war and the future-第17节

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arrival　and　at　last　the　bang。　　The　Germans　are　blind　now；　they
have　lost　the　air；　they　are　firing　by　guesswork　and　their
knowledge　of　the　abandoned　territory。

〃They　think　they　have　got　divisional　headquarters　there；〃　someone
remarks。。。。　　〃They　haven't。　　But　they　keep　on。〃

In　this　zone　where　shells　burst　the　wise　automobile　stops　and
tucks　itself　away　as　inconspicuously　as　possible　close　up　to　a
heap　of　ruins。　　There　is　very　little　traffic　on　the　road　now
except　for　a　van　or　so　that　hurries　up；　unloads；　and　gets　back　as
soon　as　possible。　　Mules　and　men　are　taking　the　stuff　the　rest　of
the　journey。　　We　are　in　a　flattened　village；　all　undermined　by
dug…outs　that　were　in　the　original　German　second　line。　　We　report
ourselves　to　a　young　troglodyte　in　one　of　these；　and　are　given　a
guide；　and　so　set　out　on　the　last　part　of　the　journey　to　the
ultimate　point；　across　the　land　of　shell　craters　and　barbed　wire
litter　and　old　and　new　trenches。　　We　have　all　put　on　British
steel　helmets；　hard　but　heavy　and　inelegant　head　coverings。　　I
can　write　little　that　is　printable　about　these　aesthetic　crimes。
The　French　and　German　helmets　are　noble　and　beautiful　things。
These　lumpish　/pans。/。。

They　ought　to　be　called　by　the　name　of　the　man　who　designed
them。

Presently　we　are　advised　to　get　into　a　communication　trench。　　It
is　not　a　very　attractive　communication　trench；　and　we　stick　to
our　track　across　the　open。　　Three　or　four　shells　shiver　overhead；
but　we　decide　they　are　British　shells；　going　out。　　We　reach　a
supporting　trench　in　which　men　are　waiting　in　a　state　of　nearly
insupportable　boredom　for　the　midday　stew；　the　one　event　of
interest　in　a　day…long　vigil。　　Here　we　are　told　imperatively　to
come　right　in　at　once；　and　we　do。

All　communication　trenches　are　tortuous　and　practically　endless。
On　an　offensive　front　they　have　vertical　sides　of　unsupported
earth　and　occasional　soakaways　for　rain；　covered　by　wooden
gratings；　and　they　go　on　and　on　and　on。　　At　rare　intervals　they
branch；　and　a　notice　board　says　〃To　Regent　Street；〃　or　〃To　Oxford
Street；〃　or　some　such　lie。　　It　is　all　just　trench。　　For　a　time
you　talk；　but　talking　in　single　file　soon　palls。　　You　cease　to
talk；　and　trudge。　　A　great　number　of　telephone　wires　come　into
the　trench　and　cross　and　recross　it。　　You　cannot　keep　clear　of
them。　　Your　helmet　pings　against　them　and　they　try　to　remove　it。
Sometimes　you　have　to　stop　and　crawl　under　wires。　　Then　you
wonder　what　the　trench　is　like　in　really　wet　weather。　　You　hear　a
shell　burst　at　no　great　distance。　　You　pass　two　pages　of　/The
Strand　Magazine。/　　Perhaps　thirty　yards　on　you　pass　a
cigarette　end。　　After　these　sensational　incidents　the　trench
quiets　down　again　and　continues　to　wind　endlesslyjust　a　sandy；
extremely　narrow　vertical　walled　trench。　　A　giant　crack。

At　last　you　reach　the　front　line　trench。　　On　an　offensive　sector
it　has　none　of　the　architectural　interest　of　first　line　trenches
at　such　places　as　Soissons　or　Arras。　　It　was　made　a　week　or　so
ago　by　joining　up　shell　craters；　and　if　all　goes　well　we　move
into　the　German　trench　along　by　the　line　of　scraggy　trees；　at
which　we　peep　discreetly；　to…morrow　night。　　We　can　peep
discreetly　because　just　at　present　our　guns　are　putting　shrapnel
over　the　enemy　at　the　rate　of　about　three　shells　a　minute；　the
puffs　follow　each　other　up　and　down　the　line；　and　no　Germans　are
staring　out　to　see　us。

The　Germans　〃strafed〃　this　trench　overnight；　and　the　men　are
tired　and　sleepy。　　Our　guns　away　behind　us　are　doing　their　best
now　to　give　them　a　rest　by　strafing　the　Germans。　　One　or　two　men
are　in　each　forward　sap　keeping　a　look　out；　the　rest　sleep；　a
motionless　sleep；　in　the　earthy　shelter　pits　that　have　been
scooped　out。　　One　officer　sits　by　a　telephone　under　an　earth…
covered　tarpaulin；　and　a　weary　man　is　doing　the　toilet　of　a
machine　gun。　　We　go　on　to　a　shallow　trench　in　which　we　must
stoop；　and　which　has　been　badly　knocked　about。。。。　　Here　we　have
to　stop。　　The　road　to　Berlin　is　not　opened　up　beyond　this　point。

My　companion　on　this　excursion　is　a　man　I　have　admired　for　years
and　never　met　until　I　came　out　to　see　the　war；　a　fellow　writer。
He　is　a　journalist　let　loose。　　Two…thirds　of　the　junior　British
officers　I　met　on　this　journey　were　really　not　〃army　men〃　at　all。
One　finds　that　the　apparent　subaltern　is　really　a　musician；　or　a
musical　critic；　or　an　Egyptologist；　or　a　solicitor；　or　a　cloth
manufacturer；　or　a　writer。　　At　the　outbreak　of　the　war　my　guide
dyed　his　hair　to　conceal　its　tell…tale　silver；　and　having　been
laughed　to　scorn　by　the　ordinary　recruiting　people；　enlisted　in
the　sportsmen's　battalion。　　He　was　wounded；　and　then　the
authorities　discovered　that　he　was　likely　to　be　of　more　use　with
a　commission　and　drew　him；　in　spite　of　considerable　resistance；
out　of　the　firing　line。　　To　which　he　always　returns　whenever　he
can　get　a　visitor　to　take　with　him　as　an　excuse。　　He　now　stood
up；　fairly　high　and　clear；　explaining　casually　that　the　Germans
were　no　longer　firing；　and　showed　me　the　points　of　interest。

