nken road,
converging toward the enemy although keeping well out of sight. At
places where the terrain did not admit of this shelter, or other roads
went off at tangents, long strips of canvas were stretched across the
openings, their outer sides being painted, in theatre scenery fashion,
to represent the surrounding ground. If the Germans had only known that
thousands of troops and thousands of tons of ammunition passed daily
within easy range of their guns, protected by a wall of 10-ounce canvas!
Another important reason for sweeping their planes from the sky!

The _poilu_ called Jeb's attention to these ingenious devices of
camouflage, seeming to think them a great joke.

"But for the good God having made the Boche, Monsieur, I should call
them asses with long ears for never estimating our _finesse_ and
resource."

"It wouldn't be disrespectful, Frenchie," one of the unit laughed,
"because the good God made asses, too!"

"Well, Monsieur, I feel there should be an apology somewhere! Perhaps it
is to the four-footed asses."

They climbed down at last and, each loaded with supplies, tramped
through half a mile of communicating trenches to the protected
dressing-stable dug-outs--roomy affairs, twenty feet below the surface
and opening rearward into a kind of quadrangle. Five hundred yards ahead
were the firing trenches, where things would happen; and the _poilu_,
observing this, grimly remarked:

"_Sacre bleu!_ They certainly have ordered you up to the very front,
Monsieur! 'Tis not often the women are brought so close--but it means,
Monsieur, that our Generals are positive of driving the Boche far back
tomorrow!"

The chief surgeon in charge here rushed to meet them with open arms,
embracing Dr. Barrow warmly; and then Barrow stepped back to look at
him, for this was the great Bonsecours! Georges Bonsecours! He saw a man
of medium height, and of medium build, slightly gray about his temples,
and in the neighborhood of forty years of age. No one of these things
was particularly distinguishing, but when he spoke--ah, then the
impelling magnetism which drew others close to him, the force which sent
them flying off to various duties, was easily explained. His eyes, while
twinkling merrily as though everything in life possessed a touch of
humor, also gave the impression that they could see beneath five layers
of skin tissue--that by some canny second sight they could detect a
piece of shrapnel without the aid of pro