Show Y OVER THE TOP By Aini Amen ic urD Ath Gy Empey t S o err 1 Mac Machine Gunner Serving in Fr France nce Copyright 1917 b by Arthur On Guy Empey r if if EMPEY AND A COMRADE HAVE EXCITING EXPERIENCE WHILE ON LISTENING POST DUTY Synopsis Fired Fired by the sinking of the Lusitania with the loss of American lives Arthur Guy Empey an American living in Jersey City go goes s to England and enlists as a In the British army After a short experience as a recruiting officer In London he Is sent to training training train train- ing fag quarters In France where he first hears the sound of big big- guns and makes the acquaintance of cooties After a brief briet period period period-ot of training Empey's company IS sent into late the line front-line trenches es where he takes his first turn on the fire step while the bullets whiz overhead Empey learns as comrade falls that death lurks always in the trenches Chaplain distinguishes h himself by rescuing wounded men under hot fire With pick and shovel Empey has experience as as a trench digger in No Mans Man's Land Much attention Is required by wounded men from the corps of doctors doctors and nurses On listening post detail etaU CHAPTER XIV XIV Continued 10 10 If a 0 man is killed he is buried and the responsibility of ot th the government ceases excepting for the fact that his people receive a pension But nut if it a man manIs manIs manis Is wounded mounded it takes three three thre men from tl the firing li li s the wound wounded d man and two men to carry him to the rear to the he advanced first first- first aid Id post Here he Is attended by a doctor perhaps assisted assist assist- ted t- t ed by two R. R A A. M M. C. C men Then he is put pet into a motor ambulance manned by a crew of two or three At the field hospital where he generally goes under under under un un- un- un der an anesthetic either to have his wounds cleaned or to be operated on he requires the services of oi about three to five persons From this this' point another another another an an- other ambulance ride impresses more men men In his in-his his service and then at the ambulance ambulance ambulance am am- tra train n another corps of doctors doctors doctors doc doc- tors R. R A. A M. M Red Cross nurses and the trains train's crew From the train he enters the base hospital or 01 casualty cl clearing aring station where a sized good corps of of doctors nurses etc are kept busy Another ambulance journey Is la next In this order order order this time to the hospital ship He crosses the channel arrives in Blighty more flighty more ambulances and perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps a ride f for r five hours on an EnglIsh English English Eng Eng- lish Red Cross Cros train with its crew of Red Red Cross workers and at last he reaches the hospital Generally he he stays from two to six months or longer long long- er er In this hospital From here he I is sent sept to a a convalescent nt home for six weeks If It by wounds he Is unfitted for further further further fur fur- ther s service h he Is Is' discharged given a n pension or committed to a soldiers' soldiers home for the rest of his life life and and still the e expense ense piles up p. p When you realize realize real ize that all the ambulances trains and ships not to mention the man power used In transporting a wounded man could be used for supplies ammunition and re for the troops troops' at atthe atthe atthe the front It will not appear strange that from froma a strictly military standpoint standpoint standpoint stand stand- point a dead man is sometimes better than a live one If wounded Not long after the first digging party our general decided after a n careful tour of ot Inspection of the communication atlon a- a tion trenches upon an ideal spot ash ashe as he h termed it for a machine-gun machine emplacement emplacement emplacement em em- placement took his map made a adot dot doton on n It and as he was wont wrote dig here and the next night we dug There were twenty in the party myself myself myself my my- self included Armed with picks shovels and empty sandbags we arrived arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived at the ideal spot and started digging The moon was very bright Aright but we did not care as we were well out of sight of the German lines We had gotten about three feet down when the fellow next to me after after after aft aft- er a a mighty stroke with his pick let go goof goof goot of ot the handle and pinched his nose with his thumb add arid forefinger at the same time letting out the explosion Gott strafe me pink Im I'm bloody well gassed not tilt alt I aint I quickly turned In his direction with an inquiring Inquiring ing look at the same instant reaching for my gas bag I soon found out what was ailing him One whiff was enough and I lost no time in also pinching my nose The stench was awful The rest of ot the digging party drop