Adventures of a Despatch Rider

ere passing through very wearily. The people stood about, listless and sullen. Everywhere proclamations were posted beseeching the inhabitants to bring in all weapons they might possess. We found th

to harness up and move on. I was left behind with the H.Q.S., which had collected itself

icer[8] told us how he had been sent on to construct trenches at Le Cateau. It seems that although he enlisted civilian help, he had neither

of motor-lorries, which of all the parasites that infest the road are the most difficult to pass. Luckily for me they were

g through it. Officers stationed at every corner and bend were doing

wrong road out of the town, but managed in about a couple of hours to pi

s transport. The night was dark, and a thick mist clung to the road. Returning the second time, I was so weary

hat I remember we simply swore at each other for nothing at all. We wai

ng of the 23rd to midday or later on the 24th they had fought hard. On the afternoon and evening of the 24th they had retired to the Bavai-Saint-Waast line. Before dawn on the morning of the 25th they had started off again and marched in column of route on another bla

ed the stragglers that came in and reorganised themselves. The cavalry were between us and Saint Quentin. We were in communication with them by despatch rider. Tr

a biscuit and a half apiece. They broke their ranks to snatch at some meat that had been dumped by the roadsid

me more came up until there was about a company in all, and with one piper. He made them form fours, put the piper at the head of them. "N

e lost his way. There was no sun, so he rode in what he thought was the right direction, until suddenly he discovered that he was two kilometres from Saint Quentin. As the Germans

to some cross-roads. There I found a staff-car that had some petrol to spare. It was now very hot, so I had

but the majority of them were not men who had fallen out, but men who had become separated from their

n unconquerable spirit. I gave him a little bit of chocolate I had; but he wouldn't stop to eat it. "I can't stop. If I does, I shall never get there." So he chewed it, half-choking, as he stumbled a

glared with heat.[9] My water-bottle was empty, so I humbly approached a good lady who was doling out cider and water at

oked their part. One was tall and thin and handsome. The other was short and fat and ugly. The fear of death was on their faces, and

had omelettes and coffee at the inn, then basked in the sun and smoked. Noyon was unattractive. The people did not seem to car

came for all except the drivers to dismount and proceed on foot. Th

s of officers seeking their billets. An A.S.C. officer gave me a lift. Our H.Q. were right the other end of the town

a luxurious breakfast. I was looking forward to a slack lazy day in the sun, for we were told that we had for the moment outdistanced the gentle Germans. But my turn came round horribly soon, and I was sent off to Com

I was ashamed of my dirty, ragged, unshorn self. Then I realised that I was "from the Front"-

n, but at the station it had departed an hour or so before. I returned to G.H.Q., but there they knew nothing. I tried every road leading o

. About two miles out I found that the others had dropped behind out of sight. I went on into Carlepont, and made myself useful to the

remember that we all firmly believed, except in our moments of deepest despondency, first, that we could have held the Germans

have been more than nineteen. Her baby was put to bed immediately we arrived. We loved them both, because they were the first women we had met since Mons who had not wanted to know why we were retreating and had not received the same answer-"mouvement stratégique pour attaquer le mieux

t the bottom of my greatcoat pocket. Finally, the motor-cyclists, to their great relief, were told that they might go on ahead. The Grimers and I cut across a country to get away from the column. We climbed an immense hill in the mist, and proceeding by a devious route eventually bustled into Attichy, where we found a large and dirty inn containing nothin

dent, but we were none too sorry, for it had given much trouble. There were messages right through the night. At one in the morning

the more serious things-we could not even hear the guns-we filled up with the softest, ripest of fruit. Three of us rode together, N'Soon, Grimers, and myself. I don't know how we found our way. We just wandered on through sleepy, cobbled villages, along

did not damp us, for they consisted only of transport, and transport can never be tragic-even

ancourt. There was an omelette, coffee, and pear

ish retreating?

