In the early morning
a shell struck the wall behind them and the poor fellows were blown to
atoms.
For three days we stayed in the trenches, narrow, suffocating and damp
places, where parados and parapet almost touched and where it was (p. 176)
well-nigh impossible for two men to pass. Food was not plentiful here,
all the time we lived on bully beef and biscuits; our tea ran short
and on the second day we had to drink water at our meals. From our
banquette it was almost impossible to see the enemy's position; the
growing grass well nigh hid their lines; occasionally by standing
tiptoed on the banquette we could catch a glimpse of white sandbags
looking for all the world like linen spread out to dry on the grass.
But the Germans did not forget that we were near, pipsqueaks, rifle
grenades, bombs and bullets came our way with aggravating persistence.
It was believed that the Prussians, spiteful beggars that they are,
occupied the position opposite. In these trenches the dug-outs were
few and far between; we slept very little.
On the second night I was standing sentry on the banquette. My watch
extended from twelve to one, the hour when the air is raw and the
smell of the battle line is penetrating. The night was pitch black; in
ponds and stagnant streams in the vicinity frogs were chuckling. Their
hoarse clucking could be heard all round; when the star-shells flew up
I could catch vague glimpses of the enemy's sandbags and the line (p.
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