The Elk Mountain pilot., 1916-10-05
Observer Says They Are Devoid
of Traps for Drawing En-
emy's Fire.
THINKS THE FOE UNNERVED
Condition Of German Prisoners Said to
Indicate That the Strain Is Tell
ino on the Whole Army-kind-
ness Surprises Captives.

London.-Some new points of view
are presented in the course of an ar
ticle from an authoritative British
source. Just what IA man will see
and what he is likely to feel If he WIS.,
Its the allied front line near the
Somme at the point where the Brit
ish army has just made one of its
many steps forward are the writer's
theme. After describing the general
character of the country he recounts
his progress through the communion
hon trenches
Walking with your head two feet
under cover along neat crack In the
earth with sharp corner every few
yards, finally you turn the last cor
ner into the actual firing trench. 1t Is
n trench to gladden. the connoisseurs
heart. How the men must have
worked whenever they were not fight
ing-and is digging less dear than
fighting to the soul of youth?-in or
der to model this perfect line of de-
Tense and ofrense. its shapely firing
step and clenr-cut verticle walls ana
mnssively squared transverses! Here
is no gnpping v-shaped ditch to col
Rect the enemy'S trench mortars and
invite his wandering whizbungs in.
and the men know it. You walk along
the trench and see just pride as well
MS confidence in their faces.
II Is noon now. and some of them
are blowing on hot tea to cool II. or
eating out of their diNles hot stew of
meat, potatoes and peas. 1t has not
nlwnys been thus In the English firing
trench. The English only learn war
in each of their wars by degrees, but
NOW they have learned 1t. The day is
fine. and other men are asleep, bask-
ing like cats in state of beatItude
on little sunny shelves and hunks cum
ningly sculptured out of the trenches
firm clay walls.
One little knot of men off duty are
bending over n comic paper ut cor
ner. The wary old trench dweller al
wnys likes corner. because he can
iump round II ut the shortest notice
and nut a solid wall of earth between
himself and anything noxious that
drons in. on the other side another
group c,,eerfully reopens that undying
themr OF debate the British soldiers
the merits and demerits of the salient
Mt lpres.
"How long was you Mt Wipers?"
-Four months
"Well | was there FIVE months: so
what right have you to speak?"
A general laugh greets this method
~ proof and someone else cuts In.
Sentries Watch Germans.
You meet officers anxious about moth
Ing except to know what there is in
the last English papers Sentries on
dutv with all the crowns OF their
cross-rreen steel helmets dipped cum
nIngiy down to the parnpet's level. re-
mort that nothing is stirring over the
way. These helmets used to be ugly
md not highly protective. They looked
IKE the BARRIERS basin that Don Quix-
ot, took to be the helmet of Mann
hr,nu. The new make of helmet Is
nrettier. and also more virtuous. II
covers more of the neck. though not
so ,,u.h rs the blue-steel skull caps
of the Fren.. h. with their turRed-down
,r,ms. and its lines are artistic. Worn
at the proper angle. II makes the come
ly young sentry look rnther like Dona-
ta,lo's David at Florence.