The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-03-21
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81
AN AflFRI(AN S0I,NTR
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GUNNER TpyMfM FRAhE-

Tommy on the street. lust wish him the
best Of luck and duck the brick that
follows.
glanced again at my wrist watch.
We all wore them and you could hardly
call US .sissies- for doing so. II was
minute to four. I could see the hand
move to the twelve. then . dead 81
ience. II hurt. Everyone looked mp
to SEQ what had happened. hut not for
long. Sharp whistle blasts rang out
along the trench, and with cheer the
men scrambled up the ladders. - The
bullets were cracking overhead and
occasionally q machine gun would rip
and tear the top of the sandbag parn-
pet How I got up that ladder I will
never know. The first ten feet out In
front was ncony. Then we passed
through lanes in our ba-bed wire Il
knew ] was running. but could feel no
motion below the waist. Patches on
the ground seemed TO float to the rear
as II were on treadmiu and seen
cry was rushing past me. The Ger
mans had put a barrage of rhrnpneI
across No Mans Land. and you could
hear the pieces slap the ground about
you.
After I had passed our harbed wire
and gotten into No Mans Land q
Tommy about fifteen feet to my right
front turned around and looking In my
direction. put his hand 10 his mouth
and yelled something which could not
make out on account Of the noise from
the bursting shells. Then he coughed.
stumbled. pitched forward and lay STILL
His body seemed to Goat to the rear
Of me. I could hear sharp cracks IN
the air about me.. These we're caused
By passing rife bullets. Frequently. |
- my right and left. little spurfy OF
ofrs wouid rise into the AR ana a rico
ehef bullet would whine on its way. |
lf Tommy should zee one Of these
little spurts In frcnt Of him, he would
tell the nurse about II later. The
crundns OF No Mans Land remains .
blank 70 me. -rf' - s'--
Men ON my right and left would
stumble and fall Some would try to
get up. while others remained hutidied
and motionless. Then xsuashed-up
hsrbed wirc cnmc into view and
seemed carried On q tide to the rear.
Suddenly. IN front OF me doomed q
bashed-in trench nbout four feet wide. |
Queer looking forms like mud turtles
were s~.ambiinE up It's wall. Ono of
these forms seemed 10 slip snd then
rolled to the bottom Of the trench. I
ieaped across this intervening space.
The man to my left seemed to pause In |
midair. then pitched head down into
the German trench. I laughed ont loud
in my deliriuus- Upon alishting on the
other side OF the trench came to with
q sudden Jolt Right In front Of me
doomed n giant form with rife which
looked about ten feet long. on the end
OF which seemed seven bayonets. These |
flashed In the air In front Of me. Then
through my mind flashed the, ndmonI-
tion OF our bayouet instructor back In |
BliEhty. He had said, whenever you
sct In n charge and run your bayonet
up to the hilt intosa German the Fritz |
will fall. Perhaps your rife will be |
wrenchcd from your grasp Do not
waste time. II the bayonet Is fouIcd
In his equipment. By putting your foot
on hts stomach and tuggine at the rife
to extricate the bnyonct. Simply |
press the trigger and the bullet will
free IT," In my present situation this
was the logic. but for the life OF me
could not remember how he had told |
me to get my bsyones Into the Ger
man. To me this was the paeAuseant |
Issue. ! closed my eyes and lunged
forward. Ny rifle was torn from my
hands. I must have gotten the Ger
man because he had disappeared. |
About twenty feet to my left front
wns huge Prussian nearly SIX feet
four Inches In height. q finc specimen
Of physical manhood. The bAyonet
from his rife was missing, hut he |
ciutched the bnrrci In both hands and |
wns swinging the butt around his head. |
I could almost hear tho swish OF the |
butt passing through the air. Three !
little TommIes were engnged with him. |
They looked like pigmies alongside OF |
the Prusstan- The Tommy on the left |
was gradually circling to the rear Of |
his opponent. II Was funny sight to |
see them duck the swinging butt and |
try 10 jab him at the same time. Tho
Tommy nearest me received the butt
of tho Germans ride 10 smashing
blow below the right temple. It
smashed bis head like an erKxhcll. He |
pitched forward ON his side and CON
vulaivo Ghudder ran through HE body. |
Meanwhile the ssher Tommy had
gained the renr Of the Prussiau. sud
denly about four inches Of bayonet
protruded from the throat OF the Pruse
sian soldier. who stngEercd forward |
and fcll will never forget the look |
of blank astonishment that came over
his face.