allowance of rum in it for you.’
Bertie’s face broke into a beam. ‘Well, that’s very nice of you, sorr, but I never drink when I’m workin’, see.’
Yates caught Jim’s eye and then looked around at the grinning faces witnessing the conversation. The captain put a hand to his face to hide his own smile. He nodded sympathetically. ‘Very wise of you, I am sure, if … ahem … a little unusual. Right. Now be very careful because he is watching us all the time. Try to take him, not from over the top, because you would be dead by the time you propped up your rifle, but from this little gap in the earth that’s been shovelled up here.And don’t thrust your rifle through it. Just rest the tip and sight from back here. The man’s a killer. He’s probably got telescopic sights but we lack them, I’m afraid. Do you think you can get him without them?’
Bertie took a look. ‘Ooh, bless you sorr, I wouldn’t know how to use them things. But yes, I can see him now, I think. Let’s have a go.’
The little man knelt and slowly inserted the tip of his rifle into the gap and slipped back a little himself to thrust the butt into his shoulder. A silence seemed to settle on the battlefield and as Jim turned his head he realised that all those in the line and in the immediate vicinity had been listening to the exchange and were now virtually holding their breath.
Then, in a moment of ridiculous anticlimax, Bertie withdrew his rifle, adjusted his backsight to lift the range, licked his thumb, rubbed it on the muzzle and slowly slid the gun back again into the cleft. Yates removed his cap, raised his field glasses to his eyes and carefully directed them over the parapet.
The crack as Bertie fired seemed to echo back from the ridge.
‘You’ve got him,’ yelled Yates. ‘You’ve got the bastard. His rifle’s gone clattering through the hole in the wall.’ He slid back and seized Murphy’s hand and pumped it. A cheer went up along the line.
‘Ah.’ Bertie looked far from elated. ‘It’s not a nice way to kill a feller in cold blood like that. God rest his soul and may He forgive me.’
‘You should be a sniper, Murphy,’ said Yates, replacing his cap. ‘That was a fantastic shot at such a range with an ordinary rifle and no special lens. You’re truly a marksman, lad.’
‘Well, sorr, I don’t know about that. But, on reflection, now that I’m not exactly working, so to speak, I think I might accept your offer of a little rum. Just a touch, now. Not much.’
Yates nodded. ‘I’ll see to it.’ He exchanged grins with Jim and made his way back along the line.
The old sweats along the line were looking at Bertie now with new respect. ‘Well done, Bertie,’ said Jim. ‘They’ll probably make you a general now.’
The Irishman shook his head and his face was serious. ‘You know, Jimmy, it wasn’t a good thing to do, killin’ someone in cold blood like that. It’s different to when they come chargin’ at you. It’s fair enough then. But I’m not at all sure I approve of this war, after all. All this shellin’ an’ killin’. I don’t see how the good Lord can give it his blessing, so I don’t.’
Hickman gave him a playful push. ‘You’re talking nonsense, mate. Your priest didn’t disapprove when you joined up, now, did he? I seem to remember that he told you that you would be doing the work of the Lord, now didn’t he?’
‘So he did. So he did. But he ain’t here now, is he? If he was, seeing what we’ve seen in not much more than a week out here, I think he’d change his mind, honest I do.’
‘Well, we’re in it now. And you’re the finest marksman in the whole of the BEF so you’d better shut up and get on with it.’
‘Very good, Lance Corporal, sorr.’
Although the firing up beyond and to the right of the ridge continued throughout the day, the company was allowed to get on with its digging without too much interference from the enemy. Obviously, the battle
Bertie’s face broke into a beam. ‘Well, that’s very nice of you, sorr, but I never drink when I’m workin’, see.’
Yates caught Jim’s eye and then looked around at the grinning faces witnessing the conversation. The captain put a hand to his face to hide his own smile. He nodded sympathetically. ‘Very wise of you, I am sure, if … ahem … a little unusual. Right. Now be very careful because he is watching us all the time. Try to take him, not from over the top, because you would be dead by the time you propped up your rifle, but from this little gap in the earth that’s been shovelled up here.And don’t thrust your rifle through it. Just rest the tip and sight from back here. The man’s a killer. He’s probably got telescopic sights but we lack them, I’m afraid. Do you think you can get him without them?’
Bertie took a look. ‘Ooh, bless you sorr, I wouldn’t know how to use them things. But yes, I can see him now, I think. Let’s have a go.’
The little man knelt and slowly inserted the tip of his rifle into the gap and slipped back a little himself to thrust the butt into his shoulder. A silence seemed to settle on the battlefield and as Jim turned his head he realised that all those in the line and in the immediate vicinity had been listening to the exchange and were now virtually holding their breath.
Then, in a moment of ridiculous anticlimax, Bertie withdrew his rifle, adjusted his backsight to lift the range, licked his thumb, rubbed it on the muzzle and slowly slid the gun back again into the cleft. Yates removed his cap, raised his field glasses to his eyes and carefully directed them over the parapet.
The crack as Bertie fired seemed to echo back from the ridge.
‘You’ve got him,’ yelled Yates. ‘You’ve got the bastard. His rifle’s gone clattering through the hole in the wall.’ He slid back and seized Murphy’s hand and pumped it. A cheer went up along the line.
‘Ah.’ Bertie looked far from elated. ‘It’s not a nice way to kill a feller in cold blood like that. God rest his soul and may He forgive me.’
‘You should be a sniper, Murphy,’ said Yates, replacing his cap. ‘That was a fantastic shot at such a range with an ordinary rifle and no special lens. You’re truly a marksman, lad.’
‘Well, sorr, I don’t know about that. But, on reflection, now that I’m not exactly working, so to speak, I think I might accept your offer of a little rum. Just a touch, now. Not much.’
Yates nodded. ‘I’ll see to it.’ He exchanged grins with Jim and made his way back along the line.
The old sweats along the line were looking at Bertie now with new respect. ‘Well done, Bertie,’ said Jim. ‘They’ll probably make you a general now.’
The Irishman shook his head and his face was serious. ‘You know, Jimmy, it wasn’t a good thing to do, killin’ someone in cold blood like that. It’s different to when they come chargin’ at you. It’s fair enough then. But I’m not at all sure I approve of this war, after all. All this shellin’ an’ killin’. I don’t see how the good Lord can give it his blessing, so I don’t.’
Hickman gave him a playful push. ‘You’re talking nonsense, mate. Your priest didn’t disapprove when you joined up, now, did he? I seem to remember that he told you that you would be doing the work of the Lord, now didn’t he?’
‘So he did. So he did. But he ain’t here now, is he? If he was, seeing what we’ve seen in not much more than a week out here, I think he’d change his mind, honest I do.’
‘Well, we’re in it now. And you’re the finest marksman in the whole of the BEF so you’d better shut up and get on with it.’
‘Very good, Lance Corporal, sorr.’
Although the firing up beyond and to the right of the ridge continued throughout the day, the company was allowed to get on with its digging without too much interference from the enemy. Obviously, the battle
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