Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-03-07

dirt would rise into the air and rico
Chef bullet would whine on it's way.
If Tommy Should see one of these
little spurts in front of him he would
tell the nurse about it later. The
crossing of No Man's Laad remains u
blank to me.
Men on my right and left would
stumble and fall. Some would try to
get up, while others rem;lined huddled
and motionless. Then smusIet,-lp
barbed wire came into view and
seemed carried on IA tide to the rear.
Suddenly, in front of me doomed
bashed-in trench about four feet vide
Queer-looking forms like mud turtles
were s~.ambling up its wall One of
these forms seemed to slip and then
rolled TO the bottom of the trench.
leaped across this intervening space
The man to my left seemed to pause in
mldair, then pitched head down into
the German trench. laughed out loud
in my delirium. Upon alighting on the
other side of the trench came to with
sudden jolt. Right in front of me
loomed giant form with rife which
looked about ten feet long, on the end
OF which seemed seven bayonets. These
flashed in the air in front of me. Then
through my mind flashed the admoni-
/ ton of our bayonet Instructor back in
Blighty. He had said, "whenever you
get in charge and run Your bayonet
! up to the hilt intosa German the Fritz
will fall. Perhaps your rifle will be
wrenched from your grasp. Do not
| waste time, if the bayonet is fouled
In his equipment, by putting your foot
on his stomach and tugging at the rifle
| to eNtricate the bayonct Simply
| press the trigger and the bullet Will
free it, In my present situation this
| was the logic, but for the life of me
could not remember how he had told
me to get my bayonet into the Ger
man. TO me this was the paramount
issue. L closed my eyes and lunged
! forward. My rife was torn from my
hands. | must have gotten the Ger
man because he had disappeared,
About twenty feet to my left front
| was huge Prussian nearly six feet
| four inches in height, fine specimen
of physical manhood. The bayonet
| from his rifle was missing but he
+, clutched the barrel in both hands and
: was swinging the butt around his head.
4. could almost hear the swish of the
butt passing through the air. Three
little Tommies were engaged with him.
They looked like pigmies alongside of
the Prussian. The Tommy on the left
was gradually circling to the rear of
his opponent. It was a funny sight to
see them duck the swinging butt and
| try to jab him at the same time. The
Tommy nearest me received the butt
OF the Germans rifle in a smashing
blow below the right temple. 1t
smashed his head lilsc an egsshcll. He
| pitched forward ON his side and Il con-
vulsive shudder ran through his body.
Meanwhile the other Tommy had
gained the rear of the Prussan Sud-
denly about -four inches of bayonet
protruded from The throat of the Prus-
Sian soldier, who staggered forward
and fell. l Will never forget the look
of blank astonishment that came over
| his face.
| Then something hit me in the left
shoulder and my left side went numb.
1T felt as if Il hot poker was being
/ driven through me. / felt no pain
| just a sort of nervous shock. A bay
onet had pierced me from the rear.
fell backward on the ground, but was
not unconscious, because | could see
| dim objects moving around me. Then
a flash of light in front of my eyes and
unconsciousness. Something had hit
me on the head. have never found
out what it was.
l dreamed ! was being tossed about
In an open boat on heaving sea and
opened my eyes. The moon was Shin
Ing. l was on u stretcher being car
ried down one of our communication
trenches. At the advanced trst-aid
post my wounds were dressed, and
then l was put into an ambulance and
sent to one of the base hospitals. The
wounds in my shoulder and head were
not serious and in six weeks had re-
Joined my company for service in the
! front line.
CHAPTER XII.