the same
instant my eye caught sight of a figure some six hundred yards to our
right proceeding in the direction of the boches' trenches; and, to crown
all, he was a British Tommy!

I thought the man must have gone out of his mind, and when I looked at
where he came from, it seemed as if the whole regiment was viewing the
daring proceedings of this solitary individual "between the lines." At
that part the trenches were much nearer than at ours. They seemed there
about two hundred yards apart, while ours were about five hundred yards
distant from Fritz.

I saw the solitary Tommy walk right on to within a few yards of the German
entanglements and pause a minute; then a boche's head could be seen. At
this, Tommy picked his way over the entanglements very cautiously.

My heart was in my mouth! I could scarcely keep from shouting when he
reached the edge of the enemy parapet and--disappeared!

By this time our regiment was practically all on the fire-step,
breathlessly watching and ready for what might happen after the
disappearance of this "madcap."

Five minutes more elapsed. Then a head bobbed up at the same spot we had
been watching, and out of the trench came--the selfsame Tommy. He was
carrying something in his hand. My eyes kept steady on him until he
reached his own parapet, where he stood a moment flourishing this article;
then, clasping it to him as if prizing it, he got down into the trench.
While he had stood there for a moment, his fellow trench-mates threw out
their arms to take his precious bundle from him, but as I say, he seemed
to hold tightly on to it. When I looked back at the place he had just
left, the Germans were waving their helmets, with heads above the parapet.
It was Christmas all right! and we certainly got a Santa Claus surprise in
watching these unusual proceedings.

They were getting bolder on both sides at this part of the line, and a few
men began walking on their parapets, finally coming closer and then
meeting men from the enemy trench. Then followed a football match with
regimental shirts tied up. To see those Tommies charging with their
shoulders and explaining the game to the Germans, who were not so well
acquainted with it, was a Christmas festival in itself that will never be
forgotten by those who witnessed it.

[We found out afterward that "Spud" Smith--who had just received a lovely
"currant bun" from home and was overjoyed with it--was jumping round and
making so much nois