The states-graphic. (Brownsville, Tenn.) 1???-1984, 1917-11-02
MADE ON
GERMAN TRENCHES
Solitary Scout Crawls to Entrench-
ment and Hears Conversation.

London, October 15.-0n a moonless
night, about IL o'clock, a solitary fg-
ure heaved itself over the parapet as
noiselessly as possible and made its
way toward the German line, which
showed up as a blurred mass in the
distance.
The man smiled grimly to himself,
r~ecollecting B~airnsfather's illustration
of Napoleon's maxim about an army
moving on its stomach. He crept along
slowly, like a shapeless caterpillar,
with just a white CLINT for his face,
and two strained eyes intent on the
line ahead.
He knew the front line was lightly
garrisoned. But lightly garrisoned'
is apt to mean machine guns and alert
sentries. Every now and then a flare
went up, and he lay ~motionless, press
ed against the slime. There was a por-
ton of the wire smashed down and
just beyond it, a few yards from the
German trenches, a shell hole. For
this he was making, and in due course
he slipped quietly into it, holding his
breath. Very soon he became aware
of voices. He could follow the CONVEX
sation. Evidently there was a group
of men just ahead of him in the trench.
A voice said:
"We sit here day after day, night
after night; this is the first lull in the
awful artillery fire for days. My God,
what is the sense in it,"
A very young voice spoke: Surely"
said he, "our continued superiority
should cheer you up"
Continued superiority" said the
first speaker contemptuously. THAT
is a tale they tell you back at the base
What would happen to US if they at
tackled suddenly now? Our men in
the reserve lines are half starved,
and large numbers buried or wounded.
This little group Of us to hold our bit
Of line. Karl is already mad with
nerves and Herman is off his head
~listen!"
Down the trench to the left a mar
was Cabling nonsense, and occasional
~ his voice rose, and other voices join
ed in. HE is being held down." con-
tinued the speaker. How can | ask
any of you to mount sentry down there
on the right, among all those man
gled bodies. Besides the trench is
blown in, and | admit | dare not go
myself to see what has become Of the
machine gun team. | think they are
all blown to bits. Send up another
flare, Hans-and peep wei to see that
everything is clear. This quietness
seems ominous. These devils are al
ways brewing mischief when they are
quiet" The flare went up-and the
ground was lit up for a short while.
Evidently the sentry was satisfied.
The mar crept out Of The hole and
through the wire. Ten minutera ndf4
'Sred@sSburt. Tn6se Deggars are as
scared as MICE" he said to his compa-
ny commander. "Now's our time"
A raid previously organized, was
rapidly prepared. The bombers got
communicated with, their barrage
would not be needed. The man who
had gone out to investigate led the
way. Halfway across a flare went
up and they all lay still and listened
to the beating Of their hearts. They
went on again, and all crept through
the wire.
Then, like a flash, it happened. With
a spring, the first mar was over the
German parapet. Five Germans
screamed and turned to run. Mean
while a rocket was sent up and the ar
tillery put down a barrage on the com
munication trench for it was a bold
plan to withhold the barrage until ac-
tually in the enemy's lines. These
wide-aWake Germans were dealt with
by the bombers and the little raiding
party returned with seventeen prison
ers and two machine guns.
Among the prisoners was a gibber-
ing lunatic and a very young soldier,
whose face expressed, as we'll as ter
ror, profound establishment. This sud
den sweep was so contrary to all he
had been taught at the base and at
home in training. 1t revealed the
English soldier to him in a new light,
and he felt hurt and ashamed at the
tameness and alacrity with which his
fellow-soldiers surrendered. They al
most seemed to welcome the raid, as
an interruption of their misery. Be-
ing a thoughtful young man, he was
forced to reconstruct some of his
ideas of the war.