The Arizona copper camp., 1918-08-17

/ down wagon that had just been hit
| in fact, it was topping over when my
eye caught it. The driver jumped
from his seat and while he was in the
air his head was torn completely from
his shoulders by another she'll do
not know what kind. This was enough
for me, so back to the dugout.
How the Germans did it / do not
know, but they had found out about
that road and opened fire at exactly
the moment when the road was COW
cred with wagons and men. Yet there
had not been a balloon or airplane in
the sky for some time.
After a while the bombardment
moved away to the east, from which
direction / had come. and knew our
batteries were getting it. The Tommy
and 1 came out of the dugout. AS l
started climbing up the muddy sides
l saw there was. a man standing at
/ the edge of it, and I could tell by his
puttees that he was Limey. l was
having hard job of it, so without
looking up / hailed him.
"That was sure some shelling,
wasn't it?" 1 said. There's a lad
down here with a wounded fin; better
give him hand"
''What shelling do you mean," says
the legs, without moving, t'There's
been none in this sector for some
time, think"
The Tommy was right at my heel
by this time, and he let out a string
of language. was surprised, too and
still scrambling around in the mud.
Then the Tommy let "Gawd 'elp
us !" and looked up and saw that the
legs belonged to Limey officer,
major, think. And here we had been
cussing the eyes off of him!
But he sized it up rightly and gave
us hand, and only laughed when we
tried to explain. l got ratified and
told him that all saw was his legs
and that they did not look like an Off
GERS legs, which might have made it
worse, only he was good-natured about
it. Then he said that ne had been
asleep in a battalion headquarters dug
out, about hundred yards away, and
only walked up when part of the roof
caved in on him. Yet he did not know
he had been shelled
Invent on down the road stretch,
but soon found it was easier walking
beside it, because the Huns had shelled
it neatly right up and down the middle.
Also, there were so many wrecked
horses and wagons to climb over on
the r6ad-besides dead men.
After I had passed the area of the
bombardment and got back on the
road sat down to rest and smoke. A
couple of shells had burst so near the
crater that they had thrown the dirt
right into the dugout, and ] was little
dizzy from the shock. While was sit
ting there a squad of Tommies came
up with about twice their number, OF
German prisoners. The Tommies had
been making Fritz do the goose step
and they started them at it again when
| they saw me sitting there. 1t stre
is good for a laugh any time, this
goose step. l guess they call it that
after the fellow who invented it.
One thing had noticed about Fritz
was the way his coat flared out at the
bottom, so 1 took this chance to find
out about it, while they halted for
rest just a little farther down the
road. found that they carried their
emergency kits in their coats. These
kits contained canned meat, tobacco,
needles, thread and plaster-all this
in addition to their regular pack.
Then I drilled down the road some
! more, but had to stop pretty soon to
let a column of French infantry swing
on to the road from a field. They
were on their way to the trenches. as
re-enforcements. After every two
companies there would be a wagon.
Pretty soon 1 saw the uniform of the
Legion. Then company of my regi-
nent came up and wheeled in with
them. We We're in the rear of the coll
umn that had passed. Our boys were
going up for their regular stunt in the
front lines, while the others had just
arrived at that part of the front.
Then for the first time my feet be-
gan hurting me. Our boots were made
of rough coWhide and fitted very well,
but it was a days labor to carry them
on your feet. Isbegan tagging behind.
would lag twenty Of thirty. yards
behind and then try to catch up. But
the thousands of men ahead of me
kept up the steady pace and very few
limped, though they had been on the
march since 3 a. m. 1t was then about
II a. m. Those who did limp were
carried in the wagons But had seen
very few men besides the drivers rid
ing in the wagons, and | wanted to
be as tough as the next guy, so | kept
on. But, believe me, was sure glad
when we halted for rest along the
road.
That is, the re-enfOrcements did
Our company Of the Legion had not
come from so far, and when the front
Of the column had drawn out of the
way along the road we kept on filing,
as the saving is, | did not care about