New-York tribune., 1915-12-13

looked for a boyau, such as one
finds on the French front-a deep com
municatior trench, in which the tallest
man is well hidden. But we started
straight across the fields. On the
French front one constantly meets SOL
diers going back and forth from the
first line. In Belgium only curious peo-
nile and those with urgent business
move by day in the neighborhood oil
the first and second line. Supplies and
reserves are brought up by night.
We plodded across the fields IN soil
tude. hoping that as our party was
small it would not attract the attention
Of the Germans. We were heading for
a long mound, and as we approached 1t
saw it thickly pecpled. A little
nearer and it turned out 20 be the User
dixie and the Belgian first line. If !
could, ! would give all that country
back to the God who made it or cast
il aside half-fnished, and ] would be
glad to let it go
The Only Defence Line.
But the Belgians have chosen tie
only possible point Of defence, the only
shadow Of cover in all the region, and
there they stick and protect the fiat
land clear back to Calais and beyond.
And when you ask if they are ready
for another winter campaign after this
one they reply "Zut," implying indii-
ference.
The dixie is a great mound OF black
earth ten feet high and thirty iee'
broad. running all along the lett BANK
of the User. On the river side are
trenches, and because the water level
is higher than the level Of the fields
the trenches can only be dug waist
deem. If they were deeper the riiyer
would come in. SO here, IN first llne
as in second trenches. there are Dut
narrow Sits in black mud.
/ stood in these first line trenches
and looked across to the German INES
kjlometre away, which were as close
as they can get. The User IS only a
narrow stream, but ,.hen the Beigians
cut dikes il spread out over l,o5O yards
and is no longer a river, but shaHow
+ lake. across which the Belglans and
/ Germans watch one another grlmiy,
while the Germans mourn the men and
material lost in the food.
Boardwalks of War.
Al every point VIII IRE a bit Of higher
/ ground shows through the water the
Eelgians have run out narrow loot
/ bridges. like boardwalks in the coun-
trv and towns. Some Of these are right
under THE German lines, 50 close that
ordinary conversation can be heard.
! We stood on the patch Of ground per
hans fifty feet square. The wall OF what
had been the farmhouse stood shoulder
high. Bricks and mortar, scattered by
+ German shells, Uttered the ground, and
AZ one end was a shelter Of Sandbags.
behind which the Belgian soldiers
/ stood sentinels. Black water stretched
/ smoothly for thousands Of yards in
/ front OF US, with bare trees sticking
their tops through it, while across IT
meandered a little board path, built at
night by stealth TO a nub Of earth the
si. of YOUR hand, within nfty rect OF
tho German trenches. A pile of sand
bags crowned the nubbin. and under
them lay a Belgian soldier, watching
and Esteni with telephone in hand
The Germans could not she'll him, for
he was too close 10 their trenches
when night fell another Belgian would
Green across that thousand yards OF
footbridpc 70 take his turn at watching
and listening. And every night through
The long winter a Belgian soldier viii
tije in the cold and sodden mud Of that
most under the German trenches guard
inc the Fat land to Calais.
Guarded by Black Mud.
On the land side the soldiers he
duo their shelters into the dixie, littl'
caves lined with straw, where they
sleep. secure in the protection OF th'
HACK mud, which sucks in the German
sbeIIs. there are larger caves for th'
opscers' Quarters and kitchens. On the
french front the cooking is done be
hind the lines and the food IL carried
for,gard through the cOmmunicat ior
trenchcs. The Bclgiors have TO cook II
the first line.
But il is not only the soldiers wh'
are in the first line. saw civilians liy
Ing thers women and children. Bull