I　had　come　right　up　to　No　Man's　Land　at　last。　　It　was　under　my
chin。　　The　skyline；　the　last　skyline　before　the　British　could
look　down　on　Bapaume；　showed　a　mangy　wood　and　a　ruined　village；
crouching　under　repeated　gobbings　of　British　shrapnel。　　〃They've
got　a　battery　just　there；　and　we're　making　it　uncomfortable。〃　　No
Man's　Land　itself　is　a　weedy　space　broken　up　by　shell　craters；
with　very　little　barbed　wire　in　front　of　us　and　very　little　in
front　of　the　Germans。　　〃They've　got　snipers　in　most　of　the
craters；　and　you　see　them　at　twilight　hopping　about　from　one　to
the　other。〃　　We　have　very　little　wire　because　we　don't　mean　to
stay　for　very　long　in　this　trench；　but　the　Germans　have　very
little　wire　because　they　have　not　been　able　to　get　it　up　yet。
They　never　will　get　it　up　now。。。。

I　had　been　led　to　believe　that　No　Man's　Land　was　littered　with
the　unburied　dead；　but　I　saw　nothing　of　the　sort　at　this　place。
There　had　been　no　German　counter　attack　since　our　men　came　up
here。　　But　at　one　point　as　we　went　along　the　trench　there　was　a
dull　stench。　　〃Germans；　I　think；〃　said　my　guide；　though　I　did　not
see　how　he　could　tell。

He　looked　at　his　watch　and　remarked　reluctantly；　〃If　you　start　at
once；　you　may　just　do　it。〃

I　wanted　to　catch　the　Boulogne　boat。　　It　was　then　just　past　one
in　the　afternoon。　　We　met　the　stew　as　we　returned　along　the
communication　trench；　and　it　smelt　very　good　indeed。。。。　　We
hurried　across　the　great　spaces　of　rusty　desolation　upon　which
every　now　and　again　a　German　shell　was　bursting。。。。

That　night　I　was　in　my　flat　in　London。　　I　had　finished　reading
the　accumulated　letters　of　some　weeks；　and　I　was　just　going
comfortably　to　bed。


IV。　NEW　ARMS　FOR　OLD　ONES


1

Such　are　the　landscapes　and　method　of　modern　war。　　It　is　more
difficult　in　its　nature　from　war　as　it　was　waged　in　the
nineteenth　century　than　that　was　from　the　nature　of　the　phalanx
or　the　legion。　　The　nucleus　factwhen　I　talked　to　General　Joffre
he　was　very　insistent　upon　this　pointis　still　as　ever　the
ordinary　fighting　man；　but　all　the　accessories　and　conditions　of
his　personal　encounter　with　the　fighting　man　of　the　other　side
have　been　revolutionised　in　a　quarter　of　a　century。　　The　fighting
together　in　a　close　disciplined　order；　shoulder　to　shoulder；
which　has　held　good　for　thousands　of　years　as　the　best　and　most
successful　fighting；　has　been　destroyed；　the　idea　of
/breaking/　infantry　formation　as　the　chief　offensive
operation　has　disappeared；　the　cavalry　charge　and　the　cavalry
pursuit　are　as　obsolete　as　the　cross…bow。　　The　modern　fighting
man　is　as　individualised　as　a　half　back　or　a　centre　forward　in　a
football　team。　　Personal　fighting　has　become　〃scrapping〃　again；
an　individual　adventure　with　knife；　club；　bomb；　revolver　or
bayonet。　　In　this　war　we　are　working　out　things　instead　of
thinking　them　out；　and　these　enormous　changes　are　still　but
imperfectly　apprehended。　　The　trained　and　specialised　military
man　probably　apprehends　them　as　feebly　as　anyone。

This　is　a　thing　that　I　want　to　state　as　emphatically　as　possible。
It　is　the　pith　of　the　lesson　I　have　learnt　at　the　front。　　The
whole　method　of　war　has　been　so　altered　in　the　past　five　and
twenty　years　as　to　make　it　a　new　and　different　process
altogether。　　Much　the　larger　part　of　this　alteration　has　only
become　effective　in　the　last　two　years。　　Everyone　is　a　beginner
at　this　new　game；　everyone　is　experimenting　and　learning。

The　idea　has　been　put　admirably　by　/Punch。/　　That　excellent
picture　of　the　old…fashioned　sergeant　who　complains　to　his
officer　of　the　new　recruit；　〃'E's　all　right　in　the　trenches；　Sir；
'e's　all　right　at　a　scrap；　but　'e　won't　never　make　a　soldier；〃　is
the　quintessence　of　everything　I　am　saying　here。　　And　were　there
not　the　very　gravest　doubts　about　General　Smuts　in　British
military　circles　because　he　had　〃had　no　military　training〃？　　A
Canadian　expressed　the　new　view　very　neatly　on　being　asked；　in
consequence　of　a　deficient　salute；　whether　he　wanted　to　be　a
soldier；　by　saying；　〃Not　I！　　I　want　to　be　a　fighter！〃

The　professional　officer　of　the　old　dispensation　was　a　man
specialised　in　relation　to　one　of　t