Carrizozo outlook. [volume] (Carrizozo, N.M.) 1910-1945, 1919-02-14

ANXIOUS Co go west" Win a shell Tor
company. but | have felt that way
since then several times. | can tell
you.
The mnn was telling us That some
time before they had seen the Turks
bringing up ammunition from some
s%torehouses. bur they did not come
anywhere near. lie said their sergeant
wanted our messenger 10 tell them
that, too. He would say n few words
very fnst. then he would shiyer again.
ana his jaws would clip together and
he would try TO raise his hand. but
could not.
Then our sergeant asked the name
Of the other sergeant, and when the
man told him he said the man was
senior 10 himself and therefore In
command and would have TO be obeyed.
He seemed to cheer up n lot after
he said this and did not SILVER amy
more. so | thought | would volunteer
then, so | said TO him, swell. mon
yleux, do you think we are seeing real
Smelling now7" And then l was going
TO say | would go, hut he looked at
me In Il funny way for n second and
then said. "weli. my son, suppose you
go and find out"
| thought he was kidding me Mt first,
but then | saw he meant Il. | thought
two things about lt-one was that my
thing was better than staying there.
and the other was that the old dugout
was II pretty fair place after all. But
l did not say anything TO the SER
gcnnt or the other mcn-just went
our OF the dugout. The sergeant and
another man went with me ana boost
ed me over the back wall Of the hole.
/ lay fiat ON the ground for II minute 10
get my bearings. and then started OFT.
l set my course for where | thought
the communication trenches were, TO
the right. and just stood up and ran,
for | figured that as the shells were
falling so thick and It was open
ground | would not have any better
| chance IL / crnwled.
| trlpped several times and went
down, ana each time thought | was
hit. because when | got II In the thigh
at DiXmude It felt n good deal as
though ] had tplpped over II rope.
Aud one time when | fell n shell ex-
ploded near me and ! began TO shlver
main, and I could not 20 on for n
long time. All this time I did not
think ! would get through. but finally.
when ! reached what had been the
communication trench ! felt / had
done the worst part Of II. and I began
to wish very hard that | would get
through was not nj all crazy about
going west.
The mouth OF the communication
trench had been battered In and the
trenches II Joined with were all filled
up. There were rifles sticking out
OF them In several places, and |
thought probably the men had been
buried alive In them. But It was too
late then. II they had been caught, so
Iscllmbed over the blocked entrance 10
the communication trench and started
back along Il. II led up through n sort
of gully, and | thought II was n bad
place 10 dig n communication trench
In, because II give the Turks some
thing like the side Of n hill to shoot at,
Every nee In n while | would have
to climb In and out OF a shell hole,
aud parts Of them were blocked where
a shell had caved in the walls. In one
place | saw corpses nli torn to pieces,
so l knew the Turks hnd found the
range and had got to this trench In
great shape. At another place ! found
lots OF blood and equipment but nc
bodies. and ! figured that reinforce.
ments had been caught at this spot
and that they had retired, taking theiE
casualties with them.
The Turks still had the range, and
they were sending a shell Into the
trench every once In n while. and
was knocked down again, though the
shell was so fur away that II knocked
me down with force Of habit more
than anything else. ! felt dizzy ant
shlyered n lot, and kept trying to thlnl
Of Murray or anything else but myself
SO hnnlly / got to the top of IN,
little hin over which the gully ran
and on the other side | felt almosI
safe. Just down from the crest OF IN,
hill was one OF our artillery positions
with the good old "75s" giving Il To th'
Turks ns fast MS they could. | toll,
the artillery officers what had hap
pened, had n drink Of water an,
thought | would take n nap. But wheI
they %telephoned the message back 4
division headquarters the man ut tn,
receiver said something to the office
and he told me 10 stay there and b,
ready. l thought sure he would sent
me bnck 10 where | came from an