LAND AN 1) ^^" A T E R 
Fifbruary 3, 1916 
he said, " and you and you, get outside and round tha 
back there. See if you can get a pickaxe, a t-en:hing tool, 
anytiiing, and break down that grating and knock a bigger 
lioie in the window. Wc; may have to crawl out there 
presently. The rest o' ye come with me an' help block ' 
up the door. " 
Through the din that followed, the telephonist 
fought to get his messag,; through ; he had to give up an 
attempt to speak it while a hatchet, a crowbar and a 
picka.ve were noisily at work breaking out a fresh exit 
from the back of the cellar, and even after that work had 
been completed, it was diflicult to make himself heard. 
He comiilcted the urgent message for reinforcements at 
last, listened to some confused and confusing comments 
upon it, and then made ready to take some messages 
from the other end. 
" You'll have to shout," he said, " no, shout — speak 
loud, because I can't 'ardly 'ear myself think — no, 'ear 
myself think. Oh, all s^rts, but the shelling is the worst, 
and one o" them beastly airj^ale torpedoes. All right, 
go ahead." 
The earpiece receiver strapped tightly over one ear, 
left his right hand free to use a pencil, and eis he took 
the spoken message word by word, he wrote it on the pad 
for message forms vndjr his hand. Under the circum- 
stances it is hardly surprising that the message took a 
good deal longer than a normal time to send through, and 
M'hile he was taking it, the signaller's mind was altogether 
too occupied to pay any attention to the progress of 
events above and around him. But now the sergeant 
.came back and warned him that he had better get his 
things ready and put together as far as he could, in case 
they had to make a quick and sudden move. 
" " The game's up, I'm afraid," he said gloomily, 
and took a note that was brought down by another 
orderly. " I thought so," he commented, as he read it 
hastily and passed it to the other signaller. " It's a 
message warning the right and left flanks that we can't 
hold the centre any longer, and that they are to commence 
falhng back to conform to our retirement at ^.20 acemma, 
which is ten minutes from now." 
Over their heads the signallers could hear tramping 
scurrying feet, the hammering out of loopholes, the 
dragging thiunp and flinging down of obstacles piled up 
w an additional defence to the rickety walls. Then there 
«*,ere more hurrying footsteps and presently the jarring 
rap-yap- rap of a machine gun immediately over their 
heads. 
Falling Back. 
" That's done it ! " said the sergeant. " We've got 
no orders to move, but I'm going to chance it and establish 
an alternative signalling station in one of the trenches 
iomewhere behind h?re. This cellar roof is too thin to 
stop an ordinary Fizzbang, much less a good solid Crump, 
and that machine gun upstairs is a certain invitation to 
sudden death and the German gunners to down and out 
us." 
He moved towards the new opening that had been 
made in the wall of the cellar, scrambled up it and dis- 
ippeared. All the signallers lifted their attention from 
their instruments at the same moment and sat listening 
to the fresh note that ran through the renewed and louder 
clamour and racket. The signaller who was in touch with 
the rear station called them and began to tell them what 
Avas happening. 
" We're about all in, I b'lieve," he said. " Five 
minutes ago we passed word to the flanks to fall back in 
ten minutes. What ? Yes, it's thick. I don't know how 
many men we've lost hanging on and I suppose we'll 
lose as many again taking back the trench we're to give up. 
What's that ? No. I don't see how reinforcements could 
be here yet. How long ago you say you passed orders for 
them to move up ? An hour ago ! That's wrong, because 
the messengers can't have been back — telephone mes- 
sage ? That's a lot less than an hour ago. I sent it 
myself no more than half an hour since. Oo-oo ! did you 
get tha*. bump ? Dunno, couple o' big shells or something 
droppal 'ust outside. I can 'ardly 'ear you. There's 
a most almighty row going on all round. 'Hiey nmst be 
charging I think, or our front line's fallen back, because 
the rifles is going nineteen to the dozen, a-a-ah ! Tliey're 
getting stronger too, and it sounds like a lot more bombs 
going; hold on, there's that blighting maxim again. ' 
He .stopped speaking while upstairs the maxim 
clattered off belt after belt of cartridges. The other 
signallers were shuffling their fc,:t anxiously and looking 
about them. 
" Are we going to stick it here ? " said one. " Didn't 
the sergeant say something about 'opping it ? " 
" If he did," said the other, " he hasn't given any 
orders that I've heard. I suppose he'll come back and 
do that and we've just got to carr}^ on till then." 
