Show OVER THE TOP By An American merican Arthur Gay Guy Empey Soldier Who hoWen Went Machine Gunner Serving in France Copyright tilT 1917 V by Arthur Guy Gal Empe ampey EMPEY AND AUD HIS COMRADES REPULSE A FIERCE GAS ATTACK MADE BY THE GERM GERMANS NS Synopsis Fired Fired by the sinking of the Lusitania with the loss of American lives Arthur GU Guy Guj Empey an American living la In Jersey City goes gois to England and enlists as a private In the British army After Atter a k short experience as a recruiting officer In London he is sent to trainIng training train train- Ing quarters In France where he first hears the sound of big guns and makes the acquaintance of ot cooties After a brief period of ot training Empey's company is sent Into the line front trenches where he takes his first turn on the fire step while th the bullets whiz overhead Empey learns as comrade falls tans that death lurks always In to the trenches Chaplain distinguishes himself by rescuing wounded men under hot fire lire With pick and shovel l Empey has experience as as a Ii trench digger In No Mans Man's Land Exciting experience on listening post detail Exciting Exciting Exciting Ex Ex- citing work on observation post duty Back in rest billets Empey writes writes and stages a successful play Once Onre more In the front trenches Empey goes over the t top p in a n successful but costly attack on the German lines I CHAPTER Continued 19 A gas helmet Is made made of ot cloth treated treated treat treat- ed with chemicals There are two windows windows windows win win- dows or glass eyes in it through which you can see Inside there Is a rubber rubber- covered tube which goes In the mouth You breathe through your nose the gas passing through the cloth helmet Is s neutralized by the action of the chemicals The foul air all Is exhaled through the tube In the mouth this tube being so constructed that It prevents prevents pre pre- vents the inhaling of ot the outside outside air or gas One helmet Is good for tor five hours of ot the strongest gas Each Tommy carries two of them slung around his sh shoulder ulder in a waterproof canvas canvas canvas' bag He must wear this bag at all times even wl while lle sleeping To change a defective detective defective de de- de- de helmet you take out the new one ne hold your breath pull the old one off oft placing the new one one over your head tucking In the loose ends under the collar of your tunic For a minute pandemonium reigned In our trench trench trench-Tommies Tommies adjusting their helmets bombers running here and there and men turning out of the dugouts wits with fixed bayonets to man manthe manthe manthe the fire step R Re Be ent were pouring out of ot the communication trenches Our guns gun's crew were busy mounting the machine gun on the parapet and bringing up extra ammunition from the dugout German gas is heavier than air and soon fills this the trenches and dugouts where It has been known to lurk for two or three c days ays until th the air is purified purl puri tied fled by means of large chemical spray spray U ers We had bad to work quickly as Fritz generally the gas with an Infantry Infantry In In- fantry attack A company man on our right was too slow In getting on his helmet he sank to the ground clutching at his throat and It after er a few spasmodic w went nt West died dieM It was horrible to see him die but we were pow powerless less to to help him In the corner of a traverse a little muddy cur d dog g one of ot th the j company's pets was lying dead with his paws over his nose Its It's the animals that suffer the most the the horses mules cattle dogs cats and rats they rats they having no helmets to save save them Tommy does not sympathize sympathize w with h rats In a gas attack At times gas has been known to travel with dire results fifteen miles rolles behind A gas or smoke helmet as it Is called at the best Is a vile vile smelling smelling thing and it is not long before one gets a violent headache from w wearing It O Our r eighteen eighteen were burstIng burst burst- Ing lug In No Mans Man's Land in an effort bythe bythe by bythe the artillery to disperse the gas clouds The fire step was vas lined with crouch crouch- lag Ing men bayonets fixed and bombs near at hand to repel the expected at tack Our artillery had put ut a barrage of J certain fire on the German lines to try and nd break up their attack and keep buck back re re I I trained my machine gun on their trench and its bullets were raking the parapet Then over they came bayonets gUs glis In their respirators which have a large snout in front they looked looked looked look look- ed like some horrible nightmare e. e All along our trench rifles and machine machine ma ma- chine guns gun spoke our shrapnel was bursting over their heads They went down in heaps but new ones took the places of ot th the taIl fallen en Nothing could stop atop that mad rush The Germans reached our barbed wire which had pr previously be been n demolished by their shells then it was bomb against bomb and the devil for tor all Suddenly my head seemed to to burst from a loud crack in my ear Then my head began to swim throat got dry and a heavy pressure on the lungs warned me that my helmet was leak leak- Ing Turning by gun n over to No 2 I changed li helmets The trench started to wind like a snake and sandbags appeared to be floating Jn Sn the air The noise was h horrible horrible hor hor- I sank onto the fire step needles seemed to be pricking my flesh esh then blackness I was wa awakened by one of my mates removing my smoke helmet now How de delirious that cool l. l tr fresh s air f felt in I my lungs o I IA A strong wind wind had arisen and dispersed dis dis- dispersed persed the gas They told me that I had been out for three hours they thought I was dead The attack had been repulsed after aftel a hard fight Twice the Germans had gained a foothold In In- In our trench but had been driven out by counter counter counter-at- at attacks tacks The The The- trench was filled with their d dead ad and ours Through a periscope I counted eighteen dead Germans In our wire they were a ghastly sight in their looking horrible-looking respirators I examined my first smoke helmet A bullet had gone through it on the left side Just grazing my ear The gas had bad penetrated through the hole made In th the cloth Out of our crew of six we lost two killed and two two wounded That night we burled buried all of the dead excepting those in N No Mans Man's Land In death there is not much distinction friend and foe foe are are treated alike aUke After Atter