The Mena weekly star., 1918-06-06

twistings went West (dIedJ. It was horrible to see him die, but we were powerless to help him. In the corner or traverse, little. muddy cur dog. one of the company's pets, was lying dead. with his paws over his nose.
 It's the animals that suffer the most the horses, mules, cattle, dogs, cats and rats-they having no helmets to save them. Tommy does not sympa- thize with rats in a gas attack.
 At times gas has been known to travel, with dire results, fifteen miles behind the lines.
 A gas, or smoke helmet, as 1t is called, at the best Is a vIle-smeIIing thing, and 1t is not long before one gets a violent headache from wearing 1t.
 Our eighteen-pounders were burst ing in No Mans Land, in an effort. by the artillery, to disperse the gus clouds.
 The fire step was lined with crouch. Ing men, bayonets fixed, and bombs near at hand to repel the expected at- tack.
 Our artillery had put barrage of curtain fire on the German lines, Go try and break up their attack and keep lack re-enforcements.
 trained my machine gun on their trench and its bullets were raking the parapet.
 Then over they came. bayonets glis- tcning. In their resplrators. which have a large snout in front, they look d like some horrible nightmare.
 All along our trench. rifles and ma. chine guns spoke, ouf shrapnel was bursting over their heads. They went | down in heaps, but new ones took the places of the fallen. Nothing ccnld stop that mad rush. The Germans reached our barbed wire, which had | previously been demolished by n.e.. shells, then 1t was bomb against bomb. and the devil for all.
 Suddenly my head seemed to burst from loud 'crack" in my ear. Then my head began to swim, throat got dry, and heavy pressure on the lungs warned me that my helmet was leak Ing. Turning by gun over to No. ?, l changed helmets.
 The trench started to wind like a snake, and sandbags appeared to be floating in the air. The noise was hor. rible; sank onto the fire step, needles seemed to be pricking my flesh, then blackness.
 was awakened by one of my mates removing my smoke helmet. How de licious that cool, fresh air felt in my lungs.
 A strong wind had arisen and dis persed the gas.
 They told me that I had been "out'' for three hours; they thought l was dead.
 The attack had been repulsed after a hard fight. Twice the Germans had gained a foothold in our trench, but had been driven out by counter-at- tacks. The trench was filled with their dead and ours. Through a periscope I counted eighteen dead Germans in our wire; they were ghastly sight in their horrible-looklng respirators.
 I examined my first smoke helmet A bullet had gone through 1t on the left side, just grazing my ear. The gas had penetrated through the hole made in the cloth.
 Out of our crew of six we lost two killed and two wounded. That night we buried all of the dead excepting those In No Mans Land. IT 1 death there is not much distinction friend and foe are treated alike.
 After the wind had dispersed the gas the R. A. NJ. c. got busy with their chemical sprayers, spraying out the dugouts and low parts of the trenches to dissipate any fumes of the German gas which may have been lurking ip same.
 Two days after the gas attack l was sent to division headquarters. In an swer to an order requesting that cap tains of units should detail a man whom they thought capable of passing an examination for the divisional in telligence department.
 Before leaving for this assignment went along the front-llne trench say ing good-by to my mates and lordlng ii over them. telling them thnt had