The Girl we Left Behind

By Maury Dashevsky

I Won’t forget July 19, iii a hurry, maybe because after an all-night march down the dried—up Guadarrama riverebed from Pardillo, they gave us of the Lincoln—Washington outfit a couple of hard-boiled eggs for breakfast, the first —a— and last — taste of ehicken—f—ood I had in dear old Spain. We had just finished when there was a yell: “The line is breaking!” Ourselves and the F raneo—Belge Battalion grabbed our guns and started towards the lines. We marched off, in proper formation, to help the right flank.

We passed an ambulance ‘where a slim, bob-haired English girl was coolly standing. As We dog—trott«e-d past every head craned back, and We raised our fists and cried “Salud”. Wounded were streaming back, the air was splitting with rifle, machine—gu4n and shell fire. It Was hell let loose, and why should she have to be in it? Maybe we were lonesome for her; maybe We were lonesome for ourse-lves.

The cavalry was policing the valley, turning the stragglers back to duty. I saw one drop off his horse. Then I saw dead horses —— three of them. Tank shells were dropping around. Now We heard the bullets too, zipping by like angry hornets. Hy Stone set up his machine-gun, and We all spread out on high ground. Ahead of us was the red brick wall of a shell-Wrecked house. The Fascists Were there, giving us a hot time. Up comes one of our tanks. The first shell was a bull’s-eye; off Went the remainder of the Fascists, we speeding them on their Way. Soon the fighting died down. We held on there with the sun baking us, and our throats dry.

But the Fascists 'Weren’t giving up yet, not by any means. Their planes came over, the sky was black with them. After the never-to—be- forgotten bombing we got at Pardillo it was a relief to hear the bombs bursting in our rear. I was quite happy until I remembered that slim cool girl at the ambulance behind. It could be there the bombs were falling.

I never knew how she fared. I stopped a bullet later on, and I wasn’t in a position to worry about anyone, not even about myself, until I woke up in hospital. Maybe that girl got through all right. Here’s hoping and wishing the best to that swell kid. ,

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