e for a supervision and living trench they
probably thought we did the same. Our boys laughed to see most of the
German shells exploding on the dummy trench.

There were one or two occasions in which Fritz broke the unwritten law
that there should be an armistice during meal-times. We soon cured him
of this, however, as we systematically for a week put out his cook's
fires with rifle-grenades. Thereafter both sides were able to have
their meals in peace though we took care to change our hour from one to
two instead of twelve to one.

Fritz's system now and again got on our nerves. It was deadly
monotonous, always knowing when his severest shelling would start and I
have known the boys run races with the shells, driven to take foolish
risks by sheer ennui. We always expected some shells on "V. C. House"
at 4 P. M., and were rarely disappointed. The men off duty would
assemble in front of the old house and at the sound of the first shell
race for the shelter of a dugout about a hundred yards away. Generally
they would all tumble in together and in their excitement could not
decide who won the race, and so would have it all over again. The
officers were ordered to stop these "races with death" for there were
some killed, but they would break out now and again when the last man
who was killed had been forgotten.

The bombing officer had a good deal of sport with his rifle-grenades,
and as I was hand in glove with him I enjoyed some of his fun. A
favorite place for the firing of our rifle-grenades was at Devon
Avenue, for most of Fritz's retaliation came to the Tommies whose flank
joined ours at this point. One day their major came along to us in a
great rage, and wanted to know why we were always stirring up
trouble--couldn't we let well enough alone? He complained in the end
to our brigadier, but the answer he got was: "What are you there for?
What's your business?" After this, whenever we had our strafe on this
flank, they would squeeze up to their centre leaving fifty yards
unmanned between us. These men were brave enough, and in a raid the
same major held the trench with great bravery under a severe
bombardment and attack by a strong force.

We also had an armored train that we were very proud of. At least,
that is what we called it, but it was only a little truck with six
rifles fastened on it for firing grenades. We ran this along rails
down the trench, and would fire a salvo from one place and then