The Scene: Qurnah, Mesopotamia.
Cockney Tommy--obviously an old Sunday school boy--fed up with Arabs,
Turks, boils, scorpions, flies, thirst, and dust: "Well, if this is the
Garden of Eden, no wonder the Twelve Apostles 'opped it!"--_G. T. C.,
Hendon, N.W.4._
Got His Goat!
We, a Field Company of the R.E.'s in France, were on the move to a new
sector, and amongst our "properties" was a mobile "dairy"--a goat.
"Nanny" travelled on top of a trestle-wagon containing bridging gear,
with a short rope attached to her collar to confine her activities. But
a "pot-hole" in the narrow road supplied a lurch that dislodged her,
with the result that she slid overboard, and the shortness of the rope
prevented her from reaching the ground.
[Illustration: "Nanny, you'll hang next time!"]
The driver of the wagon behind saw her predicament, and, dismounting,
ran to her assistance, shouting for the column to halt. Then he took
Nanny in his arms to relieve the weight on her neck, whilst others
clambered aboard and released the rope.
Nanny was then put on her legs while her rescuer stood immediately in
front, watching her recover.
This she speedily did, and, raising her head for a moment, apparently
discerned the cause of her discomfiture peering at her. At any rate,
lowering her head, she sprang and caught Bermondsey Bill amidships,
sending him backwards into a slimy ditch at the side of the road.
As he lay there amidst the undergrowth he yelled, "Strike me pink,
Nanny! You'll hang next time."--_E. Martin, 78 Chelverton Road, Putney,
S.W.15._