Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-12-13

Of US, but neither of us was hurt. ] c
thought the fire would get heavier '
then, so I dragged the other chap into l
one of two holes made by the shell.
Some pieces of the shell had stuck
into the dirt in the hole and they were
still hot. Also, there was a sort of !
gas there that hung around for sew
eral minutes, but it was not very bad.
The man began talking to me, and
he said it was an honor to lie on the
field of battle with a leg shot off and
dead men piled all about you, and
some not dead but grooming. He told
me would soon be able to hear the
groaning, though I had not said 1
minded it, or anything about it. Then |
he said again what an honor it was, |
and asked if I had a drink for him.
I had not had any water all day, and
I told him so, but he kept on asking
for it all the same. Some Of the Turk
ish bombers must have sneaked up
pretty close to our lines, for when l
looked out Of the hole toward our
lines, and a shell burst near them,
could see Turk coming toward us.
I'VE played dead then, but I had my
bayonet ready for him in case he had
seen us and decided to come up to the
hole. Evidently he had not, for when
\ he got near the hole he steered to the
side and went around.
The other garby was cheerful when
1 he was not asking for water, but you
e could see he was going fast. So we sat
there in the hole ane he died. Shortly
g afterward the fire slackened little
e and got out and started toward our
d lines. But I remembered about the
y other wounded man I had passed
Y when I was carrying Philippe Pierre,
e so began hunting for him, and after
L long time found him. He was still
it alive. His chest was all smashed in
le and he was badly cut up around the
e. neck and shoulders. I picked him up
and started back, but ran into some
barbed wire and had to go around
I was pretty tired by this time an6
awfully thirsty, and thought If die
70 not rest a little bit could never make
N it. I was so tired and nervous tina
" I did not care much whether I die
st get back or not, and the wounded
nv. garby was grooming all the time.
BIZ So when I thought the shells wer
ly coming pretty thick again I got into
ms shell hole and it was the same on
ut I had left not long before. The dea
90 garby was there just as had left hin
The wounded one was bleeding a
N. over, and my clothes were just soake
ire with blood from the three men, bu
alf most of all from him. There was som
nd of my own blood on me, too, for whe
,rv I was knocked down by the shell N
me nose bled and kept bleeding for a Ion
TO time, but, of course, that was nothin
- compared to the bleeding Of tt
others.
The The worst of all was that he ke]
us. groaning for water, and it made n
lbs. thirstier than had been, even. b
md there was not a drop Of water an
INV where and I knew there was no u
leg searching any bodies for. TASKS.
all we just had to stick it out. Pref
the soon the wounded man quit groanil
rec and was quiet, and I knew he W
|
mo think that had not been Of any u
bou in carrying these two men arour
had but if had gone on with either
,c,-s them it would have been just the sal
they would have died and probat
O. would have got it, too. When I t
I,or ured it out this way I quit worryi
~. about it, only wished the fire wor
o,s+ let up.
that ~ .ne osnvl "an % anu
and wv VI 'A - NV
~ the numbers on their identif1catl
~ disks when shells burst near enou
w so that I could see them, and after
while got back to our lines and roll
in. I could not remember the NJ
bers or the names by that time, blu
,oss working party got them, along W
others, so it was all right.
My clothes were a mess, as I h
~ said, and was so tired I though
~ could sleep for a week, but co
lnap not stand it in my clothes any Ion,
one It was absolutely against regulate
i"se' but I took off all my clothes
ousn blood had soaked into the skin
=. ~ y wrapped myself in nothing but
How, ord uon+ r;ob+ IN Gloon did
ef-1 sleep very we'll, but woke up ev
nat once in a while and thought was
went the hole again.
but During tho night thew hrought
and vo+or Int was os,oen and did
nppe know it. They did not wake
cK IN but two men saved by sh
sa" though usually in a case like tina
Ok as was everybody for himself and let
last man go dry. You could not bl
with them, either, so l thought it
were Drettv decent of these two to save