The men had to shout now to make themselves heard 
to each other abovb the constant clatter of the ma.Nim 
and the roar of rifle lire. By now they could hear too, 
shouts and cries and the trampling rush of many foot- 
steps. The signaller spoke into his instrument again. 
" I think the line's fallen back," he said. " I can 
hear a heap o' men runninj( about there outside and now 
I suppose us here is about due to get it in the neck." 
There was a scuffle, a rush and a plunge and the 
sergeant shot down through the rear opening and out 
into the cellar. 
" The flank trenches " he shouted. " Quick, get 
on to them — right and left flank — tell them they're 
to stand fast. Quick now, give them that first. ' Stand 
fast ; do not retire.' " 
The signallers leaped to their instruments, buzzed 
off the call and getting through, rattled their messages off. 
" Ask them," said the sergeant anxiously. " Had 
they commenced to retire." He breathed a sigh of relief 
when the answers came. " No," that the message had 
just stopped them in time. 
" Then," he said, " You can go ahead now and tell 
them the order to retire is cancelled, that the reinforce- 
ments have arrived, that they're up in our forward line, 
and we can hold it good— oh ! " 
He paused and wiped his wet forehead ; " You," 
he said, turning to the other signaller, "tell them behind 
there the same thing." 
" How in thunder did they manage it sergeant ? " 
said the perplexed signaller. " They haven't had time 
since they got my message through." 
" No," said the sergeant, " but they've just had time 
iince they got mine." 
" Got yo'urs ? " said the bewildered signaller. 
" Yes, didn't I tell you ? " said the sergeant. " When 
I went out for a look round that time, I found an artillery 
signaller laying out a new line and I got him to let me tap 
in and send a message through his battery to head- 
quarters." 
" You might have told me," said the aggrieved sig- 
naller. "It would have saved ms a heap of sweat getting 
that message through." After he had finished his message 
to the rear station he spoke reflectively : " Lucky thing 
you did get through," he said. " 'Twas a pretty close 
shave. The O.C. should have a ' thank you ' for you 
over it." 
" I don't suppose," answered the sergeant, " the 
O.C. will ever know or ever trouble about it ; he sent a 
message to the signalling company to send through— 
and it was sent through. There's the beginning and the 
end of it." 
And as he said, so it was ; or rather the end of it was 
in those three words that appeared later in the despatch : 
" It is reported." 
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 
AND AFTER. 
FEBRUARY. 
The Pact Of Konopijht: Kaiser and Archduke, June 15, 1914. 
)!v HKNIIV WlCKHAM STKHI) 
Victory and IMo Alternati»c. V.y In. \i:tp.lii ShabwhL 
Democracy and the Iron Broom of W.iri an Analysis and some Proposals. 
I!> .1. lil.lis llABKl:ll 
The Ttirift Campaign: 
(1) Some Personal Impressions. B.v .J. A. U. JUBRIOtT 
m Will It be in time? I'.v I-"''}' Chancb 
The Monrot Doctrine and. the Great War. By .MORtTON FREWtN 
Is anything wrong with German Protestantism? 
liv ihe Ki'ilit \W\. Ilijlifiii Bi v.v (Hishnp lor .Vorlft and Crnlral Bumne) 
The General Stall, liv Goiieral Sir OMoork Cre.igh, V.C, G.C.D., G.C.S.I. 
(/,if'' Commathiur-in-Chief in India) 
Balzjc Re read. By W. 8. LILLY 
The War and Episcopal Penitence. Uy tlie Rev. Hubkp.t H.»ndiet. 
Contrasts: Benjamm Disraeli and Abraham Lincoln. by lli»;u s.\dler 
The Poetry of Lionel Johnson. By Ar.TiiiT. W.\«cii 
Humour and War. H.v tli. i;iflit Ucv. Bishop Mkrcek 
Social Traming and P,itriotism m Germany and in England. By U. 8. NoL,»N 
Britisli Mcrchan; Sailors under War Conditions. By W. H. 11en«ick 
The National Railways alter tiie War. By H. M. HVM>JHN 
Education anrl Mic Public Service 
r.i .--ii; mi;iiV 11. .TOIINSTON, (i.C.M.C, K.C.B. 
London : Spottiswoodc & Co., Ltd., 5 New Street Square. 
i8 
