The Benson signal., 1918-06-01

"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 a risky
thing, too, because Old Pepper wouldn't
have been exactly mild with us if he
had got next to the game.
::'Me and my mate, a lad named Har-
ry Cassell, bombardier in D 238 bat
terry, or lance corporal, as you call it
in the infantry, used to relieve the
telephOnists. We would do two hours
on and four off. would be on outy
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-
ton officer in the advanced post. But
very few messages were sent. It was
only in case of an actual attack that
we would get chance to earn our
two and six 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.
'The Germans must have known
about these orders, for even in the day
their transports and troops used to
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 a shell. 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 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-
vation 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
manner passing compliments back and
forth.
"In the observation post the officer
used to sit for hours with q 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 officer, Cap
tain A by name, had habit Of
talking out loud to himself. Some
times he would vent his opinion, same
as common private does when he's
wrought up. Once upon a 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
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
would froth at the mouth and let out
a volume Of Old Peppers religion
which used to make me love him.
"Every battery has a range chart on
which distinctive landmarks are noted,
with the range for each. These land
marks are called targets, and are num-
bered. On our battery's chart, that
road was called Target II, Range.
5000, 8 degrees 80 minutes left D 23S
battery consisted of four AS howit-
zers, and fired a 35-pound 81. e. shell.
AS you know, 81. e. means high ex-
plosive.' I don't like bumming up my
own battery, but we had a record in
the division for direct hits, and our
boys were just pining away for a
chance to exhibit their skill in the
eyes of Fritz.
"On the afternoon Of the fourth day
of Fritz contemptuous use Of the road
mentioned the captain and / were at
our posts as usual. Fritz was strafe-
ing us pretty rough, just like he's doing
now. The shells were playing leap
frog all through that orchard.
'T was carrying on a conversation
in our tap code with Cassell at the
other end. It ran something like this:
essay, Cassell how would you like
to be in the saloon bar of the Kings
Arms down Rye lane with bottle Of
Bass in front of you, and that blonde
barmaid waiting to fill 'em up againTN