The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1916-08-31

have lost consciousness, for opened
my eyes to find myself lying in huge
crater, amid perfect silence.
The lieutenant and my companions
We're nowhere to be seen. lay in a
pool of what thought was my blood.
Eut after while discovered that it
was only water. I was absolutely I'm.
harmed.
My hopes went up. Now I could
surrender. should become a pris.
oner until the war was over. An
nette, Jean Pierre, Marie, Antoine.
Louis, Philippe, Auguste would see me
again. listened. All about me
heard the Bocles talking in their gut.
tural tongue. In front of me, behind
me. and on each side of me were the
enemy. To which, then, should I sur.
render?
1t puzzled me. If went right, those
on the left might be indignant and fire
on me. But l must certainly surren-
der to some party of them, for there
was not Frenchman left in the
trench which they had blown up.
crawled out of the crater, and my
hand touched something round and
smooth which made me recOil in terror.
1t was skull, the grisly 1 of a
dead man? So thought for few mo-
ments. But no! 1t was bomb-one
of the bombs which we had brought
with US. The pins not having been re-
moved they had not been discharged
when the mine went off, though tons
Of earth were flung all about us.
touched 1t more easily and then its
neighbOr. Then sort of curiosity
overcame me- and counted the bombs.
There were just eighteen of them-my
six, and the six of each Of my com.
panicns, the brave fellows who now
lay buried under the great heap Of de.
bris that formed tie sides of the era
ter.
My blood began to rise. Assassinsi
! shook my fists at the Boches. Did
they stop to think what they had done
before they massacred brave lieu
tenant and two soldiers Of France?
The little lieutenant had looked like
my own Jean. Perhaps he had a moth
er somewhere, waiting for his return.
Rendezvous shouted q harsh
voice ut my side.
The invitation to surrender, spoken
in I'm execrable information, brought me
back to myself. started, and saw
three Boches with fixed bayonets lew
Fled at me. heard cry on my other
side. looked around. Six BOches
stood there. And they were coming up
before me and behind me. was
trapped. I dived into the crater, and
as did so the whole eighteen bombs
rolled down after me like skulls.
l trembled, shook with fear. Then
suddenly hideous sentiment took pos
session of me. l, a Frenchmun, the
father of seven children, to surrender
to pack of cowardly Boches? l saw
red. STOPPING, gathered up bomb,
removed the pin, and hurled it with all
my might in the faces of the nearest
purity.
1t exploded with a terrific crash, and
the whole six took to flight. But on
my other side the party of three were
already topping the crater. saw their
bayonets cleaning, and picked up
another bomb and flung it at them. I
laughed mt the defamation. When the
smoke cleared away nothing was seen.
l heard the shouts and groans of the
wounded Boches, but they did not move
my heart. hurled bomb after bomb,
before. behind me. gathered up
the remainder and ran into the Boches'
trench. saw the frightened pack re-
treat, and rushed after them. bomb
ing them. With my right hand I
hurled the deadly missiles, while with
my left l withdrew the pins. In an
incredibly short space of time ! had
cleared the trench. paced it like q
victorious lion.
And then suddenly the realization of
my folly came to me. l. who had
wished to yield. had permanently
alienated my friends the enemy. be-
came frantic.
Il surrender! am Kalnarad!"
, shouted. But there was none to an.
swcr Tie. was alone, like Cfusoe, in
the hostile trench. I thought of An
nette, Of Jean. Pierre, Marie, Antoine,
Louis. Philippe, Auguste. sat down
and hid my face in my hands and wept
bitterly.
Suddenly the air above me Missed
with bullets. I covered in terror at
the bottom of the trench. The battle
had begun again. 1 heard an earth
sinking tread. A company advanced
at tile double, With bayonets fixed.
The foremost man lcuped int, the
trench. looked down. One bomb re-
MANNED. l raised it to remove the pin.
Then I saw that the blue uniforms
were Of our Frrnclrnen, and that the
man with the sword raised to cut me
down was the colonel.
/ stopped. let the bomb fall. The
tears were streaming down my checks.
But the colonel took me in his arms
and embraced me-yes, before all.
at is thou, Louis, who hast won this
trench singlc-llandcd he cried in.
crcGuiously.