that it had not been done before, and
was, therefore, impossible, doing their level best to stop me
embarking on such a mad enterprise. At first they almost succeeded in
their object, but, knowing that most ordinary people remain in a camp
indefinitely, working on more orthodox lines, I determined that I
would put it to the test, if only to prove them wrong, or land myself
in prison. One infantry officer, who had previously been through a
course of camouflage, gave me his moral support, which counted for a
good deal.

The wall was made of cardboard sewn tightly on to a light wooden
frame, the whole being made in three sections, which, when fitted
together, reached the height of about eight feet six inches. The top
section was fitted with a leather hinge, which allowed the upper half
of it to slope back at an angle of forty-five degrees, so that the
hiding-place should not appear to be hollow. When at last the doll's
house was finished, it defied all efforts to whiten it, and seemed to
have a rooted objection to being made to resemble the dirty whitewash
of the bath-room. I tried melting old whitewash (scraped off the
walls) with gum and hot water, but it either fell off when dry or
showed the wet cardboard plainly through. Chloride of lime proved
equally useless. Only a little white paint was procurable, but this
was altogether too smooth and shiny. One day, when the three sections were
drying outside on the sand, a German _feldwebel_ (sergeant-major--commonly
known as a "fieldwobble") came along, and inquired if I was making a
model aeroplane. When I replied that his surmise was correct, he asked
me, with a slow smile, if I intended flying away when the machine was
completed. The wicked old creature departed, highly amused at my
answer, "Yes, I hope so." Certainly many a true word is spoken in
jest!

After a week's experimenting with useless colouring mixtures, I was
almost in despair, when the desired effect was produced by coating the
cardboard with a thick cornflour paste, finally toning it down with a
mixture of cobwebs and mud.

Though on three separate occasions I had everything ready for the
final test, it was not before August 16th that conditions were at last
favourable enough to risk my welfare for the next few weeks. A little
before five o'clock I entered the bath-room, accompanied by several
assistants. Our journey thither was rather amusing, though the
slightest accident would have meant much "_stuben_