seats descending39 tier below tier to a circular floor of sand, very firm and hard.
"All made out of empty oil cans!" said the Major, tapping the nearest can with his whip. "I have 'em filled with sand and stacked as you see!—good many thousands of 'em here. Find it good for sound too—shout and try! This place holds about five thousand men—"
"Whose wonderful idea was this?"
"Oh, just a little wheeze40 of my own. Now,[Pg 67] how about the poison gas; feel like going through it?"
I glanced at K., K. glanced at me. I nodded, so did K.
"Certainly!" said I. Wherefore the Major led us over sandy hills and along sandy valleys and so to a dingy41 and weather-worn hut, in whose dingy interior we found a bright-faced subaltern in dingy uniform and surrounded by many dingy boxes and a heterogeneous42 collection of things. The subaltern was busy at work on a bomb with a penknife, while at his elbow stood a sergeant grasping a screwdriver43, who, perceiving the Major, came to attention, while the cheery sub. rose, beaming.
"Can you give us some gas?" enquired the Major, after we had been introduced, and had shaken hands.
"Certainly, sir!" nodded the cheerful sub. "Delighted!"
"You might explain something about it, if you will," suggested the Major. "Bombs and gas is your line, you know."
The sub. beamed, and giving certain directions to his sergeant, spake something on this wise.
"Well, 'Frightful14 Fritz'—I mean the Boches y'know, started bein' frightful some time ago, y'know—playin' their little tricks with gas an' tear-shells an' liquid fire an' that, and we left 'em to it. Y'see, it wasn't cricket—wasn't playin' the game—what! But Fritz kept at it and was happy as a bird, till one day we woke up an' started bein' frightful too, only when we did begin we were frightfuller than ever Fritz thought of bein'—yes, rather![Pg 68] Our gas is more deadly, our lachrymatory shells are more lachrymose44 an' our liquid fire's quite top-hole—won't go out till it burns out—rather not! So Frightful Fritz is licked at his own dirty game. I've tried his and I've tried ours, an' I know."
Here the sergeant murmured deferentially45 into the sub.'s ear, whereupon he beamed again and nodded.
"Everything's quite ready!" he announced, "so if you're on?"
Here, after a momentary46 hesitation47, I signified I was, whereupon our sub. grew immensely busy testing sundry48 ugly, grey flannel49 gas helmets, fitted with staring eyepieces of talc and with a hideous50 snout in front.
Having duly fitted on these clumsy things and buttoned them well under our coat collars, having shown us how we must breathe out through the mouthpiece which acts as a kind of exhaust, our sub. donned his own headpiece, through which his cheery voice reached me in muffled51 tones:
"You'll feel a kind of ticklin' feelin' in the throat at first, but that's all O.K.—only the chemical the flannel's saturated52 with. Now follow me, please, an' would you mind runnin', the rain's apt to weaken the solution. This way!"
Dutifully we hasted after him, ploughing through the wet sand, until we came to a heavily timbered doorway53 that seemingly opened into the hillside, and, beyond this yawning doorway I saw a thick, greenish-yellow mist, a fog exactly the colour of strong absinthe; and then we were in it. K.'s tall[Pg 69] figure grew blurred54, indistinct, faded utterly55 away, and I was alone amid that awful, swirling56 vapour that held death in such agonising form.
I will confess I was not happy, my throat was tickling57 provokingly, I began to cough and my windpipe felt too small. I hastened forward, but, even as I went, the light grew dimmer and the swirling fog more dense58. I groped blindly, began to run, stumbled, and in that moment my hand came in contact with an unseen rope. On I went into gloom, into blackness, until I was presently aware of my companions in front and mightily59 glad of it. In a while, still following this invisible rope, we turned a corner, the fog grew less opaque60, thinned away to a green mist, and we were out in the daylight again, and thankful was I to whip off my stifling61 helmet and feel the clean wind in my hair and the beat of rain upon my face.
"Notice the ticklin' feelin'?" enquired our sub., as he took our helmets and put them carefully by. "Bit tryin' at first, but you soon get used to it—yes, rather. Some of the men funk tryin' at first—and some hold their breath until they fairly well burst, an' some won't go in at all, so we carry 'em in. That gas you've tried is about twenty times stronger than we get it in the open, but these helmets are a rippin' dodge62 till the chemical evaporates, then, of course, they're no earthly. This is the latest device—quite a top-hole scheme!" And he showed us a box-like contrivance which, when in use, is slung63 round the neck.
"Are you often in the gas?" I enquired.
[Pg 70]
"Every day—yes, rather!"
"For how long?"
"Well, I stayed in once for five hours on end—"
"Five hours!" I exclaimed, aghast.
"Y'see, I was experimentin'!"
"And didn't you feel any bad effects?"
"Yes, rather! I was simply dyin' for a smoke. Like to try a lachrymatory?" he enquired, reaching up to a certain dingy box.
"Yes," said I, glancing at K. "Oh, yes, if—"
"Only smart for the time bein'," our sub. assured me. "Make you weep a bit!" Here from the dingy box he fished a particularly vicious-looking bomb and fell to poking64 at it with a screwdriver. I immediately stepped back. So did K. The Major pulled his moustache and flicked65 a chunk66 of mud from his boot with his whip.
