The Washington herald., 1918-02-21
CHAPTER XIV.
Picks and ShOVels.

1 had not slept long before the sweet
voice of the sergeant informed that
No. section had clicked for another
blinking digging party" I smiled to
myself with deep satisfaction. had
been promoted from a mere digger to
a member of the Suicide Club, ana
was exempt from all fatigues. Then
came an awful shock. The sergeant
| looked over in my direction and said:
Don't you bomb throwers think
that you are wearing top hnts out
| here. 'Cordin' to orders you've been
taken up on the strength of this Sec
| ton and will have to do your bit with
the pick and shovel. same as the rest
of u.s."
! 1 put up a howl on my way to get
my shovel, but the only thing that
resulted was a loss of good huinor on
my part.
| We fell in at s o'clock, outside of
| our billets, a sort of masquerade par
| ty. 1 was disguised as a common la
borer. had a pick and shovel, and
about 100 empty sandDags. The rest,
about 200 in all. were equipped like
wise: picks, shovels, sandbags, rifles
and ammunition.
The party moved out in column of
fOurs. taking the road leading to the
| trenches. Several times we had to
string out in the ditch to let long
columns of limbers, artillery. and
supplies get past.
The marching under the conditions
was necessarily slow. Upon arrival
at the entrance to the communication
trench. 1 looked at my illuminated
wrist watch-it was IL o'clock.
Before entering the trench, word
was passed down the line. no talking
or smoking; lead off in single file.
covering party first"
This covering party consisted OF
| thirty men. armed with rifles, bay
onets, bombs, and two Lewis machine
guns. They were to protect US and
guard against surprise attack,
while digging in No Mans Land.
The communication trench was
about half a mile long, a zigzagging
ditch eight feet deep and three feet
wide.
Now and again German shrapnel
would whistle overhead and burst in
our vicinity. We would crouch
| against the earthen walls while the
| shell fragments slapped" the ground
| above us.
Once Fritz turned loose with a ma
| chine gun, the bullets from which
cracked through the air and kicked
up the dirt on the top, scattering sand
and pebbles, which, hitting our steel
helmets, sounded like hailstones.
Upon arrival in the fire trench an
officer Of the Royal Engineers gave
US our instructions and acted as
! guide.
We were to dig an advanced trench
200 yards from the Germans Ohe
trenches at this point were 600 yards
apart)
Two winding lanes, five feet wide,
had been cut through our barbed
wire. for the passage of the diggers.
From these lanes white tape had been
laid on the ground to the point where
we were to commence work. This in
| order that we would not get lost in
| the darkness. The proposed trench
was also laid out with tape.
The covering party went out first.
After a short wait, two scouts came
back with information that the work.
ing party was to follow and carry
on with their work.
In extended order. two yards apart,
we noiselessly crept across No Mans
Land. 1t was nervous work: every
minute we expected a machine gun
to open fire on US. Stray bullets
cracked around us, or a ricochet
sang overhead.
Arriving at the taped diagram of
the trench, we lost no time in getting
to work. We dug as quietly as pos
sible, but every now and then, the
noise of a pick or shovel striking a
stone would send the cold shivers
down our backs. Under our breaths
we heartily cursed the offending Tom
my.
At intervals a star shell would go
up from the German lines and we
would remain motionless until the
glare Of its white light died out.
When the trench had reached a
depth Of two feet we felt safer, be-