Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-15
"OVER THE TOP"
By ARTHUR GUY EMPEY
An American Boy Who Got Into the War Two
Years Before His Country.
Con,ri.tt 1917, by Guy Empy.
CHAPTER. NNll.
n,k - ront

Out in Front.
After tc;, Lieutenant stores oil ou'
ycc.iun came into the duSout ana m
rnr,I,d me that I was for recon
uoltrrIng patrol and woCld carry SH
Mills bombs.
At ll.3O that night tw"lv" men, oh'
lieutenant and myself vent out II
fran, ON :; patrul in No Mans Land.
W,. CruisCd around IN the dark ioi
al.nat two hours. just knocking hb"u'
lacking for trouble, on the lookout lo'
I:ocEc working parties To see what
they wcr" doing.
Around = in the morning we were
carefully picking our way about thirty
wards IN front of tn" German harbed
wIr". whcn wr walked into Il Boch,
cuy,rIup nIriy nearly thirty strong
Then the music started. the Hddlei
rendered his bill. and we paid.
Fighting III the dark with Il bayonc'
is not very pleasant. The GcriIihs
took II on the run, hut our officer Was
no novice at the game and didn't fol-
low them. He i';,v" the order down
un the ground. hug it close"
Just IN time. too. because Il N"lleH
SKINNED over our heads. Then ia low
tones Ne were told tO separate ANA
cIawI back To our trenches. each man
on his own.
We. could see the flashes of then
rifles in III" darkness. hut th" bullets
w"r" going over our heads.
We lost three men killed and one
wounded in the arm. II II hadn't been
for our officers quick thinking tn"
Who'll" patrol would have probably
h"cn wiped out.
After about twenty minutes wait We
went uut again and discovered that
the Germans had a wiring party work
ing on their harhcd wire. We returned
To our trenches unobScrvcd with the
information and our machine guns i'm
mcdIatcly got busy.
The next night four men were sent
out To go over and examine the Ger
man barbcd wire and see If they had
cut lanes through it; if so. this pres
aged an early morning attack on our
trenches.
Of course had to be one Of the
four selected for the job. 1t WAS just
hk" sending Il fellow to the under
takers To order his own coffin.
vt ten O'Clock we started out. arm
cd with three bombs. bayonet and
revolver. After getting into No Mans
lapd we separated; Crawling TOUT ,or
five feet at Il time. ducking star shells
with strayS cracking overhead,
reached their wire. secuted along
this inch 10y inch, scarcely breathing
| could hear them talking in thcli
trench. my hcGtrt WAS pounding against
my ribs. one false move or the least
noise from me meant discovery and
almost certain death.
After covering my sector | quietly
crtwlcd back. I had gotten about hall
way when | noticed that my revolver
VAS missing. II WAS pitch dark.
turned about To see if I could find II;
il couldn't be far away. because about
three or four minutes previously had
felt the butt in the holster. ] crawl"d
around i'm circles and 1T last found IT.
I'rctty soon reached barbcd wire
and WAS just going to give the pass
word when something told me not TO
put out my hand and touched one oi
the barhcd wire stakes. II was iron
The british are of wood, while the
German are iron. My heart stopped
beating: by mistake had criwlcd
back To the German lines.
turned slowly about and my tuniC
caught on the wire and made a loud
ripping noise.
\ sharp challenge rang out.
Surlng To my feet. duckcd low, and
ran nadly back toward our lines. TIL,
Germans started firing. The bullets
were biting all around me, when bang:
ran smash into our wire, and Il sharl
challenge. Alt. who comes there:
rang out. l gaSpcd out the password
and. cropping my way through the lane
i'm the wire. tearing my hands ana
uniform. ] tumblcd into our trench
and was safe. but | was Il nervous
wreck for an hour. until Il drink oi
rum brought me round.