Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-11-13

wide, and by the time we got to the
bottom of the hill we were doing about
fifty miles an hour. and ! couldn't see
very much, either, for Of course ] did
not use any lights.
I didn't know what was waiting for
as at the top Of the hill, but I did
know that If there was anything there
We were going right through 1t. even
II we didn't 60 any farther. The ridic-
ulous part Of 1t was that we went right
through and never saw thing. Abso
lutely nothing happened, but l don't
ever want to feel again the way felt
going up that hill.
r,.,~.,r nr'o, itis 7 rc"rnrd ,tNa. IN
British Tommy is a great gambler and
will gamble with, on or for anything.
Trench pools used to be very popular
About ten fellows got together, and
each put 10 francs In a pool just be.
fore they went into action. They left
this money with some one behind the
lines. for they would be In action any
where from six days to three weeks.
The idea Of the pool was this: Those
who lived to get back would take the
money and split 1t evenly among them.
selves. II only one lived he would
have the whole lot Sometimes the
pools would be fairly big and some.
times the reverse. but whatever they
had went In.
1t was the only gamble ] ever saw
where you coaldn't lose. II you came
out safely you were bound to get your
own money back at least
The Tommies are strong for carrying
pets with them too. They keep cana
ries, rats, mice. dogs. cats. goats and
even pigs. and they will 60 hungry
themselves rather than see the object
of their affections want for anything
On the march II they get tired they
may throw their equipment away, but
! never heard of one yet who would
give up his mascot
During the winter there was lot OF
talk about the "mad major" He was
an artillery officer who was just abou
the biggest daredevil ever heard Of
He kept an aeroplane himself. and Il
he wanted to correct range he would
60 and drop smoke bombs over th
point he wanted to get. He was abso
lutely fearless and would fly 30 Low
that they would be potting at him witt
revolyera. but Il didn't seem 10 bother
him.
have heard that he did moro dam
age with bis battery than whole bri
gade Of ordinary artillery could under
ordinary circumstances. I don't know
what became of him In the end. but the,
last Of his stunts that heard abou,
was this: There was big seventeen
inch howitzer doing Us an awful lot OF
damage It was out Of range Of our
guns, and we were much put about as
to how to get It out of action.
The "mad major" went ont alone IN
bis aeroplane and took with him Just
one bomb, hundred FOUNDER. he 10
Gated the gun he wanted while 6yinr
at an altitude Of 5000 feet he got
right over the position and stopped hi
engine. he did a nose dive to Within
400 feet Of the gun. Then he dropped
bis bomb and blew the thing to atoms
He got back safely, but the planes Of
bis machine were fiddled with bullets
: Soon after this we were on the move
and. as 1t happened. We went from bad
to worse. The frst day We entered
little place that was unoccupied by
troops, and We decided to spend the
night thera The Germans must have
heard Of our arrival promptly. for be-
fore We had been there an hour shells
began to drop IN on us.
The oflcer I was driving WAS With
mo at the time the 6fst one burst II
landed h ths back yard Of the houss
W were IN, and the force Of the sxpls
sioa sent - IN IN . hap q the 6oor
Tho o@csf decided that ~ wUul6 get
ct ee ~ plaee and 1nd sp0e nics.