On Another Man's Wound by Ernie O'Malley

Author:Ernie O'Malley [O'Malley, Ernie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: history, Europe, Ireland
ISBN: 9781461663928
Google: Og4eOcm1Sq8C
Publisher: Roberts Rinehart
Published: 2001-12-21T23:55:15.541290+00:00

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

AUGUST-OCTOBER 1920

North Cork

JERRY KIELEY and I were on our way to the hills beyond the Blackwater. I was trying to get to a council of the North Cork Brigade in time. We had walked for a long time across low hills where branches of purple dogwood and crimson fuchsia hedges stood out against pale corn stubble and yellow hazel leaves. We crunched mauve heather and smelt the fragrance of yellow furze and bog myrtle; higher up were feathery green rowans behind their coral-red berries. It was a clear still day

Jerry had fine features; his face was brown under thick black hair which he carefully combed. He held his head to one side; there was something bird-like in the look of his light brown eyes. He spoke rapidly. He had a way with him that the girls as well as the boys liked; he was good company around a fireside, and could make up for my preoccupation with maps and pen. I could often hear his songs in the night-time:

‘For I don’t know it may be so,

But a bachelor is easy and he’s free,

For I’ve lots to look after

And I’m living all alone

And there’s no one looking after me.’

We halted near a bank. I had heard a starling mimic a disgruntled sparrow and then the clear whistle call of a blackbird. As we watched him feed on purple elder-berries there was an orange blue-green flash and a petulant screech as a kingfisher slipped into yellow flags amongst the reeds at the bottom of the slope. Jerry gripped my arm: ‘Look! . . . soldiers!’ I saw two bits of khaki figures throw themselves down on the upper slope; bullets whizzed as we crossed through the thorn bushes on the bank. We spread out; rifle-shots came from different directions. I saw tin-hatted soldiers rush towards a hedge. I used my Parabellum; I heard the loud dull sound of Jerry’s Winchester. He had moved further up the slope.

Through my glasses I saw glimpses of khaki above him on higher ground; behind us was a rise of ground. I ran towards him, ‘They’re outflanking us on the right, Jerry. Get back to the rise and cover me,’ I shouted. He ran back quickly with bent back. I lay on the bank and fired rapidly towards where I had seen the outflanking soldiers. I reached the rise where Jerry was. Heel to heel we angled our bodies and swivelled on the low aftergrass of the slope. There was a strong sweet smell from the clover.

We heard orders shouted from behind the bank which we had left. A rush of men came over with bayonets shining on their rifles. From above us came the quick mingled beat of rapid fire. There was something deadly about the rush though none of them fired. I emptied two magazines. Jerry pulled back and forward at the piston magazine of the Winchester as the tin hats clumped together, yelling. Five of them dropped, the others wavered, then ran for the hedge.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.