dropped ped their picks and shovels and beat bent It for the weathers weather side de of that solitary pick The officer came over and inquired why the work had suddenly ceased holding our noses noses we simply pointed in the direction direction direction tion of the smell He lIe went over to the pick Immediately clapped his hand handover handover handover over his nose nose made an about turn and came back Just then our captain captain captain cap cap- tain came along and Investigated In but after about a minute said we had bad better bet bet- ter tel carry carryon on with the digging that he did not see why we should have stopped as ns the odor was very faint but If necessary he would allow us our gas helmets while digging He would stay and see the thing through but he had to to- report back hack to brigade headquarters headquarters head head- quarters Immediately We wi wished hed that we Ve were captains and also had a date at brigade ade headquarters With our gas as helmets on we again attacked that hole and uncovered the decomposed body of ot 1 i German the pick was sticking In h his chest One of the tho men fainted J. J I was was- that one Upon this our lieutenant halted baited proceedings and arid sent word back co headquarters and word came back that after we filled In the hole we could off for tor the night This was welcome welcome welcome wel wel- come tidings tiding to us as because because- Next day the general changed the dot on his map and find another emplacement Dent ment was wu completed the following bL The odor from the up dug-up decomposed decomposed decomposed posed human bo body y has an eff effect ct which is hard to describe It first produces a nauseating feeling which especially aft after ex eating causes causes causes' vomiting This reU relieves relieves re re- U ves you temporarily rily but soon a n weakening sensation sensation f follows which leaves you limp as a dishrag Your spirits are at their lowest ebb and you feel a sort of ot hopelessness and a mad desire to escape It all to get to the open fields and the perfume mo of the flowers flowers flowers flow flow- ers In Blighty There is a sharp pr prickling sensation in the nostrils which reminds one one of ot breathing coal ga gas through a radiator in th the floor and you want to sneeze but cannot This was was the effect on me surmounted by a vague horror of the awfulness of the thing and an recurring ever reflection that perhaps I sooner or later would be in such a state and be brought to lIi light mt b by the he blow of a p pick ck in IIi the hands of some Tommy on a digging party Several times I I have experienced this odor but never could get used to it the enervating sensation was always present It made me hate war and wonder why such things were countenanced countenanced counte counte- countenanced by civilization lon and all the spice and glory of the conflict would disappear disappear p pear ar leaving the grim reality But nut after leaving the spot and filling your lungs flings with deep breaths of ot pure fresh air you forget and once again gain want to tobe tobe be up and at them i Cl-i CHAPTER PTER XV XV Listening Post It was six in th the morning when we arrived at our rest billets and we were allowed to sleep until noon that is If we wanted to go without our our breakfast break break- fast For Fors sixteen days days' we remained Ri r r M. M 4 Entrance to a Dugout In rest billets digging roads drilling and other fatigues and then back Into th the front line front lne trench Nothing happened that night but the next afternoon I found out that a bomber is general utility man in a sec sec- tion About five o'clock In the afternoon our lieutenant came down the trench and stopping In front of ot a bunch of us on the fire step with a broad grin on his face asked Who Is going to volunteer for listenIng listening listening listen listen- ing post tonight I need two men It is needless to say no one volunteered volunteered volunteered volun volun- because It Is anything but a n rush cushy job I began to feel uncomfortable able as I knew It was getting around for my turn Sure enough with another grin he said Empey you and Wheeler are due so come down Into my dugout for Instructions instructions instructions In in- at six Just as he left and was w-as going around aroundS S traverse Fritz turned loose with a machine gun and the bullets ripped the sandbags right over his head It gave me great pleasure to see flee him duck against the parapet He was getting a ab b taste ste of ot what we would get later out In front Then of ot course It began to rain I knew It was the forerunner of a n miserable miserable miserable mis mis- erable night for us Every time I had to go out In front It just naturally rained Old Jupiter Pluvius Plu must have had it in for me At sir we reported for instructions They were simple and easy All Allva va we had to do was to crawl out into No NoMan's