are, you see. They have the road on the map, and
plaster it on the off chance. If you see a shell burst on the road, the
only thing to do is to get clear of it. Give it about forty yards'
grace, and you will be safe enough."

Soon after they set out along a road that they had never travelled
before, leading directly up the hill in front of Souvir. About half-way
up, they almost stumbled into the holes that the German shells had eaten
deep into the road. Evidently, however, the spies in Souvir had not
succeeded in informing the enemy of their approach. There was perfect
quietness.

It was a stiff hill to climb, and they halted alongside of a battery of
artillery to take breath. There was a deep cave in the rock, which the
gunners had turned into a very comfortable "dug-out." The Subaltern
envied them very sincerely. He felt he would have given anything to have
been a "gunner." They had such comfortable dug-outs--horses to
ride--carriages to keep coats and things in. Above all, there could not
be that terrible strain of waiting--waiting.

The road curled sharply round the rock precipice, and plunged into a
thick forest. A guide had met them, and absolute silence was ordered.
They had breasted the rise, and were nearing the trenches. The road had
ceased abruptly, and the paths that they had laboured along were
nothing but narrow canals of mud. Here and there a few broken trees and
mangled branches showed where a shell had burst.

Hands were held up silently in front. A halt was ordered for a few
minutes, while the leading Platoon moved along into its allotted
trenches. They had arrived.

Nothing warned the Subaltern, when at length he was shown the line for
his own Platoon, that this night was to be any different from any of the
other nights he had spent in the face of the enemy.

It was not, strictly speaking, a line of trenches at all. As usual, each
man had dug a hole by himself, and each man was his own architect. Very
few holes had been connected by a rough sort of trench at the back. The
Captain had described the topography of the situation very exactly. The
holes were dug on the borders of the forest, but were concealed from
enemy artillery observation by the trees. The field of fire was
absolutely open. It stretched to the top of the hill, which formed their
horizon, a distance of rather less than two hundred yards. It was smooth
grass, and it struck the Subaltern as being exceptionally green. A few
dead co