The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-08-18

of it. There. didn't seem to be much
of our line get. in along to the right
there to take their bit of 'front.'
Lets have a look" said Larry, and
scrambled up the broken side of the
trench. He stood there minute until
half a dozen bullets 'whfstling and Zip
ping close past sent him duclSing back
to cover.
They've got the trench to our right
safe enough he said, land they seem
to be advancing beyond it. suppose
we ought to go on, too.".
Wot's this fakement?'' asked one
of the men who had been poking
around amongst the debris of the
trench. He held out two-armed af-
fair with glaces at the ends. So
That" said Larry quickly, taking it.
and raising it above the edge of the
trench" that's some sort of a peri
scope" He looked out through it a
moment and added: "And a dash good
one it is too = say. that line of
ours advancing on the right is getting
it in the neck . Machine gun fire
it looks like They've stopped
Most of 'em are down, and the
rest running back to the trench
He was interrupted by an exclama-
ton from one of the other men who
had climbed up to look over the edge.
Look OUT he said hurriedly.
Bomb over" and he dropped back
quickly into the trench.
A German stick grenade sailed over,
fell1on the trench parapet above them,
rolled a little, and lay still, and in an
other second or two went off with a
crash, half deafening and binding
them with the. noise and smoke, but
hurting no one. Some of the men
swore, and one demanded angrily
where the thing had come from, and
who threw that brick ?'' quoted an
other.
But there was little room for jests.
One, two. three grenadesi came over
! in quick succession; one going over
and missing the trench, another fall
| ing in it at the toe of a man who
promptly and neatly kicked it clear
around the corner of the traverse,
where it exploded harmlessIy; but the
third fell fairly in the trench, where
1t burst. just as a man grabbed for ii
to throw it out, killing him instantly
and slightly wounding one or two 9TH
ers.
who's got those mills,?" said Larry
hurriedly. You, Harvey-chuck a
couple over the traverse to the right
Must be some of them in there
I Harvey drew the pins out of cou.
pie of Mills grenades and tossed them
over, but even as they burst another
couple of German grenades came over
one bursting in the air and the Other
failing to explode,
I've spotted them" suddenly SAID
Larry. who had been watching oui
through the periscope. There's some
Isort of trench running into this abou
a dozen yards along. They're in there
/ / saw the grenades coming out of it
Some of the men with him had NOV
ed back out of the section of trench
under sbombardment, and as more
grenades began to lob over there wa.
a wild stampede of the others round
4 the traverse Larry went with them
but pulled up at the corner and spoke
sharply
4 See here, it's no good letting then
chase us like this. They'll follow nj
and bomb us out traverse by trayers.
till there's none OF us left to bomb out
4 Let's have some of those grenades
Harvey, and wen rush them out of it,
4 Some of the men hesitated, and 9th
ers demurred, muttering that Their,
i weren't enough Of them, didn't know
Il how many Germans there were, ough
to find an officer and let them know
1t was just there that Larry tool
hold and saved what might have beef
an ugly situation.
i He saw tinctively what their tenn
porary or partial retirement Nigh
4 mean.
Il The advance on the right had bee,
held up, had evidently secured tina
4 portion of the trench, but could on1,
hold 1t weakly. The trench from which
the grenades had come was evidentl,
a communicating trench. If the Ger
mans were free to push down it il
force they might resecure a footing Il
the captured main trench, and Their
!. wuold be no knowing at what cost o
!. time and men 1t would have to be re
taken from them.
u All this he saw. and he also saw tn
need for prompt action. No officer
} no non-commissioned officer, even wa
, with him, and by the time they ha
sent back word of the position tn
/ Germans might have secured thei
, footing Apparently there was no on
there willing or able to command. s
!, Larry took it.
= He had never given a real order i
his life-even his orders to the offic
:, boy or typist at home had always bee
t in the form OF Twill you please
3 y" or DO you mind . 2" II
s had no actual authority now to Civ
: commands, was the Junior in year
: and in service to several there
Q But give orders he did, and, more
i over, he gave them SO clear and clear
Y cut. and with such an apparent cor
e viction that they would be obeye,
J. that actually they were obeyed Jus
] as unhesitatingly and willingly as
f he had been Colonel of the regimen
: In three minutes his disposition
o were made and his directions give1
: in four minutes his little attack ha
t been launched, in five minutes or lit
/. more it had succeeded, and he ws
: lin possession of the objective
d He had. about half a score of me
= with him and very limited supp
of grenades, obviously not sufficie1
d strength to attempt deliberate boml
e ing fight along the trench. So at tt
: greater risk perhaps, but with a grea
e er neck-or- nothing chance of success
: he decided to lead his little party wit
s a rush out of the trench across tt
n angle. of the ground to where he ha