New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-24
{ two German sentrie, bobbed up over

OF two German sentries bobbed up over
the roadside ditch, while the rattle OF
the volleying from our and the enemy's
trenches, came plainly 10 our ears.
Like a giant worm, mis- pockets bulg-
ing with the innocent looking saussges.
Jacques crawled from behind the
bushes. while I unwound the coil, o.
which he carried the free end. Reach
ing the road, he fsttened himself in
six inches OF mud, and. drawing out the
sausages, proceeded to bury them In
the mlre, one or each side OF the road
way, another In the middle. -Four times
NJ ten-yard intervals did Jacques plant
his three sausages, then crswled BACK
burying the double wire in the ooze as
he went along.
"Now," he said, after making his
battery connections, pass me a cigar
cite. shut your mouth and wait.
There's storm coming up | passed
the cigarette, and while he buried his
face In the ground 70 light II mum
bled something about the foolishness
OF blowing up good. sound French mud.
For an hour the only excitement con
sisted of hearing the amateur anarchist
whistle softly through his teeth, lying
on ones stomach and blowing smoke
in an ant hill; also trying to forget
the two German helmets a hundred
yards away.
Suddenly Jacques kicked my shins,
pointed the dirtiest hand | ever saw up
the road and with the other pushed my
face into the ant hill, whispering,
"Here they come" A second later ]
risked a glance through the bushes
and saw men and horses, guns and Gals
sons coming toward US not thousand
feet away. In spite OF the frightful
condition Of the roadway, on which
wheels were mired TO the hubs, the
Germans advanced as If on parade
each piece equally distant, the drivers
assistants sitting like statues, arms
folded, on the carriages and caissons.
ITS a pity" murmured Jacques with
a sardonic grin. He brought the elec-
trio battery closer 70 him and added
''All you have TO do in this show is to
open your eyes, plug your ears and
loosen your teeth. When the first horse
gets to that poplar it's going to rair
unless they kick my wires loose"
Jacques Closes the Circuit.
Three tense minutes passed, each a
century. Then Jacques fingered the
loose insulated wire and, as I involun-
tarily shut my eyes, closed the circuit
The earth and the heavens seemed
to meet, crushing me between them
The roar Of thousand Nisgara'
pierced my eardrums. while my oper
jaws snapped together painfully. Flat
tened to the ground, covered with fly
ing mud, pebbles and shattered
branches as the terrific upheaval set
tied, we lay still, dazed. Three fee
from Jacques's head the shafts of on
of the caissons crashed through The
branches, soaring thought back into
our whirllng brains. When we looked
up, assured that both were unhurt, tn,
two leading guns were lying buried IL
! the mud, five or six horses were racing
wildly up the road, harnesses dragging
while a red and brown mass. still 1uiv
ering, was all that remained of an
! other team. The men, who a while be
/ fore were motionless on the carriage
seats, had disappeared, and | started
! to my knees when Jacques shouted
"Flatten down. you fool; the caissoni
are going up!"
lt was SO. Inc roar OF tne DomD'
which had mingled with the exploding
caisson of the first piece was nothing
/ to what followed. The second an,
third caissons, thrown to their sides
wheels smashed, had caught fire anC
/ both went up nearly together.
A curtain OF mud, stones. fragments
of steel SCARED once more high in th'
air; the trees lining the roadwa!
| cracked and crashed to the ground, anC
/ for full minute the debris pelted thu
/ bushes around us. From the ditch
thrown twenty feet, emerged the use