e were given some very unpleasant half-hours, lying flat
on our faces, listening to the deafening explosions and the vicious
whistling of flying shrapnel.

We fired from the trenches, as well as in front and to the rear of them.
We were, in fact, busy during most of the night, for it was our duty to
see to it that our guns lived up to their reputation as "weapons of
opportunity and surprise." With the aid of large-scale maps, we located
all of the roads, within range, back of the German lines; roads which we
knew were used by enemy troops moving in and out of the trenches. We
located all of their communication trenches leading back to the rear; and
at uncertain intervals we covered roads and trenches with bursts of
searching fire.

The German gunners were by no means inactive. They, too, profited by
their knowledge of night life in the firing-line, their knowledge of
soldier nature. They knew, as did we, that the roads in the rear of the
trenches are filled, at night, with troops, transport wagons, and fatigue
parties. They knew, as did we, that men become so utterly weary of living
in ditches--living in holes, like rats--that they are willing to take big
risks when moving in or out of the trenches, for the pure joy of getting
up on top of the ground. Many a night when we were moving up for our week
in the first line, or back for our week in reserve, we heard the far-off
rattle of German Maxims, and in an instant, the bullets would be
zip-zipping all around us. There was no need for the sharp word of
command. If there was a communication trench at hand, we all made a dive
for it at once. If there was not, we fell face down, in ditches, shell
holes, in any place which offered a little protection from that terrible
hail of lead. Many of our men were killed and wounded nightly by
machine-gun fire, usually because they were too tired to be cautious.
And, doubtless, we did as much damage with our own guns. It seemed to me
horrible, something in the nature of murder, that advantage must be taken
of these opportunities. But it was all a part of the game of war; and
fortunately, we rarely knew, nor did the Germans, what damage was done
during those summer nights of "calm along the entire front."

The artillerymen, both British and German, did much to relieve the
boredom of those "nothing to report" days. There were desultory
bombardments of the trenches at daybreak, and at dusk, when every
infantryman is at his post, rifle in