The Brighton Boys in the Argonne ForestDriscoll, James R.
History
The Brighton Boys in the Argonne Forest
Driscoll, James R.
Argonne, Battle of the, France, 1918 -- Juvenile fiction; World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile fiction
“Oh, boy, you must be kin to a camel!”
“Sure, an’ my middle name’s tank. Better let me go, Lieutenant; I know
the place.”
“Who do you want with you?” Herbert asked.
“That ’ere young lieutenant feller that I run acrosst a while back,
if he’ll go.” Jennings indicated Don, who was up at the other end
cleaning his automatic.
And so it befell that the boy and the big Pennsylvania mountaineer
were once more on duty together and it may be recorded that they got
back with every canteen brimming. Gill, meanwhile, had crept over to a
previous find of his, a former German position that had been discarded
for no apparent reason and he returned with the complete parts of a
wooden bucket, hoops and all, which was promptly put together and in
turn filled with water. Thereafter, admonished to drink and eat as
little as possible, lie low and make no noise and above all to be ready
for discovery at any time, the squad went into what Herbert called
hopeful retirement and thus remained until the day ended and the night
passed without incident. Dry leaves and spruce boughs made warm and
comfortable beds.
The morning of October 2d began ominously; at the first peep of day
all were awake and some bantering chatter was heard among the men.
Presently the corporal, who had crept to the outer rocks to take a look
around, held up his hand for silence and came crawling back.
“They’re coming down the valley, sir, as you reckoned they’d do,” he
said to Lieutenant Whitcomb and a moment later the sound of tramping
feet could be heard.
“Slip a spruce bough over the end of that Browning gun!” Herbert
ordered. “Now, men; all quiet! Corporal, pass that along. Tell the boys
that our lives may depend on our ability to lie low. And they are to
understand this: if the Heinies get on to us now, we are not going out
of here alive and prisoners! We’ll all croak rather than that. Be ready
for action, but nobody must go off half-cocked. Corporal, you and Gill
and Judson and Kelly and Farnham and Tomlinson man the up hillside;
Lieutenant Richards, Jennings, McNabb, Wilson, Gerhardt and myself will
look to the valley. Silence now and no heads up. I can see what is
going on through this crevice and I’ll report from time to time.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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