The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-09-19

thought the fire would get heavier
then, SO l dragged the other chap into
one of two holes made by the shell.
Some pieces Of the shell had stuck
into the dirt In the hole and they were
still hot. Also, there was a sort of
gas there that hung around for sew
eral minutes, but 1t was not very bad.
The man began talking to me, and
he said it was an honor to lie on the
field of battle with a leg shot off and
dead men piled all about you, and
some not dead but grooming. He told
me / would soon be able to hear the
grooming, though / had not said
minded 1t, or anything about 1t. Then
he said again what an honor IL was,
and asked IL / had a drink for him.
I had not had any water all day, and
I told him so, but he kept on asking
for 1t all the same. Some Of the Turk
ish bombers must have sneaked up
pretty close to onr lines, for when
looked out of the hole toward our
lines, and a shell burst near them,
I could see a Turk coming toward US.
We played dead then, but l had my
bayonet ready for him in case he had
seen us and decided to come up to the
hole. Evidently he had not, for when
he got near the hole he steered to the
side and went around.
The other garby was cheerful when
he was not asking for water. but you
could see he was going fast. So we sat
there la the hole and he died. Shortly
afterward the fire slackened a little
and / got out and started toward our
lines. Put I remembered about the
other wounded man ! had passed
when / was carrying Philippe Pierre,
SO I began hunting for him, and after
a long time / found him. He was still
alive. His chest was ali smashed In
and he was badly cut up around the
neck and shoulders. / picked him up
and started back, but ran into some
barbed wire and had to go around.
I was pretty tired by this time and
awfully thirsty, and / thought IL / did
not rest a little bit / could never make
{. / was so tired and nervous that
did not care much whether ! did
.sct bnck or not. and the wounded
gasby was grooming all the time.
So when / thought the shells were
coming pretty thick again / got into a
shell hole and it was the same one
I had left not long before. The dead
garby was there just as I had left him.
The wounded one was bleeding all
over. ami my clothes were just soaked
with bfopd from the three men, but
most OF al frc:: him. There Was some
of my own blood on me, too, for when
I was knocked down by the shell my
nose bled and kept bleeding for a long
time, but, of course, that was nothing
compared to the bleeding OF the
others.
The worst Of all vas that he kept
groaning for water, and 1t made me
thirstier than I had been, even. But
there was not a drop of water any.
where and / knew there was no use
searching any bodies for TASKS. So
we just had to stick 1t out. Pretty
soon the wounded man quit grooming
and was quiet, and / knew he was
going to die too. It made me mad to
think that / had not been OF any use
In carrying these two men around,
but IL i had gone ON with either OF
them II would have been just the same
they would have died and probably
I would have got 1t. too. When / fig
ured 1t out this way I quit worrying
about 1t, only ! wished the fire would
let up.
So tho other man died, and there
were two Of them in the hole. / read
the numbers on their. Identification
disks when shells burst near enough
so that / could see them, and after q
while got back to our lines and rolled
In. I could not remember the mum
bers or the names by that time. but 9
working party got them. along with
others. so It was all right.
MY clothes were q mess, as ] have
said, and / was so tired I thought ]
could sleep for q week, but ! could
not stand It in my clothes any longer
1t was absolutely against regulations
but I took on all my clothes-tht
blood had soaked into the skin-ant
wrapped myself in nothing but all
and went right to sleep. I did moi
sleep very well. but woke up every
once In Q while and thought ! was Il
the hole again.
During the night they brought u
water, but I was asleep and did mo-
know II. They did not wake me
but two men saved by share
though usually in Z case like that .
was everybody for himself and let tn,
last man 80 dry. You could not blam,
J them, either. 50 I thought It WA
pretty decent Of these two to nave M,
share for me. I belieye they mus
have had q hard time keeping tn
others on Of II. to say nothing az them
!. selves. for there really was not NOR
than enough for one good drink q
: around. It tasted better than anythlnl
have ever drunk. Go dry for .
2 hours In the hottest weather you ca
1nd, do q nights work Hike that nm,
- II - AA--.UA - -.