he open ground had been so rough, they were allowed
to postpone their return journey until it was dark. But even then they
were not safe.

The Colonel led the Battalion a clear two hundred yards away from the
road. The darkness was so intense that they could not be seen, but in
the silence of the night they were sure to be heard, and, on hearing
them, the Germans would certainly plaster the road with shells in the
hope of "getting" them as they returned.

The Colonel was right. The German observation-posts must have heard
them, for the old, familiar whizz came whistling through the darkness.
The first shells seemed incredibly long in the air. One's heart was in
one's mouth, as one listened to hear if they were going "to fall short,"
or "go over." Then the crash came, in front, on the road, and they knew
that the Colonel had saved them once more. Even as it was, their Company
Quartermaster-Sergeant was hit in the foot.

The shelling in the darkness must have affected the nerves of the
leading Company. They struck out at a tremendous pace. The Subaltern
was dropping further and further behind. He could not keep up, and the
prospect of losing touch in the darkness was extremely serious.

At last the canal bridge was reached and the bombardment ceased, but
instead of being allowed to turn in towards Poussey, they were told to
relieve the other two companies in the trenches.

They found the line, and "took over" the trenches without mishap. Of
course, in those days trenches were not built as they were later. To
begin with, the men had no tools, except their "entrenching implements,"
so naturally the work could not be very elaborate. Moreover, the thought
that such works would be wanted for longer than a day or two never
entered their heads. Each man dug a shelter for himself, according to
his skill, ingenuity and perseverance. There was little or no attempt at
digging a long, consecutive trench. A series of holes had been dug, that
was all.

The monotony of the night was broken by the arrival and distribution of
rations. An hour or so after this had been accomplished the east began
to grow grey, and they were soon able to take stock of their
surroundings.

The trenches, or rather holes, were dug on the side of the road. Behind
them the ground sloped straight down to the canal. They could not
actually see the enemy trenches; and there was no attempt made by either
side to "snipe."

The first day of trench life--if s