the wind ivied had dispersed the gas the R. R A. A M. M C. C got busy with their chemical sprayers spraying out the dugouts and low parts of the trenches to to dissipate any fumes of the German gas which may have been lurking in same Two days after the gas attack I 1 was sent to division headquarters in answer answer answer an an- to an ord order r requesting requesting that that captains captains captains cap cap- of units should hould detail a man whom they thou thought t capable of ot passing an examination for lor the divisional intelligence in- in l In Intelligence department 1 I Before leaving for tor this assignment I went along the line front front line tr trench sayIng say say- Ing lug good goodby by to my and lording it over them telling them that I had H A Gas Gu Helmet lIcked clicked a a. a cushy job behind the lines and how sorry I felt that they had to stay in the front line and argue out the war with Fritz They were envious but still good good natured natured and as I left lett the trench to go to the rear they shout shouted d dater after ater me Good Good luck Yank old boy dont don't forget to send up a few fags to your old mates I promised to do this and left lett I reported at headquarters with sixteen sixteen sixteen six six- teen others and passed the required ex ex- Out of ot the sixteen n applicants applicants applicants cants four were selected I was highly elated because I was I thought In for tor a cushy job back at the base V The next nest morning the four reported to te division headquarters headquarter for tor Two of ot the men were sent s 's sent t to large towns In the rear of the lines lines with an easy job When it came our turn the officer told us we were goodmen good goodmen goodmen men and had bad passed a a very creditable examination My tin hat began to to get too small email for tor me and I noted that the other man Atwell by name was sticking his bis chest out more than usual The officer continued I think I can jise use you two men to great advantage in n the front line Here are your orders and Instructions also the pass which gives you full authority as special M. M P F P. P detailed on Intelligence work Report Report Report Re Re- port at the front line ac according to your Instructions It is risky work and I wish you both the best of ot luck My heart dropped to zero and Atwells Atwell's Atwella At At- w wells wella ll's face tace was a study We saluted ind nd left lett That wishing us the best of luck sounded very ominous In our ears If It he be saId I wish you both a swift 0 and painless death it would have bee bees bee more to the point When we had read our instructions we knew we were In for tor it good and prenty plenty What Atwell said is not fit ft for tor publication publication pub pub- but I strongly seconded his opinion of the war war army and divisional headquarters in general Att After r a bit our spirits rose We were full full fledged fledged spy catchers because our Instructions and orders said said so We Immediately reported to the nearest French estaminet and had several several sev sev- eral glasses of muddy water which th they y called beer After Atter drinking our beer we left lett the estaminet and hailed db D empty ambulance After Atter showing the driver our our passes we got in The he driver was going to the part of ot the line where here we had to re re- port How the wounded ever survived a n aride aride ride in that ambulance was inexplicable Inexplicable ble t to me It was worse than riding ona ona on ona a gun carriage over a rock road The driver of ot the ambulance was was' a corporal of the R. R A A. A. A Is M. M C. C and he had the wind up that thatis is he had hadan an aversion to being under fire I was riding on the seat with him while Atwell was sitting in the ambulance ambulance lance with his Ms legs hanging out of ot the back As we passed through a shell de shell de destroyed village a mounted military policeman policeman policeman po po- stopped us and Informed the driver to be very c careful when we got goj out on the open road as It was very dangerous dangerous because because the Germans lately had acquired the habit of ot shelling it The corporal asked the trooper If It there was any other way around and was Informed that that- there was not Upon this he got very nervous and wanted to turn back but we insisted that he proceed proceed proceed pro pro- and explained to him that he would get t into serious trouble with his commanding officer if It he returned without orders we wanted to- to ride to-ride ride not walk From his we learned that h he he had recently come from England England England Eng Eng- land with q draft dratt and had never been under fire tire hence his nervousness We Ve convinced him that there was not much danger and he appeared greatly reU relieved ved When we wet at lest last turned Into the open road we were not so conti confident dent On each side there had been a line Une of trees but now all aU that was left of ot them were torn and battered stumps The fields on each side of the road were were dotted dotted with recent shell sheH holes and we passed several in the road It it- It self We had gone about half halt a mile when a shell came came whistling through the air and burst In a field about three thre hundred yards to our right Another soon toll followed owed this one and nd burst on the edge of the road about four tour hundred hun bun I dred Bred yards In front of us I t told the driver to throw in his speed clutch as we must be In sight of ot the Germans I knew the signs that battery was wits ranging for us and the quicker we got out of Its zone of ot fire the better The driver r was trembling trembling trem trem- bling bUng like a leaf leat and every minute I expected him to pile us ire up In the ditch I preferred the German fire In the back Atwell ell was holding onto the straps for dear life Ute and was singIng singIng sing sing- Ing at the top of his voice We beat you at the Marne We beat you at the Alone Alane We gave you hell at Neuve Chapelle And here we are again Just then we hit a small shell sheH hole and nearly capsized Upon a loud yell yeH from the rear rear I looked beh behind nd and there was Atwell sitting In the middle o jf of the road shaking his fist at us His equipment which he had taken off oft upon getting into the ambulance was strung out outon on the ground and his rifle was In the the ditch r I Empey Is II called upon to do dut duty as ai aia a member of a firing squad His HI description of the execution Is I. given In the next Installment nt TO BE CONTINUED |