Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1918-08-16
CHAPTER XIV.
Picks and Shovels.

had not slept long before the swee'
voice of the sergeant Informed that
NO. | section had clicked for another
blinking digging party" smiled To
myself with deep satisfaction. | had
been promoted from a mere digger to
a member of the Suicide club. and was
exempt from all fatigues. Then came
an awful shock. The sergeant looked
over in my direction and said:
Don't YOU bomb thrOwerS think you
are wearing top hats out here. Cord
in to orders you've been taken up on
the strength of this section. and will
have to do your hit with the pick and
shovel. same as the rest of u.s.
/ put up howl on my way to get
my shovel. but the only thing that re-
suited was loss of good humOr on
my part.
We fell In at eight o'clock. outside
of our bilIets. sort Of masquerade
party. l was disguised as common
laborer. had pick and shovel. and
about one hundred empty sandbags.
Nv iN'ts uDout wv III all.
were equipped likewise: picks. shOvels,
sandbags. rifles and ammunition.
The party moved out In column Of
tours, taking the rOad leading to the
trenches. Several times we had to
string out in the ditch to let long col
umns of limbers. artillery and supplies
get past.
The marching. under these condi-
lions. was necessarily slow. Upon ar
rival at the entrance to the cOmmuni-
cation trench. l looked at my illumi-
mated wrist watch-it was eleven |
o'cl1ck.
Before entering this trench. word |
was passed down the line. mo talking |
or smoking. lead off in single file. Gov
ering party first"
This covering party consisted Of 80 |
men. armed with rifles. bayOnets. |
bombs. and two Lewis machine guns. |
They were to protect us and guard /
against surprise attack while dig
sing In No Mans Land.
The communication trench was
about half mile long. zigzagging
hitch. eight feet deep and three feet /
wide.
Now and again. German shrapnel
would whistle overhead and burst in
our vicinity. We would crouch against
the earthen walls while the shell fraC-
nents slapped the ground above us.
Once Fritz turned loose with a ma
'hine gun, the bullets from which
cracked" through the air and kicked
up the dirt on the top. scattering sand
md pebbles. which. hitting our steel
helmets. sounded like hailstones.
Upon arrival in the fire trench nm
't'icer Of the Royal Engineers gave US
'ur instructions and acted as guide.
We were to dig an advanced trench
wo hundred yards from the Germans
the trenches ut this point were six
hundred yards nparU.
Two winding lanes, five feet wide
lad been cut through our barbed wire.
or the passage Of the diggers. From
heSe lines white tape had been laid
- ''' HA'ulih W Nitt IiblUt WDeTe we !
we're To commence work. This i'm or
Ter that We would not get lost in the
darkness. The proposed trench WIS
.lSo laid out with tame.
The covering party went out first.
after short wait. two scouts came
Jack with information that the work
ne party was to follow and carry on"
With their work.
In extended order. two yards apnrt
We noiSeleSSly crept across No Mans
and. IL was nervous worry: every
minute we expected Il machine GIN to
pen fire on us. Stray bullets Cracked"
round us. or ricochet sang over
ead.
Arriving at the tapped diagram of
he trench. rifles slung around our
houlders. we lost no time in getting
work. We dug as quietly as DOS.
ible but every now and then the noise
4 pick or shovel striking a stone
'ould send the cold shivers down our
acks. Under our breaths We heartily ,
ursed the Offending Tommy. II