The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1916-02-26
RACKS THE NERVES

blindfDlded when he has completed
his survey.
And then, with darkness to shield
them, they climb very cautiously out
into the terrible dead ground, every
little article Of their equipment that
might rattle carefully mufled, for
there are listening posts listening for
them.
They have brought sandwiches or
bread and cheese with them, for it
is hungry work; but the solace Of to-
bacco is utterly denied them until
their tour of duty is ended.
The little heroic party picks its gin
gerly way through its own e~ntangle-
ments, crouching low, lattening itself
to the ground, availing itself of every
depression, as the star shells fare
aloft and the pitiless blue-white light
streams down. 1t may be that it is
detected at once, and given twenty-sec-
onds of a machine guns closest at
t%ention, and in consequence eases to
exist as a living thing; but it nay also
be that 1t escapes detection, and con-
tinues to wend its cunning way to-
wards the chosen shelter.
Once there, it has practically moth
ing to do but to listen. Any sound
might mean anything; the faint noise
of a buzzer might indicate an order to
attack; the scraping of a knife on tin
might mean the preparing of a hand
grenade or merely that a hungry SOL
der is snatching a mouthful of food.
A night on listening post is one of
the most eerie experiences a man can
have. The most amazing things hap
pen; things that read like fables, but
which are true as gospel. 1t has been
known more than once for a German
sniper to stumble into the post, with
the intention of taking up cover there,
and waiting throughout the following
day to take unerring pot-shots at any.
thing which shows above the parapet.
Now the members of the post are
not allowed to fire a shot under any
circumstances, unless, of course, they
get mixed up with any sort of a real
attack, in which case they would do
tho best they could for themselves.
And so, since it is their lives or the
sniper's, they deal with the intruder
in a summary fashion.
Bits of earth crumble down from
the entertainments near at hand, the
sound bringing mems hearts to their
mouths, for it might mean the ap-
proach of an enemy.
There is no prolonged peace in the
dead ground; and, knowing that listen
ing posts are out, both sides make a
point of quartering the grounds with
spasmodic fire, that he posts might
be made as ervou as possible, and
SO driven back to their trenches or
else rendered incapable Of further sat.
isfactory work that night.
Your only satisfaction lies in know,
ing that you are being watched by
your own scouts, who are lying under
cover not far away, with instructions
to cover you with their fire in case
of need. You see, you must lot fire
yourself, no matter what the provoca,
ton might be, because to do so would
be to point out your position-with
tragic results to yourselves and to
those who come after you.
If you are discovered by an enemy
patrol of scouts nosing around in
search of game, you can do n thing
or the other-either you can die as
you crouch or you can make a fight
with the bayonet, and hope that the
patrol will hurry up in time, q re
mote possibility under the circum
! stances