The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-06-11


learned it at the signalers' school back
In 1910. With an officer In the obser-
vation post, we could not carry on the
kind of conversation that's usual be-
tween two mates, so we used the
Morse code. To send, one of us would
tap the transmitter with his finger
nails, and the one on the other end
would get 1t through the receiver.
Many an hour was whiled away in this
manner passing compliments back and
forth.
"In the observation post the officer
nsed to sit for hours with a powerful
pair of field glasses to his eyes.
Through a cleverly concealed loophole
ne would scan the ground behind the
7erman trenches, looking for targets
md finding many. This officer, Cap
ain A. by name, had a habit of
:alking out loud to himself. Some
times he would vent his opinion, same
is a common private does when hes
wrought up. Once upon a time the
captain had been on Old Peppers staff.
10 ne could cuss and blind in the most
approved style. Got to be sort of a
Iabit with him.
About six thousand yards from US,
behind the German lines, was road
n plain view of our post. For the last
hree days Fritz had brought compa-
lies of troops down this road in broad
daylight. They were never shelled.
Whenever this happened the captain
would froth at the mouth and let out
volume of Old Peppers religion
which used TO make me love him.
Every battery has a range chart on
which distinctive landmarks are nUed,
With the range for each. These land
marks are called targets, and are num-
oered. On our battery's chart, that
road was called Target IT, Range
COCO, 3 degrees 30 minutes left ID 23S
battery consisted of four AS howit-
zers. and fired 35-pound II. E. shell.
AS you know, II. E. means high ex-
plosive.' I don't like cumming up my
own battery, but we had a record in
the division for direct hits, and our
boys were just pining away for a
chance TO exhibit their skill in the
eyes of Fritz.
ION the afternoon of the fourth day
OF Fritz contemptuous use of the road
mentioned the captain and / were at
our posts as usua! Fritz was strafe-
ing us pretty rough. just like he's doing
now. The shells were playing leap
frog all through that orchard.
IT was carrying on o conversation
in our tap code with Cassell at the
other end. 1t ran something like this:
"'Say, Cassell, how would you like
- ,, -, hnr Of fhn
Bass in front of you, and that blonde
barmaid waiting TO fill 'em up againT
"Cassell had a fancy for that par
ticular blonde. The answer came back
in the shape of volley of cusses> /
changed the subject.
after a while our talk veered
round TO the way the Boches had been
exposing themselves on the road down
on the chart as Target II. What he
said about those Boches would never
have passed the reiehstag, though I
believe it would have gone through
our censor easily enough.
''The bursting shells were making
such a din that I packed up talking
and took TO watching the captain. He
was idgeting around on an old sand
bag with the glass to his eye. Occa-
sionally he would let out a gyunt, and
make some remark couldn't hear on
account of the noise, but I guessed
what IT was all right. Fritz was get.
ting fresh again on that road.
"Cassell had been sending in the tap
code to me, but / was fed up and
didn't bother with IL. Then he sent
D. s., and was all attention, for this
was a call used between us which
meant that something important was
On. was all ears in an instant. Then
Cassell turned loose.
"'You blankety blank dud, I have
been trying to raise you for fifteen
minutes. What's the matter. are you
asleepr Gust as If anyone could
have slept In that internal racket y
Never mind framing a nasty answer.
lust listen
"'Are you game for putting some
hing over on the Boches and Old Pep
Der all in oneT
at answered that was game enough
when it came to putting it over the
3oches. but confessed that I had
weakening of the spine, even at the
mention of Old Peppers name.
"He came back with. It's so absurd
v easy and simple that there is no
shance of the old heather rumbling it.
Anyway, If we're caught, I'll take the
lame.'
~Under these condition told him to
Vpit out his scheme. 1t was so daring
and simple that 1T took my breath
Iway. This is what he proposed:
IF the Boches should use that road
] gain, to send by the tap system the
target and range. / had previously
old him about our captain talking out
.oud as L. he were sending through