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It will be a fine show; right under his trenches. Ought to snip a hundred or so." "Well," said another, "I was down in C shaft, and could hear Bosche working very hard, as if he had got all the world to himself." At that moment a tunnelling-sergeant came in, and reported that the Bosche was much nearer. The listener could distinctly hear talking through the 'phone.
I waited awhile to watch the Bosche shelling before going over the ridge to Pozières. I could then tell the sections he "strafed" most. I would be able to avoid them as much as possible. I watched for fully an hour; the variation in his target was barely perceptible. On one or two occasions he "swept" the ridge. I decided to make a start after the next dose.
I found the mines which Bosche had exploded at all cross-roads very troublesome, and on one occasion, in endeavouring to cross by way of the field alongside, I got badly stuck; so I had to borrow a couple of horses to get me out on to the road again. I duly arrived and reported to Brigadier H.Q. It was the cellar of a once decent house by the appearance of the garden.
Bosche put a few shells over near by, but fortunately nobody was touched. He was evidently nervous about something, for on several occasions he sent up star-shells, in batches of six, which lighted up the whole ridge like day, and until they were down again I stood stock still. Day was breaking in the east. A low-lying mist hung over the village. I hoped it would not affect my taking.
Many of our field-gun batteries had taken up their position near by: they had turned old shell-holes into gun-pits occasionally a burst of firing rang out, and Bosche was doing his level best to find them with his 5.9 crump. Here I managed to obtain several very interesting scenes.
We moved out of the quarries and struck over half-left, and ultimately found the Battalion, a very long way ahead, in what I took to be a Bosche third-line trench, facing east." "Right! Fosse Alley," said Kemp. "You remember it on the map?" "Yes, I do now," said Ayling.
"Several villages were seen burning during the night and the enemy put a little shrapnel around some patrols near Pouilly, but no damage was done." "Vraignes, of course, is quite clear?" "Yes, as far as we know. Our patrols reported it clear late last evening, but possibly Bosche returned during the night.
The enemy outposts moved forwards at night, and going out at dawn one often saw them withdrawing or watched the distant figures of Turkish cavalry on the sky line towards Mansura. There is a romance about the fighting Turk that one could never feel about the Bosche. One knew all about the latter, the names of the towns in which he lived, and what he did and thought and how he was educated.
"Whatever we may think of the Bosche as a gentleman," mused that indomitable philosopher, Captain Wagstaffe, as he doubled stolidly rearward behind his Company, "there is no denying his bravery as a soldier or his skill in co-ordinating an attack. It's positively uncanny, the way his artillery supports his infantry. Thank heaven, there's the next line of trenches, fully manned.
"I should be more inclined to agree with you, Major," said Wagstaffe, "if only we had a bit more to show for our losses." "We haven't done so badly," replied Kemp, who was growing more cheerful under the influence of hot cocoa. "We have got the Hohenzollern, and the Bosche first line at least, and probably Fosse Eight. On the right I hear we have taken Loos. That's not so dusty for a start.
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