The Arizona copper camp., 1918-06-22

servatiOn post. The trees screened it
from the enemy airmen and the roof
was turfed. It wasn't cushy like ours,
no timber or concrete re-enforcements,
just walls of sandbags. From it a
splendid view of the German lines
could be obtained. This post wasn't
exactly safe. 1t was a hot corner,
shells plunking all around, and the
bullets cutting leaves off the trees.
Many time when relieving the sig
naler at the phone, had to crawl on
my belly like worm to keep from
being hit.
sit was an observation post sure
enough. That's all the use it was. Just
observe all day, but never a message
back for our battery to open up. You
see, at this point Of the line there
We're strict orders not to fire shell,
unless specially ordered to do so from
! brigade headquarters. Blime me, if
anyone disobeyed that command, our
1 general-yes, it was Old Pepper
/ would have court-martialed the whole
expeditionary force. Nobody went out
Of their way to disobey Old Pepper in
those days, because he couldn't be
called a parson; he was more like a
1 pirate. If at any time the devil should
feel lonely and sigh for a proper mate,
Old Pepper would get the first call.
/ Facing the Germans wasn't half bad
compared with an interview with that
old firebrand.
"If company or battalion should
give way few yards against a SUI
perior force of Boches, Old Pepper
would send for the commanding Off,
Ger. In about half an hour the officer
would come back with his face, the
color Of a brick, and In few hburs
what was left of his command would
be holding their original position.
"I have seen an officer who wouldn't
say de--n for a thousand quid spend
five minutes with the old boy. and
when he returned the flow of language
from his lips. would make NAVY
blush for shame.
"What am going to tell you is how
two of us put it over on the old scamp,
and got away with it. 1t was risky
Nthing, too, because Old Pepper wouldn't
have been exactly mild with us if he
had got next to the game.
'sMe and my mate, a lad named Har-
| ry Cassell, bombardier in ID 23S bat
terry, or lance corporal, as you call ii
in the infantry, used to relieve tho
telephonists. We would do two hours
on and four off. would be on duty
in the advanced observation post,
while he would be at the other end of
the wire in the battery dugout signal
ing station. We were supposed to send
through orders for the battery to fire
when ordered to do so by the observa-
tfon officer in the advanced post. But
very few messages were sent. 1t was
only in case of an actual attack that
we would get chance to earn our
two and six a day. You see, Old Pep
per had issued orders not to fire ex-
.cept when the orders came from him.
And with Old Pepper orders is orders,
and made to obey.
1.-THE Germans must have known
about these orders, for even in the day
ClACAA tAdAOpOALO LlOODO uSCus "
expose themselves as if they were on
parade. This sure got up our nose,
] sitting there day after day, with fine
targets in front of us but unable to
send over she'll. We heartily cussed
Old Pepper, his orders, the govern
ment, the people at home, and every
thing in general. But the Boches
didn't mind cussing, and got very care
less. Blime me, they were bally in
sulting. Used to, when using a certain
road throw their caps into the air as
taunt at our helplessness.
"Cassell had been a telegrapher in
civil life and Joined up when war was
declared. AS for me, i knew Morse,
learned it at the signalers' school back
in 1910. With an officer in the obser-
walton post, we could not carry on the
kind of conversation that's usual be-
tween two mates, so we used the
Morse code. To send, one of us would
tap the transmitter with his finger
nails, and the one on the other end
would get it through the receiver.
Many an hour was .whiled away in this
i 1huillCA PdSSluS CUlHpllLucuLS UdCk duU
forth.
! I'm the observation post the officer
used to sit for hours with a powerful
pair of field glasses to his eyes.
Through cleverly concealed loophole
he would scan the ground behind the
German trenches, looking for targets
and finding many. This onicer, Cap
tain A. by name, had a habit Of
talking out loud to himself. Some
times he would vent his opinion, same
as a common private does when he's
wrought up. Once upon time the
captain had been on Old Peppers staff,
so he could cuss and blind in the most
approved style. Got to be sort of q
habit with him.
"About six thousand yards from us,
behind the German lines, was a road
in plain view of our post. For the last
three days Fritz had brought compa-
MES of troops down this road in broad
daylight. They were never shelled.
Whenever this happened the captain
| WOrld frOth at thn month and Jat o,,4