it
are more than ingenious.

In some cases both spies and commanders have maps ruled off in small
squares. The watchful spy signals to his commander, "Enemy's cavalry
halted behind wood in square E15," and very soon a salvo of shells
visits this spot. A woman spy was caught signalling with an electric
flash lamp. Two different men (one of them an old one-legged
stonebreaker at the roadside) were caught with field telephones hidden
on them with wire coiled round their bodies. Shepherds with lanterns
went about on the downs at night dodging the lanterns about in various
ways which did not seem altogether necessary for finding sheep.
Wireless telegraphs were set up to look like supports to iron
chimneys.

In the South African Campaign a Dutch stationmaster acted as field
spy for the Boers for a short time. It was only a very short time. His
town and station were captured by my force, and, in order to divert
suspicion, he cut and pulled down the telegraph wires, all except
one, which was left in working order. By this wire he sent to the Boer
headquarters all the information he could get about our forces and
plans. Unfortunately, we had a party of men tapping the wire, and were
able to read all his messages, and to confront him with them shortly
afterwards.

Another stationmaster, in our own territory, acted as spy to the enemy
before the war began by employing enemies as gangers and platelayers
along the line with a view to the destruction of bridges and culverts
as soon as war was declared. There was also found in his office a code
by which the different arms of the service were designated in terms of
timber for secretly telegraphing information. Thus:

Beams meant Brigades
Timbers " Batteries
Logs " Guns
Scantlings " Battalions
Joists " Squadrons
Planks " Companies

THE PLUCK OF A SPY.

Except in the case of the traitor spy, one does not quite understand
why a spy should necessarily be treated worse than any other
combatant, nor why his occupation should be looked upon as
contemptible, for, whether in peace or war, his work is of a very
exacting and dangerous kind. It is intensely exciting, and though in
some cases it brings a big reward, the best spies are unpaid men who
are doing it for the love of the thing, and as a really effective step
to gaining something valuable for their country and for their side.

The plea put forward by the German spy