Evening star., 1915-03-20
CANADIANS CLIPPER
ON THE FIRING LINE
Now That They Are in the
Fighting All Are
Happy.
ARRANGE TRENCHES
TO SUIT THEMSELVES
Men Sleep Soundly as Firing Goes
On-Correspondent Tells Of
Night Visit.
BY FREDERICK PALMER,
At the Front in France. for the Assoc
ciated Press.

| At the Front in France. for the Asso-
| ciated Press.
| BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
! FRANCE. March 1s, via London. March
| j1e.-'Gangway! Look out for that
bunch of wagons" A voice with an
American accent called, and one knew
he was near the part of the limo helo
| by the Canadians
| 1t was pitch dark. and at the houf
when the supplies go up to the trenches'
There was not 4 light on any Hehlcie
| or in any habitation. but. a1tei
stumbling along, the correspondent
passed through an open door ana the
darkened hall of a farmers house anu
entered the brilliantly illuminated
| room, with thickly curtained windows
of the brigade headquarters An
officer was talking over the telephone
He had just had word that man had
been shot in the back by a concealed
sniper in the rear Of the trenches.
Soon on Way Again.
The commander and his officers gath
cred around the correspondent from the
United States, whose request to go into
the trenches had been gladly granted
The correspondent soon was on his way
down dark road with sergeant from
Ottawa as his guide to the battalion
| headquarters.
Passing through the ruins of a vii
lage, the sergeant remarked the Ger
mans are not satisfied yet. They chuck
a few shells into the Wreckage every
day. The shells made US kind of nerv-
Gus at first, but We are used TO them
now, all right"
Sleep in Cellar and Dugouts.
tight as a photographers darkroom
an enemy fires at a ight-the corre-
spondent found the battalion command
er. who was from Quebec. He sleeps in
the cellar, and the other officers of the
battalion staff in dugouts. The Off
GERS remarked that shell had knocked
off piece of the roof the other day,
but that the missile did no harm ex-
cept to make some dust. The colonel
| was going down into the trenches him
self for the night and took the CORE
spondent with him.
Look out for that narrow foot
| bridge: and here you are likely to slip
as he advised the correspondent to keep
close behind him in the inky night.
Near Clear Field of Fire. :
Right along here is a favorite place
for the Germans to loosen up with a
machine gun, for they have a clear
field for fire, the colonel added, when
an open space was reached. There is
nothing to it but to lie flat and wait
until they are done shooting.
a German searchlight's rays swung
| toward the colonel and the correspond
! ent and then rested on the clear spot.
i ips.V hot c
the rule until 1t sweeps OF, Thus they
are not able to spot us.
Occasional shots We're heard behind
the trenches. That's sniper In our
rear" the colonel said. Occasionally
one gets through We don't know how.
He is always in khaki. We are out aft
er this fellow and We vii get him be-
fore morning.
Soldiers Called Boys.
The colonel and the correspondent
kept passing lone soldiers carrying
food and ammunition to the trenches
or returning from the trenches empty
handed. The colonel spoke to them as
! .boys." A greeting which one never
hears from an English officer
AS the trenches were entered SUI
den command was gwen 10 SOM" ol!s .
showing an electric Hash to turn II OF
L
.ral rnen who had been out. Crawling
un in Indian fashion to see II the Ger
mans were up to anything he" came
hustling over the top OF the trench
some bullets swept overhead me
Germans had noted the movement and
fired. but hit nobody.
I'VE got within seven feet or the
bunch in that old house and heard them
whispering" said one member of the
! patrol.
Show American Ingenuity.
when the strapping. tall Canadians
took the position over from an English
| regiment they found the crest too low
! for their height and had to raise II
several inches. They have shown
/ characteristic American ingenuity and
t Initiative in arranging the trenches to
suit themselves. and besides have made
! them wholly dry and comfortable.
This beats Salisbury Palms." they
kept saying, referring to their expert
mence in drilling and waiting in Eng
! land "All needed was to be in"
! said the colonel We came from home
| TO fght and are lighting. There
! Is no more trouble about discipline
Every man is keyed up and right on
Z the job.
Canadians Clipper.