The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-03-31

ana were literally eaten Dy mosquitoes
flies and huge ants. 1t was the most
terrible march admitted to be by the
most experienced of the old coasters)
ever made. Well, In two days we got
OF defense. We turned the Basel mis-
sion into a fort and owing to its posi-
tion twenty men could hold 1t against
1000. AS long as the enemy had no
artillery, 1t was absolutely impregna-
BILE. This took US two days hard work.
We left small garrison. and started
off on seven days march to Winn
Biagas. on the Nkeli river. where we
expected to meet with opposition. AS
VIM Biagas Is on the Jaunde road.
the main column marched against it.
and we were to 60 around it on the
left flank.
THE day and night before we got
there we met the Germans at small
place, but strategically important,
called MUM. Here we fought an ad.
vance guard action. and drove them
out-we had previously found rows Of
beautifully constructed trenches, which
were left untenanted by the Germans,
some considerable time previously
and as our rearguards went through
we had to stave off q rather sudden
and ferocious attack. This we did
without casualty on our side.
THE last march we did after that
was something appalling. We had to
ford river four feet to five feet deep.
with a precipice on our left which fell
| sheer into unknown depths, along .
path at an angle Of forty-flve degrees.
which was four or five inches deep in
greasy mud We succeeded in getting
down this after eight hours. but No
lost about twenty loads, which fell
over the precipice. We then began
to hear firing on our right, and pushed
on in order to make our flank attack
effective. We reached our objective
at midday. and found ourselves in q
bush path, with rising ground on our
right and q steep hill on our left. both
covered with thick brush.
Everything looked to be innocent OF
Germans and the officers went forward
to spy out the land. We found in
front of us a river. fordable we after
wards discovered at one small spot
only, with a steep. high bank on the
| opposite side. On our side Of the river
the ground had been made as clean as
a new pin, all trees were felled and
brushwood cleared away. Through the
trees on the other side at distance of
not more than $50 yards we could see
q blockhouse, we'll hidden and only dis
coverable by the Ioopholes. and series
! Of loopholes along ridge. We stood
| out in the open and examined the po-
sition, and all appeared to be quiet
and innocent of men. AS we had found
the trenches I mentioned before unten-
anted we began to think that this
place, too, had been evacuated by the
Germans in order to support their cen
ter, which was being attacked heavily
by our main column. However, after
q consultation it was agreed to bring
up one company of men, two machine
guns and a millimeter gun (mountain
! gun-a very small thing) and have q
60 at the position before going on.
LAS soon as the movement COM
menced, however, there was . perfect
salvo of fire opened on US not only
from the loopholes we could see but
from excellently hidden trenches along
the bank and on both tanks and rear.
We dropped like logs and lay on our
stomachs, knowing we were trapped.
Such a position is only possible In a
country like this, where It is matter
of utter impossibility to s>e or scout
your TANKS. After we had taken our
breath we came to ourselves again
and fired like the deuce at their posi-
tons, which we could only distinguish
by the burst of fame from their rifles.
AS econ as we got their range their
firing went to pieces and their shots
commenced to fly high. II they had
only shot straight enough to hit hay
stack I should not be here to tell the
tale. However, in the first fifteen min
utes our men dropped like flea and
one poor devil was shot through the
eye and killed as dead as door nail
only two yards away from me. Well.
when their fire went high we sent out
men on our TANKS and cleared the beg
CARS out from rear and both sides, left
and right. After this we commenced
to get round their left flank and after
jolly good scrap lasting four and a
half hours they cleared out entirely
and left the place in our hands.
when we examined the ground we
found that. their position was practf.
cally impregnable, and to this day no
one can make out why they left. l
think they must have suffered terribly
! to clear out like that.
Later we found many dead bodies
in the river. Our millimeter was a
great advantage and, as 1t kicks up the
deuce OF a noise, It puts the wind up
the enemy's native soldiery. so serv'
ing useful purpose"
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