The Carlisle independent., 1918-08-29
CHAPTER VII.
Stopping the Huns at pixmude.


 the explosion of a mine. All around me men of the third line were coming up. climbing around digging. hammer ing. shifting blanks, moving sandbags up and down, bringing up new timbers, reels of barbed wire, ladders, cases of ammunition, machine guns, trench mortars-all the things that make an army look like a general store on legs.
 The noise of the guns was just deaf ening. Our own shells passed not far above our heads, so close were the enemy trenches, and the explosions were so near ard so violent that when you rested your rife butt on something solid, like a rock, you could feel it shake and hum every time a shell landed.
 Our first line was just CD the out skirts of the town. in trenches that had been won and lost by both sides many times. Our second line was in the streets and the third line was almost at the south end Of the town.
 The Huns were hard at il. shelling the battered remains of Dixmude, and to the right stretcher bearers were working in lines so close that they looked like two parades passing each other. But the bearers from the con- pany near me had not returned from the emergency dressing station and the wounded were piling up, waiting for them.
 A company of the 2me Legion Etran- gere had just come up to take their stations in the crater, under the para pet Of sandbags. A shell landed among them just before they entered the era ter and sent almost whole squad west, besides wounding several others.
 Almost before they occupied the crater the wires were laid and reached back to us, and the order came for us to remain where we were until further orders.
 Then we got the complete orders. We were to make 10 noise but were all to be ready in ten minutes. We put on goggles and respirators. h ten minutes the bombers were to leave the trencbes. Three mines were to ex- plo& and then we were to take and hold a certain portion Of the enemy Trenches not far of We were all ready to start up the ladders when they moved Nig's section over to ours and he sneaked up to ne and whis- pered behind his hand, Be a sport, Doc; make it ffty-ffty and gimme chance"
 l did not have any idea what he meant and he had to get back to his squad. Then the bombers came up to the ladders. masked and, with loaded sacks on their left arms "One min ute now" said the officers. getting on their own ladders and drawing their revolvers-though most of the officers of the Legion charged with rife and bayonet like their men.
 Then-Boom Slam Bang .-ano the mines went of.
 tlAllezi" aEdtthen the paTapet was filled with bayonets and men scram- bling and crawling and falling and get ting up again. The smoke drifted back on us, and then our own machine guns began ahead of us.
 Up toward the front the bombers were fishing in their bags and throw ing, just like boys after rat alons the docks. The black smoke from the i"Jack Johnsons" rolled over us ano probably there was gas, too. but yot could not tell.
 The front lines had taken theiI trenches and gone on and you eoule see them, when you stood on para Ipet, running about like hounds through the enemy communication trenches bombing out dugouts. disarning pris loners-very seary-looking iD theb tmasks and goggles. The wounded twere coming back slowly. Then " Igot busy with our work in the dugout and communication trenches and fire bays, with bayonets and bombs. dig ging the Boches out and sending them "west-" And every once in while Fritz on one side would step out and yell 'kamerad," while. like as not. on the other side. his pal would pot you with a revolver when you started to pick him up, thinking he was wounded
 Then we stood aside at the entrance to dugout and some Boehes came out in single file, shouting "Kamerad for all they were worth. One of them had his mask and face blown of; yet he was trying to talk, with the tears rolling down over the raw flesh. He died five minutes later.
 One night, while was lying back iD the trench trying not to think of any thing and go to sleep the bombs began to get pretty thick around there, and when I could not stand 1t any longer I rushed out into the bay of the fire trench and right up against the para pet. where it was safer.
 { Hundreds of star shells were being