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And it served men right for inventing them; they should have been more careful. The smile on the dead German airman's face, as he lay on the ground near Poperinghe, floated before him, and he nodded his head portentously. "You're right, old bean," he croaked. "The man I want to meet is the fool who doesn't think it's funny . . . ."
From the thronged high-road we passed into the emptiness of deserted Poperinghe, and out again on the way to Ypres. Beyond the flats and wind-mills to our left were the invisible German lines, and the staff-officer who was with us leaned forward to caution our chauffeur: "No tooting between here and Ypres."
The hospital had already been established in Furnes for ten days, and even in that time we had once had to escape to Poperinghe before the German advance, when, after a short visit to England, I left London to rejoin my friends on the last Friday in October. Crossing to the Continent is not at any time pleasant, and the addition of submarines and mines scarcely adds to its charms.
The officers halted and stared over the dead town of Poperinghe, where flash after flash of bursting shrapnel proclaimed a Boche aeroplane. They saw him dive at a balloon falling like a hawk; then suddenly he righted and came on towards the next. From the first sausage two black streaks shot out, to steady after a hundred feet or so, and float down, supported by their white parachutes.
Early in December it was known that the next tour was to be once more in the "Salient." On the 17th December the Battalion entrained at Steenwercke for Poperinghe, from where it marched to Dickebusch huts, which are always remembered as being built on islands in a sea of mud. The trenches were found to consist of holes and ditches which were worked on till they were quite good and dry.
It may be a proof of ignorance, but to the man it is symbolical of his God, and is therefore worthy of all respect and reverence from others. Baker came to me directly after lunch. "Look here," he said, "I'm not satisfied." "What's the matter now?" "I want something respectable to eat. Let's go into Poperinghe and get a properly cooked tea."
Elverdingue was another Poperinghe the same crowds of soldiers, the same confusion, only perhaps more emphasised, for Elverdingue is very near the front, between Poperinghe and Ypres and a little to the north, where the line that curves out about Ypres bends back again. More guns, more hussars. It was difficult to walk across the narrow streets.
The man ordered the women to leave the town with him and go to Poperinghe. The two girls refused to go. For weeks Furnes was under artillery fire from beyond Nieuport. One of our hospital nurses was killed as she was walking in the Grand Place. I saw an American girl covered by the pistol of an Uhlan officer. She did not change color, but regarded the incident as a lark.
Round about Poperinghe, by Reninghelst and Locre, long convoys of motor-wagons, taking up a new day's rations from the rail-heads, raised clouds of dust which powdered the hedges white. Flemish cart-horses with huge fringes of knotted string wended their way between motor-lorries and gun-limbers.
On the following day, however, we heard that the situation had somewhat settled, and an order came from General Mellis, the Chief of the Medical Staff, instructing us to return to Furnes. A few hours later found us hard at work again, putting in order our old home. There was one rather pathetic incident of our expedition to Poperinghe.
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