THE RUSE OF A GERMAN SNIPER.
Snipers on both sides exhibited the most extraordinary artfulness,
cunning and ingenuity in the discovery, adaptation and invention of
"cover." The great desideratum, of course, was to hide where we could
see without being seen, to shoot from where there was least danger of
being shot.
I helped to track and put an end at Houplines to one German sniper who
had resorted to a ruse that I really think deserves the dignity of a
short chapter all to itself. The story is tellable in a few words, and
may be introduced by this drawing of "The White Farm," so
christened because of the whiteness of the walls of its house; although,
as will be noticed, there was little of this or anything else left
upstanding when I drew my sketch.
[Illustration: "THE WHITE FARM."]
The position shown is the entrance to the trench at this point, and the
shovels, barrels, pails and water trough are all such implements as had
been used in making and draining the cutting.
The cart shown is the "ration cart" used at night for bringing
provisions from the Transport Corps wagon. It was usual for the ration
parties (as elsewhere) to go out every night after dusk. These were even
more than ordinarily dangerous excursions, as the enemy trenches
commanded the road, we having captured the position from them shortly
before. Hence sniping was continuous, and the cart was often hit and our
men killed or wounded. We therefore took observations.
THE SNIPER WHO LIVED IN A TREE.
[Illustration: A GERMAN SNIPER'S NEST]
In course of time we came to notice that the most dangerous part of the
road lay between a willow tree-stump and the White Farm. Our men were
shot here nightly in getting back to the trenches. A party was formed to
make a tour of the field in which the tree-trunk stood. The first thing
we noticed was that after we entered this enclosure the shots were less
numerous. We split up in open order and approached the willow, taking
care to drop to the ground on our hands and knees. As we neared the
tree, lo and behold! a shot rang out from it and only just missed the
corporal. He jumped up at once and we all followed suit. All dashed on
for the tree. What did we find? It was nothing but a purposely hollowed
trunk used as a shielded nest for a German sniper, the inside being
fitted with a shelf to rest his arm on as he coolly picked off our men
through a hole. He endeavoured to make his escape in the darkness, but
we brought him down. He had evidently been using this sniping place for
weeks, though this was the first time we had located him.