The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-09-22
TI(kL.sH WORK
en- NIGHT PATROL
British Officer Writes Of Thrilling
Adventure Between the
Lines.
GETS into CLOSE QUARTERS
Finds Germans Building Rcdoubt and
Returns to Give Range for Machine
Guns-Then Watched Stretch
er-Bearers at Work.

nome tells OF thrilling patrol adven.
ture between the hostile lines ut night
He says:
1.-THE moon was not due to rise till
about IL that night. so l decided to
30 out at nine. The company sergeant
major asked If he could come, so ur-
ranged to take him und one platoon
scout from each platoon. Getting out
onto No Mans Land marks distinct
epoch In Il mans training for trench
warfare. We each carried couple OF
bombs, the men had knobkerries
(spiked clubs) and had a revolver
and dagger, to be ON the safe side. But
we We're out for information, not scrap
ping.
1T was beautifully dark, and, start.
ing from saphead. clear Of our own
wire, we crossed the open very. quick
ly, hardly so much as stopping till we
were close to the German wires. Now
when we began crawling through the
wire l made the sort Of mistake one
does make until experience teaches
l occupied myself far too much with
what was under my nose and too little
with what lay ahead-and too little
with my compass.
A Little Bit Close.
Suddenly ran my face against tn.
side Of giant gooseberry with peculi.
arly virulent prongs, and In that mo-
ment a bullet whizzed low over my
observation-disclosures the point-the bolt
Of the rifle from which that bullet
came was pulled back and jammed
home for the next shOt-as 1t seemed
right in my ear. We all lay perfectly
fiat and still.
VERY slowly and quietly raised my
head enough to look around the side
Of that giunt gooseberry. and instinc,
made me look over my right shoulder
We were less than ten paces from the
German parapet. turned my face
left, so US to look down ut the sergeant
majors over my left shoulder, why
we're on top Of them = he breathed tt
me. whispered to him Pretty goot
for start-a fine place, sergeant ma
jor. But we'll manage to get bi,
nearer before we leave 'em, won't we.
1T worked like a charm. It was us
though his mind were all lighted up
and l could see. the thoughts ut worl
here. oh. come; so It's MI right. az
ter all. My officers quito pleased. HI
knew all about it, and it's just what
he wanted; so that's all right"
Those were the thoughts. Anc
from that moment he began to regurt
the whole thing as rather creditable
lark.
And the wonderful thing was
there must be something In, telepathy
you know-that this change seemed t.
communicate itself almost instantly Il
the men crouched round about behind
I'd no time to think of the grimness OF
it. The thought In my mind was: I've
brought these fellows here in careless
ness. III get 'em back with whole
skins.
What He Wanted to Know,
Il whispered to the sergeant major
and very slowly and silently we begar
to back away. The sentry must have
been half asleep, I fancy. My compass
showed me we must have been forty OF
fifty ynrds left of the point In thu
German line we wanted; so as soon u
we were far enough back, we worked
c11 siuh
ull we'd hoped for. 1t was regular
redoubt the German was building, ant
he had nearly Il hundred men at work
"Thut was good enough for me. AL
wanted now was to get my men bach
safely. knew the o. g. (of1icer com
manding) had two machine gun:
trained precisely on the redoubt. All
wanted was to make sure their fire
was a shade to the left. and every hui
let would tell. We should be firin.
fairly into them, because the little
ross-comlnunicution trench we hut
watched them working in was no more
than waist deep; just short cut fo
convenience in night work only. W.
had 'em. The stationmuster told M
he men wanted to bomb 'em from
where we were. But that was not III.
game at all. I saw the last man int
our sap, und found the o. z. waitiu,
there for me. I'd no sooner given hin
my news than he was at the guns WI
had twenty or thirty rifles leveled OF
til same mark. too. and at the o. G.!
signal they all spoke ut once.
1.-THE men were wildly delighted
They had seen the target, lain ant
watched It. under order not to max,
sound. Listening now, the GerIna,
guns having ceased fire, our sentrie'
could plainly hear grooming and moan
ing opposite. and see the lights reflect
ed on the German purades moving t,
and fro as their stretcher-bearers wen
about their work."