Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1915-07-09
you see to your front.

and mdue our way DaCK into the WOOD
My army officer companion asked me
how much l knew about w~oodcraft
Because of a life given over to a con-
siderable extent to natural history
pursuits which had carried me into
the wilderness on many occasions, l
said that l thought | knew a little
something of the forest and of signs
and seasons Then the officer asked
me to let him know if | discovered
anything that looked unusual as we
walked through the lights and shades
of the birch forest.
l put all my senses to work and
tried to detect some symptom hat
everything was not just as it should
be in an ordinary wood. l sensed
nothing out of the ordinary, and was
just about to say sc when my knee
struck something hard and l looked
down. was staring straight into the
muzzle of a huge naval gun emplaced
at an angle of about thirty degrees.
A Weli-concealed Gun.
This gun was in an underground
house." For a distance of at least
two feet back of the muzzle the gun
was shrouded with a green growth
which completely concealed it. The
house had a roof, but green things
were growing upon it and there was
absolutely nothing to tell that under
the v was a gun pit. We entered
the house by leans of some concealed
steps and there we found a detach-
ment of men ready to make the gun
speak when a returning air scout
should give the gunners directions as
to just where to let a shell drop,
1t was while l was in this gun pit
that rapid firing was heard at the ex-
IRENE edge of the wood. The can
nonading was from a French battery
engaged in driving off a German aero
plane which unquestionably was seek
ing to locate this big gun which had
caused trouble in the German lines,
but whose position the enemy had
been unable exactly to determine.
The next day from a rock rising al
most sheer to a height of nearly seven
hundred feet 1 looked through the
ClCdl ok lOWdlu NhOtHp IhO SoR'SA
German Lorraine, which with its cir
cling fortresses is the prize most Gov
eted by the French. The artillery OF
the republic emplaced on a ridge to
the right and a little in advance or
this position has succeeded in reach
ing with its shells one of the most
formidable forts standing guard over
AE-A M ALo ENrannh hrnoE down
if they can break down, the defenses
of Metz, an army will spring from the
ground and advance toward the Ger
man goal of it's ambition. Metz, how
ever, while really only a few miles
away is a long ways off, because be-
tween the outermost French ines and
the city of desire lies a German army,
and right here on this line within
the next few days or weeks, or per-
haps even months, there is sure to
come fighting of a quality so fierce as
to put all other fighting along this
500-mile line into the class with things
tame.
Views the Battlefield.
From where | stood there is a birds
| eye view vi d GREAT UdltiChSAu' wv
made an early start in order to be
able to climb this needle-like rock be
fore the sun was high. This hill is
called Mousson, and on its crown
there is a chapel built in the eleventh
century and which affords a fair and
commanding mark for the enemy's ar
tillery. The Germans for some rea
son or other have left this pinnacle
alone for the main part. On occasions
they send shells over it, and today
was one of the occasions. A shell
passed over my head while | was
climbing the rock. l heard its Whiz'
zing distinctly, ard instinctively ]
c~rouched, much to the amusement OF
the French army officer who stood al
my side. The thing you hear" he
said, never hits you. It's half a
mile past you before you hear the
sound"
In climbing the hill of Moussor
there are many places where one il
out from under cover. Walking up the
hill was difficult, but running was more
than difficult, and yet l had to run be
tween the covered points. On thi:
hill we were within range, no only o
shell fire but OF small rifle fire, ant
the Journey up and down had it's un
pleasant moments.
When halfway down this Rock o
Mousson the cannonading grew louder
The truth was that a new battery hat
opened, one much nearer to us thai
the guns which had been t~hunderin'
before. We looked down from the hill
, side to the village of Pont-a-Moussoi
which lay Nesting at our feet. Int
the village the shells were pounding
a All that we could see was clouds o
! dust and smoke mingled as we knew
with mortar. stone fragments. ant
the ground powder of. plaster.
l Short BREATHING Space.
We reached the foot of the hill, er
tered a military automobile, and wer