The evening leader., 1918-12-07
PERILS OF BATTLE TOLD
BY THOSE PARTICIPATING
Continued from page one.l

Aoo VIC way, STdUUeQ Cne gun 1JSolI
and beat it for certain road which
was being peppered with machine gun
bullets. l received several slight
burns from the hot gun on my hands,
also on my cheek from shouldering it,
but | went on and succeeded in navi-
eating the several hundred yards in
such time as it was never negotiated
before. Don't know how we did it, but
all reached our dugout none the worse
after our experience.
One Night Without Sleep.
1t was then case of build a small
fire, dry ourselves and get breakfast.
After the eats, cleaned gun and equip
ment and filled belts. Everything was
polished up nicely and it was by then
noon. Stayed around during rest of
the day. Early in the evening one of
our platoons was to advance and | had
to detail men to assist with ammuni-
tion. This consumed the entire night
between the waits and what not. The
detail was completed around seven
IN the morning. 1.-TWO nights without
sleep.) The day was one grand, glo-
rlous round for me and my pal 1t
seems gun teams travel in pairs and
the boss of the other team is partic-
ularly fine fellow, and one with whom
II have palIed since Van Cortlandt
days, having tented and lived togeth-
er all the time while south and here
too. | was first made corporal and
it was his lot to be made one shortly
after, both having been previously
Isignalmen. He is an architectural
craftsman and a mighty fine chap
Since my real time experience COM
menced we have been together. All
our experiences here have been about
the same, we being always together
whether in shell holes or trench.
| To continue: That day saw much
movement with the Huns turning tai
We were to follow him that night, sc
much of the day was taken up in get.
ting set for the night. During the
day what happened seemed more like
movie thriller than a reality. Think
of seeing light and heavy artillery
dashing forward in broad daylight
even with Jerry's sausages up. This
drew fire but it was case of move
up and all was in motion, shells or no
shells. A great sight, too, was to see
balloon of ours which had broken
away from it's cable being shelled by
our own "archies" or anti-aircraft
guns and being chased and finally
brought down by shells thrown from
our own planes. 1t dashed down in
flames and not so far away from US,
either. Planes went over, and they
seemed to just skim the ground, they
probably being contact planes leading
the way for infantry. 1t was so won
Fderful that we spent half the day just
sitting out by ourselves on an old
trench parapet looking the battle situ-
alton over.
At night we packed up and with the
assistance of about twenty others, we
reported to certain spot to await or
ders. The orders came shortly after
midnight and we were off for the
heavy part. The trip was less than
mile and a half as the crow flies,
but as our doge went it took us exact
| ly four hours to make it. Such a trip
l never want to have again or wish
on anyone. 1t was over what had been
no mans land for most four years and
was the worst hell hole in the entire
| line. There was no such thing as
trenches or paths or roads or any
thing Of the kind. 1t was simply
churned up shell holes. 1t stunk. Bur
led bodies were churned up, rats were
everywhere; all was rotten. 1t was
like walking a tight rope to get around
deep shell holes for scarcely six inches
separated some holes. 1t was up
down, slip into this hole, then that
go over ones knees in water rotten
with gas-pull one out of rut, then
another, lose this and then that, and
have to fish it out, get caught in barb
ed wire entanglements, rip ones COW
erings to get it off, hop over portion
of an old trench, jump over parapet,
over a tree, under another entangle-
ment and what not 1t was the most
desolate hole-punctured zone magma
Ne. All the time we were being heav-
lily shelled, but on we had to go and
on we went, ducking into one hole
then another to ward off flying shrap-
mel and shell splinters. On we went
in a snake line, one trailing after the
other. 1t was impossible to keep five
yards interval but all got as close as
possible in single file and we travers-
ed our tracks many times. This made
things miserable for the idea was then