the Germans, but, as the light was getting rather bad, I hurried
as fast as possible in the direction of Peronne.

I wandered down the path of duck-boards, over the swamp of the Somme,
filthy in appearance, reeking in its stench, and littered with thousands
of empty bottles, that showed the character of the drunken orgies to
which the Huns had devoted themselves.

I reached the canal bank. Lying alongside was the blackened ribs of a
barge. Only the stern was above water and it was still smouldering; even
the ladders and foot-bridges were all destroyed; not a single thing that
could be of any use whatsoever had been left. I trudged along the canal
bank; bridge after bridge I tried, but it was no use, for each one in
the centre for about ten or twelve feet was destroyed--and, stretched
between the gap, I found a length of wire netting covered over with
straw--a cunning trap set for the first one across. Not a bridge was
passable--they were all down!

Peronne lay on the other side and there I must get before the light
failed and while the place was still burning; if I had to make a raft of
old timber I made up my mind to get there.

Returning to the bank I placed my camera upon the ground and with the
help of three men gathered up some rusty tin cylinders, which, earlier
in the campaign, had been utilised as floats for rafts.

I had fished out of the river three planks, and laying them at equal
distance upon the cylinders, I lashed them together and so made a raft
of sorts. With care I might be able to balance myself upon it and so
reach the other section of the bridge and then a rope at either end
would enable my man and tripod to be pulled across.

The idea was excellent, but I found that my amateur lashing together
with the strong current that was running made the whole plan quite
impossible, so, after being nearly thrown into the river several times,
and one of the floats coming adrift and washing away, and then doing a
flying leap to save myself being hurled into the water upon a trestle
which collapsed with my weight, I decided to give up the experiment and
explore the river bank further down in the hope of getting across.
Eventually, after going for about two kilometres, I reached the ruins of
the main bridge leading into the town. This, also, was blown up by the
retreating Huns, but, by using the blocks of stone and twisted iron
girders as "stepping-stones," I reached the other side.

The old gateway and dra