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Show $ 3KeWaratClojeRanGj ' t--i Described In o cwaraM2- Jeriw Dy an Officer of fhe 4 llujlratd kjr the Aulhor from ,-r- IcKm MacU on tht balUeflMJ Cfe1 had met the Bbche and broken him, and they knew they could do It again. The rumble of the guns was behind them, and the rumor of the leave area still ran strong enough to maintain main-tain a slow volubility among the squads. They talked and laughed, but they did not sing. Veterans do not sing a great deal It was getting dusk when the First battalion of the Fifth, leading, rounded round-ed a turn In the road and came upon an endless column of camions, drawn up along the river road as far as one could see. The companies became silent. "Camions I They rode oa to Chatto-Terry Chatto-Terry In them busses Teh I an' It was a one-way trip for a hell o4 lot of us, too!" "Close op I Close ap an' keep to the right of the road." "Camions I That's a sign they want us bad, somewhere on the line," commented com-mented the lean Drst lieutenant who hiked at the head of the Forty-ninth company. "Walter," the officer beside be-side him "I wonder what happened yesterday an today, with all that Bhootlng." "Don't know but this Chateau-Thierry salient Is mighty deep an' narrow, unless the Boche spread himself yesterday. ... If we were to break Into It, near one of the corners. . , ." "Test WelL we're right on the Up of It here can Jump either way Lord I there's a lot of these conveyances." Later the battalion knew what had happened on July 15, when the Boche made his final cast across the Champagne Cham-pagne country toward Rhelms and Epernay; and his storm divisions surged to the Marne, and stayed, and lapped around the foot of the gray mountain of Rhelms, and stayed. Just now the battalion cared for none of these things. It had had no supper; It faced a crowded trip of uncertain duration, and was assured of various discomforts after that Well accustomed to the ways of war, the men growled horribly as they crammed Into their appointed chariots, while the officers Inexorably loaded the best part of a platoon into each camion, the dusk hiding their ti I SYNOPSIS S1WAWKR t Th author doecrtbsi hw tb First battAlon of th Fifth tuaritin ar Quartered near Marlarny daring Ui flrat part of June, lilt, wbea the? are suddealy tent up north !to relieve be Flret dlvlalon, bearing the brunt ef a tidal wave of Oerraana juit nreakHif through for a greet offensive. of-fensive. Part ef the Fifth wreet Hill 141 from the enenvv and wait there for the German counter - offensive they can see forming'. While they lie pep- perlng the Boche a detachment of Second engineer comes to their ae- aletanoe. J CHAPTER n. X terrlflo German at- I taok soon develop, wreaking fearful havoe among the marine, but not dislodging dis-lodging them, rn the immediate vicinity vicin-ity other Oeroe encounter are reduo-Ing reduo-Ing the Amerioan troop and forcing the neceaaltr of replacement which arrive preaentlr. On the sixth of June the Fifth run Into bitter fighting fight-ing In the vicinity of Champlllon , , , for hour they try to oust the Boche from hi atronghold In the woods and luoceed oommendably, but at great coat. CHAPTER IIL Thl narrative een ter about the activity of the marine) but really itand a a eroa lection of all the fighting done by Americana After acquitting themaelve marvel-cuily marvel-cuily at the Bole d Belleau and BUI 141 early to June, lll, the First received re-ceived replacement to cover horrible toiae. fight om mora and then are relieved, eomewhat compensated for their heavy loeee by a notable tribute to their fighting qualities leiued by the general commanding the Sixth French army, but the liberty In Part which the battalion would have preferred U not forthcoming. CHAPTER IV Ominous Event Leading Up to the Charge at Soissona. The First battalion lay In Crontte-snr-Marne, It drank deep of the golden gold-en July weather, and swam noisily In the Marne, which swung a blue and shining loop below the town. The battalion took but little Interest In the war, which could be heard growl- tog and muttering intermittently to the north and east Indeed, the un- I pleasant Bols-de-Belleau-Boureschcs area was only a few hours' march distant, and Chateau-Thierry was just np the river. The gun were loud and continuous In that direction. But the Second American division marines and troops of the regular army had Just finished a bitch of thirty-eight days attacking and hold-tog hold-tog and attacking again, from Hill 142, on the left, through that ghastly wood which the French now called the "Bols de la Brigade de Marine," to Vaox, on the right; and in this battalion, as in the other units of the ' division, such men as bad service were quite willing to think of some- thing else. July 14 came, "Sort o Frog Fourth o July," explained a learned corporal, standing in line for morning chow. But Croutte took on this day no especial es-pecial joy In the far-off fall oil the Bastille. In the afternoon a Boche came out of cloud and shot down In flames the fat observation balloon that lived Just up the river from Croutte. Certainly Cer-tainly there grew to be a feeling in the air. . , .. About one 'o'clock the morning of the 13tb the Boche dropped nine-inch shells into the town. The battalion was turned out,, end stood under arms in the dark while the battalion gas officer sniffed around busily to see If the shells were the gas variety. They were .not, but the battalion, after the shelling stopped and the casualties were attended to, observed that Is the east a light not of the dawn was putting out the stars. The eastern sky was all aflame with gun-flashes, gun-flashes, and a growing thunder shook the suit air. The flies remarked that they were glgd not to be where all that stuff Was llgbtln', and after breakfast projected pro-jected the usual swimming parties. Aquatic sports were then vetoed by regretful platoon commanders, since It appeared that Battalion B. Q- had directed the companies to hold themselves them-selves In readiness for instant movement move-ment to an unspecified