CHAPTER XXII

A DAYLIGHT STALK—­THE DISUSED TRENCH—­
“DID THEY SEE ME?”—­A GOOD SNIPING
POSITION

Our farm was, as I have remarked, a mile from the trenches at the nearest part, and about a mile and a half from the furthest.  Wulverghem was about half a mile behind the farm.

As time went on at these Douve trenches, I became more and more familiar with the details of the surrounding country, for each day I used to creep out of the farm, and when I had crossed the moat by a small wooden bridge at the back, I would go off into the country near by looking at everything.  One day the Colonel expressed a wish to know whether it was possible to get up into our trenches in day time without being seen.  Of course any one could have gone to the trenches, and been momentarily seen here and there, and could have done so fairly safely and easily by simply walking straight up, taking advantage of what little cover there was; but to get right up without showing at all, was rather a poser, as all cover ceased about a hundred yards behind the trenches.

The idea of trying attracted me.  One morning I crept along the ragged hedge, on the far side of the moat which led to the river, and started out for the trenches.  I imagined a German with a powerful pair of binoculars looking down on the plain from the Messines Hill, with nothing better to do than to see if he could spot some one walking about.  Keeping this possibility well in mind, I started my stalk up to the trenches with every precaution.

I crept along amongst the trees bordering the river for a considerable distance, but as one neared the trenches, these got wider apart, and as the river wound about a lot there were places where to walk from one tree to the next, one had to walk parallel to the German trenches and quite exposed, though, of course, at a considerable range off.  I still bore in mind my imaginary picture of the gentleman with binoculars, though, so I got down near the water’s edge and moved along, half-concealed by the bank.  Soon I reached the farms, and by dodging about amongst the scattered shrubs and out-houses, here and there crawling up a ditch, I got into one of the farm buildings.  I sat in it amongst a pile of old clothes, empty tins and other oddments, and had a smoke, thinking the while on how I could get from these farms across the last bit of open space which was the most difficult of all.

I finished my cigarette, and began the stalk again.  Another difficulty presented itself.  I found that it was extremely difficult to cross from the second last farm to the last one, as the ground was completely open, and rather sloped down towards the enemy.  This was not apparent when looking at the place at night, for then one never bothers about concealment, and one walks anywhere and anyhow.  But now the question was, how to do it.  I crept down to the river again, and went along there for a bit, looking for a chance of leaving it under cover for the farm.