Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-10-04

their lives than the ordinary private
they were allowed more privileges
When it was at all possible our sniper.
were allowed dry quarters, the best O.
food, and they did not have to follow
the usual routine, but came and wen
as they pleased.
| Our snipers, as rule, went ove1
the parapet about dusk, just before
Fritz got his star shells going. They
would crawl out to shell craters OF
tree stumps or holes that they had
spotted during the day-in other
words, places where they could see
the enemy parapets but could not be
seen themselves. Once in position
they would make themselves comfort.
able, smear their tin hats With dirt
get good rest for their rifles and
snlpe every German they saw. They
wore extra bandoleers of CARTRIDGES
since there was no telling how MANY
rounds they might fire during the
night. Sometimes they had direct and
visible targets and other times thew
potted Huns by guesswork. Usually
they crawled back just before dav-
light, but sometimes they were ont "a
hours at stretch. They took great
pride in the number of Germans thew
knocked over, and if our men did not
get eight or ten they thought they had
not done a good nights work, OF
course 1t was not wholesale killing
like machine guAning, but it was yerv
useful, because our snipers were al
ways laying for the German snipers.
ana when they got SHIPPER Fritz they
saved just so many of our lives.
The Limeys have a great little ex.
preston that means a lot: "Carrv on I"
Ihey say 1t is a cockney expression.
When a captain falls in action. his
words are not message to the girl
ne left behind him or any dope about
his gray-haired mother, but Garry on.
Lieutenant Whosis." If the lieutenant
gets his it is Garry on, Sergeant
Jacks" and so on as far as it goes
SO the words used to mean. "Take
over the command and do the 1oh
right" But now they mean not onlv
that but keep up your courage. and
go to It," One man will say it to
another sometimes when he thinks the
t1rst man is getting downhearted. but
more often, if he is Limey, he will
start kidding him.
Our men, Of course, did not saw
carry on" and in fact they did not
nave any expression in French that
meant exactly the same thing. But
they used to cheer each other along.
all right, and they passed along the
command when it was necessary. too.
l wonder what expression the Ameri-
can troops will use. (You notice I
10 not call them Sammies y
took my turn at listening post with
the rest of them, of course. A listen.
ing post Is any good position out in
NO Mans Land, and is always held by
TWO men. Their job is to keep a live
ear on Fritz and in case they hear any,
hing that sounds very much like an
attack one man runs back to his lines
md the other stays to hold back the
8oches as long as he can. You can
1gure for yourself which is the most
healthful Job.
AS many times as I went on 1isten-
ng-post duty never did get to feel
ng homelike there exactly. You have
o lie very still, of course, as Fritz is
listening, too, and a move NAV mean
bullet In the ribs. So, lying on the
round with hardly a change of posi-
ION, the whole lower part of my body
would go to sleep before had been
It the post very long. 1 used to brag
lot about how fast I could run. 40
nao my turn as the runner, which
u1ted me all right. But everv time
got to a listening post and started
think about what I would do If
ritz should come over and wondered
ow good a runner he was, 1 took a
ong breath and said, EJECT, do your
uty." And I was strong on duty.
After I had done my stunt in the
ront-line and reserve trenches I went
ack with my company to billets, but
al only been there for a day or two
efore l was detached and detailed to
ne artillery position to the right of us.
here both the British and French
ad mounted naval guns. There were
uns OF all calibers there, both naval
nd field pieces, and I got a good look
the famous 1885," which are the
est guns in the world, in my estima- {
on, and the one thing that saved
erdun. !
The "75's" fired 80 shots a minute
here the best the German guns could
was six. The American three-inch
eld piece lets go six times a minute.
70. The French government owns the t
ecfet of the mechanism that made {
lis rapid fire possible. When the first I
(5s" began to roar, the Germans t
1eW the French had found q new f
eapon, so they were very anxious to I
It one Of the guns and learn tho $
'cret. T
Shortly afterward they captured
ght guns by mass attack in which. K
e allies claim, there were 1000 Ger t
an troops killed. The BOches stud;od q