Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-12
Listening Post" Environment

voice.
Listening Post" Environment
Barbed wire. the narrow, dismal, sos-
gy space known as no mans land. and
more barbed wire before the enemy
trenches-these formed the view in
front of the listening post. There are
few variations, and 1T is about the same
at every listening post along the en-
tire line. The strain of standing hour
after hour, looking away into moth
ingness is the hardest phase of trench
life at the front. Men sometimes go
insane, and that is why there are usu-
ally two and sometimes three men at
each post. Non-commi ssioned officers
make frequent inspections and ask the
men how they are. The crash of shells,
the whistle of bullets and the slash and
stab of fighting do not have the same
terrors as life at the lonesome listening
post
'One of our men got boche at 900
yards this morning" said a lieutenant,
coming up. He had been in the habit
of coming to a part of their trenches
US They are not used to shooting ac-
curately at that distance Our man
shot three times at this German. At
the first shot he stopped and looked
around to see where the bullet came
from. The third bullet dropped him.
We went back into the front trench,
where there was a stretch of souplike
mud. Soldiers with spades were trying
to accelerate the sluggish movement.
All were standing knee deep in the mud
and their feet and legs would be thor
oughly soaked before they were off
duty and back in their damp dugouts
The soldiers are cheerful, but pneu-
Nonia as the result of this unneces-
sary exposure has already claimed vic
Tins Why the men are not supplied
with sufficient rubber boots instead of
m
might answer.
Cold Stems Linger in Memory.
Say, do you know there would be
several cold stems waiting for US after
this days work II 1 were at home in
CINCINNATI" laughed one lusty SHOW
eler who spoke with pronounced Ger
man accent
Me. too. but 1 amt in New York"
less cheerfu1ly said a smaller, dark
youth with Jewish nose
Parts Of the trenches are less muddy
but others are rushing rivulets with the
water ankle high This gives a fleeing
picture OF how our men live on the front
line Anybody who goes through the
trenches viii be caked with mud to the
knees. spattered with mud to the hips
and rubbed with mud to the elbows and
sides from scraping the narrow walls.
Better put out our pipes and stop
smoking" said the captain, setting the
example. I've are coming to a listening
post only thirty yards from a Hun post
They can see smoke and can hear us
speaking above whisper" he cautioned
The post was the one where the Ger
mans captured a man few nights ago
There were three men in it today one
was a full-blood Indian and one a half
breed Indian named Polls
Must keep down lower" said one Of
the Indians They were trying to SHINE
US few minutes ago. We can see their
listening post through the mirror box tele-
scope. but We dare not stick up our head
to look"
Might Have Been a Statue.
The other Indian might have been a
statue. Motionless, he stood peering
straight ahead. saying nothing but hear
ing and seeing everything. The instincts of
soldier were born in him. though this
the days Of his ancestors, who used bows
and arrows.
I'VE have such marked superiiorfty in
sniping that we have practically silenced
the German snipers," said the captain
when we first entered the trenches the
Germans were sniping all the time and
picking off our men. But we are better
shots than they
For more than an hour our guns had
been working steadily. The Germans
were silent. as if the opposite hills were
empty instead OF being boneycombed
with trenches and gun emplacements
directing their fire on the sector
toward which we were walking. At
least fifty high explosive shells seemed
to hit 100 yards of the front in the
space of five minutes.
Get down! Don't let them see US
here or they will be starting their
shells on this sector" warned the cap
tain
It was thrilling sight to see the
dirt thrown up by the exploding shells.
II seemed as If half a dozen giant black
f1r trees were raising their heads high
in the air every second. We kept on
walking in the same direction and when
we reached the sector the lombard
ment stopped as suddenly as it started.
The men were just emerging from the
dugouts. into which they had ducked
for protection.
McGuire's Cigarette Is Banned.
You. Mcclure, stop smoking that
cigarette or you will have them shoot
ing over in this direction again." or
dared = sexEeapt. ina tansa whisper.