The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1917-11-01

The Houses We're Going Down In Ev-
cry Quarter.
we could take were too long consider
ing the fix we were In.
The bacon boxes held together all
right, and We got out Of 1t without BE-
ing touched, but 1t was o by pure
luck than anything else. What got
my goat was that during the whole
thing the officer sat there with a cigar
in his mouth and q monocfe IN his eye
and didn't even look as though he was
nervous.
When We got back to our ewn head
quarters he said '"Thank you'' and IT,
marked to another officer that "one
ID foor' had escaped wearing q
wooden uniform that day W tho
breadth of a gnat's eyelash." I pre-
sume he was referring to me, and I
agree with him heartily. Believe me-.
that ride did me out Of q years growth
l certainly pitied our transport men
during this time as l never pitied them
before. They could not help being
v while waiting to go through
the city, which they had to do, al there
was no other way for them to 60. The
smbulanceA too, suffered heavily.
All night the b~ombardment continued
with undated fury, yet our supplies
went through the city to the men just
the same.
The next morning l was ordered to
report in my a to a young officer Of
the intelligence department. The OFF,
Ger told me that he had orders to go
through Ypres to a little place called
Potijze and to report himself to tho
divisional commander there.
There vas absolutely no other way
to get to POtijze except through Ypres,
and you may be sure we were feeling
0 n too pleasant about the prospects
We had to go slowly, even at the start
as the road was filled with all kinds OF
transports. After we got through tho
village Of Vlamertinghe we found the
going a little better, and we got along
faster. The road from Vlamertinghe to
Ypres is almost straight, and n can
see right into the city before one comes
within two kilometers Of it.
AS we swung into this straight
stretch | noticed several German aero
planes over the city. and it was plain
to be seer that they were dropping
bombs. This time they were dropping
petrol bombs, and the instant they ex-
ploded they would spray petrol ali
over the place and Il fame would shoot
up into the air. III this way they were
setting fire to the city.
1t was n SIGHT that ! shall never for
get. The shells were falling just the
SAM and, what with the g.ound fairly
trembling from the terrific explosions.
the smoke from the bursting shells and
burning houses, the flames and dust
that filled the air. it made n scene that
would need a Dante to describe and do
it justice.
The thought that we were to attempt
the passage through all this was terri
flying. An awful fear, almost panic.
seemed to grip me, and | longed to
jump from that car and hide my face
from the flaming hell which seemed to
be stretching out it's tentaclcs of fire to
draw us into its gaping nav.
l felt weak all over and was wet
with cold perspiration. l looked at the
officer, almost praying that he would
give the order to stop, but wen as I
looked l knew there was no chance OF
that. He was as white as death, but
there was a look of determination ON
his face. and the clpnchN1 tpatt and
set jaws gave no promise OF his back
ing down.
/ think the bulldog grit that ne was
showing helped me, for I resolved that,
while I might get SO weak as to be IN
able to drive that car, l would stick by
him as long as l could hold out. And
be certainly showed that he was
white" clear through, for he told me
10 stop q moment. did, and he got
out of the a j.
ROBINSON" he said, I've just been
that there won't be snv need
Tor you to come any further. 1t is a
rotten business, and as there are am
balances going up all the time, I can
get q lift in one and will stand jaet az
much chance Of getting thrsasA AZ
you were to take me. don'e
in any one taking Unnecessary
1sks, and in this case it would be risk
ne an extra man and a car, too, and
loo't mind going On in N ankbuiace
he least Bit"
CONTINUED next week1