't advise you to do so as you have to cross the open. Bosche
has a pretty sharp eye on anyone there; he knows the lay of the battery
and he just plasters it. You _might_ get round at 'Dead Man's Corner,'
on the Contalmaison Road. It's pretty bad there, but I think it's the
best place to try, and once you are round the corner you _may_ be all
right."

"Well, which way do I take?"

"Down this way, then turn to your left at the corner; the battery is
about two hundred yards along on the hill-side."

"But, man alive," I said, "they're strafing it like blazes. Look!"

They were, too, and 8-inch shells were dropping wholesale.

"No, I think I will take the risk and run over the open. Are there any
dug-outs at the battery?"

"Yes, sir, jolly good ones; forty feet deep; regular beauties. Evidently
made up their minds to stay the winter. Electric light, libraries, and
beds with real spring mattresses. My, sir, but they were comfortable.
And what do you think I found there, sir?"

"Heaven knows," I replied.

"Well, sir, several ladies' fringe nets and hair-pins."

"The devil you did. Well, Fritz knows how to make himself cosy."

With that remark we parted, Tommy having a broad grin on his face.

"You will see the place where you get out of this ditch, sir," he called
out; "a shell has blown it in; strike off on your left straight ahead.
You'll see them in front of you."

The shelling was getting very unpleasant, and I had to keep low in the
trench the whole of the time. At length we reached the point where we
had to get over the top.

"Well, come on, let's chance it," I said to my man. I saw the battery in
the distance before getting over.

Up we went and bending low raced for the spot. On the way I passed
several dead bodies, all Bosche, and numbers of pieces blown to bits by
our shell fire. A whizz-bang came over whilst we were crossing. Down we
went into a shell-hole. Another, and another came over. Murderous little
brutes they were too. Seven of them. Then they ceased. We immediately
jumped up again and reached our objective. Then getting under cover of
some twisted ironwork, which once formed the roofing of the
emplacement, I took breath. "Anyway," I thought, "here I am."

In a few minutes I had a look round. What an excellent view of Pozieres,
about eight hundred yards away on my left. On the right was
Contalmaison, which had only been taken a short time previously. The
Bosches were shelling the place pret