Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-01-10

On or For Anything.
this money with some one behind the
lines. for they would he In action any.
where from six days to three weeks.
The idea Of the pool was this: Those
who lived to get back would take the
money and split 1t evenly among them
selves. II only one lived he would
have the whole lot. Sometimes the
pools would be fairly big and some.
times the reverse. but whatever they
had went in.
1t was the only gamble ! ever saw
where you couldn't lose. II you came
out safely you were bound to get your
own money back ut lcast.
The Tommies nre strong for carrying
pets with them too. They keep cana.
ries. rats. mice. dogs. cats. goats and
even pigs and they will go hungry
themselves rather than see the object
OF their affections want for anything
On the march II they get tired they
may throw their equipment away, but
never heard Of one yet who would
give up his mascot
During the winter there was lot Of
talk about the mad major" he was
an artillery officer who was Just about
the biggest daredevil l ever heard Of
He kept an aeroplane himself. and n
he wanted to correct a range he would
60 and drop smoke bombs over the
point he wanted to get. He was abso.
lutely fearless and would fly so low
that they would he potting Mt him with
revolvers. but 1t didn't seem to bother
him.
have heard that he did more dam.
age with his battery than whole bri-
gade OF ordinary artillery could under
ordinary circumstances. don't know
what became Of him In the end. but the
last of his stunts TINT heard about
was this: There was big seventeen
inch howitzer doing us an awful lot Of
damage. 1t was out Of range Of our
guns. and we were much put about ~
to how to get 1t out Of action.
The mad ma jor" went out alone In
his aer0plane and took with him Just
one bomb. a hundred FOUNDER. He To-
Gated the gun he wanted while flying
at an altitude Of 5000 feet. He got
right over the position and stopped his
engine. He did a nose dive to within
400 feet Of the gun. Then he dropped
his bomb and blew the thing to atoms.
He got back safely. but the planes Of
bis machine were riddled with bullets.
Soon after this we were on the move.
and. as 1t happened. we went from bad
to worse The first day we entered
little place that was unoccupied by
troops. and we decided to spend the
heard Of our arrival promptly. for be-
fore we had been there an hour shells
began to drop in on US.
The officer was driving was with
me at the time the first one burst. It
landed in the back yard Of the house
we were in. and the force of the explo-
sion sent US all III heap on the floor.
The officer decided that we would get
out Of the place and find some nice.
| quiet spot to spend the night We left
at once and w.nt about five miles down
the road until we came to a field am
! bulance. We found that they had some
spare stretchers. so we decided to stay
there. The officers servant carried
stretchers In for all Of Us, and after
having something to eat we went right
to sleep, % We were tired out
/ don't believe We had been asleep
more than an hour when shell landed
In that field ambulancel 1t tore through
the roof and burst in the room next "a
as. killing and wounding eighteen men
who had already been wounded once
got up IN hurry. but found that the
omcer was before me, and when
reached the car he was making himself
comfortable in the tonneau. took my
waterproof sheet and blankets ant
made myself . bed on the cobblestonc'
under the car. I slept like log unit
1t began to rain. and then got up ii
disgust and sat up the rest Of the nigh
in the driving seat
The next day We stopped in q it'll
village called Pradelles. the plac
where the Germans had stood prizes
up against tho wall of his own churcl
and shot him because he wouldn't Civ
them the Information they wanted.
Across from this church was uttl
"estaminet," where I went to buy
bottle Of wine to have with my dinner
You can imagine my surprise when tn
, Frenchwoman in charge called me a
, English pig" and said that she woul
sell nothing to the English. l told he
what I thought Of her. and she told m
what she thought of me.
I She said the English were thieves
I murderers and other nice things an
informed me also that the only tru
gentlemen in the world were the Prui
SLAMS. She certainly had me arouset
d and was going to arrest every one
, could find In the house until her daugl
: ter came in.
d She saw at once how things were an
= led the old lady upstairs and then e.
4 PINNED that the Germans had take