our rifle and go forward with greater
determination to strike a blow in the cause of freedom and honour.
Maybe you reach your objective, your clothes sodden with sticky,
clammy mud and possibly the red of your own blood showing through.

The whole thing has been like some dream of adventure with wild
beasts; but there is firmly embedded in your consciousness the
knowledge that you have done the job. Other waves of men pass through
the line which you have wrested from the Hun; you cheer them as they
pass, and then dig in for all you are worth.

A few days later there appears in the daily papers, under the heading
of 'British Official,' that the troops penetrated the enemy's lines to
such and such a depth, and have bravely withstood several terrific
counter-attacks; and war correspondents will cable the news to our
waiting people of the Homeland that the 'boys' magnificently stormed
and won additional fame; but if you want it in the every-day language
of the man from 'down under,' he merely went 'over the top.'

After the rush there is no time for rest. The recovered ground must be
retained. New positions have to be consolidated, fresh gun positions
have to be constructed. The lines must be made habitable. The dead
have to be buried. The efficient and expeditious manner in which this
work was accomplished established the Third Division's right to full
participation in the honour and glory of the taking and holding of
Messines by the Second Anzacs.

SHELLS: A FEW SMILES AND A CONTRAST

When the guns begin to speak, and shells are hurtling through the air,
places of shelter are resorted to. These places are not always
shell-proof, but they serve as a protection against splinters. There
are few places that would withstand the effects of a direct hit by a
heavy shell, but one feels perfectly safe with even a sheet of iron
overhead. The effects of an explosion are very local, and the chances
of a direct hit are very remote. The first law of nature takes
precedence during a bombardment. Precaution is esteemed to be much
better than a blanket and burial.

In and about the towns at the back of the lines where the troops are
billeted there are a sprinkling of civilians. When these places are
being shelled they display no fear. Occasionally elderly people will
cover their heads with their hands and seek shelter in the cellars,
while the soldier, ostrich-like, is quite contented provided he has
some protection for his