Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??, 1915-03-27
MOST PICTURESQUE
AND WEIRD HOURS
or Life in the Trenches is Between
Sunset and the Fall of
Darkness.

LONDON, March 1.-The most pic
tureSque and weird hours of all the
Ire III the trenches is the time be-
tween sunset and the fall of dark
ness.
II the real picture were put on the
stage it wouldn't be believed. AS
you sit and watch it yourself, YOU
1eel that your eyes and mind are de-
celvlng you. AS the sun sinks and
grows red and the SHADOWS grow long.
the gulch Of the trench fills with
early night. 1t begins to grow cold
and the frost crystals form on the
muddy sides of the trenches, giving
the effect OF tinsel or bits of bright
stones. The darkness of the trench,
is broken, now and then, by the flare
OIL a cigarette, puffed nervOusly. or
by the flare of rifle
Sllhouetted against the red sky is
the erect figure OF a legion soldier,
MS ghstenng bayonet protruding
above the trench walls, and catching
the dying glare Of the suns light.
Further along are the ugly shadows
OIL the machine guns, frightened by
the polished brass work
AS the darkness grows deeper you
eaten glimpse Of a sharp pin point
or light on distant hill, which flick.
crs, IN the Morse code, message
from q French battery to it's com.
IadeS many miles distant They are
talking Oh some new plot to Kill hui
lndn beings. There is a rattle OF
rife, and their quick flashes, first at
one point in your trench, and then
III another. From afar comes the putt!
putt! putt! Of a Maxim gun. Night
AL is the machine guns hour. Dur
y 0P
chlne gun men have got their ranges.
and fixed their aims, and now, In the
darkness, when their precious guns
are safest from sharpshooters, they
flare out the result of the days work.
From distant corners of the compass,
comes the roar Of deep throated bat
teries.
The stars seem all the brighter.
because you are gazing at them from
the bottom Of your black trench. Sud
denly the sky Is bi-sected by an arc
or sparks, terminted by q beautiful
glare of pure white light, which trans
forms night into day for the space of
many seconds. It is night light sen,
up by the enemy so that they can
see what they are doing; we might
possibly, they think, be out Of our
trenches, with bayonets fixed, charg-
ing on them through the darkness
After the white ligth fades, the night
seems darker than ever.
The bullets whistle and shrek over
head almost Instantly, and all tho
night it will be like this, noises and
lights, noises and lights. The night
is filled with danger and surprises.
Daylight charges were never made:
1t was In the night time, in the small
est, Wierdest hours, that either the
Germans left their trenches or we left
ours, to run ahead into hand to hand
stabblng affray with the enemy.
Inc grey OF the morning is a sight
or good cheer. In our trench we mea-
sured the morning light by whether
or not we could see the legs of 'the
juggler' futtering in the wind.
The Juggler" was the corpse Of a
Frenchman which for six weeks Law
some two hundred feet in front Of our
trenches, lying on his back, with his
arms outstretched, q canvas water
bucket clutched in each hand. hiss
legs sticking up into the air, in a
spot 50 deadly from rifle fire that no
one could reach him. The dead man
lay there through the nights and
days. The French called this grotes-
que heap THE Juggler" because they
remembered that Japanese athletics
stretched themselves out in this dead
frenchman's posture and tossed
things about in the air with their feet
When the rags on the legs Of "the
Jugg!er' were plainly seen, then we
knew that morning had come, anoth
er night Of madness had passed. and
we might sleep until the night lights
and the night noises broke out again
at sunset.
II man take away thy coat, let