The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-05-17
CHAPTER XIV.
Listening Post.

An rest billets, digging roads. drilling
and other fatigues, and then back into
the front-line trench.
Nothing happened that night, but the
next afternoon / found out that a
bomber is general utility man in a sec
ton.
About five o'clock in the afternoon
our lieutenant came down the trench
and stopping in front of bunch of us
ON the fire step. with broad grin on
his face, asked:
'sVho Is going to volunteer for listen
ing post tonighti need two men"
II is needless to say no one volun-
1eered, because it is anything but a
.cushy Job. began to feel uncomfort-
able as / knew it was getting around
Tor my turn. Sure enough. with another
erin. he said:
atEmpey. you and Wheeler are due,
10 come down into my dugout for In
istructions at six O'clock"
Just as he left and was going around
q traverse. Fritz turned loose with a
machine gun and the bullets ripped the
sandbags right over his head. 1t gave
M great pleasure to see him duck
against the parapet. He was getting a
sfnate Of what we would get later out
IN front.
Then. Of course, it began to rain. 1
knew II was the forerunner Of a mis-
enable night for us. Every time had
to 60 out in front, 1t Just naturally
E1ined. Old Jupiter Pluvius must have
had It In for me.
casAt six we reported for instructions.
1Aey were simple and easy. ALI we
had to do was to crawl out into No
Mans Land. lie on our bellies with our
ears to the ground and listen for the
tnp. tap OF the German engineers or
slppers who might be tunneling under
10 Mans Land to establish a mine
head beneath our trench.
OF course. In our orders we were told
not to be captured by German patrols
n accommodating parties Lots Of
breath Is wasted on the western front
swing silly cautions.
AS soon as It was dark, Wheeler and
1 erawled to our post which was about
halfway between the lines. II was
raining bucketfuls. the ground was a
SEA OF sticky mud and chung to us like
glue.
We took turns in listening with our
ears to the ground. i would listen for
twenty minutes while Wheeler would
he ON the qui vive for German patrols
We each wore a wristwatch. and be-
iiieFe me. neither one of us did over
twenty minutes The rain soaked us
to the skin and our ears were full Of |
mud.
Every few minutes a bullet would |
crack overhead or a machine gun would |
trarerse back and forth.
Then all firing suddenly ceased. 1 |
whispered to Wheeler. Keep your eye
Skinned. mate: most likely Fritz has
=a2Datrol out-that's Why the Boches
have stopped firing"
We were each armed with q rife and
bayonet and three Mills bombs to be
used for defense only.
had my ear to the ground All Of /
= sudden heard faint. dull thuds.
In . low but excited voice 1 whispered
TO Wheeler. Il think they are mining.
listen
He put his ear to the ground and
In an unsteady voice spoke into my
ear:
Yank. that's a patrol and it's head
Ing our way. For Gods sake keep
stfILs
4 was as still as a mouse and was
scared stif l.
Hardly breathing and with eyes try
Ing 10 pierce the inky blackness. we
walled. would have given a thou
sapd pounds to have been safely In
my dugout.
Then we plainly heard footsteps and
Dur hearts stood stiri.
"A dark form suddenly doomed up In
lruut Of me: II looked as big az the
WooIworth building. I could hear
Ihe blood rushing through my veins
md It sounded as loud AZ Niagara
IaIls- q
Forms seemed to emerge from the {
darkness. There were seven Of them {
q all tried to wish them away.
lever wished harder in my life. They I
nutfered few words in German and
melted into the blackness. didn't I
top wishing either. I,
AL of sudden we heard stumble.
muddy splash. and muttered Don
Ter und Bitten" One OF the Boches
nd tumbled into a shell hole. Neither I
{ as laughed. At that time-it didn't
trike rs as funny.
About twenty minutes after the Ger I
nans had disappeared something from
be rear grabbed me by the foot.
early tainted with fright. Then |
Iclcomo whisper 10 cockney accent. !
Il s'y myie we've come to relieve 1