Suddenly the chatter of the sergeant's teeth

Stopped. He was angry, too;

And he whispered: "Are you game? Get the Maxim gun!"

I hugged him. "It will scare them blue."
Slowly, very slowly, we rose to our feet;
I was conscious of my knocking knees.
The murmur of their voices was an eery sound
Like wind in wintry trees.

I saw them staring from the tail of my eye
As the tripod legs we set.

We lifted the gun and clamped it on,

With the muzzle at the parapet.
Nervously I pushed in the tag of the belt;
The sergeant loaded and laid
Quietly, deftly; the click of the lock
Was the only sound he made.

"Ready!" he nodded. I turned my head
And nearly collapsed with fright.
Four of them were standing at my shoulder,
The others to the left and right.

Then, "Fire!" I shouted, and the gun leaped up

With a roar and a spurt of flame.

The sergeant gripped the handles while the belt ran through, Never stopping to correct his aim.

Suddenly the chatter of the sergeant's teeth

Stopped. He was angry, too;

And he whispered: "Are you game? Get the Maxim gun!"
I hugged him. "It will scare them blue."
Slowly, very slowly, we rose to our feet;
I was conscious of my knocking knees.
The murmur of their voices was an eery sound
Like wind in wintry trees.

I saw them staring from the tail of my eye
As the tripod legs we set.

We lifted the gun and clamped it on,
With the muzzle at the parapet.
Nervously I pushed in the tag of the belt;
The sergeant loaded and laid
Quietly, deftly; the click of the lock
Was the only sound he made.

"Ready!" he nodded. I turned my head And nearly collapsed with fright.

Four of them were standing at my shoulder,

The others to the left and right.

Then, "Fire!" I shouted, and the gun leaped up

With a roar and a spurt of flame.

The sergeant gripped the handles while the belt ran through, Never stopping to correct his aim.