The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-09-12
CHAPTER VII.
Stopping the Huns a, pIsmude.

was standing In a communication
trench that connected one OF our front
line trenches with crater caused by
the explosion Of a mine. All around
me men Of the third line were coming
up, climbing around, digging. hammer
ing. shifting planks. moving sandbags
up and down, bringing up new tlmbers.
reels Of barbed wire. ladders, cases OF
ammunition. machine guns, trench
mortars-all the things that make an
army look like a general store on legs.
The noise OF the guns was just deaf
ening. our own shells passed not far
above our heads. so close were the
enemy trenches, and the explosions
were so near ard so violent that when
you rested your rifle butt on something
solid, like rock, you could feel II
shake and hum every time n shell
landed.
our first line was Just on the out
skirts OF the town. I'm trenches that
had been won and lost by both sides
many times. our second line was In
the streets and the third line was
almost at the south end OF the town.
The Huns were hard at II. Smelling
the battered remains OF Dixmude. and
10 the right stretcher bearers were
working I'm lines so close that they
looked like two parades passing each
other. But the bearers from the com
pany near me had not returned from
the emergency dressing station and
the wounded we're piling up. waiting
for them.
A company OF the 2me Legion Etran.
gere had just come up 10 take their
stations In the crater, under the para
pet of sandbags. A shell landed among
them just before they entered the era,
ter and sent almost whole squad
west. besides wounding several others.
Almost before they occupied the
crater the wires were laid and reached
back to us, and the order came for us
TO remain where we were until further
orders.
Then we got the complete orders.
We were 20 make no noise but were all
90 be ready In ten minutes. We put
on goggles and respirators. In ten
minutes the bombers were 10 leave the
trenches. Three mines were 10 ex-
plode and then we were 20 take and
hold a certain portion Of the enemy
trenches not far OF. We were all
ready TO start up the ladders when
they moved Nigs section over 10 ours
and he sneaked up TO me and whis-
pered behind his hand, "Be a sport.
Doc; make II fifty-fifty and gimme n
chance"
I did not have any idea what he
meant and he had TO get back 10 his
squad. Then the bonbers came up 20
the ladders. masked and with loaded
sacks on their left arms. "one min
ute now" said the officers. getting ON
their own ladders and drawing their
revolvers-though most OF the officers
Of the Legion charged with rifle and
bayonet like their men.
Then-Boom SLANT Bang land
the mines went on
"Allezi I" and then the parapet was
filed with bayonets and men scram. .
bling and crawling and falling and get. .
ting up again. The smoke drifted back
on us, and then our own machine guns 4
began ahead OF us
Up toward the front the bombers .
were fishing I'm their bags and throw
ing. just like boys after a rat along
the docks. The black smoke from the
"Jack Johnsons" rolled over us and
probably there was gas, too, but you
could not tell.
The front lines had taken theiI
trenches and gone on and you could
see them, when you stood on para
pet, running about like hounds through
the enemy communication trenches
bombing out dugouts, disarming pris
oners-yery tcary-looking In theii
masks and goggles. The wounded
were coming back slowly. Then We
got busy with our work In the dugout