thened by posts driven through it into the
sand. Heavy timbers, resting on bundles of branches lashed together,
are wedged into the foundations, and slope inwards and upwards to
within a few feet of the height to which it is intended to carry the
_digue_. On the top another solid bed of branches is laid down, and
the whole is first covered with concrete, and then with bricks or
tiles, while the top of the _digue_, at the edge of the seaward slope,
is composed of heavy blocks of stone cemented together and bound by
iron rivets.

The finest and longest _digue_ is that which extends from Ostend for
about nine miles. It is a good place for bicycle rides. No motor-cars
are allowed on it.

Each of the little towns which you see dotted along the coast has a
_digue_ of its own, on which there is a row of villas and hotels
facing the sea. Among the dunes behind the _digue_ there are more
villas. These are generally very picturesque, with verandas, red-tiled
roofs, and brightly painted woodwork.

All day long in summer the _digue_ of each town is crowded by people
walking about in the sunshine, or sitting watching the bathers and the
children playing on the sands. It is a very gay sight. There are
prizes for those who build the best castles, and it is curious to see
hundreds of little Belgian, English, French, and German flags flying
on these small forts, and to hear the children shouting to each other
in so many different languages. It makes one think of the Tower of
Babel.

From six in the morning till six in the evening bathing-machines go to
and from the water, and often there seem to be as many people in the
sea as on the shore. There is a boat anchored a little way out, in
which two men in red shirts, with ropes and lifebelts, sit watching to
see that no one goes too far out, for the tide is often very strong.
Sometimes these men, who are called _sauveteurs_, stand on the sand,
and if they think anyone is swimming too far they blow a trumpet to
call the swimmer back.

In the evening, when it is dark and the lamps are lighted, there is
dancing on the _digue_ to the music of a barrel-organ. The Belgians
are very fond of this dancing, and often the English and other
visitors join in it too.

All summer this holiday life goes on, with bathing, lawn-tennis, and
in some places golf, till at last the time comes for going home. The
hotels and villas close their doors. The windows are boarded up. The
bathing-machines are pu