Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1918-10-24
CHAPTER vll-contInued.

CHAPTER vlI-contlnued.
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I surely wished was the gunner
officer. would have enjoyed it more
u I could have got back at Fritz
somehow. But was not the gunner
officer and told him so. I had to
shout at him quite a while before he
would believe me. Then he wanted
me to find the gunner officer, but
did not know where to find him. II
could have got to our guns guess I
would have had another medal for
working overtime. but I missed the
chance there.
About this time another bomb came
over and clouted out tina best friend
I had in my. company. Before the
war he had been one Of the finest sing
cts ia the Paris opera houses. When
he was with US he used to say that
the only difference between him and
Caruso was $500 a night.
A poilu and I dragged him into q
0ugout, but it was too late. One side
Of his face was. blown of the whole
right side Of him was stripped of
and four fingers Of the right hand
we're gone.
I stuck my head out Of the dugout
and there was the captain discussing
the matter with himself, cursing the
Germans from here to Helgoland and
quitting In a word for the bombs every
once in while. All up and down the
trenches you could hear our men
cursing the Germans in all kinds Of
languages. Believe me, I did my bit
and ] could hear somebody else using
good old United States cuss words,
too. It certainly did not make me feel
any better. but it gave me something
% do. think that was why all Of
Us cursed SO much then, though we
were pretty handy with language at
any time. But when you are under
heavy fire like that and cannot give
Il back as good as you get, you 60
crazy unless you have something to do.
Cussing is the best thing we could
ehink Of.
Up the trench the third bay was
simply smashed in and the Germans
we're placing bomb after bomb right
u 1t and in ours. The captain yelled
out that he was going up to the next
bay to examine It, but no more had
he got there than he had his head
taken clean of his shoulders.
AT daybreak our trenches were all
sounded In and most Of our dugouts
were filed up. Then Fritz opened up
with his artillery IRE right on us. We
thought they were going to charge and
we figured their barrage would lift
and we could see them come over.
We received orders to stand to with
axed bayonets. Then the man at the
periscope shouted, 'They comet"
A battery directly behind us went
into action first and then they all
Joined in and inside Of five minutes
shout eight hundred guns were raising
Cain with Fritz. The Boches were
caught square III No Mans Land and
bur rifles and machine guns simply
moved them down. Many Of them
came half way across. then dropped
their guns and ran for our trenches
70 give themselves up. They could not
have got back to their own trenches.
It was a shame to waste shell on
these poor fish. If they had been CIV
vies the law would prevent you from
hitting them-you know the kind.
They could hardly drag themselves
along.
=, That is the way they look when you
have got them. But when they have
got you-kicks, cuffs. bayonet jabs-
there is nothing they will not do to
add to your misery. They seem to
think that It boosts their own courage.
An artillery fire like ours was great
fun for the gunners, but 1t was not
much fun for Fritz or for US In the
trenches. We got under cover almost
as much as Fritz and held thumbs for
che gunners to get through in hurry.
Then the fire died down and It was
20 quiet 1t made you jump.
d We thought our parapet was busted
up q good deal. but when we looked
through the periscope we saw what
had happened to Fritz trenches and,
believe me- hey were practically
euined.
Out in No Mans Land It looked Ike
sEeslworth's AvssAa.ten: everywhere