The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-04-09

quiet IN order to learn if the Huns
were moving,
Although I say it myself we were
Red Indians for stalking by this time,
and knew all the tricks there are to
know about vanishing into the earth
or the air if we thought we were
spotted. There were only half-a-doz-
en- OF US, however, so we had to be
very careful about doing anything
rash. The slightest sound and half
the German army would be on our
top-to- say nothing of shells and
bullets. For Fritz as say, was in
fidgets all the time.
Fritzies Are Also on a Prowl
"As we lay, then came familiar
but tell-tale "ping!"
"A wire had been touched.
we knew perfectly well what that
| meant. Fritz was on the prowl, and
accidentally, had scraped one of his
| own wires and thus advertised his
presence to US.
I'VE held our breath and waited
The spot we had chosen was just
fine. If Fritz appeared anywhere he
| would be seen silhouetted against the
SAAS AAAISJ Ocl N I1IOuSu IL was.
Still we waited, quiet as mice.
Patience was rewarded at last.
Suddenly and silently the edge of
the horizon seemed to shift and move.
The fritzies were coming out-and in
some strength, too
About a doben I counted, and
there might have been more. We had
| calculated on this sort of thing hap
pening, and had laid our plans &C
! cordingly.
Every man knew what to do
and every man did it.
The Tricks of the Trade
Il can't go into details-they're
the tricks of. the trade of war, and
| must not be told-but each of us
went about our business.
| The Huns came along in the most
approved style, and as they thought,
free from observation. They were out
on patrol or on the hunt for informa-
ton of some kind-perhaps even for
a raid.
Anyway, on they came, and we,
for our part, kept lodging them as
they slithered among the hummocks.
Within a few minutes they had
reached almost our own wires
THAT was the moment for action.
The lot of us converged and got be-
hind them. Then a sharp word was
uttered. And that was ALL
Just then my American heroes
cigarette burnt his fingers; it was
getting down pretty short. 1 handed
him another, lit it and urged him
to go on with the story.
i You never saw anything like it,
he. resumed after another puff. .
| THE Huns dropped as if each had
been shot. We were on them in a
trice, and before they had recovered
from their surprise they were being
shepherded into our lines.
Their officer must be waiting for
the information they were sent out
to get yet, and suppose they them
selves are still scratching their heads
wondering how on earth they had
passed US on the way to our trenches,
or how we had got behind them.
Another Adventure of the American
Not long after this we had an ad-
venture of a vastly different charac-
ter, but ending once again in our
| favor.
, The Germans must have been ter
ribly mad at US for collaring their
patrol. They had heard no sounds of
a scrap that night, and no doubt were
exasperated at the fact that a dozen
men had vanished without a murmur
Some of our boys swore that Fritz
would have his revenge, and whether
or not what next transpired was
meant to pay us out, it didn't come
; off.
i, at happened this way.
Zone morning the Germans sud
denly launched a gas-attack We
knew that it would only be local
affair-an attempt to GUST us from
our salient, which was too near him
to be comfortable, or a preliminary to
a little raid.
I'VE were ready for it, anyway and
Fritz, I can assure you, got the sur
: prise of his life before the business
finished.
when the hideous stuff was first
sent out the wind favored Fritz all
right, and we got out of the way as
fast as we could
WE were very much on the uui
vive, however, for the wind seemed
variable, and we knew that the Huns
! would have a. bit of task getting near
US owing to the bad nature of tbs
ground.
Sure enough, just what we anti
cipated happened. A breeze blew the
gas down to the right; we were out
in fifty, but, instead of showing
ourselves we played possum-and
waited.
Preferred to Take Live FTitzies
Fritz came over all right, expect
Il ing no doubt, to find the trench ready
for occupation, or at any rate its in
mates all out with his filthy vapor.
We could have raked the lot with a
> machinegun, but, instead, we lay
quiet just to confirm him in his op-
= inion that we had all succumbed and
i also to collar a few of him if we
t could.
. at took a bit of doing, I can tell
you, waiting there to be attacked
L But Fritz appeared at last right atop
of the parapet-and then things hap
pened.
: 1T was as pretty a scrap as ever
It you saw. Fritz had expected to see
only dead men.
g Instead he found us all very much
: alive. Most of the boys went right
s over the parapet, and pitched into
u the Huns like furies What happens
generally in these hand-to-hand en-
: counters happened once again.
The Germans were bested, thor
r ough1y and o11ita a number of than