American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-11-30

of the wounded. You are overcome
by an intense feeling of horror which
possesses you for several seconds and
then quickly gives way to a blessed
feeling of relief. The crisis is over
You can breathe for several moments.
You can live again-until the mex
she'll.
And this is the sort OF bombardment
that goes on for days and days, inter
minable torture for thousands. The
next afternoon, we learn, things be-
gin to let down a little in intensity.
They all felt an approaching crisis
OF some sort, for il seemed as if things
had to take a turn. What followed
was:
Sure enough, at two o'clock. sudden
silence. Then, some minutes later.
like a sheet rent in two, the firing
breaks forth on our left. Their flank
attacks are TO be continued.
We were in doubt, however. For
some time we had seer the Boches
filing by, one by one, on the run, to
mass themselves in a little hollow,
sheltered from our bullets. We had
organized a rifle contest, and had been
shooting them on the wing.
The movement ceased. We we're
living through the anxious period of
waiting which precedes a big blow.
We did not have to wait long. All of
a sudden a column, four deep, surged
up from the hollow and advanced rap
idly, at a threatening pace. But it
did not last long. The column soon
crumbled. 1t was over To our great
JOY the survivors fled at full speed
over the slope.
The attack had m~iscarried; it must
be repeated. The bombardment be-
gan again more furiously than ever,
and the agony lasted three long hours.
We awaited the end, inert, tired out.
Five o'clock. Sudden calm. We hesi-
tate, surprised a little, like the hare
after the passage of the hunter. We
raise our heads and inspect the hori-
zon, crawl out of our holes and walk
around a bit.
We climb down into the ravine at
Inv pottoii vi NnlCH tHtTe runs Il
little stream colored with blood. We
gather together our dead. Alas, there
are many of them! The %stretcher-
bearers carry away the wounded. We
deepen our shelters. and link them to-
gether in a sort of line of trenches.
attack.
Two days later came another or
ganized attack. The officer writes of
it:
February 20. Night calm. From
time to time lively shooting for a few
moments then quiet again.
Toward six o'clock. | wake in a
strange mood. My calm, my energy,
my cool-bloodedness have disappear
ed. A vague and terrible apprehen-
sion seizes me. | see death before
me. fear the shells-my she'll. Is
this day going to be my last? Am
going to die today? l am in a fright
/ state of depression.
L pass some time a prey to this de-
lection. Then. mechanically, | nib
be a cracker, and suddenly | find my
self calm. serene, tranquil-almost in
different.
.he morning passes. There is a
little firing-once in a while an isolat-
ut, but that is all. | do not have
a chance to see any game and my rifle
remains silent. Have the Boches re-
\eluun? Alas. we are 60
20" 10 experience a terrible example
Of German obstinacy!
At ten O'Clock exactly, alert! The
= 80 astir. Quickly | jump into my
hole. We must avoid surprises.
The bombardment begins, intensely
and without intermission. Sometimes
n.c sue do the bloody work,
then pause; then others from another
direction take up the slaughter and
reconmence to rake the trenches.
Says u informant:
The shells are falling straight into
the southern part of the rayine. At
first they seem to be coming cautious
ly, hesitatingly, as though studying
the ground. Then, all of a sudden,
the artillerymen seem to have found
the range luey were lOOhlnR lot, II
the tempest is let loose in all its vio-
.ence. The great shells follow each
other thick and fast. They explode
simultaneously in every part of the
iravine. and in the ravine Of THAI
mont farm through which we came.
The bombardment extends for a long
way on u right. and we can see
clearly the bombs falling on Douau-
mont which that night is nothing but
| heap of ruins.
Once again our nerves are put on
the rack. More quickly than on the
day before. we feel the paroxysm of
iaugue. We wait in a sort of apathy
thinking that the murderous concert
will never come to an end.
Moreover, a horrible idea seizes me;
we have been abandoned. Above our
heads we recognize the shriu, angry
thistle of our "seventy-fves." But
where is our heavy artillery? We do
not hear its below. We need heavy
artillery to muzzle the Boches. The
| sscauapt cyauS ara o~fn1 % 10 ma,