El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-02-23
AMERICANS JOIN THE MILLIONS
On LONG TRAIL To TRENCHES
March From Rest Camps to Front Line Trenches Made
at Night; Without Noise and With Few Rests on the
Long, Muddy, Tiresome March; Night Relief De
scribed and One Description Suffices for All.
q jobs y. BALDERsON.

down to the long easy stride which
will carry them most comfortably
over the weary miles to the firing
line.
Three Miles, Then Rest.
Hour after hour the company moves
forward. so minutes marching, and
then ten minutes rest Three miles
have been covered The men are
lying by the roadside. packs off and
rifles laid aside. They do not mind
the mud. If only they can ease their
aching shoulders. Six miles covered
Not so many men are lying down this
second halt The first stretch OF the
trail is always the most exhausting-
There is the sOftness Of the rest
period to be sweated out Thereafter,
in spite Of the more dilapidated con-
dition Of the road. the limbs move
more rhythmically without conscious
effort, shoulders tortured by the early
come calloused and painless, and
moving forward becomes a mechan-
ical exercise.
Where Bullets Are Thick.
At last the battalion arrives at the
entrance TO the communication trench.
The men are all lying down, not from
fatigue. but to give the smallest pos
sible target to the bullets which are
whining around. "Blimeyi that was
a near one" says a man suddenly, as
a bullet thuds into the earth a few
inches from his foot "Peeng" goes
a ricochet. striking off from the top
Of a ruined wall Did you see those
desolation Of the trench area; ruined
buildings, shattered trees, and dis
rupted roads and fields In front
the night babel Of the trenches
with the Verey lights rising and fall
ing. Above. the deep dark mystery
Of the moonless sky
Lead on" The whisper comes
hoarsely down the line. The men rise
silently and steal forward in single
file. They disappear into the COM
munication trench like ghosts return
ing TO the grave, leaving no sign Of
their passage. step DOWN. Hole
on the rightI'' "Step upI" Each man
repeats the warning to his neighbor,
and the long line Of men passes safely
over the narrow strip Of duck board
ing. There may be a three foot drop
underneath. A slip between the board
ing and the trench wall might have
serious consequences for men top
heavy with their burdens, Thus
the army shepherds itself into the
trenches. each man guiding his COM
rade and being guided himself in
turn
On the Firing Line.
The company swings out OF the
mmunfcatlOn trench into the firing
line. past the garrison standing up in
the firestep, until each section stands
before its appointed position. Reliev-
ers and relieved interchange position
and the latter quickly file away to
the rear. Sentries are set in the
trench bays. The men off duty IN
loose their packs and lie down imme-
diately in their accustomed sleeping
places. 1t viii soon be their turn
for sentrygo, and minutes Of sleep are
precious in the trenches.
All correct. sir" says the platoon
sergeant TO the subaltern. "AIl cor
rect, sir" says the subaltern to the
captain. "Signalerl Have you estab-
lished connection with Headquarters
Send this message, Relief compIet-
ed says the captain to the company
signaler.
Above, the bullets are cracking.
The whole line huns with the sound
of strife and hate. The shadows Of
surrounding objects dip and waver in
the light of the rising and dying star
shells. But in the trench itself there
is a shadOwy quiet and a watchful
content. For the long trail is at an
copyrighted. 1913. by the Nc
Clure Newspaper Syndicate)