Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-08-07
cgApTER XXIV-continued.

b
-. &c he finished speaking, the well
-. ..nrn-pnp" of a machine gun in
" s-,r roar rang out, and the front line
:, no onrushing Germans seemed to
~, away. They wavered, but once
~, came rushing onward. Down
Sc. +bair second line. The machine
=. rss taking an awful toll of lives.
Ss.r again they tried to advance, but
-. machine gun moved them down.
INNING their rifles and bombs, they
t,ose and fed in a wild rush back TO
nsir trench, amid the cheers of ID"
.,mronv. They were forming again
q, another attempt, when in the rear
=, n company came a mighty cheer.
Tho ammunition had arrived and with
q battalion of Scotch to REINFORCE
Them, They were saved. The unknown
Machine gunner had come to the rescue
ID the nick OF time.
With the re-enfOrCements it was an
.ssv task to take the third German
line.
After the attack was over, the cap
hir and three of his nOncOmmissiOned
sfFcprs, wendell their way back to the
D0sjtiOn where the machine gun had
done its deadly work. He wanted to
thank the gunner in the name of D
omp9nv for his magnificent deed.
They arrived at the gun, and an awful
sight met their eyes.
LLOYD had reached the front line
french after his company had left it. A
strange company was nimbly crawling
up the trench ladders. They were re-
enfOrcements going over. They were
Scotties, and they made a magnificent
sight in their brightly cdOred kits and
bare knees.
Jumping over the trench, Lloyd raced
across NO Mans Land" unheeding the
rain of bullets, leaping over dark forms
On the ground, some of which lay still,
while others called out to him as he
peeded past.
He came to the German front line,
but it was deserted, except for heaps
Of dead and wounded-a grim tribute
to the work of his company, good old
D company. Leaping trenches, and
gasping for breath, Lloyd could see
right ahead of him his company in a
dead-ended sap of Il communication
trench, and across the open, away in
front Of them, a mass of Germans pre-
pairing for a charge. Why didn't d
company fire on them? Why were they
50 strangely silent? What were they
waiting for? Then he knew-their am
mlnition was exhausted.
But what was that on his right? A
machine gun. Why didn't it open fire
and save them? He would make that
guns crew do their duty. Rushing
over to the gun he saw why it had not
opened fire. Scattered around its base
lay SIX still forms. They had brought
melr gun to consolidate the captured
position, but a German machine gun
lad decreed they would never fire
again.
Lloyd rushed to the gun and, grasp
mg The traversing handles, trained it
vi Ine Germans. He pressed the thumb
piece but only sharp click was the
result The gun was unloaded. Then
ae realized his helplesSness. He did
hui Know how to load the gun. Oh,
Why hadn't he attended the machine.
suu course in England? He'd been
ouefed the chance, but with a blush of
'.aIne De remembered that he had been
"'ald The nickname of the machine
tenners had frightened him. They
s'e called the Suicide club" Now,
VeCauSe Of this fear, his company
'Ou'u De destroyed, the men of D com.
Iany would. have to die, because he
AOeF' Lloyd, had been afraid of a
A'ue' IN his shame he cried like q
'ao!' Anyway he could die with them
lu' rising to his feet, he stumbled
we The body of one of the gunners
emitted faint moan. A CLEAN
", HVpe flashed through him. Perhaps
a man could tell him how to load
~ gun. STOPPING over the body he
h, Sn'ok 1t and the soldier opened
bs,, Eyes Seeing Lloyd, he closed
'" again and. in a faint voice. said