ly a strateg

ss by here? We had better

moment, then I am a

s is as fa

Algeria. A crowd of smelly women pressed round us-luckily we had finished our meal-while with the help of a few knives and plates he explained exactly what a stra

hill? No, we hadn't. Was it safe to go on into Béthisy? None of us had an idea. We stopped and questioned a "civvy" push-cyclist. He had just come from Béthisy and had seen no Germans. The officers started arguing whether or no they should wait for an escort. We got impatient and slipped on. Of course the

ll. It was a terrific climb up a narrow track, but our bicycles brought us up magnificently. From the t

to the south the other side of Béthancourt. We arrived there just as the sun was going to set. It was a confusing place,

coming along over the hills and through the woods. But there was nothing for it but to go back, and back I went. It was a bestial clim

r-cyclists. The chateau ought to have been our H.Q., and arrivi

me and a cold, hard tiled floor exce

e 15th was on our left, the 13th was holding the hill above Béthancourt, and the 14th was scrapping away on the right. The guns were ours, as the Germans didn

d to the 15th, he had been shot at by Uhlans whom he had seen distinctly. At the moment it was of the utmost imp

s should be at the place where the first despatch rider had seen them. They must either have ridden right ro

ters had left Crépy in great state, the men with rifles in front, and taken refuge on a hill south-east of the town. On his return the despatch rider was praised m

rifle, machine-gun, and a considerable shell fire. The Duke of Wellington's laid a pretty little ambush and hooked a car containing the general an

Wellington's, who were loaded with spoils, and a billeting officer who, running slap into

arched or fought, or more often both, every day since our quiet night at Landrecies. The road, too, was the very roughest pavé, though I remember well a little fore

e brigades on my carrier, and did not get back until 10. A bit of hot stew

ry sleepily indeed we rode along an exiguous path by the side of the cobbles. The sun had ri

taminet. There we found four motionless men, who looked up at us with expressionless eyes. Chilled, we withdrew into the street. Silent, melancholy soldiers-the H.Q. of some army or division-were marching miserably out. We battered at the door of a hotel for twenty minutes. We stamped and cursed and swore, but

suggested sending it on by train, until some one else remarked

y. The driver was tearing his hair in an absolute panic. We told him the Germans were just a few miles along t

rner a fat, middle-aged woman sat weeping quietly on a sack. The host, sullen and phlegmatic, answered every question with a shake of the head and a muttered "

l be shelled by the cursed Germans, a

e, how he had been married there, how he had kept the estaminet for twenty years, how all the lead

shouting, a

hat I receive? What does it matter,

me up and put he

e the gentleme

cherry brandy

h nothing in it but a sack of excellent potatoes, another to an officer whom I could not find. I waited un

found that the mechanic at Dammartin had filled my tank with water. It took me two hours, two lurid hours, to take that water out. It was three in the morning when I got going. I was badly frightened the Division had gone on, because I hadn't the remote

of hours' sleep. We rode on in advance of the company. It was very hot and dusty, and when we arrived at Crécy with several hours to spare, we first had a most excellent omelette and then a shave, a hair-cut, and a wash. Cr

ained the key, and when he had gone did a little bit of looting on our own. First we had a great meal of lunch-tongue, bread, wine, and stewed pears. Then we carefully took half a dozen bo

old us that the 5th Div. H.Q. would be that night at Bouleurs, farther back. We managed to carry off th

nt doing dominie at the desk. I made himself a comfortable sleeping-p

ry carts piled with clothes, furniture, food, and pets. Frightened cows with heavy swinging udders were being piloted by lithe middle-aged women. There was one girl demurely leading goats. In the full crudity of curve and distinctness of line she might have

dnight out of a tin mug under the trees, thanks to the kin

d been sent off at full speed to prevent an officer blowing up a bridge. Luckily I blundered into one of his men, and scooting across a mile of heavy plough, I arrived breathless at the bridge, but just in time. The bri

we had blown up. It seemed to me at the time that the bridge had been blown up very

aux. Anyway, they rode past an unsuspecting sleepy outpost of ours, and spread alarm through the division. Either the division was panicky or

the gentle Germans heartily and well. About 10.30 the three of us who were going on started. We found some convoys on the way, delivered messages, and then I, who was leading, got badly lost in the big Villen

at La Haute Maison-the mattresses we took into a large airy room and slept on, until we were wakened by the peevish tones of the other motor-cyclists who had ridden with the column. One of them had fallen asleep on his bicy

rther than Lagny. There they came into touch with our outposts, so the tactful French are going to rais