Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-29

base Of ROuen.
| ~ this place they were pit through
weeks rigid training in trench war
| fare. on the morning of the eighth
| day they paraded at ten o'clock. and
wer" inspected and PASSED by General
| Il, then were marched TO the quar-
| tcrinaster's. to draw their gas helmets
and trench equipment
| At four in the afternoon they We're
,again hustled into cattle ears. This
time the Journey lasted two days.
They discmbarkcd at the town of Free
vent and could hear distant dun
booming. With knees shaking, Lloyd
asked the sergeant what tn" noise WAS.
anG nearly dropped when the scrisrant
4. piled in somewhat bored tone:
ooh. thrin's the guns mp III" line.
| W"'H br up there in Il couple o days
or so. Don't worry, my iaddi", you'll
So" more of 'cm than You want before
YOU yet ONE to Blighty again. that Is.
Now lend Il hand there unloadin' them
cars. and quit that cvcrlastin shakin'.
| [ believe yer scared" The last with a
contcInptuous sncer.
| They marched ten kilos. full pack.
to a little dilapidatrd village. and the
sound uf the guns grew louder, con-
stantly louder.
| The village was full Of soldiers who
| a., fl,n II.l N
| the men who We're shortly to hc their
mates in the trenches, for they were
| yoinS up tn" line" on the morrow. To
take over" their certain sector oi
trenches.
| The draft WAS parldrd III front oi
Battalion headquarters and In" men
were assigned TO companies.
| Lloyd was the only man assigned to
ID company Perhaps the officer IN
charge Of the draft had something Ia
do with il. for hr called Lloyd aside
and said:
Lloyd. you are Euing To - new COM
pany. No one Knows you. Your bed
will he as you make ii. 50 for Gods
sake. brace up and he Il man. think
| you have the stuff in YOU, my boy. so
good-by and the best of luck 10 YOU.
| The next day the battalion tool over
their part OF the trenches. II happened
to be Il very quiet day. The artillery
behind the lines was still. except for
an occasional shell sent over TO let the
| Germans know the gunncrs were not
asleep.
In the darkness, in single file, the
company slowly wrnded their way
down the communication trench to the
| front line. No one noticed Lloyds
white and drawn face.
After they had relieved the company
| in the trenches, Lloyd, with two OF the
old company men. WAS put on guard in
one of the travcrscs. Not Il shot was
| fired from the German lines, and no
one. paid any attention to him
crouchcd on the firing step.
On the first time in, new recruit Is
mot required 70 stand with his head
"ovcr the top" He only "sits II out"
while the older men keep watch.
| At about ten o'clock. all of II sudden.
| he thought he'll had broken loose. ana
crouched and shivrrcd up against the
parapct Shells started bursting as he
| imagined, right in their trench, when
| in fact they were landing about a hun
| drcd yards i'm the rear of them, in the
second lines.
| One of the older men on guard. turn
ing To his mate. said:
| There goes Fritz with those d---~-d
trench mortars again. It's about time
our artillery tapped them. and sent
over Il few. Well. I'll he d--d.
where's that blightcr oi Il draft man
gone to? There's his rifle leaning
against the parapct. He must have
LEGGED il. Just keep your cy" peeled.
| Dick, while | report ii To the sergeant.
| wonder il the fool knows he can he
shot for such tricks as lravin' his
post?"
mortars opened up. 4 maddcnlnG ter
ror seized him ard nc wanted To run,
to get away from that horrible din.
anywhere to safety. So quietly sneak
| ing around the traverse. lie came TO the
entrance of communication trench,
and ran madly and blindly down 1t,
rupnir. into traNcIscs. stumbling into
muddy holes. and falling full length
over trench girds.
Cropping blindly. with his aims
stretched out in front Of him. n" At
last came out OF the trench into the
village, or what used to be village,
Ibcfor, the German artillery Iazcd It.
Mixed with his fear, he had pc
culiar sort OF cunning. which whis-
pcred To him to avoid all scntrics, he
cause il they saw him he would be
sent back TO that awful destruction in
the front line and perhaps be killed
or manned. The thought made him
/ shudder. the cold sweat coming in
beads on his face.
| On Ills left, in the darkness, he could
make out the shadowy forms OF trees;
crawling on his hands and knees. stop
ping and crouching NTH fear ut each
shell-hurst. he finally reached an old
orchard and covered at the base OF Il
shot Scared apple tree.
He remained there all night. listen
ing TO the sound vi the guns and ever
praying. praying that his useless life
would Toe spared.
| (To Be ContinuedD
| A.nas of No,l AHoat-Only in tho