The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-03-15

~A~ONoAS
then, so dragged the other chap into
one Of two holes made by the shell.
Some pieces Of the shell had stuck
into the dirt in the hole and they were
still hot. Also, there was sort of
gas there that hung around for sew
eral minutes, but it was not very bad.
The man began talking to me, and
he said it was an honor to lie on the
field of battle with leg shot off and
dead men piled all about you, and
some not dead but grooming. He told
me l would soon be able to hear the
grooming, though I had not said
minded it, or anything about it. Then
he said again what an honor 1t was,
and asked if l had a drink for him.
I had not had any water all day, and
/ told him so, but he kept on asking
for it all the same. Some of the Turk
ish bOmbers must have sneaked up
pretty close to our lines, for when l
looked out of the hole toward our
lines, and a shell burst near them,
1 could see a Turk coming toward us.
We played dead then, but l had my
bayonet ready for him in case he had
seen us and decided to come up to the
hole. Evidently he had not, for when
he got near the hole he steered to the
side and went around.
The other garby was cheerful when
he was not asking for water, but you
Gould coo ho uoc DoipD <oSf CO VIC cot
there in the hole and he died. Shortly
afterward the fire slackened a little
and got out and started toward our
lines. But I remembered about the
other wounded man I had passed
when I was carrying Philippe Pierre,
so began hunting for him, and after
a long time found him. He was still
alive. His chest was all smashed in
and he was badly cut up around the
neck and shoulders. I picked him up
and started back, but ran into some
barbed wire and had to go around.
I was pretty tired by this time and
awfully thirsty. and thought if I did
not rest little bit could never make
it. was so tired and nervous that
I did not care much whether I did
get back or not, and the wounded
garby was groaning all the time.
So when I thought the shells were
coming pretty thick again got into
shell hole and it was the same one
had left not long before. The dead
garby was there just as I had left him.
The wounded one was bleeding all
over, and my clothes were just soaked
with blood from the three men, but
most Of all from him. There was some
Of my own blood on me, too, for when
I was knocked down by the shell my
nose bled and kept bleeding for long
time, but, Of course, that was nothing
to the bleeding Of the
others.
The worst Of all was that he kept
grooming for water, and it made me
than I had been, even. But
there was not a drop Of water any
where and knew there was no use
any bodies for TASKS. So
We just had to stick it out. Pretty
soon the wounded man quit groaning
Ind was quiet, and I knew he was
going to die too. It made me mad to
link that had not been Of any use
n carrying these two men around,
,ut If had gone on with either Of
hem 1t would have been just the same
they would have died and probably
would have got it, too. When I fig
lred it out this way quit worrying
lbout it, only wished the fire would
ct up.
Sc the other man died, and there |
we're two of them In the hole. I read |
he numbers on their Identification |
lisks when shells burst near enough |
% that could see them, and after |
While got back to our lines and rolled |
q. I could not remember the num-
'ers or the names by that time, but a
working party got them, along with
theirs. so 1t was all right.
Ny clothes were a mess, as have |
aid, and I was so tired I thought I |
ould sleep for a week, but I could
ot stand 1t in my clothes any longer.
t was absolutely against regulations,
ut I took off all my clothes-the
lood had soaked into the skin-and
wrapped myself in nothing but air
nd went right to sleep. I did not /
leep very we'll, but woke up every
nee In a while and thought I was in
be hole again.
During the night they brought up
inter, but was asleep and did not
now 1t. They did not wake me,
ut two men saved by share,
hough usually In a case like that 1t
7as everybody for himself and let the
asst man 60 dry. You could not blame
hem, either, so I thought 1t was
retty decent Of these two to save my
hare for me. believe they must
ave had q hard time keeping the
theirs of Of 1t, to say nothing of them
elves, for there really was not more
han enough for one good drink all
round. It tasted better than anything
have ever drunk. Go dry for "a
ours in the hottest weather you can
nd, do a nights work like that, and
ome to in the morning with a tin
up full Of muddy water being handed
, Won. and Won will know what I