The copper era and Morenci leader. [volume] (Clifton, Ariz.) 1911-1929, 1914-11-20

only half mile away, but we knew
that unless our gunners could keep the
Germans pretty busy we'd never do it.
While we we're collecting our gear
funny thing happened. An aeroplane
rose over the brow of the enemy's hill
full a mile high and scared almost d.
rectly over my head. If he had wanted
to, he could have dropped a bomb,
guess, and blown me to bits; but he
was a scout, not a fighter. / took a
shot at him for luck Maybe l put q
hole in one of his wings, but the
chances are / fell short.
And then the little lieutenant said.
go. get 'em, boys, biff, biff," just as
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, nckerty-split,
down to those bushes. It must have
surprised them that we were ready to
come back at them so quickly. because
1 think that almost every one OF us
made the shelter of the bushes In safe
ty; but it was hot enough there.
heaven knows. 1t seemed to be rain
ing shot, and now and then a shell
L
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 q
thing.
No charge-Just Getting On.
\. We -fordedJ 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 and and the little lieutenant
seemed to make a little group We
just went on; sometimes he would
take tho lead and sometimes we would
give him q lift. We puffed. and maybe
staggered, because It was very ex-
hausting, not only the climb, but the
jag that our nerves were on. Some
how we got there. ett .e'l---'
The lieutenant had his revolver In
his hand, and he. finished a round-head-
ed German who aimed at me with his
rifle dubbed. reckon that German
must have been the only live one In
the vicinity, for I 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 it 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 as
easy as not?
1t was time we realized it, because
they were picking US off-not me and
my pal. you understand, or the lieu
tenant-but a dozen other fellows all
aleng the line.
Used Basins for Shovels.
Get to work there and dig" he
said. And we dug as we had never
dug before. We knew we couldn't go
any further that day, and we wanted
to make cover for ourselves that
would last the night out, SO with ba-
sins we shoveled the earth they had
up until it gave US protection from
their rifle fire. It would make a nice
story right here If could tell you
that our little lieutenant had been
killed or badly wounded in trying to
save one of our HIVES, 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
a 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 lit
tie valley by roads hadn't noticed
before and hauling them up to the top
Of the hill near our position: When I
saw that l. knew that as far as we
were concerned we had done our work
All this, and 1t 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 q real Breastworks, whole
lot better than any we had had since
we left the Aisne. 1t 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 diggers in the soil. Speed
was necessary, for the German doesn't
know when he is licked, and his fire
upon our position was getting warm
er all the time.
Trench Digging Is Drudgery.
Digging trenches sounds like a sim
pie thing; and so it is for the first
hour, but after you have been working
for two hours or more without any hot
grub and nothing to smoke it becomes
more like drudgery. 1 would rather
charge with only half chance of COM
ing out alive than dig trenches for
two hours. If you could think of the
danger, if you could keep the noble
part of it in the front Of your mind.
it wouldn't be so bad; but just to dig
like an ordinary drainman with lit
tie lieutenant yapping about Is q