The Robesonian., 1918-09-16


board to escape, but was afraid OF
drowning.
Arriving in France, he and the rest
were huddled into cattle cars. On the
side of each appeared In white letters,
"Hommes 40, Chevaux g." After hours
of humping over the uneven French
roadbeds they arrived at the training
base Of Eouen.
At this place they we're put through
q weeks rigid training in trench war
fare. On the morning Of the eighth
day they paraded at ten o'clock, and
were inspected and passed by General
H, then were marched to the quar-
termasters, to draw their gas helmets
and trench equipment.
At four in the afternoon they were
again hustled into cattle cars. This
time the journey lasted two days.
They disembarked at the town of Ere
vent and could hear distant dull
booming. With knees shaking, Lloyd
asked the sergeant what the noise was,
and nearly dropped when the sergeant
replied in a somewhat bored tone:
"Oh, thems the guns up the line.
Well be up there in couple o days
or so. Don't worry, my laddie, you'll
see more of 'em than you want before
you get 'ome to Blighty again, that ls,,
| If you're lucky enough to get back
! Now lend a hand there unloadin' them
cars, and quit that everlastin' shakin'.
! I believe yer scared" The last with a
contemptuous sneer.
They marched ten kilos, full pack,
to little dilapidated village, and the
sound of the guns grew louder, con-
stantly louder.
The village was full Of soldiers who
turned out to inspect the new draft.
the men who were shortly to be their
mates in the trenches, for they were
going "up the line" on the morrow. to
take over" their certain sector of
trenches.
The draft was paraded In front Of
battalion headquarters and the men
were assigned to companies.
i Lloyd was the only man assigned to
d company. Perhaps the officer in
charge of the draft had something to
do with 1t, for he called Lloyd aside
and said:
"Lloyd, you are going to new COM
pany. No one knows you. Your bed
will be as you make it, SO for Gods
sake, brace up and be q man. think
you have the stuff in you, my boy, so
good-by and the best Of luck to you."
The next day the battalion took over
their part of the trenches. It happened
to be very quiet day. The artillery
behind the lines was still, except for
an occasional shell sent over to let the
Germans know the gunners were not
asleep.
In the darkness, in single file, the
company slowly wended their way
down the communication trench to the
front line. No one noticed Lloyd's
white and drawn face.
. After they had relieved the company
in the trenches, Lloyd, with two of the
old company men, was put on guard in
one of the traverses. Not a shot was
fired from the German lines, and no
one paid any attention to him
/ crouched on the firing step.
7 On the first time in, new recruit is
not required to stand with his head
"over the top" He only "sits it out, >
: while the older men keep watch.
At about ten o'clock, all Of a sudden
2 he thought hell had broken loose, and
!. crouched and shivered up against the
3 parapet. Shells started bursting, as he
imagined, right in their trench, when II
e fact they were landing about hun
0 dred yards in rear of them, in the sec
q Ond lines.
8 One Of the older men on guard, turn
ing to his mate, said:
e "There goes Fritz with those d,
{ trench mortars again. It's about tim
e our artillery 'taped' them, and sen
over few. Well, I'll be d-t
!. where's that bighter of draft maj
n gone to? There's his rifle leanin
IS against the parapet. He must hav
rt legged it. Just keep your eye peeled
IL Dick, while I report it to the sergean
'r I wonder If the fool knows he can b
D. shot for such tricks as leavin' hi
to post?"
Lloyd had gone. When the trenc
al mortars opened up, maddening te
r rOr seized him and he wanted to rul
ae to get away from that horrible di
u anywhere to safety. So quietly sneal
ed ing around the traverse, he came to tt
lg entrance Of a communication trenc
and ran madly and blindly down
as running into traverses, stumbling in
OF muddy holes, and falling full leng,
Al over trench grids.
IL Cropping blindly, with his arm
~ stretched out in front of him, he
e,' last came out of the trench into Il
a,e village, or what used to be a villas
alS before the German artillery razed
49,. Mixed with his fear, he had a I
-" culiar sort of cunning. which VIII
-, pered to him to avoid all sentries, /
,s.., cause if they saw him he would
- sent back to that awful destruction
o,,s the front line, and perhaps be kill