Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-10-10
drawn back and forth on the track by
little Belgian engines.

| drawn back and forth on the track by
little Belgian engines.
After I had been ut my gun for sew
eral days l was ordered back to my
regiment. which was again in the
front.llne trenches. Ny course was
past both the British and French lines
but quite q distance behind the front
lines.
Everywhere there were ambulances
and wagons going backward and for.
ward. ! met one French ambulance
that was q long wagon full OF poilus
from a field hospital near the firing
line and was driven by a man whose
left arm was ~bandaged to the shout.
der. Two poilus who sat In the rear
on guard had each been wounded In
the leg and n had had a big strip of
his scalp torn off. There was not a
| sound man in the bunch. You can
imagine what their cargo was like, If
the convoy was as used up as these
chaps. But ak who could were sing
ing and talking and full OF pep. That
is the French for you: they used no
more men than they could possibly
spare to take care of the wounded. but
they were all cheerful about it
always.
Just after I passed this ambulance
the Germans began Smelling a section
Of the road too near me to be comfort
able, so I beat 1t to a shell crater
about twenty yards off the road, to the
rear. A shrapnel shell exploded pretty
near me just as l jumped into this
hole-I did not look around to see how
close 1t was-and l remember now
how the old minstrel joke l had heard
on board ship came to my mind at the
time-something about a fellow feel
Ing so small he climbed into a hole
and pulled it after him-and I wished
I might do the same. l flattened my
self as close against the wall of the
crater as I could and then I noticed
that somebody had made q dug0ut IL
the other wall Of the crater and
started for 1t.
The shells were exploding so. fast
by that time that you could not lister
for each explosion separately. and jus,
as l jumped into the dugout a regulal
hail Of shrapnel fell on the spot l hat
just passed. 1t was pretty dark il
the dugout and the first move I mad,
l bumped into somebody else and HI
let out a yell that you could hav'
heard a mile. 1t was a Tommy Wit
had been wounded In the hand am
between curses he told me I had sa
, right IN his wound when I moved.
asked him why he did not yell soone,
but he only swore nore. He surel.
was a great cusser.
!, The bombardment slackened up
, bit about this time, and l thought
: would have a look around. l did no
get out Of the crater entirely, bu
moved around out of the dugout unit
8 | could see the road / had been or
The first thing I saw was a broken
down wagon that had just been hit
in fact, 1t was topping over when m
eye caught 1t. The driver jumpe
from his seat and while he was In tn
air his head was torn completely fror
his shoulders by another she'll d
not know what kind. This was enoug
for me, so back to the dugout.
How the Germans did 1t l do nc
know, but they had found out abou
that road and opened fire at eyactl
the moment when the road was co,
cred with wagons and men. Yet Their
had not been a balloon or atrplane /
the sky for some time.
After n while the bombardmeH
moved away to the east, from whic
direction l had come, and I knew o,
batteries were getting 1t. The Tomn
and I came out Of the dugout. AS
started climbing up the muddy sid
l saw there rus a man standing
the edge Of It., and I could tell by h
puttees that he was a Limey. ! W,
having a hard job Of It, SO witho,
looking up l hailed him.
"That was sure some shellin
wasn't itY l said. there's O l,
down here with a wounded fin bett
give him a hand"
" "What Smelling do you mcan," 50,
n the legs, without moving, "Ther,
n been none In this sector for sor
" time. I think"
The Tommy was right at my hi
u. by this time, and he let out a stri
Of language. ! was surprised. too. a
still scrambling around In the mud.
IN Then the Tommy let q "Gawd Z
us" and ! looked up and saw that I
y. legs belonged to a Limey officer.
40 major, I think. And here we had be
cusslng the eyes of Of hint
u But he sized It up rightly and 20
us a hand, and only laughed when
tried to explain. I got ratified a