The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-10-25

| v <~MW
All Could See Was Barbsd Wire and
Smoke.
| could see was barbed wire and
| smoke and two or three corpses. l
I began to SILVER little, and | was
afraid l would get shell shock, too.
SO began 10 think about Murray and
how he looked when they took him
of the wall. But that did not stop the
shivering. so l thought about my grand
mother and how she looked the last
time | saw her. / was thinking about
her, guess, and not keeping very
good lookout, when man rolled over
the edge and almost fell on me. He
was from the other trenches. carried
him into the dugout and then went out
again and stood my watch until the
relief came. We were doing half-hour
shifts.
When I got into the dugout again
the man was coming to. He was just
about as near she'll shock as / had
been-by this time was shlvering
only once in a while, when did not
watch myself. He said four men had
been sliced up trying TO get to us be-
fore he came; that they had lost
IL men out OF their 81, including the
sergeant-major in command and two
corporals; that they we're almost out
OF ammunition; that the trenches on
| both sides of them had been blown In
and that they were likely to go to
pieces at any moment. He said they
all thought the Turks would attack
behind their barrage, for he said the
curtain of fire did not extend more
than hundred yards in front Of their
trench. What they wanted US TO do
was to relay man back with the
news and either get the word to ad-
vance or retire or await reinforce
ments, they did not care whlch-only
to be ordered TO do something. There
was not a commissioned officer left
with either OF the detachments, you
see, and you might say we were up
in the air-only we were really as far
In the ground as we could get
The man thought there were other
Of our lines not far behind us, but we
knew better; so then he said he did
not sec how any one could get back
from there to our nearest lines.
did not see either. Then we all fig
ured we were forgotten and would not
come out of there alive, and you can
believe me or not. but did not much
care. Anything would be better than
Just staying there In that awful noise
with nothing to do, and no water.
Our sergeant said he would not ask
any man to attempt to carry the mes
sage, because he said II was not only
certain death, but absolutely useless.
And he began to show that he was
near shell shock himself.
Then l began to SILVER again. and l
thought 10 myself that anything would
be better than sitting In this hole wait
ing to 90 -cafard," so decided TO vol
unteer. i did not think there was any
chance to get through, but II seemed
as II / Just had to do something, no
matter what had never felt that
way before, and had never been
anxious to ego west" with a shell for
company, but have felt that way
since then several times, can tell
"
The man was telling us that some
tine before they had seen the Turks
bringing up ammunition from some
storehouses, but they did not come
anywhere near. He said their sergeant
wanted our messenger 10 tell them
that, too. He would say few words
very fast, then he would shiver again,
and his jaws would clip together and
he would try to raise his hand. but
could not
Then our sergeant asked the name
of the other sergeant, and when the
man told him he said the man was
senior to himself and therefore in
command and would have to be obeyed
He seemed to cheer i'm a lot after
he said this and did not SILVER any
more, so l thought would volunteer
then, so ! said to him, "Well, mon
vieux, do you think we are seeing real
Smelling nowT And then was going
to say l would go, but he looked mt
me in funny way for second aud
then said. "Well My son, suppose you
40 and find out"
thought he was kidding me Mt first
but then ! saw he meant it. thought
two things about it--one was that any
thing was better than singing there.
and the other was that the old dugout
was n pretty fair place after all But
! did not say anything to the SER
geant or the other men--just went
out of the dugoat The sergeant and