n (p. 275)
horizon the bright light of a German flare would tell us the position
of the enemy's lines. I went on for some distance, straining my eyes
in the darkness to see if I could discover any trees. I thought I had
lost my way again. Suddenly the dim figure of a man approached, and
when he came up to me, I found he belonged to one of the Imperial
Battalions from whom we were taking over the line. He asked me the way
to the quarry, and I was able to tell him. Then he gave me the
direction I had to take to reach my destination. I resumed my walk
along the narrow path and at last, to my great delight, I saw a black
object in the distance. When I came up to it I found it was the group
of trees for which I had been looking. The trees were growing out of a
curious round hole in the ground. Here, a signaller of the 16th
Battalion happened to turn up and acted as my guide. He led me down a
path to the bottom of the hole where were several dugouts. In one of
these I found more men of the Battalion. They were intensely keen over
the prospect of a great victory on the morrow. I was told that the
battalion and the companies which were going over in the first wave
were in advanced trenches to the left. So, after bidding the men
good-bye and good luck, I started off. At last I reached the trench,
and getting down into it found the Headquarters of the Battalion had
arrived there not long before. On asking where the Colonel was, I was
taken to a place where a piece of canvas hung down the side of the
trench. When this was lifted, I looked down into a little hole in the
ground and there saw the C.O., the Adjutant and another officer
studying a map by the light of a candle. The place was so tiny that I
had to crawl in backwards, and finding that there was no room for a
visitor, I soon took my departure. The Colonel ordered me to stay in
the trench, but I had made up my mind to go forward and see the
companies which were going over in the first wave. They lay along the
side of a road some distance down the slope in front of us. In making
my way there I passed a trench where the 5th Battalion was waiting to
follow up the advance. A German machine-gun was playing freely upon
the spot, but no one got hit. When I came to the advanced companies of
the 16th Battalion, I passed along their line and gave them my
blessing. It was splendid to meet and shake hands with those gallant
lads, so soon to make the attack. They were in high spirits