The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-08-09
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS



GERS legs, which might have made il
worse, only he was good-natured about
lit. Then he said that ne had been
asleep in battalion headquarters dug
out, about. a hundred yards away, and
only walked up when part of the roof
caved in on him. Yet he did not know
he had been shelled!
| l went ON down the road a stretch,
but soon found it was easier walking
beside it, because the Huns had shelled
| 1t neatly right up and down the middle.
horses and wagons to climb over on
the road-besides dead men.
After I had passed the area of the
bombardment and got back on the
road sat down to rest and smoke. A
couple of shells had burst so near the
crater that they had thrown the dirt
right into the dugout, and l was a little
dizzy from the shock. While / was sit
ting there a squad of Tommies came
up with about twice their number of
German prisoners. The Tommies had
been making Fritz do the goose step
and they started them at it again when
they saw me sitting there. 1t sure
is good for a laugh any time, this
goose step. 1 guess they call it that
after the fellow who invented it.
One thing I had noticed about Fritz.
was the way his coat fiared out at the
bottom, so l took this chance to find
out about it, while they halted for
rest just q little farther down the
road I found that they carried their
emergency kits in their coats. These
kits contained canned meat, tobacco,
needles, thread and plaster-all this
in addition to their regular pack.
Then l drilled down the road some
more, but had to stop pretty soon to
let column of French infantry swing
on to the road from a field. They
were on their way to the trenches as
e-enforcements. After every two
there would be a wagon.
Pretty soon 1 saw the uniform of the
Legion. Then a company of my regi-
ment came up and l wheeled in with
them. We were in the rear of the col
umn that had passed. Our boys were
going up for their regular stunt in the
front lines, while the others had just
arrived at that part of the front.
Then for the first time my feet be-
gan hurting me. Our boots were made |
IF rough cOwhide and fitted very well, |
put it was a days labor to carry them |
IN your feet. 1 began tagging behind. |
would lag twenty or thirty yards
behind and then try to catch up. But
he thousands of men ahead of me |
Kept up the steady pace and very few
imped, though they had been on the |
march since 8 a. m. 1t was then about
1 a. N. Those who did limp were
.arried In the wagons. But 1 had seen
-ery few men besides the drivers rid
ng in the wagons, and / wanted to
N. But, believe me, was sure glad
when we halted for a rest along the
DAD.
That is, the re-enforcements did
)ur company of the Legion had not
ONE from so far, and when the front
f the column had drawn out of the
gay along the road we kept on filing,
S the saying is. l did not care about
eing tough then, and was ready for
he wagon.
Only now there were no wagons
hey belonged with the other troops.
% 1 had to ease along as best / could
Or what seemed like hours-to my ,
we turned off onto another
Dad and halted for a rest. 1 found
ut later that our officers had gone ,
stray and were lost at this time,
lough, of course, they did not tell ,
S so. IL
We arrived at our section of the {
'ench about three o'clock that after T
DON and / rejoined my company. l 6
as all tired out after this trek and {
,und myself longing for the Cassard t
nd the rolling wave, where no Mara /
IONS and five-mile hikes were neces- {
Try. But this was not in store for
e-yet. TX