NoMans NoMans NoMan's Mans Man's Land He lie on our bellies with our ears cars to the ground and listen for the tho tap tap of the German engineers or sappers who might be tunneling under N No Mans Man's Land to establish a minehead minehead mine- mine i iI I head beneath ou our trench Of course in our orders we were told not to be captured by German patrols or reconnoitering parties Lots of ot breath Is wasted on the western front giving silly cautions As soon as it was dark Wheeler and andI 7 I crawled to our post which was about halfway between the lines It was wali raining bucketfuls the ground was wa a asea l t sea of ot sticky y mud and clung to us OS like r t glue We took turns in listening with our 1 ears to the ground I would listen fO for a I twenty minutes while Wheeler would be on the qui vive vive for for German patrols patrol L LWe We each wore a wristwatch and belIeve believe believe be- be lieve me neither one of us U did over over twenty minutes The rain soaked its s sto I to the skin and our ears were full fuU of fi mud Every few tew minutes a bullet w ad i crack ov overhead or a machine gun wo would ld traverse back and forth ft Then all firing su suddenly denly ceased I j whispered to Wheeler ler Keep your eye skinned mate most likely Fritz has hasa r. r a patrol out out that's that's why the Boches noches' noches have stopped firing We were each armed with a rifle rine and bayonet bayon t and three Mills bombs to be iU used for defense only I t i iI I had my ear ear to the ground All of ofa f fa s sa a sudden I heard faint dull thuds In a low but excited voice I whispered to Wheeler I think they are mining 1 Y listen j 1 He put his ear to to the ground and andin r in an unsteady voice spoke into my ear Yank that's a patrol and Its It's headIng heading head head- J Ing our way For Gods God's sake keep still 1 cI i. i I was as still as ns a n mouse and was y scared stiff stir Hardly breathing and with eyes tryIng trying try try- Ing to pierce the Inky blackness ve we waited I would have given a thousand thousand thou thou- sa sand d poun pounds s. s to have been safely in my dugout Then rhen we plainly heard footsteps and our hearts stood still A dark form suddenly loomed up In front of ot me ne It looked as big as the Woolworth building I could hear I the blood rushing through my veins and it sounded as loud as Niagara I IFo IL falls L Fo Forms s seemed to emerge from the darkness There were seven of them m. m in all I tried to wish them away I never wished harder In my life They y muttered mustered mu a few words In German and 1 melted into the blackness I didn't stop wish wishing ng either All AH of ot a sudden we heard a stumble a muddy splash and a muttered Donner Donner Don ner und and Butzen Blitzen One of ot the Boches had tumbled Into a shell h hole le Neither f of ot us laughed At that time time time-it it didn't strike us as funny About twenty minutes after the Ger Ger- Germans Germans mans had disappeared something from i ithe the rear grabbed me by the foot I 1 nearly fainted with fright Then a 0 welcome welcome- whisper In a cockney accentI accent r I sy ss weve we've come to relieve e you j Wheeler and I crawled back to our trench we looked like wet hens and felt worse After swig a-swig of ot rum we we were soon fast asleep on the fire step stepIn J In our wet clothes The next morning I was as stiff us as a I poker and every j joint ached like a abad bad tooth but I was was still alive so It 1 did not matter CHAPTER XVI s Battery D 23 The day after this I received the I glad tidings that I would occupy the machine gunners' gunners dugout right near the advanced artillery observation post This dugout was a roomy affair dry dryas as tinder and real cots In ln It These cots had been made by the G I R. R Es E.'s who had bad previously occupied the dugout I was the first to enter and promptly made a signboard with my name and number on It and suspended suspended suspended sus sus- It from the foot of ot the the- most comfortable cot therein In the trenches It Is always always' first come first served and this lived up up to by all aU Two R R. R F. F A. A men Royal Field artillery artillery ar ar- y tillery from the nearby observation post were allowed the privilege Uge of M stopping in this dugout when ofT off f duty 1 One of ot these men roen Bombardier Wilson Wilson Wil Wll- son by name who belonged to Battery Battery Bat nat t tery D seemed to tako take a n 1 liking to me and I returned this feell feeling g. g In two days' days time we were pretty t chummy and he told me how his battery battery bat bat- 4 tery In the early days of the war had r put over a stunt on Old Pepper and nod 1 had gotten away with It I will to give the story as asfar i f far r as ns memory will permit In his Is own V words Il III Despite the excellent l I targets men are not net allowed to shell Fritz Empey relates In next In In I TO BE CONTINUED 0 |