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Page 14
A FRENCH COMEDIAN.
Later on, and farther on--after our capture of a position I shall
shortly have occasion to describe--we made the acquaintance of a French
"born comedian," who was a tower of strength at our entertainments, and
who in various other ways was a cause of constant amusement. He had been
left behind by his regiment, and we found him hanging around the place.
It had been his home, and it seemed that the magnet of life-long
associations held him to it. He was very useful in taking us round to
cottages which, to our surprise, we found to be still inhabited, and in
giving us the tip where to find cheap, if very thin, beer and other
refreshments. He was particularly proud of his German jack-boots--made
for legs very much bigger than his own. When we had concerts he used
to give us clever imitations of the late Harry Fragson in his
"Margarita" and other varieties, to the accompaniment of the mouth-organ
band. He used to say: "Ze Engleesh soldier--tr�s bon--ze French
soldier--bon--mais ze Allemand--no bon!" On one occasion he told us:
"Apr�s la guerre, ze Engleesh soldier beaucoup admirers--ladees! Ze
French soldier admirers, too. Ze Allemand--non!"
[Illustration: A FRENCH COMRADE-COMEDIAN.]
He got hold of peasants to wash our clothes for us and introduced us to
a little mill-race, which we reached through a thicket which concealed
us, and the spectacle of our men stripping and diving into the stream in
cold weather amused him hugely. He jumped about in his big boots,
exclaiming: "Vat your vife say if she see you in ze water? Vat she say
if she see you ici?" The English replied, in the best French at their
command, "beaucoup lav�--tr�s bon," at which our comical comrade-at-arms
laughed more heartily than ever. When his regiment found out where he
was a guard was sent up, and he was obliged to remain in charge of it,
to his great regret, when we moved on. He wished us "bonne chance,"
assuring us that it was his one desire after the war to get to
Angleterre, where he had never been; but now that he knew the English he
must visit us to make our further acquaintance. So much for our comical
French friend, ever so amusing and ever so polite.
We found fun in all sorts of things, made fun of all sorts of things.
That we could do so and did do so may appear strange--it seems strange
sometimes to me now. But 'twas a merciful thing that we were able to.
CHAPTER VI.
THE "MAKE" OF A BRITISH TRENCH.
The four following sketches will, I hope, give a fairly clear and
accurate idea of the construction of a British trench. The first depicts
one of my comrades (who was also a brother-artist by profession, and a
brother-sniper) sitting reading, during a surcease of the firing, on the
firing platform in a trench corner. It will be noticed that he wears his
sleeping cap. Very close and handy are his tall jack-boots--so
serviceable in wet weather and heavy mud. My artist-friend, I should
like to remark, was considered among snipers a great shot, and there is
no doubt that he often did deadly work with his rifle.
[Illustration: A TRENCH SNIPER RESTING.]
After the trench has been dug out the sandbags are placed along the top
so as to form what is called a "parapet." Then the trench is dug deeper
still and the firing platform is put in. Next the vertical struts of
wood are put in position with wiring in between to hold back the mud,
and in places where it is possible blocks fill in gaps to strengthen the
structure. Finally the bed of the trench is boarded over with long heavy
planks, some of which require two men to carry them; these are very
often placed on bricks or blocks of wood to give air spaces underneath
to keep them dry as far as possible. The trench is now completed as far
as its construction is concerned, but it is left to be "furnished" with
any supplies that happen to be handy. One of the first essentials is
naturally the fireplace. This, as in the present instance, is very often
an old tin pail with a few holes knocked in it, somewhat similar to the
one used by Mr. Wilkie Bard in his famous sketch, "The Night Watchman."
The fuel consists of charcoal, wood and coke, to get which fully lit it
is usual to swing the receptacle round and round so as to create a
draught and start the contents thoroughly on the go. There is a great
danger attending this, for if the Germans catch a glimpse of the
brazier being whirled in the air they immediately locate the whirler and
begin firing in his direction.
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