[Illustration: MULE CONVOY IN ALSACE]
[Illustration: THE "POSTE" NEAR HARTMANNSWEILERKOPF AFTER A BOMBARDMENT]
At Tomansplatz the other day an officer and I started for ----, one
of our _postes_. We took a short cut over a high hill from which one
could look easily down on ----, where all the fighting had been going
on. There is a path over this hill which is hidden by trees, and on
the top is a long _boyau_ to pass through so as to keep out of sight
of the Germans in clear weather. When we reached the top, we stepped
out of the path to get a view of the valley, and it was wonderful
looking down on the French and German trenches, and to see the hill
all shot to pieces and the trees broken to stubs--living scars of the
fighting that had gone on. We did not get by unseen, for the Germans
are always on the job. They have observation posts in the trees, hard
to be seen, but easy to see from. There was a lot of firing going
on, and we could see the French shells landing in the German lines.
I had a premonition that something was going to happen and stepped
behind a tree. I heard particularly one big gun fire, and wondered if
by any chance it was meant for us. It took only three or four seconds
to confirm my suspicion, for the shriek of a shell came our way. As
they often pass high over our heads and we are familiar with the sound,
I was still in doubt, when it burst not fifty yards away. We did not
wait to investigate further, but jumped for the _boyau_ when another
shriek was heard, and we were just in time, for the shell burst not
far behind us. We could tell when they were firing at us, for we could
hear the gun fire,--it sounded like a 150 mm., which is about 6-inch
bore,--then came the shriek, and then the bursting. It certainly is a
strange, unwelcome sound when you know you are the target. We ran down
the _boyau_ toward the back of the hill for all we were worth, and they
followed us, but we did not stop to look or listen, we almost rolled
down the other side of the hill, but it was to safety, thank Heaven.
The only thing that happened to me was a scratch on the back of my
hand. Never again! The sensation of shells coming at one is novel but
nauseating, and I keep away from the lines from now on.
I must tell you that we have received a citation, and Colonel Hill's
brother the _Croix de Guerre_ for the work we did during the attack
of October 15 to 19. Two more citations and we receive, each one, the
_Croix de Guerre_.