The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1918-10-31
CHAPTER xIv-continued.

were three lines of trenches with
French infantry In them. So the
trenches l had come from were more
like outposts than anything else, and
were cut off. l felt pretty sure, then,
that the boys in them would never
come back alive, because as soon as
their fire let up the Turks would adj
vance, and to keep them hack our guns
would have to wipe out our men, and
If they did not, the Turks would. At
first was glad l had come out, but
then I remembered what the artillery
officer had said and l figured would
have to go back and stay with them
or bring them back. Either way there
was not one chance in a hundred that
any of us would make 1t. Because
when l got through it was really just
miracle and nobody would have
thought it could happen.
Then the officer. told me to go back
to the beach, where our naval guns
were, and that l was detailed to them.
Maybe you do not think l was glad?
But there was rough work still ahead
of me, because when got behind the
third line i saw wide open field that
was light gray from the shell smoke
hanging over it, and l could see the
flashes where the big ones were doing
their work, and / had to go through
that field
fell time and again, sometimes
when | thought n shell was near, and
sometimes when l had no reason for
it-only | was thirsty again, and was
shivering all the time, and was so
weak l could not have choked a gold
fish. | do not remember hardly any
thing about going through that field,
and you might say the next thing l
knew was when l was overtaken by
a dispatch runner, and got in tin
tub at the side of Il motorcycle and
was taken to the guns.
1 felt ready for Rip Van Wrinkle
nap then, but the officer in command
would not let me. He said they were
short Of gunners-the terrific Smelling
had killed off dozens of them-and as
he knew l could point gun he had
ordered them over the telephone to
get me to the beach as fast as posi-
BILE. He spotted the two warehouses
! have spoken of for me and said it
was up to us to put them out of COM
mission. The gun was 14-inch naval,
and that looked good to me, so
bucked up a lot. The warehouses were
about 10 or IL miles away, l should
judge, and about 80 or 40 yards apart.
l felt very weak, as l have said,
and shivered every once in a while,
so l did not think l could do much
cunning worth whstling at But they
loaded the old 14-inch and made ready,
and we got the range and all was set.
The officer told me to let her ride.
SO said to myself, This is one for
you, Murray, old boy. Let's go from
here"
So l sent that one along and she
landed direct and the warehouse went
up in fire and smoke. felt good then
and laid the wires on the other ware.
house and let her go. But she was toe
high and l made IL clean miss. Then
j was mad, because / had sent that
one over for myself. So got the cross
wires on the warehouse again and
] said to myself, This is not for any.
body, just for luck, because ! sure
have had plenty Of it today"
Then the juice came through the
wires and into the charge, and away
Size went, and up went the second
warehouse. That made two directs on,
of three, and l guess it hurt the Turks
some to lose all their ammunition
The officer kissed me before / coulC
duck and slapped me on the back ant
keeled over. was just all in.
They brought Inc to with rum, ant
they said l was singing when l came
TO. When they tried to sing, to show
me what song 1t was, figured 1t wa
''Sweet Adeline" they meant. But
do not believe j came to, singing, be
cause l never sang "Sweet Adeline'
before, that l know of, or any othel
Song when anybody was in range. Blu
i heard 1t lots of times, SO maybe
iid sing 1t at that.
Then / went to sleep feeling fine
She next morning the detachmen
from the Cassard was withdrawn. ant
saw some of the men who had beef
IN the two trenches, but l was no
near enough to speak to them. So
do not know how they got out.
You never saw happier bunch II
Your life than we were when we pilet
into the lifeboats and started for tn
Cassard. The old ship looked prett,
good to us, you can bet, and we salt
q; if we never put tour hoofs on that plac,
again it would be soon enough.
We were shelled on our way out t,
the Cassard, and one boat was over