place. Thereupon There-upon the guns' eastward took on a mere than professional Interest. The Civilians looked and listened also. Their faces were anxious. They had heard that noise before. The hot July hours passed ; the battalion continued to be held In readiness, and got practically prac-tically no sleep in consequence. There was further shelling, and the guns were undoubtedly louder antf Bearer. Breakfast on the 10th was scant, and the cooks held out little encouragement encour-agement for lunch. Lunch was - an hour early, and consisted of beans. The shadows were lengthening when - the bugles blew "assembly" and the companies fell In. taking the broad white road that led down the river. At the next town towns were thick along the Marne from Chateau-Thierry Chateau-Thierry to Meaux they passed through the other battalions of the Fifth marines, Jeeringly at ease beside be-side the road. Beyond them was the Sixth regiment regi-ment of marines, arms stacked in the fields by the river. Each battalion took the road In turn, and presently the whole marine brigade was swinging swing-ing down the Marne In the slanting sunlight Very solid and businesslike the brigade was, keen-faced and hard from the great fight behind them, and fit and competent for greater great-er battles yet to come. The companies compan-ies were ander strength, but they had the quality of veterans. They Bringing In German Prisoners at St Mlhlel. grins of sympathy. "Get aboard I get oboardl Where'll you put yo' packt Mow what the hell do I know about yo' pack want a special stateroom an' a coon vallay, do yuh, yuh 1" The sergeants dldn grin. They swore, and the men swore, and they raged altogether. . But, In much less-time less-time than It took to tell about It afterward, af-terward, the men were loaded on. The officers were skilled and prompt In such matters. WIcened Annamltee from the colonies colo-nies of France drove the camions. Presently, with clangor and much dust, they started their engines, and the camion train Jolted oft down the river road. They left the river, and by the testimony tes-timony of the stars It seemed to the lieutenant of the Forty-ninth that they were hurrying north. Always, on the right, the far horison glowed with the fires of war flares, signal lights, gun-flashes from bidden batteries; the route paralleled the line. The lieutenant lieuten-ant visualised bis map! "Followln the salient around to the north the north Solssous way, or Montdldler. . . . The Boche took Soissona. . . ." Quiet French villages along the road, stone bouses like gray ghosts under the pole moon, and all lights hooded against Boche planes. Long, empty stretches of road. Shadow columns col-umns of French Infantry, overtaken and passed. Horse-drawn batteries of TBs on the move. Swift staff cars that dashed by, hooting. Then, long flies of horsemen, cloaked and hel-meted, hel-meted, with a ghostly glint of lance-heads lance-heads over them French cavalry, presently, dawn, with low clouds piling pil-ing up In the rosy sky. It was mid-forenoon when the train stopped, and the battalion climbed out on cramped legs. "Fall In on the right of the road. . . Platoon commanders, com-manders, report . . Keep fifty yards' distance between platoons. . . Squads right . . March I" and the companies moved off stiffly, on empty stomachs. The little dark Annamltes watched the flies pass with Incurious eyes. They had taken many men up to battle. Company by company, the First battalion bat-talion passed on, and behind tliera the (Continued on page four). FIX BAYONETS! other hHttulIons of the Fifth marines ' took the roiid nnd, after them, the 1 Sixth. "Nona of the wngona, or the trolleys don't see the machine gun outfits, either, observed the lieutenant lieuten-ant of the Forty-ninth company, looking buck from the crest of the 1 first low hill. Here the biittiillon halted, hnvtiig marched for half nn hour, to tighten slinks nnd settle 1 equipment for the real business of hiking. "They moy got up tonight, chow Rnd till wonder how fur we came, nn' where we're gln No, sergeantcan't ser-geantcan't send for water here my canteen's empty, too. All I know ohont It Is that we seem to be In a hurry." The buttnllon moved off ntrnln, nnd the nmjor up forward get a puce nil dlxproportlonate to his short legs, j When the first halt came, (he usual I ten-minutes ret out of the hour was ; cut to five. "Aw belli forced march'" "An tho lootennnt bad forgot everything every-thing but 'close Up I close up!" Listen at him " ji The camions had set thorn down In a gently rolling country, unwoorled, , and fut with ripening wheat. Far ' across It, to the north, bluo with dis-d.iy dis-d.iy was coming. T!ie hattnlim 1 IlKhtcned, tinst.iicil. They pprce!v dimly, through a mist of fatigue, tha ' a cloudless day was promised am ! that thn world was wonderfully nev washed and clean and quiet I Not f guu anywhere, and the mud op the road muffled tho sound of hob-nalled hoots. "DouMe time I Close up! t'loseup, there I" There had been fighting here; there were nhell holes, penned and splintered splin-tered trees. The battalion punted to a crossroads where fltono buildings lay all blasted by some galo of sliell-flre. sliell-flre. And by the road what looked like a well ! The flies swayed toward It, clutching at dry canteens "Back In ranks! Hack In rank, you" Then, barbed wire serosa tho roadway, road-way, nnd battered shallow trenches to right nnd left, and n little knot of French nnd American officers. Major Turrlll standing forward The lead lug company turned off to tho left, along the trenches. The Forty-ninth followed hi column. "Turn here," ordered or-dered the major. "Keep on to the left until you meet tho Moroccans, and go forward. . ." The Forty-ninth went beyond the trench still In col uiiin of mute, picking Its way through the woods. Tho lieutenant looked hack nt his men as be went; their faces were gray nnd drnwn and old; they were staggering with weariness "Fix bayonets!" end the dry click of tho steel on the lorklng-rlng lorklng-rlng ran along the ragged column, loud In the bu.di c;f dawn. (To be continued) |