hing what they thought a safe
depth, and crouched against the parapet for safety. Others of us started
making what are known to-day as dug-outs. Jock Hunter and I made one to
hold both of us. We dug away under the parapet so that we could crawl in
with only our feet sticking out. This not only sheltered us from the
unceasing shrapnel, but from the rain also. Some of the boys lying in the
trenches had been killed and some wounded from the shrapnel bursting
overhead, so the officers gave orders that we were all to make these
dug-outs.

A man from each company had been detailed for look-out duty, at which we
all took turn of an hour each. It was noon before we heard any response
from our artillery, but then it checked the German fire considerably.

The rain came down heavily, flooding us out of our dug-outs, and we were
obliged to stand in the trench like a lot of half-drowned rats, our
greatcoats on and our waterproof sheets over them. At first we were
standing on earth, but before long the muck had reached over our ankles.

There was at least one virtue in the rain--it softened our bully-beef
biscuits, which we ate standing in the trenches, wet to the skin and with
water dripping from our greatcoats and kilts.

Toward night the rain ceased. We had expected to be attacked at any minute
that day, but for some reason or another we escaped it. We got a rum
issue. Then volunteers were asked for, to go and fetch some hot "gunfire."
(It was hot when the ration party got it, but quite cold when it reached
us.)

That night I was given orders to go on night reconnaissance. While I was
away on this duty, the engineers came up and our fellows dug in again in
advance of the old trenches. The engineers then constructed a barbed-wire
entanglement in front of our position.

Wet and cold, and covered with mud, I went off on patrol duty, and many a
shell hole I stumbled into to make me wetter. The enemy's position was
about seven hundred yards from ours.

When moving between the lines, I noticed the outline of a big man. I don't
know why I didn't fall down upon seeing him. My instinct told me to go
ahead to make sure who it was. We were making straight for each other; as
we met we almost brushed sleeves; then, with no more than a glance at each
other, we passed on; but you may be sure that I had my jackknife in the
proper hand. I could not say even now whether or not he was a German.

I returned to our lines and, after reporting,