Norwich bulletin., 1918-02-12
cHAPTER xvLcontinued.

At one part of our trench where a communication trench joined the front line, a Tommy had stuck up a wooden sign-post with three hands or arms on it. One of the hands, point ing to the German lines read, To Berlin; the one pointing down the communication trench read, To Blighty,' while the other said, Suicide Ditch; Change Here for Stretchers.'
 Farther down from this guide post the trench ran through an old or chard. On the edge of this orchard our battery had constructed an ad- vanced observation post. The trees screened it from the enemy airmen and the roof was turfed. It wasn't cushy like ours, no timber or concrete endorsements; just walls and roof of sandbags. From it, splendid view of the German lines could be ob- tained. The post wasn't exactly safe. It was a hot corner shells plunking all around, and the bullets cutting leaves off the trees. Many time when relieving the signaler at the phone, had to crawl on my belly like worm to keep from being hit.
 Tt was an observation post, sure enough. That's all the use it was. Just observe all day, but never a mes- sage back for our battery to open up. You see, at this point of the line there were strict orders not to fire a shell unless specially ordered to do so from Brigade Headquarters. Blime me, if anyone disobeyed that command, our general-yes, it was Old Pepper would have courtmartialed the whole Expeditionary Force. Nobody went out of their way to disobey Old Pep | per in those days, because he couldn'i 1 be called a parson: he was more like a pirate. If at any time the devil should feel lonely, and sigh for a 1 proper mate, Old Pepper would gel I the first calfs Facing the Germans wasn't half bad compared with an in- | terview with that old firebrand
 If a company or battalion should l give way few yards against su- periors forceseof Boches, Old Pepper | would send for the commanding off l cer. :ITr about half an hour the off cer wonldi>come back with his face 1 the. color of brick and in a few hours, what was left of his conn mands would be hplding their orig. | inal position &1t
 l aisf have seen san officer, who would i not say damn for a thousand quit spend five minutes with the old boy and when he returned, the flow o i language from his lips would make navvy blush for shame. | What I am going to tell you i. how two of us put, it over on the olt scamp, and got away with it. It wa a risky thing too because Old Peppel wouldn't have been exactly mild witt us if he had got nextato the game. | Me and my mate, lad named Harry Cassell, a bombadier in D 23i l Elof ffo,- 1avz 1t in the infantry, used to relieve tn, telephonists. We would do two hour
 on and four off. I,would be on dut,
 in the advanced observation post
 while he would be at the other, en' of the wire in the battery dugou
 signaling station. We were suppose, to send through orders for the bat l tery to fire when ordered to do so b
 the observation officer in the ad
 vanced post. But very few ressa ge
 were sent. It was only in case of al
 actual attack that we would get
 chance to earn our two, and six i;
 day. You see, Old Pepper had issue orders not to fire except when th
 orders came from him. And wit Old Pepper orders is orders an made to obey., ...,
 'The Germans, must have know
 about these. orders. for even in tn day their transports and troops use to expose themselves as if they Wer on parade. This sure got up ou
 nose, sitting there day after day, wit fine targets in front of us. but unab1 to. send over a. shell. We hearth
 cussed Old Pepper, his orders, tn
 government. the people at home, an everything in general. But the Roche
 didn't mind cussing and got yer
 careless. Blime me, they were badl
 insulting-used to. when using cer
 tain road. throw their. caps into tn
 air as taunt at our helplessness.
 t'Cassell had been telegrapher i
 civil life and joined up when war wa
 declared. As for me, I knew Mors,
 learned it at the Signaler's Schoe
 back in 191G. With an officer in tn
 observation post, we could not carr usual between two mates, so we use the Morse code. To send, one of u would tap the transmitter with hi finger nails, and he; one on the othe end would get it through this man ner passing compliments back an forth 2. o.A-e- ~.
 T Tn the observation post. the off cer used to. sit for hours with pow
 erful pair of field glasses to his eye Through a cleverly concealed loop
 hole he would scan the ground be ;.t hind the German trenches, lookin for targets and finding many. Thi
 officer, Captain A by name. ha ! a habit of talking out loud to him hself. Sometimes he would vent hi
 opinion. same as a common privat does when he's wrought up. Ono upon a time the captain had been o Old Peppers staff, so he could GUS