Some day an enemy plane would get over, and it only needed the drive of a fresh storm-battalion or two to scatter us.  I wanted a good prepared position, with sound trenches and decent wiring.  Above all I wanted reserves—­reserves.  The word was on my lips all day and it haunted my dreams.  I was told that the French were to relieve us, but when—­when?  My reports to Corps Headquarters were one long wail for more troops.  I knew there was a position prepared behind us, but I needed men to hold it.

Wake brought in a message from Blenkiron.  ’We’re waiting for you, Dick,’ he wrote, ’and we’ve gotten quite a nice little home ready for you.  This old man hasn’t hustled so hard since he struck copper in Montana in ’92.  We’ve dug three lines of trenches and made a heap of pretty redoubts, and I guess they’re well laid out, for the Army staff has supervised them and they’re no slouches at this brand of engineering.  You would have laughed to see the labour we employed.  We had all breeds of Dago and Chinaman, and some of your own South African blacks, and they got so busy on the job they forgot about bedtime.  I used to be reckoned a bit of a slave driver, but my special talents weren’t needed with this push.  I’m going to put a lot of money into foreign missions henceforward.’

I wrote back:  ’Your trenches are no good without men.  For God’s sake get something that can hold a rifle.  My lot are done to the world.’

Then I left Lefroy with the division and went down on the back of an ambulance to see for myself.  I found Blenkiron, some of the Army engineers, and a staff officer from Corps Headquarters, and I found Archie Roylance.

They had dug a mighty good line and wired it nobly.  It ran from the river to the wood of La Bruyere on the little hill above the Ablain stream.  It was desperately long, but I saw at once it couldn’t well be shorter, for the division on the south of us had its hands full with the fringe of the big thrust against the French.

‘It’s no good blinking the facts,’ I told them.  ’I haven’t a thousand men, and what I have are at the end of their tether.  If you put ’em in these trenches they’ll go to sleep on their feet.  When can the French take over?’

I was told that it had been arranged for next morning, but that it had now been put off twenty-four hours.  It was only a temporary measure, pending the arrival of British divisions from the north.

Archie looked grave.  ‘The Boche is pushin’ up new troops in this sector.  We got the news before I left squadron headquarters.  It looks as if it would be a near thing, sir.’

’It won’t be a near thing.  It’s an absolute black certainty.  My fellows can’t carry on as they are another day.  Great God, they’ve had a fortnight in hell!  Find me more men or we buckle up at the next push.’  My temper was coming very near its limits.