Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-03

1915.
ger in the other. War in the trenches
has become an affair Of man agains,
combat of two heavy-soled dockwal.
lopers In the back room Of rtvel
front saloon.
said the zouave. battle-ground In the
dark"
Charge In the Dark.
It 10 a new war that has been pro-
duced by the trenches. The mon drive
their narrow bitches as close to the
enemy a. possible. Then they wait
underground in their dug-outs while
the artillery plays upon the foes posi-
ton. Only q few sentries remain al
the posts to watch the progress OF al.
fairs. At q given moment moment
determined by the council Of the night
before and made known in the orders
Tt was to be at 8 o'clock. said he
I'VE waited all day At o'clock the
guns began. shook all over. Ny
hand-it went like that"
His right hand quivered before his
"At o'clock we leaped out Of the
trench and ran forward"
The guns had not ceased firing. The
tumult was 80 great that although he
cheered in his excitement he after.
ward remembered that he could not
hear the sound Of his own voice. The
gunners had merely elevated their in
struments to cover the ground behind
the German trenches. That kept re-
serves from coming forward to the
- ~. nNhn @
and caught any faint hearts in the frst
line that sought to save their lives by
running.
Our guns-our little seventy-fives-
had destroyed the ground. 1t is SO
The ground where the German irst
great heaps we could hardly And
where the trenches had been, except
for the bodies that were lying there
half covered by earth
Guns Fire on Foe and Friend.
The German guns were playing on
this position now, of course. There is
no mercy in war To hold tho line It
had become necessary to turn their
fire on the men who had so courageous
ly held the advance. Brave Bosche and
brave Frenchman were shot down to-
SclH6T HC CudI elAe AAASAt oSA CA. oASA
over this torn up ground. sometimes
falling and rising and sometimes fall
ing never to rise again. At last they
reached the farther line OF trenches
which had not yet been obliterated AS
they ran forward they felt the soft
flesh of the. dead and dying men be-
meath their iron-shod heels.
The Germans in the trenches had
taken to their bombproofs for protec-
ton against this hellish rain of shell.
o,-I fHaH-
saw hardly any still alive in the
trenches. These they killed. Once in
possession Of the ground 1t became
necessary to clean the enemy out Of
the sullen cavities in which he had
taken refuge. They had entered upon
every direction. Every few feet was
narrow, dark hole leading to an un-
foreground chamber. They stood at
either side of these entrances:
Not many came. Man is the most
and the gamest fighting ami
NAL on earth once his blood is stirred
While the supply of bombs lasted the
task was easy. The attackers had
simply to throw a grenade well back
muf11ed conclusion and the choking
cries Of those who had been mutilated.
Sometimes the roof came down and
saved all further trouble. Sometimes
times Germans insensate with rage
came crawling out with the first waves
of smoke. to be beaten down like rats
escaping from a burrow, or shot
the head, or stabbed with a
backward and downward thrust just
is Joined on the shoulders. Then the
bombs gave out There are never
enough bombs, 1t appears.
$50 we had to go in after them"
Fighting Underground.
Those who stood in the trench listen
ed to the snar1ing. cursing gasps of
the men fighting in that black hole I'M
derneath the earth. It is because fight
ing of this sort has become the fash
ion that rifles are being left behind in
many charges. A long rifle, tipped
with long bayonet, Is a sweet weapon
with room for footplay and arm sweep.
In these narrow burrows they are
worse than useless. Even tho defender
finds them OF little value.
"One hurls himself in-so-with
celebrity" explained the zouave. EFF
ones companion must follow. But
rife is awkward and difficult for such
close quarters, and the German usually
takes off his bayonet and uses it dag
L.
They clasp each other and thrust with
knife and bayonet The magazine pis-
toll snaps wickedly. The bombproof is
Just high enough for a man to sit up
in and write q letter to the woman he
loves by the pickering light of a tai
low candle. So the fighting men wal
low together, side by side, upon the
earthly smelling floor. 1t is a matter
Of luck, with the advantage on the
side of the defender. Except that in
the end he is always killed.
When the Zouave Went In.
ut was my turn to go in" said tne
zouave. II threw myself in the dark
hole as though I were a she'll I scram
bIed on my hands and knees"
At first he thought the bombproof
was empty No one fired at him. No
one stabbed him with a bayonet. His
own body obscured the little light that
twisted in through the right-angled
entrance. He waited there. upon his
knees, a weapon in either hand. Then
he heard in that muff1ed silence Of the
burrow a soft, regular sound, as OF
some one breathing peacefully.
Imagine It," said he. The Bosche
was asleep. Poor devil, he must have
been very tired. One gets so in the
trenches 1t is the nerves, perhaps.
They can stand no more"
He crept to the side of the sleeping
man and felt for his weapons. The rife
was there, under his right arm. But as
he cautiously explored in the darkness,
his face within a foot of the face of the
sleeper, the sound of the soft, regular