"Er—I suppose that thing's all right?" he enquired.
"Oh, yes, quite all right, sir, quite all right," nodded the sub., using the screwdriver as a hammer. "Only wants a little fixin'."
As I watched that deadly thing, for the second time I felt distinctly unhappy; however, the refractory67 pin, or whatever it was, being fixed68 to his satisfaction, our sub. led the way out of the dingy hut and going some few paces ahead, paused.
"I'm goin' to give you a liquid-fire bomb first!" said he. "Watch!"
He drew back his hand and hurled69 the bomb. Almost immediately there was a shattering report and the air was full of thick, grey smoke and yellow[Pg 71] flame, smoke that rolled heavily along the ground towards us, flame that burned ever fiercer, fiery70 yellow tongues that leapt from the sand here and there, that writhed71 in the wind-gusts, but never diminished.
"Stoop down!" cried the sub., suiting the action to word, "stoop down and get a mouthful of that smoke—makes you jolly sick and unconscious in no time if you get enough of it. Top-hole bomb, that—what!"
Then he brought us where those yellow flames leapt and hissed72; some of these he covered with wet sand, and lo! they had ceased to be; but the moment the sand was kicked away up they leapt again fiercer than ever.
"We use 'em for bombing Boche dug-outs now!" said he; and remembering the dug-outs I had seen, I could picture the awful fate of those within, the choking fumes73, the fire-scorched bodies! Truly the exponents74 of Frightfulness have felt the recoil75 of their own vile76 methods.
"This is a lachrymatory!" said the sub., whisking another bomb from his pocket. "When it pops, run forward and get in the smoke. It'll sting a bit, but don't rub the tears away—let 'em flow. Don't touch your eyes, it'll only inflame77 'em—just weep! Ready? One, two, three!" A second explosion louder than the first, a puff78 of blue smoke into which I presently ran and then uttered a cry. So sharp, so excruciating was the pain, that instinctively79 I raised hand to eyes but checked myself, and with tears gushing80 over my[Pg 72] cheeks, blind and agonised, I stumbled away from that hellish vapour. Very soon the pain diminished, was gone, and looking up through streaming tears I beheld81 the sub. nodding and beaming approval.
"Useful things, eh?" he remarked, "A man can't shed tears and shoot straight, an' he can't weep and fight well, both at the same time—what? Fritz can be very frightful, but we can be more so when we want—yes, rather. The Boches have learned that there's no monopoly in Frightfulness."
In due season we shook hands with our cheery sub., and left him beaming after us from the threshold of the dingy hut.
Britain has been called slow, old-fashioned, and behind the times, but to-day she is awake and at work to such mighty82 purpose that her once small army is now numbered by the million, an army second to none in equipment or hardy and dauntless manhood.
From her Home Counties, from her Empire beyond the Seas, her millions have arisen, brothers in arms henceforth, bonded83 together by a spirit of noble self-sacrifice—men grimly determined84 to suffer wounds and hardship and death itself, that for those who come after them, the world may be a better place and humanity may never again be called upon to endure all the agony and heartbreak of this generation.
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1
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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serried
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| adj.拥挤的；密集的 | |
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highland
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| n.(pl.)高地，山地 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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mightiest
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| adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的 | |
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rhythmic
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| adj.有节奏的，有韵律的 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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frightfulness
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| 可怕； 丑恶； 讨厌； 恐怖政策 | |
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abiding
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| adj.永久的，持久的，不变的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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pelted
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| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
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heeded
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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waterproof
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| n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水 | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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puddles
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| n.水坑， （尤指道路上的）雨水坑( puddle的名词复数 ) | |
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clogging
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| 堵塞，闭合 | |
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trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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dummy
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| n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头 | |
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dummies
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| n.仿制品( dummy的名词复数 )；橡皮奶头；笨蛋；假传球 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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bombers
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| n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟 | |
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mentality
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| n.心理，思想，脑力 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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sergeants
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| 警官( sergeant的名词复数 )； （美国警察）警佐； （英国警察）巡佐； 陆军（或空军）中士 | |
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looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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wheeze
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| n.喘息声，气喘声；v.喘息着说 | |
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dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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heterogeneous
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| adj.庞杂的；异类的 | |
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screwdriver
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| n.螺丝起子；伏特加橙汁鸡尾酒 | |
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lachrymose
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| adj.好流泪的，引人落泪的；adv.眼泪地，哭泣地 | |
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deferentially
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| adv.表示敬意地，谦恭地 | |
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momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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49
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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50
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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51
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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52
saturated
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| a.饱和的，充满的 | |
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53
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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54
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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57
tickling
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| 反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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mightily
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| ad.强烈地；非常地 | |
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opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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64
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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65
flicked
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| （尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的过去式和过去分词 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等） | |
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chunk
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| n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量） | |
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refractory
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| adj.倔强的，难驾驭的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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71
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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73
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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74
exponents
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| n.倡导者( exponent的名词复数 )；说明者；指数；能手 | |
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75
recoil
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| vi.退却，退缩，畏缩 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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inflame
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| v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎 | |
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puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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80
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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81
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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82
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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bonded
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| n.有担保的，保税的，粘合的 | |
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84
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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