The Robesonian., 1918-08-26

knocked about. big sQuare-cut timDers
splintered into bits, wells caved In ana
entrances choked.
Tommy, after taking q trench, learns
TO his sorrow that the hardest part OF
the work Is to hold it.
In our case this proved to be so.
The German artillery and machine
guns had us taped (rangedD for fair;
It was worth your life to expose your
self an instant.
Don't think for q minute that the
Germans were the only sufferers; we
were clicking casualties so fast that
YOU needed an adding machine to keep
track Of them.
Did you ever see one Of the steam
shovels at work on the Panama canal!
Well, it would look like hen scratch
ing alongside Of a Tommy digging In"
while under fire. You couldn't see day
light through the clouds of dirt from
his shovel.
After losing three out Of six men OF
our crew we managed to set up our
machine gun. One Of the legs OF the
tripod was resting on the chest of
half-buried body. When the gun was
firing, it gave the impression that the
body was breathing. This was caused
by the excessive vibration.
Three or four feet down the trench,
about three feet from the ground, a
foot was protruding from the earth.
We knew it was German by the black
leather boot. One of our crew used
that foot to hang extra bandoliers of
ammunition on. This man always was
q handy fellow; made use Of little
points that the ordinary person would
overlook.
| The Germans made three counter
attacks, which we repulsed, but not
F.! without heavy loss on our side. They
also suffered severely from our shell
and machine-gun fire. The ground was
spotted with their dead and dying.
The next day things were somewhat
quieter, but not quiet enough to bury
| the dead.
We lived, ate and slept In that trench
with the unburied dead for six days
It was awful to watch their faces be
come swollen and discolored. Towards
the last the stencil was fierce.
What got on my nerves the most waf
that foot sticking out Of the dirt. Il
seemed to me, at night, In the moon
light, to be trying to twist around
Several times this impression was *
strong that went to it and grasped Il
in both hands, to see IL could feel {
movement.
I told this to the man who had usei
it for q hatrack just before lay dowI
for little nap, as things were quiet
and I needed a rest pretty badly
When 1 woke up the foot was gone
He had cut it off with our chain saw
out of the spare parts box, and hat
plastered the stump over with mud.
During the next two or three days
before we were relieved, missed tina
foot dreadfully; seemed as if I ha,
suddenly lost a chum.
I think the worst thing Of all was t.
watch the rats, at night, and some
times in the day, run over and pla,
about among the dead.
Near our gun, right across the pare
pet, could be seen the body Of Gel
man lieutenant, the head and arms o
which were hanging into our trench
!, The man who had cut off the foot use
to sit and carry on a One-sided CONVEX
sation with this officer, used to argu
and point out why Germany was in tn
wrong. During all Of this monologu
: 1 never heard him say anything out Q
the way-anything that would hav
hurt the officers feelings had he bee
= alive. He was square all right
- wouldn't even take advantage Of
. dead m.n in an argument.
To civilians this must seem dreat
ful. but out here one gets so used
!, awful sights that It makes no impre
sion. In passing a butcher shop yo
d are not shocked by seeing a dead tu
8 key hanging from hook. Well,
France, dead body is looked uro
r from the same angle.
(, But, nevertheless, when our six day
y were up, we were tickled to death 1
be relieved.
q Our machine gun company To-
It seventeen killed and thirty-one woun
e ed in that little local affair
e STRENGTHENING the line," while Il
} other companies clicked it worse ths
Is we did.
After the attack we went into I
IT. serve billets for six days, and on Il
% seventh once again we were In rest b
u lets.
pe CHAPTER XXll
lg
h Punishments and Machine Gun Stun,
I'd Soon after my arrival In France;