On another occasion I wanted to ascertain what value there was in the
musketry training of a foreign infantry. Also it had been reported
that they had recently acquired a new form of machine gun which was a
particularly rapid firer and very accurate in its effects. Its calibre
was known, and its general pattern (from photographs), but its actual
capabilities were still a matter of conjecture.
On this occasion I thought the simplest way would be to go
undisguised. Without any concealment I went to stay in garrison towns
where I happened to know one or two officers. I obtained introductions
to other officers, and gradually became their companion at meals and
at their evening entertainments. They mounted me on their horses, I
rode with them on their rounds of duty, and I came to be an attendant
at their field days and manoeuvres; but whenever we approached the
rifle ranges I was always politely but firmly requested to go no
further, but to await their return, since the practice was absolutely
confidential. I could gain no information from them as to what went on
within the enclosure where the rifle range was hidden.
Two of my English friends one day incautiously stopped at the entrance
gate to one of the ranges, and were promptly arrested and kept in the
guard-room for some hours, and finally requested to leave the place,
without getting much satisfaction out of it. So I saw that caution
was necessary. Little by little, especially after some very cheerful
evenings, I elicited a certain amount of information from my friends
as to what the new machine gun did and was likely to do, and how their
soldiers could of course never hit a running target, since it was with
the greatest difficulty they hit the standing one at all. But more
than this it was impossible to get.
However, I moved on to another military station, where as a stranger
I tried another tack. The rifle ranges were surrounded by a belt
of trees, outside of which was an unclimbable fence guarded by two
sentries, one on either side. It seemed impossible to get into or even
near the range without considerable difficulty.
One day I sauntered carelessly down in the direction of the range at
a point far away from the entrance gate, and here I lay down on the
grass as if to sleep, but in reality to listen and take the rate of
the shooting from the sound and also the amount of success by the
sound of the hits on the iron target. Having gained a certain amount
of data in this way, I approached more nearly in the hope of getting a
sight of what was going on.
While the sentry's back was turned I made a rush for the fence, and
though I could not get over, I found a loose plank through which I was
able to get a good view of what was happening.
While engaged at this, to my horror the sentry suddenly turned on his
tracks and came back towards me. But I had been prepared against such
eventualities, and jamming back the plank into its place, I produced
from my pocket a bottle of brandy which I had brought for the purpose.
Half of it had been already sprinkled over my clothes, so that when
the man approached he found me in a state of drunkenness, smelling
vilely of spirits, and profuse in my offers to him to share the
bottle.
[Illustration: _The above sketch shows the writer in a tight place.
He was discovered in close proximity to a rifle range by a German
sentry. He pretended to be intoxicated, and so escaped. But it was a
close shave._]
He could make nothing of me, and therefore gently but firmly conducted
me to the end of his beat and thrust me forth and advised me to go
home, which I did in great content....