The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1918-03-21

yards from the shell hole when the
shrek of a high explosive seemed to
come right down out of the sky into
ears, and the defamation which in
stantly followed shook the slanting
sides Of the shell hole until dirt in lit
tie dusty rivulets came trickling down
upon me. Wounded as I was, I drag
ged myself up to the edge of the hole.
There was no trace anywhere of the
four men who had just left me. They
have never been heard of since. Their
bodies were never found. The big
shell must have fallen right among
them and simply blown them to bits.
1t was about a quarter to seven in the
morning when I was hit. I lay in the
shell hole until two in the afternoon,
suffering more from thirst and cold and
hunger than from pain. I only hoped
the Germans wouldn't drive our men
back over me At two o'clock a batch of
sixty prisoners came along under es-
cort. They were being taken to the
rear under fire. The artillery bonn
bardment was still practically. undi-
unfinished. 1 asked for four Of the
prisoners and made one Of them get
out his rubber ground sheet, carried
around his waist. They, responded
willingly and seemed most ready to
help me. I had a revolver (empty) and
some bombs in my pockets, but I had
no need to threaten them. They half
dragged me toward the rear.
Carried to the Rear.
It was a trip which was not without
incident. Every now and then we
would hear the Shrek of an approach
ing 'coal box" and then my prisoner
stretcher bearers and I would tumble in
one in~discriminate groupinto the near
est shell hole. If we did that once we
did it a half dozen times. After each
dive the four would patiently reorgan-
ize and arrange the improvised stretch
err again, and we would proceed. Fol-
lowing every tumble, however, I would
have to tighten my t~ourniquets, and,
despite all l could do. the hemorrhage
from my wound continued to flow so
p%rofusely that I was beginning to feel
very dizzy and weak. On the way in
I sighted u regimental dressing sta
ton and signed to my four bearers to
carry me toward it. I. couldn't talk
German. The station vas in an old
German dugout. Major Gilday was at
the door. He laughed when he saw
detail.
"Well, what do you want?" he asked.
"Most of ALL" I said, II think I want
a drink of rum"
He produced it for me instantly.
SNOW" said he, ''my advice to you is
to keep on travelling. You've got q fine
special detail there to look after you.
Make 'em carry you to Pozieres. It's
only five miles, and you'll make it all
right. I've got this place loaded up
full, no stretcher bearers, no assistants,
no adequate supply of bandages and
medicines and a lot of very bad cases.
If You want to get out of here in a
week just keep right on going now"
AS we continued toward the real we
were the targets for a number Of hui
morous remarks from men coming up
to go into the fight.
"Give my regards to Blighty, you
lucky beggar," was the most frequent
saying.
"Bli' me-" said one cockney Tommy,
"there goes one o. tn Canadians with
an escort from the kaiser"
Another man stopped and asked
about my wound.
"Good work." he said. "I'd like to
have a nice clean one like that my
SELF"
I noticed one of the prisoners grin
ming at some remark and asked him Il
he understood English. He hadn't
spoken to me, though he had shown the
greatest readiness to help me.
certainly I understand English" he
replied, speaking the language perfect
ly. Il used to be q waiter at the
Knickerbocker hotel in New York."
That sounded like q voice from home,
and l wanted to hug him. I didn't.
However, l can say for him he must
have been a good waiter. He gave me
good service.
OF the last stages Of my trip to Pc.
zieres I cannot tell anything, for l ar.
rived unconscious from loss Of blood.
The last I remember was that the for.
mer waiter, evidently seeing that ]
was going out, asked me to direct him
how to reach the field hospital station
at Pozieres and whom to ask for when
he got there. I came back to con.
seriousness in a clean hospital cot the
next morning.
realized as I lay on that cot I ,vas
out of the modern hell for a time, and
my mind drifted back over the days
just passed. Wounded men, grim re.
minders, were all about me, many OF
them worse off than I was. I had seer
all kinds of bravery-British officers
climbing calmly over the top will
monocles in their eyes and canes ir
their hands into almost certain death
like a mai getting into a tub of water
where he knew he would get wet.
"Come on; let's go" they would