Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-08-28
CHAPTER xxvl-contlnued.

did not seem TO disturb the raiders, be
cause many a joke made in an under
tone, vas passed along the winding
column, as to who would be first to
take a ride on one of the stretchers.
This was generally followed by wish
that, if you were to be the one, the
wound would be a ''cushy Blighty
one"
The stretcher bearers, no doubt
hoping that, if they did have to carry
anyone to the rear. he would be small
and light. Perhaps they looked at me
when wishing. because could feel an
uncomfortable. boring sensation be.
tween my shoulder blades They got
their wish all right.
Going up this trench, about every
sixty yards or so we would pass a lone
ly sentry. who In whisper would
wish us 'the best o. luck, mates" We
would blind at him under our breaths /;
that Jonah phrase to US sounded very
ominOus.
Without any casualties the minstrel
troop arrived at Suicide ditch. the
i Il
party of the Royal Engineers had cut
lane through our barbed wire to en-
able us to get out into No Mans Land.
Crawling through this lane, our
party of twenty took up an extended
order formation about one yard apart.
We had tap code arranged for our
movements while In No Mans Land,
because for various reasons it is not
safe to carry on heated conversation
q few yards in front of Fritz lines.
The officer was on the right of the
line, while l was on the extreme left.
Two taps from the right would be
passed down the line until / received
them, then l would send back one tap.
The officer, in receiving this one tap,
would know that his order had gone
down the whole line, had been under
stood, and that the party was ready
to obey the twO-tap signal. Two taps
meant that we were to crawl forward
slowly-and believe me, very slowly
for five yards, and then halt to await
further instructions. Three taps meant,
when you arrived within striking dis
tance of the German trench, rush it
and inflict as many casualties as pos
sible, secure couple of prisoners, and
then back to your own lines with the
speed clutch open. Four taps meant,
Il have gotten you into position from
which it is impossible for me to extri-
cate you, so you are on your own"
After getting Tommy into a mess on
the western front he is generally told
that he is "on his own" This means,
Save your skin in any way possible"
Tommy loves to be ION his own" behind
the lines, but not during a trench raid.
The star shells from the German
lines were falling in front of us, there
fore we were safe. After about twen-
ty minutes we entered the star shell
zone. A star shell from the German
lines fell about five yards in the rear
and to the right of me; we Rugged the
ground and held our breath until 1t
burned out. The smoke from the star
shell Travelled along the ground and
crossed over the middle of our line.
Some Tommy sneezed. The smoke had
gotten up his nose. We crouched on
the ground, cursing the offender under
our breath, and waited the volley that
generally ensues when the Germans
have heard d noise in No Mans Land
Nothing happened. We received two
taps and crawled forward slowly for
five yards; no doubt the officer be-
lieved what Old Pepper had said, per
sonally believe that that part of the
German trench is unoccupied." By be-
ing careful and remaining motionless
when the star shells fell behind us, we
reached the German barbed wire with
out mishap. Then the fun began. l
was scared stiff as it Is ticklish work
cutting your way through wire when
about thirty feet in front of you there
is line of Boches looking out into No
Mans Land with their rifles lying
across the parapet, straining every
sense to see or hear what is going on
in No Mans Land because at night
Fritz never knows when a bomb with
his name and number on Ii will come
hurting through the air aimed in the
right, one man in the center and my
self on the extreme left were equipped
with wire cutters. These are insulated
with soft rubber not because the Ger
man wires are charged with electricity,
but to prevent the cutters rubbing
against the barbed wire stakes, which
are of iron, and making a noise
which may warn the inmates of the
trench that someone is getting fresh
in their front yard. There is only one
way to cut a barbed wire without noise
and through costly experience Tommy
has become an expert in doing this.
You must grasp the wire about two
your hand.
inches from the stake in your right
hand and cut between the stake and
If you cut wire improperly, a
loud wang viii ring out on the night
air like the swapping of a banjo
string. Perhaps this noise can be
heard only for fifty or seventy-five
yards, but in Tommy's mind 1t makes
a loud noise in Berlin.
We had cut lane about halfway
through the wire when, down the CEN
ter Of our line, twangl went an i'm
properly cut wire. We erouched down,
cursing under our breath. trembling all
over, our knees lacerated from the
strands of the cut barbed wire on the
ground. waiting for a challenge and
the inevitable volley of rife fire. Moth
ing happened. suppose the fellow
who cut the barbed wire improperly
was the one who hal sneezed about