The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1918-11-28

half an hour previously. what we
wished him would never make his new
year a happy one.
The officer, in my opinion, at the
noise of the wire should have given the
four-tap signal, which meant ION your
own get back to your trenches as
quickly as possible" nut again he must
have relied on the spiel that Old Pep
per had given US In the dugout, per
sonally ! believe that that part Of the
German trench Is unoccupied." Any
way, we got careless, but not so care
less that We sang patriotic songs or
made any unnecessary noise.
During the intervals OF falling star
shells we carried on with our wire cut
ting until at last we succeeded In get
ting through the German barbed wire.
At this point we were only ten feet
from the German trenches. If we were
discovered, we were like rats in trap.
Our way was cut off unless we ran
along the wire to the narrow lane We
had cut through With our hearts In
our mouths we waited for the three
tap signal to rush the German trench.
Three taps had gotten about halfway
down the line when suddenly about ten
to twenty German star shells we're
fired all along the trench and landed
In the barbed wire In rear of US, turn
Ing night into day and silhouettlng US
against the wall of light made by the
flares. In the glaring Hight we were
confronted by the following unpleasant
| scene
All along the German trench, at
about three foot intervals, stood big
Prussian guardsman with his rifle ut
the aim, and then we found out why
We had not been challenged when The
man sneezed and the barbed wire had
been improperly cut. About three feet
In front of the trench they had con-
structed single fence of barbed wire
and we knew our chances were one
| thousand to one of returning alive.
We could not rush their trench on nc
count of this second defense. Then
In front of me the challenge. Halt"
given in English rang out, and one of
the finest things l have ever heard on
the western front took place.
From the middle of our line some
Tommy answered the challenge with.
Jaw, go to HI" 1t must have been
the man who had sneezed or who had
improperly cut the barbed wire; he
wanted to show Fritz that he could
die game. Then came the volley. Ma
| chine guns were turned loose and sev-
eral bombs were thrown in our rear.
The Boche In front of me was looking
down his sight. This fellow might
| have. under ordinary circumstances
been handsome, but when viewed him
from the front of his rifle he had the
COLLINS of childhood imagination rele-
gated to the shade.
Then came a flash in front Of me, the
/ flare of his rine-and my head seemed
to burst. A bullet had hit me on the
left side of my face about half an
inch from my eye. smashing the cheek
bones. put my hand to my face and
! fell forward, biting the ground and
kicking my feet. l thought l was dy-
ing, but, do you know, my past life did
not unfold before me the way 1t does
in novels.
| The blood was streaming down my
/ tunic, and the pain was awful When
! came to | said to myself, Emp, old
boy, you belong In Jersey City, and
you'd better get back there as quickly
as possible"
The bullets were cracking overhead.
crawled a few feet back to the Ger
man harbed wire, and in a STOPPING po-
/ Sition guiding myself by the wire,
went down the line looking for the
lane we had cut through. Before
reaching this lane | came to a limp
/ form which seemed like bag OF oats
/ hanging over the wire. In the dim
! light | could see that its hands were
| blackened, and knew 1t was the body
of one of my mates. | put my hand
on his head, the top of which had been
blown off by a bomb. NY fingers sank
into the hole. I pulled my hand back
full of blood and brains, then | went
crazy with fear and horror and rushed
along the wire until | came to our
lane I had just turned down this lane
when something inside of me seemed
to say, Look around" l did so; bull
let caught me on the left shoulder. It
did not hurt much, just felt rs If some
one had punched me in the back, and
then my left side went numb. My arm
wns dangling like rag. ] fell forward
in n sitting position. But all the fear
had left me and | was consumed with
rage and cursed the German trenches.
With my right hand I felt in my tunic
for my first-aid or shell dressing. In
feeling over my tunic my hand came
IN contact with one of the bombs which
I carried. Gripping 1t, I pulled the pin
out with my teeth and blindly threw II
towards the German trench. l must
have been out of my head. because
was only ten feet from the trench and
took chance Of being mangled. If
the bomb had failed 70 go into the