The Arizona copper camp., 1918-07-27
CHAPTER XxVI.
All Quiet (7) on the Western Front.

All Quiet (7) on the Western Front.
At brigade headquarters 1 happened
to overhear a conversation between our
G. O. G.. general officer commanding
and the divisional commander. From
this conversation 1 learned that we
were to lombard the German lines for
eight days, and on the first of July the
"big push" was to commence.
In few days orders were issued to
that effect, and it was common prop
erty all along the line.
On the afternoon of the eighth day Of
our 'strafeing," Atwell and were sit
ting in the front-line trench smoking
fags and making out our reports of the
previous nights tour of the trenches,
which we had to turn in to headquar-
ters the following day, when an order
was passed down the trench that Old
Pepper requested twenty volunteers to
go over on a trench raid that night to
try and get a few German prisoners for
information purposes. 1 Immediately
volunteered for this Job, and shook
hands with Atwell, and went to the
rear to give my name to the officers in
charge of the raiding party.
[ was accepted, worse luck.
At 9:45 that night we reported to the
brigade headquarters dugout to receive
instructions from Old Pepper.
After reaching this dugout we lined
up in a semicircle around him, and he
addressed us as follows:
GAIL want you boys to do is to go
over to the German lines tonight, sur
prise them, secure a couple of prison
ers, and return Immediately. Our ar
tillery has bombarded that section Of
the line for two days and personality I
believe that that part Of the German
trench is unoccupied, so just get cOu-
pie of prisoners and return as quickly
as possible"
The sergeant on my right, in an un-
dertone, whispered to me:
"Say, Yank, how are we going to get
a couple of prisoners If the old fool
thinks personally that that part of the
trench is unoccupied, sounds kind of
fishy, doesn't it mater"
I had a funny sinking sensation in
my stomach, and my tin hat felt as If
it weighed about a ton and my enthusi-
asm was melting away. Old Pepper
must have heard the sergeant speak
because he turned in his direction and
in laundering voice asked:
''What did you say?"
The sergeant with a scarlet look on
his face and his knees trembling,
smartly saluted and answered:
Nothing, sir"
Old Pepper said:
swell, don't say itso loudly the next
time"
Then Old Pepper continued:
"In this section of the German
trenches there are two or three ma
chine guns which our artillery, in the
last two or three days, has been un-
sector where two of our cOmmunica-
! tion trenches join the front line, and
as the brigade is to go over the top to-
| morrow morning 1 want to capture two
| or three men from these guns crews,
and from them may be able to obtain
valuable information as to the exact
location Of the. guns, and our artillery
will therefore be able to demolish them
! before the attack, and thus prevent
| our losing lot of men while using
these communication trenches to bring
up re-enforcements.'
These were the instructions he gave
us:
"Take off your Identification disks,
strip your uniforms of all numerals,
insignia, etc., leave your papers with
your captains, because l. don't want the
Boches to know what regiments are
against them as this would be valuable
information to them in our attack to-
morrow and l don't want any of you
to be taken alive. What want is two
prisoners and if I get them have a
way which will make them divulge
all necessary information as to their