The Dolores star., 1914-11-13

only half 3 mile away. bit ~ kneu
that unlsss our gunnsfu could keep the
Germans pretty busy we'd never - y.
While W were collecting orr rear =
funny thing happened. An asroplsne
rose over the brow Of the enemy's hill
full mile high and SCARED almost a.
rectiy over M head. II he had wanted
to. he could have dropped bomb, ]
guess. and blown me TO bits; but he
was . scout. not . fighter. ] took
shot At him for luck. Maybe put .
hole In one Of his vings. but the
chances are I fell short.
And then the little Lieutenant said.
60. get EN-. boys. bin. bin." just ~ !
knew he would. and we scrambled over
our little redoubt. me and my pal and
the whole line Of us, and = whole lot
more fellows who had been gathering
in the rear. and rushed. l,ckerty-spllt.
down to those bushes, II must have
surprised them that we were ready 10
come back at them so quickly. because
I think that almost every one Of us
made the shelter Of the bushes In safe
ty. but II was hot enough there.
heaven knows. II seemed to be rain
ing shot, and now and then . shell
would burst and I would imagine II
had me, so we were glad enough when
they told us to go on again. Anything
was better than crouching there In
those bushes. hardly able to see
thing.
No charpe-Just Getting On.
We forded the stream---it wasn't
more than six feet wide-and started
to climb the hill just as their cavalry
had done. Only our gunners had the
range, and there wasn't anything like
the reception for us that they had got
My pal anc I and the little lieutenant
seemed to make n little group. We
just went on; sometimes he would
take the lead and sometimes we would
give him q lift. We pulled, and maybe
staggered. because 1t was very en-
hausting. not only the climb. but the
jag that our nerves were on. Some
how we got there.
The lieutenant had his revolver IN
his hand. and he finished roundh head
ed German who aimed at me with his
rife dubbed. reckon that German
must have been the only live one In
the vicinity. for didn't see any more.
The main body seemed to have been
driven out before we got there, SO we
Just squatted down In the trenches
they had made to catch our breath.
and the funny part Of 1t was that as
far as we could see there were hun.
dreds Of US fellows squatting In those
trenches, painting. The lieutenant was
the first to collect himself. I'VE are
lot Of FOOLS" he said sitting here
without a cover. Don't you fellows
realize that they can pick US on a.
easy as not?"
they were picking us off-not me and
my pal, you understand. or the lieu.
tenant-but a dozen other fellows all
along the line.
Used easIns for shoveis.
Get to work there and dig" he
said. And we dug ~ we had never
dug before. We knew we couldn't 20
any further that day. and we wanted
to make cover for ourselves that
would last the night out. 80 with ba.
sins we shoveled the earth they had
up until II gave US protection from
their rifle fire. II would make . nice
story right here II | could tell you
that our little lieutenant had been
killed or badly wounded In trying to
save one Of our lives, but he was no
fool. He got behind the first pile Of
earth we raised and told us what to
do next, and that. you will admit. was
q much wiser thing for him TO do than
any tomfool bravery would have been.
We had our position clinched. They
were bringing guns down into the 1T
tie valley by roads I hadn't noticed
before and hauling them up to the top
Of the hill near our position. When
saw that ! knew that as far as We
were concerned we had done our work.
All this. and It was only two O'Clock
In the afternoon. The rest Of the day
we spent digging. They brought up
shovels from the supply wagons and
we made real breastworks. o whole
lot better than any we had had since
we left the Aisne. II was funny to
see engineers. with levels and transits.
working where only an hour before
there had been more dead men than
living. but these poor fellows were
gone now. and from brave soldiers we
became mere digsers In the soil Speed
was necessary. for the GerriiAn doesn't
know when he 10 licked. and his nre
upon our position was getting warm
er all the time.
Trench Digging 10 orudesey.
Digging trenches sounds like . sim
pie thing: and 30 II In for the first
hour, but after you have been working
for two hours or more without any hot
grub and nothing TO smoke II becomes
more like drudgery. ! would rather
charge with only half chance OF com
lug out alive than dig trenches for
two hours. n you could think Of this
/ dancer n you could keen the noble