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[Page 32]
of their machine gun party they lay flat and motionless for a few minutes.
The enemy must have had a "flare King"; that is one man well ahead of their post, in No Man's land in a hole with a bagful of Very lights. This person had sensed there were Australians about, for up went a green flare, then a red one. A rifle cracked somewhere in the frost probably the sentry on their listening post. Then pandemonium reigned suprime. Shots were exchanged between the two watchers on the right flank and Fritz's troops (that possibly were reinforcements coming up in rear of his post.) While shots, Mills bombs and "egg" bombs were exchanged between the Fritz's in the trench and the attacking party crouching in the stubble; the machine gun covering the right flank opened up keeping down the heads of those Fritz's in the trench. The two on the right retreated. At the same time the whole sector in front had become illuminated by a constant stream of thous and of many coloured flares; our parapets were raked and swept from all points by machine guns. Our listening post was proved to be no secret th the "wily Hun" either. For I and my mate laid flat on our stomachs and listened to the bullets rip-piping the ears of whet just above our heads. Meanwhile Fritz's artillery chipped in and his shells "wike up" our supports in rear. Our Field guns replied without our S.O.S. going up and soon quietened his. Presently the moon went behind a cloud and the party sneaked back into the trench.