The order came to retire to a neighbouring haystack. How the bullets
flew about! Up I jumped, and up the slope I ran. I soon reduced the
distance. Another 100 yards to safety--80, 60, 40, 30, 15 yards. Oh, my
left knee! I dropped down flat, with my right arm underneath my body,
and my left hand feeling if my leg was still on. An officer ran by
shouting out, “Wounded, lie still.” I was laid on my chest, and I could
see them coming, 200 yards behind me. They did not put their rifles to
their shoulders, but fired from the hips. Bullets were spitting in the
ground around me. “Should I ever get out of this?” I thought. Something
seemed to say to me, “Keep still, and you will be all right.” On the
Germans came to within 100 yards of me, then 50 yards, then 20 yards,
then 10 yards, and there they halted. They were on the slope leading
to the stack, and after a short conversation two of them came in my
direction. “Now for it,” I said to myself. But no, they passed me and
went to the top of the hill. My arm beneath my body was paralysed, and
I could feel the blood running from my wound. Now and again I could
hear one of them shout out, “Hoch, Kaiser!” and I said to myself,
“Hurrah for the King!” Then I saw them fall in, and about to turn.
Thank God! off they went: _Pte. Wood, Coldstream Guards_.