The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-03-22

! vi wv W tii, IL lIllS itI&tl, L Wis
to send the dope to CasSell and he
would transmit it to tne battery com
mander as officially coming through
| the observation post. Then the bat
| terry would open up. Afterwards, dur
| ing the investigation. Cassell would
swear he received it direct. They
would have to relieve him. because it
was impossible from his post in the
! battery dugOut to know that the road
was being used at that time by the
! Germans. And also it was impossible
| for him TO give the target, range and
| degrees. You know battery chart is
| not passed around among the men like
newspaper from Brightly. From him
| the investigation would 20 to the oh
scrvation post, and the observing Off
| Ger could truthfully swear that | had
not sent the message by phone, and
! that no orders to fire had been issued
/ by him. The investiga. ors would then
| be up in the air, we would be safe. the
/ Boches would receive good bashing.
and we would get our own back on Old
! Pepper. 1t was too good to be true.
l gleefully fell in with the scheme,
and told Cassell l was his meat.
Then l waited with beating heart
and watched the captain like hawk.
He was beginning to fidget again
| and was drumming on the Sandbags
with his feet. AT last, turning to me,
he said:
| "'Wilson. this army is a blankety
blank waShOut What's the use of havr
ing artillery if it is not allowed to fire?
! The government ut home ought to be
hanged with some of their red tape.
! It's through them that we have no
, Shells
Il answered, Yes sir and started
sending this opinion over the wire to
| Cassell. but the captain interrupted
me with:
/ keep those Internal fingers still.
What's the matter, getting the nerves
When I'm talking to you, pay atten-
ton
MY heart sank. Supposing he had
! rumbled that tapping, then all would
be up with our plan. l stopped drum
ming with my fingers and said:
"'Beg your pardon, sir, just habit
! with me-
/ land ID silly one, too he an
swered, turning to his glasses again,
: and | knew | was safe, He had not
tumbled to the meaning of that tap
; ping.
''All at once, without turning round,
he exclaimed:
"'Well, of all the nerve I've ever Pun
across, this takes thSkonnaA Those
Boches are using that road
again. Blind my eyes. this time it is
whole brigade of them, transports and
all. What a pretty target for our
4.5's.' The beggars know that we
won't fire. A ID shame, l call it,
Oh. Just for a chance to turn D 23e
loose on them
II was trembling with excitement.
From repeated stolen glanceS at the
CAPTAINS range chart, that road with
It's range was burned into my mind.
over the wire I tapped, % 23S bat
terry, Target II, Range GOO0, 3 degrees
80 minutes, left, salvo, fire. Cassell
o. KID my message, and with the re-
ceiver pressed against my ear, | wait
ed and listened. In q couple of min
utes very family over the wire came
the voice of our battery commander
issuing the order: d 23S battery
| Salvo! Fire!
"Then O roar through the receiver
as the four guns belched forth, g
screaming and whistllng overhead, and
the shells were on their way.
The captain jumped as if he wert
Nnd let out great big expressive
d-n, and eagerly turned his glasses
in the direction of the German road
l also strained my eyes watching that
target. Four black clouds of dust rose
J up right in the middle of the German
| column. Four direct hits-another
record for D 23S.
"The shells kept on whistling over
head, and l had counted twenty-four
of them when the firing suddenly
ceased. When the smoke and dust
| clouds lifted the destruction on that
road was awful. Overturned limbers
and guns, wagons smashed up, troops
L
| roadside were spotted all over with
little field gray dots, the toll of our
| guns.
The captain, in his excitement, had
slipped off this sandbag. and was on
his knees in the mud, the glass still at
his eye. He was muttering to himself
and slapping his thigh with his olsen
gagged hand. At every slap big
round juicy cuss word would escape
from his lips followed by:
"'Good. Fine! Marvellous. Pretty
Work! Direct hits ALL
'Then he turned to me and shouted ::
Wilson, what do you think Of it?
| Did you ever see the like of it in your
! life? D-n fine work, call it,
Pretty soon look of wonder stole
over his face and he exclaimed:
but who in HI gave them the
order to fire. Range and everything
| correct, too. l know I didn't. Wilson.
| did l give you any order for the bat
| terry to open up? Of course | didn't
| did ~
Il answered very emnhatically, No,
| sir, you gave no command. Nothing
went through this post. l am abso-
| lutely certain on that point, sir
"'Of course nothing went through
he replied. Then his face fell, and he
muttered out loud:
"'But, by Jove, wait till Old Pep
| per gets wind of this. 1here'll be fur
| flying
Just then Bo1nbardier Cassell cut in
| on the wire:
"'General's compliments to Captain
| A. He directs that officer and sig
| mailer report at the double to brigade
headquarters as soon as relieved. Re-
| lief now on the way
an an undertone to me- Keep
brass front, Wilson, and for Gods
sake. stick l answered with, Rely on
ne, mate but I was trembling all over.