The Washington herald., 1917-11-26
British Major Destroys
Gun After Long Hunt
Finds "Perishing Percy" Boche Weapon, and
Puts 1t Out of Commission with
Well-Directed Shot.

with mine. It's not Of much i'm
portance, anyway. Perhaps there's a
pumping station been built there
somewhere. It was the steam of
something bigger than q traction
engine. anyway"
The major looked once more at his
map. and as he did SO a sudden wild
idea possessed him. What IL a branch
line had been constructed. each yard
NOSE carefully hidden as the work
progressed. across that pacticular
square? 1t would follow the contour
from a point in the railway a mile or
so away to a place where the road
sank beyond possibility OF observa-
ton. Here a capital rail head on a
small scale could be made compara-
lively close up to our line. Suddenly
the major leaped to his feet A new
idea had dawned upon him. This was
no rail head. But supposing Perishing
Percy had come up on a newly con-
structed track that very evening,
From there he would be in range OF
the one most important town on the
whole front, whose position had hith-
erto deiied himI
BY midnight everything was quiet in
2d. a casual passer-by might have
walked the whole length of the sunken
! road without noticing anything un-
usual, SO skillfully had the great bulk
OF the famous German gun, Perishing
Percy. been made to assimilate TO the
nature of the surrounding ground.
The officers in charge were dining welt
In cottage near by, having found
out long ago that there was plenty OF
room on the gun track to carry as
much good food and drink as even
their German appetites could desire.
They were in the highest spirits. partly
induced no doubt by the contents OF
the bottles that stood on the table be-
side them.
But, after all. they had much to
congratulate themselves upon. They
had slaughtered quite a lot of help
less civilians, without having a round
fired at them in reply, for one thing:
Tor another. they were at last within
range of their most coveted target.
I after many days and nights Of
strenuous line-lsying. Further, there
was not the slightest possibility Of
their discovery; even their flashes
| would be hidden by the high ground
in front OF them. And at . O'Clock,
/ when nearly everybody would be
asleep, they were due to open fire.
| There was ample time for another
| bottle or two. Their cottage dining
room, with its blazing fire of logs,
was very snug. and il was rather
! Cntertaininr-frUm the Boche stand
| point-to reflect how these Wretched
; French civilians. and the English
| pig-dOgs with them. would be smash
| ed to pulp when O'Clock came.
Shot Goes Home.
The high velocity gun gives no
| Warning; its shell arrives as soon as
: the sound OF its coming. Perishinr
1 Percy's officers had just broached their
pcnultimate bottle tas they reckonedl
when the side OF the sunken road dis
solved with a roar into a sea Of liv-
! ing flame. from which sprang steel
splinters and huge Jumps of chalk
! that nearly buried the cottage. The
cazed officers, wonGerinE duly
| whether one OF their shells had eN-
| rloded through any extrac-d7 nary ar
| cident. rushed out in time 10 see a
second dazzling fash enyelop the
bivouac where their men were rest
ing. The roar OF the bursting shell
was followed by a hideous torrent Of
screams and oaths
Bleeding figures covered the sur
lace Of the road. some flying panic
| stricken. others lim9ing or crawl
ing feehly. others again lying very
suil. Black smoke that gIipped the
, throat with n suHoeatiug hold lay
Ike a pail over everything. out Of
/ II poured q torrent Of flame that
\ lasted long enough 7. the survivors
/ TO see the great ma Of Perishin-
| Percy ris" from the -I.und and fa,I
with crash upon it, SIDE Srrviy-
Ing officers and men fed from the
doomed spot leaving their wounded
| 10 follow as they could
A scouting acroplane living low and
unmolested over the place next morn
| ing brought the ma jor an account
OF the Ereat gun living broken and
harmless among shattered debris Of
chalk and railway metal. He studied
| The photograph long and carefully
and then stuck it on the side OF his
own gun for all the battery 10 see
They clustered round. cheering madly
Inc game was won at last