Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 129, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 June 1919 — Scouts in the War Zone Chase the Wild Boar [ARTICLE]

Scouts in the War Zone Chase the Wild Boar

SergL Edward H. Buehler, formerly a boy scout of troop No. 32, Louisville, Ky., now returned to take charge of a new troop as scoutmaster, was overseas with Battery C of the Sixth trench artillery, and because of his scout training he is able to talk Entertainingly of his hikes in Alsace-Lorraine. “There were four scouts in our outfit of 179 men,” he said, “and our captain was one of us, as he used to be a scoutmaster. These included two corporals, a sergeant and a private, besides our commanding officer. Not one of them had a yellow streak, and the smallest chap, a 120-pounder, carried his 90-pound pack when 200-pound men were falling by the wayside. This shows that scout training and hiking are worth something. Our captain was Leslie W. Clyde of Cambridge. We were all able to compare notes as to our scouting experiences during our seven months’ training and after we got overseas. “While under fire we had some interesting experiences, especially in dodging shells. One would make a hole that would take 125 men three hours to fill —if you want to get an idea of the effect when they burst. f “Aside from fighting the boche. we had some interesting scouting after another sort of animal —the wild boar, which destroyed trees in that section. There is a bounty on them, which the peasants collect, besides eating the boar. I have to confess that I did not shine as a wild-boar hunter. One winter morning we went out—the captain, the lieutenant and myself. Two of us were scouts. I was sent over into a galley near an outbuilding belonging to the farm and used to store tools. I could not see any wild boar in this galley —nothing except' a couple of “razor-back hogs,” as I thought. Wlien I reported to the captain that the farmer’s pigs were out, he had a great laugh tt me, because I had seen the only boars that we ran across that day and did not recognize them. Later on we got them, however, and found them good fighters and hard to kill, but rather good to«eat. “When we came back to Brest we had the usual *wet’ time that was enjoyed by most troops. I recall one day when it rained 15 times between 6 a. m. and mess call for dinner. There was another interesting circumstance that I recall at Brest: At 6 o’clock in the morning of December 24 I saw the prettiest and most complete rainbow that I have ever observed. It certainly was a bow of promise for me, because on December 26 we left France for Newport News, Va. “On our debarkation at Newport News from the U. S. S. Georgia one of the first persons to greet us was a little boy scout. I was carrying my ow n rifle and pack and the equipment of a wounded man, who was able to walk but not to carry weights. “I noticed this scout when we were getting supplies from the Red Cross canteen and told him I was a scout myself, and we shook hands with due form'alitv. He said, ‘I want to help,’ and in answer to his urging I let him carry a 50-pound pack belonging to the wounded chap. He was a sight to see the youngster struggling under the 50-pound load; but he wouldn’t put it down for the world. , . , “As he passed a building in the center of the town, without turning his head a fraction he said: ‘The man up there in the window is my scoutmaster.’ ‘Why don’t you shout to him?’ I said. ‘No, it wouldn’t do; it’s all right if he notices me.’ , “So I waved to the scoutmaster and attracted his attention to the scout, who kept his chin in and his shoulders square despite the heavy load. He certainly was a friendly scout.”