El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-12-22

stom and all covered with leaves and
! twigs.
Along the edge Of the woods enemy
snipers clipped the leaves and tWigs
over and around US, FOR machine gum
ners were busy there and had been try
ing since morning to prepare emplace-
ments Tor their guns. livery time they
betrayed their presence beyond the
forest cover the enemy artillery had
notified them TO quit and the snipeTs
were keeping watch.
I found the group in good humor
though the circumstances were not the
most desirable In the world. Some Of
the men had dug little graves for them
selves in the soaking leaf-n0uld and
moss and mud Of the thicket, and
therein they lay, poncho underneath
and shelter-half over. smoking cigarets
and waiting. The sergeant said they
had drawn the enemy's artillery fire
SC many times they had decided to
wait til dark and then set up their
guns
It was not a specially healthy place;
this day a bad gas attack had been
made near here, there had been a good
deal OF shelling, and some Of our am
balances had been shelled and drivers
killed Going back by another route,
we saw big shells bursting In the road
not far ahead Of US, and at one time
when smaller shells began 70 drop in
our path behind and before Us we saw
soldiers By the road hastily adjust
their gas masks and saw one fall on
his face. We were in a sideear and
the driver asked me what We would
better do. / said It was no more IN
viting behind us than ahead and told
him TO 20 ahead through the sup
posedly gassed area We both held
our breath and kept going and nothing
happened.
This followed the flight Of a German
airman who came down pretty close
to the ground and skated along above
the road popping away with his ma
chine gun. It may have been a signal
the road We saw a closed car which
vas doubtless the Germans objective,
for the inference was It was either q
general or a second lieutenant inside
in either case worth teasing.
This road, in what was currently
called Death valley, and the cross road
from YiiceV up the hill toward Fey-en-
Have, were favorite targets for the
Germans for many DAYS after the big
attack, indeed for the entire month
during which the Goth division re-
manned in that sector. And Sainta
Marie farm and the Bots des Rappes
viii not be forgotten
This day I received the best i'm
preston yet of the real task and how
II is handled by the fellows that do
the dirty work. I began to realize
better the devotion and skill and per
sistence. How our truck drivers and
supply and ammunition carts and am
balances have managed to cross that
devastated region an the time, at night
with no roads at all and in dense
woods and under fire, an lights barred
and often in storm-Wel, coming back
that night I had a little taste OF 1t
when we we're held up in PuVenelle
Wood for hours By a traffic block and
horses and wheeled vehicles Of all
sorts were sliding into the bitches and
getting stuck in the mud, in total
darkness. We carried our sidecar
around eventually, and 7 felt a whole
lot Of respect for the men who have
been taking this grind. But after an,
the infantry in the assaulting echelons
and in the front lines, and the machine
gun men with the assault units, these,
with some Of the signal details and
some Of the engineer attachments, are
really-Wait a minute, it's nobodg's
private war.
Continued tomorrow