Adventure Magazine Cover, June 20, 1925 — page 55: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Sergeant of Cavalry planned. ‘The machine-guns and one-. pounders with Nell were protecting it from the flank, more artillery was being em- ployed to neutralize the enemy fire, and the men, instead of advancing in mass, were going forward in small rapidly moving groups, hard to see and harder to hit. The barrage was going slower, too, much slower than before, and the infantry had plenty of time to blot out a machine-gun here and there, before the enemy gunners could come out of their holes. So witha little less haste and a little more care than the first, the second attack progressed very favorably. ara LS * NELL, idly watching one of the ap flank guns, noticed the squad | i ™ leader beckon to the sergeant and when the sergeant went over, pointed into the field, toward the railroad track on the right. The sergeant had a look with his glasses, then went for the officer. There was a great deal of pointing and looking and discussion, and finally the officer crept over to Nell. ‘“What’s at the other end of this ditch?” he yelled. ‘‘There’s a culvert that goes under the railroad track,’’ shouted Nell. The lieutenant asked another question, but with the guns pounding and the one- pounder whining, Nell could not hear it, though he could see the cords in the officer’s throat working when he yelled. Finally, by putting his cupped hands to Nell’s ear, the officer got out what he wanted to say. i ! are you deai, or don’t you under- tand English? I say are there any of our troops on the other side of that rail- road track? For the love of , show some signs of intelligence!”’ The officer was a bit excited. In the first place his target was obscured by smoke and in the next place one of his guns had come unclamped and had probably been spraying the Americans for an unknown time, and in the third place the fact that the machine- guns had not been fired on was driving the officer mad. The Boche knew they were there, of that he was certain. They had plenty of guns to shoot him up, and yet they didn’t. Something was wrong, and he didn’t have the slightest idea of what it was. Nell yelled in his ear twice before he paid any attention. “There are Boche on the other side of 37 that railroad ‘track,”’, cried Nell. “‘Boche! Boche! You poor jiggering jug-head!”’ He added the last because he thought the officer couldn’t hear him. The officer, however, had caught the word ‘‘Boche.”’ He jumped a foot and had another look with his field glasses. Then he handed them, or rather thrust them at Nell and pointed. Nell turned the glasses in the indicated direc- tion. ‘There were some Yanks under the rail- road track setting up machine-guns. He handed back the glasses, and the officer pro- ceeded to have a rush of blood to the head, judging by the color of his face. “Listen!” he bellowed. ‘‘If those are our men they’ve got no business there. Dash and blank and stripe and star and blazes! Are they Boche or aren’t they?” ‘Want me to go ask them?” asked Nell. The officer heard that, as a deaf man al- ways hears what he isn’t supposed to. He gave Nell a dirty look and nodded his head The officer then took another look. ‘“Jump on the bank!” he cried. ‘“‘They’re looking at us! Tell ’em to come over here.” Nell jumped up and seeing the distant” men looking at him, waved his hand. Hé could see the white of every face looking his: way. “Give me your glasses!” he cried. © The officer saw the gesture if he did not get the words. He handed up his glass. Nell took one look. “They’re Boche!” he cried. ‘They’re Boche! Their uniforms are dry as a bone! If they came across the river they’d be all mud and wet!”’ The officer could not hear him and Nell shouted the word “Boche” in his ear as loudly as he could, but the officer shook his head. He was not going to turn his guns on some Americans just because he didn’t know where they came from and Nell said they were Boche. Then Nell gave a real screech and seized the officer’s arm. The officer followed Nell’s horror-stricken gaze. ‘The gun on the right was out of action, its crew lying quiet- ly beside it, two of the next gun’s extra men were in heaps, and a third was tearing open a first-aid packet. A blood soaked puttee told what he was going to use it for. The lieutenant started across the ditch and went down as if the earth had caved in under him. Nell still had the glasses and these he turned on the men by the embank- ment. ‘They were still looking his way, but COMIGDIOOKSEEO