Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1918-05-24

formed me that I was "for" a %reconnoi-
tering patrol and would carry six Mills
bombs.
AT IL 30 that night twelve men. our
lieutenant and myself went ont I'm
front on a patrol in No Mans Land.
we cruised around I'm the dark for
about two hours, just knocking about
looking for trouble, on the lookout for
Boche working parties to see what
they were doing.
Around two I'm the morning we wera
carefully picking our way about thirty
yards In front of the German barbed
wire, when we walked into a Boche
covering party nearly thirty strong.
Then the music started, the fiddler rem.
dered his bill, and we paid.
Fighting in the dark with a bayonet
is not very pleasant. The Germans
tool It on the run, but our officer was
no novice at the game and didn't fol-
low them. He ave the order "down
on the ground, hug It close"
Just In time, too, because n yolIev
SKINNED over our heads. Then in low
tones we were told to separate ana
crawl back to u trenches, each man
on his own.
We could see the flashes of their
rifles In the darkness, but the bullets
were going over our heads.
We lost three men killed and n
wounded In the arm. If 1t hadn't been
for u officers quick thinking the
whole patrol would have probably
been wiped out.
After about twenty minutes wait we
out again and discovered that
the Germans had a wiring party work.
Ing on their barbed wire. We returned
to u trenches unObserved with the
Information and our machine guns i'm
mediately got busy.
The next night four men were sent
out to go ove and examine the Ger
man barbed wire and see II they had
cut lanes through It; II so, this pres
aged an early morning attack on our
trenches.
OF course l had to be one Of the four
selected for the job. II was lust like
sending a fellow to the undertaker's
~ OTueT MS own comm.
At ten o'clock we started out. armed
with three bombs, n bayonet and re-
volver. After getting into No Mans
we separated. Crawling four or
five feet at n time, ducking star shells,
with strays cracking overhead, 1
reached their wire. l secuted along
this inch by inch, scarcely breathing.
| could hear them talking In their
trench, my heart was pounding against
my Ribs. One false move or the least
noise from me meant discovery and
almost certain death.
After covering my sector I quietly
crawled back. l had gotten about half
way when l noticed that my revolver
was missing. 1t was pitch dark. 1
turned about to see II / could nnd Il:
II couldn't be far away, because about
three or four minutes previously / had
felt the butt in the holster. / crawled
around In circles and at last found It,
then started on my way back to u
trenches, as / thought.
Pretty sOOn / reached barbed wire.
was just going to give the pass
word when something told me not TO.
put out my band and touched n Of
he barbed wire stakes. It was iron.
The British are Of wood, while the
German are iron. My heart stopped
by mistake / had crawled
back to the German lines.
/ turned slowly about and my tunlc
'aught on the wire and made a loud
noise.
A sharp challenge rang out.
Iprang to my feet, ducklng low, and
an madly back toward our lines. The
Germans started firing. The bullets
biting all around nae, when bangl