Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-04-19
over TIIm TOP"
Continued from page y

wOuid know that his order had gone
down the whole line, had been under
stood, and that the party was ready
TO obey the twO-tap signal. Two tapa
meant that we were 10 crawl forward
slowly-nnd believe me, very slowly
for five yards, aud then halt to await
further Instructions, Three taps meant,
when you arrived within striking diS-
lance Of the German trench, rush II
and inhlct as many casualties as pos
slble secure couple OF prisoners, and
then back 10 your own lines with the
speed clutch open. Four taps meant,
II have gotten you into position from
which II Is impossible for me to extri-
cate you, so you are on your own"
After getting Tommy into mess on
the western front he is generally told
that he Is ION his own" This means,
"Save your skin In any way possible"
Tommy loves to be ION his own" behind
the lines, but not during trench raid.
The star shells from the German
lines were falling In front Of US, there
fore we were safe. After about TWEEN.
~ minutes we entered the star shell
zone. A star shell from the German
lines fell about five yards In the rear
and to the right OF me; we Rugged the
ground and held our breath until II
burned out The smoke from the star
shell Travelled along the ground and
crossed over the middle of our line.
Some Tommy sneezed. The smoke had
gotten up his nose. We crouched on
the ground curslng the offender under
our breath, and waited the vOlley that
generally ensues when the Germans
have heard noise In No Mans Land.
Nothing happened We received two
taps and crhwled forward slowly for
five yards; no doubt the officer be-
lieved what Old Pepper had said, per.
sonally believe that that part Of the
German trench is unoccupled." BY be-
ing careful and remaining motlOnless
reached the German barbed wire with
out mishap. Then the fun began.
was scared stiff as II is ticklish work
cutting your way through wire when
about thirty feet in front Of you there
is line Of Boches looking out into No
Mans Land with their rifles lying
across the parapet, strainlng every
sense TO see or hear what Is going on
In No Mans Land; because at night,
Fritz never knows when q bomb with
his name and number on II will come
hurtllng through the air aimed In the
direction Of Berlin. The man on the
right, one man in the center and my
self on the extreme left were equipped
with wire cutters. These are insulated
with soft rubber not because the Ger
man wires are charged with electricity,
but to prevent the cutters rubbing
against the barbed wire stakes, which
are Of iron, and making noise
which may warn the inmates of the
trench that someone Is getting fresh
in their front yard. There Is only one
way to cut a barbed wire without noise
and through costly experience Tommy
has become an expert in doing this.
You must grasp the wire about two
inches from the stake in your right
hand and cut between the stake and
your hand.
If you cut a wire improperly,
loud twang will ring out on the night
air like the swapping of banjo
string. Perhaps this noise can be
heard only for fifty or seventy-five
yards, but in Tommy's mind 1t makes
loud noise In Berlin.
We had cut a lane about halfway
through the wire when, down the cen
ter of our line, twang went an i'm
properly cut wire. We crouched down,