The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-11-07

worst thing about them was the smoke
people who think Pittsburgh is
smoky ought to see about fifty of those
big howitzer shells bursting, one after
another.
We could not tell what the rest Of
our line was doing or how we were
standing the awful fire. but we felt
sure they were not having any worse
time than we were. In few minutes
we heard the good old "75s" start
pounding, and II was like hearing an
old friends voice over the telephone,
and everybody In our shell hole
cheered, though no one could hear us
and we could barely hear each other.
Still we knew that II the "75s" got
going in their usual style they would
do for an enemy battery or two, and
that looked good to us. The "75s"
made the noise worse, but II was al
ready about as bad as II could be,
and a thousand guns more or less
would not have made 1t any harder
to stand.
One Of our men shouted In the ser
geant's ear that the men In line ahead
of us and to the right were trying to
give us a message of some kind. The
sergeant stuck his head above the
parapet and had look. But stayed
for himself and me. too, as far as /
was concerned.
He shouted at us that the men in
the other trench were trying TO signal
something. but he could not make it
out because the clouds of smoke would
roll between them and break up the
words. So he laid down again In the
bottom of the hole. But after a while
he looked over the parapet and saw
a man just leaving their trench, evil
IDENTIFY with a message for us, and he
had not gone five steps before he was
blown to pieces. and the lad who fol-
lowed him got his, too. so they stopped
trying then.
And all the time the "75s" were
sending theirs to the Turks not far
over our heads to 900 yards behind
us, and the howitzers were dropping
their 240-pound bits of iron in every
vacant space and some that were not
vacant. 1t was just one big roar and
screech and growl all at once. like
turning the whole dog pound loose
on piece Of meat
The conclusions felt like one loAg
string of boxes on the ear, and our
threats were so dry that It hurt to
swallow, which always makes your
ears feel better after a strong concus-
sion. One after another Of our boys
was slipping to the ground and digging
his fists into his ears, and the rest of
them sat on the parapet fire step with
their arms wrapped around their
heads.
Our sergeant came TO me after a |
while and began acting just like
people do at a show. only he shouted |
Instead of whispered In my ear. When |
people are looking at one show they
always want to tell you how good some
other show is, and that was the way
With the sergeant.
"You should see what they did to
rs at st. Eloi." he said. "They Just
us with the big fellows. They
lid not know when TO stop. When you
see Smelling that is Smelling, you will
know IL, my SON"
well, If this is not Smelling, what |
the devil is it? Are they trying to
Kid us or are you, mon vicux?" which
IS French expression that means
like "old timer"
my son, when you see dugouts
,aved in, roads pushed all over the
nap, guns wrecked, bodies twisted up
N knots and forty men killed by one
shell-then you will know you are
seeing shelling."
Then one of our men sat up straight
against the parapet and stared at US
aud began 10 shake all over, but we
could not get him TO say anything or
move. So we knew he had shell shock.
And another man watched him for IA
while, and then he began 10 shake,
90. The sergeant said that If We
stayed there much longer we would
rot be lit to repel an attack, so he
ordered us into the two dugouts we
lad made in the hole, and only himself
md another man stayed outside on
watch.
The men In the dugout kept asking
zach other when the bombardment
would END. and why we were not rein
orced. and what was happening, and
whether the Turks would attack us. 1t
vas easy TO see why We were not rein
orced-nO body Of men could have
,ot TO US from the reserve trenches.
'he communication trenches were
Iuite a distance from us and were
ALTERED up at that Some OF the men