The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1918-10-10

| drawn back and forth on the track by
little Belgian engines.
| After I had been at my gun for sew
eral days l was ordered back to my
regiment, which was again in the
frOnt.line trenches. My course was
past both the British and French lines
but quite a distance behind the front
lines.
| Everywhere there were ambulances
and wagons going backward and for
ward. I met one French ambulance
that was a long wagon full of pOilus
from field hospital near the firing
line and was driven by q man whose
left arm was bandaged to the shoul-
der. Two poilus who sat in the rear
on guard had each been wounded in
the leg and one had had big strip Of
his scalp torn of. There was not a
sound man In the bunch. You can
Imagine what their cargo was like, IL
the convoy was as used up as these
|
Ing and talking and full of pep. That
is the French for you: they used no
more men than they could possibly
spare to take care of the wounded. but
they were all cheerful about It
always.
Just after passed this ambulance
the Germans began Smelling a section
Of the road too near me to be comfort
able, 60 beat 1t to q shell crater
about twenty yards of the road. to the
rear. A shrapnel shell exploded pretty
near me just as I Jumped into this
hole-I did not look around to see how
close 1t was-and remember now
how the old minstrel joke had heard
on board ship came to my mind at the
time-something about fellow feel
Ing NO small he climbed into hole
and pulled 1t after him-and wished
I might do the same. flattened my
self as close against the wall Of the
crater as could and then I noticed
that somebody had made duEout in
the other wall Of the crater and l
started for 1t.
The shells were exploding 20 fast
by that time that you could not listen
fer each explosion separately. and Just
a. Jumped into the dugout q regular
hail Of shrapnel fell on the spot had
Just passed. It was pretty dark In
the dugout and the frst move I made
bumped into somebody else and he
let out q yell that you could have
heard . mile. It was q Tommy who
had been wounded In the hand and
between curses he told me had sat
right on his wound when moved. I
asked him why he did not yell sooner.
but he only swore more. He surely
was . great cusser.
The bombardment slackened up q
bit about this time. and thought I
would have . look around. I did not
get out Of the crater entirely. but
moved around out Of the duEout until
! could see the road had been on.
The 6rst thing ! saw was Q broken
down wagon that had just been hit
in fact. II was tOppling over when my
eye caught It. The driver jumped
from his seat and while he was In the
air his head was torn completely from
his shoulders by another she'll do
not know what kind. This was enough
for me. NO hack to the dugout.
How the Germans did II I do not
know. but they had found out about
that road and opened nre at exactly
the moment when the road was GOV.
cred with wagons and men. Yet there
had not been u balloon or uirplane In
the sky for s0me time.
After Y while the bOmbardment
moved away to the east. from which
direction had come. and knew our
batteries were getting II. The Tommy
and came out Of the dugout. An I
started climbing W the muddy sides
] saw there was Z man standing Mt
the edge Of II, und could tell by his
puttces that he WAS Liney. I was
having = hard Job of IT, NO without
looking up / hailed him.
'.That was sure some Smelling.
wasu't ~" I said. There's y lad
down here with IL wounded nm; better
give him u hand"
"Whnt Smelling do you ineun." says
the legs, without moving, there's
been none In this sector for some
time, ] think"
The Tommy wns right At my heel
By this time. and he let out Y string
Of language. was surprised. too. ind
still scrambllng around In the mud.
Then the Tommy let q "Gawd 'eip
us!" and I looked up and saw that the
legs belonged to \ Liiney 0iiicer, Q
major. I think. And here we hnd been
GUESSING the eyes Oh Of him!
But he sized It w rightly ind gave
,is . hnnd. and only laughed when We
tried 70 explain. got ratified and
told him that oil saw was his legs
md that they ID not look IKE a. o.