Milking Goats

While mending breaks in the wire, Fred and George noticed a farm house and decided to investigate. The small farm that had chickens, rabbits, and other provisions in the house. It had been left by the inhabitants, which meant that they were forced to leave in a hurry.
Along with the other animals George and I found a few goats which we collared. I was content listening to the milk splashing into my pail. I looked up to see how George was progressing. He had a puzzled look on his face, as he attempted to find udders on a billy goat. I had a good laugh about that one! Entering the house we took our fill of the available food then returned to the battery with the remaining goat’s milk and provisions.
Later I prevailed upon Old George to slip over to the farm to make a can of tea and bring it back, while I attended to the firing. No sooner had he left than a German horse artillery battery opened dead range upon us and kept up a hot fire for a period of time.
The shelling was so terrible that nothing could have lived above the ground.We were absolutely tied to our little trenches, making it impossible for us to return fire.
The shelling went on for two hours.All I could think about was Old George and how he must have been caught by the shelling on his way to the farm. I was greatly surprised to see him crawling along the trenches with the can in his hand.
While George made his way along the trenches, three guys and two officers, one of whom was Lt. Marshall, stood up and shouted at George to get under cover.
I was also yelling at George at the same time as Lt. Marshall, when I heard a whining and a bang. Lt. Marshall collapsed with seven shrapnel bullets in him; all this happened in a flash.


Old George must have had a charmed life, being able to get to and back from the farm through all of the shelling and live through it.To me it was marvelous.
Even though Lt. Marshall was wounded, George and I drank the tea for it cost near one life and a dozen very narrow escapes. The tea was even better when we added the goat’s milk I had procured earlier.