On our left the trench-line was continued by the troops of another
Division: on our right lay another battalion of our own brigade.
"If the line has been made really continuous this time," observed the
Colonel, "we should be as safe as houses. Wonderful fellows, these
sappers! They have wired almost our whole front already. I wish they
had had time to do it on our left as well."
Within the next few hours all defensive preparations possible in the
time had been completed; and our attendant angels, most effectively
disguised as Royal Engineers, had flitted away, leaving us to wait for
Monday morning--and Brother Bosche.
With the dawn, our eyes, which had known no sleep since Friday night,
peered rheumily out over the whitening landscape.
To our front the ground stretched smooth and level for two hundred
yards, then fell gently away, leaving a clearly denned skyline. Beyond
the skyline rose houses, of which we could descry only the roofs and
upper windows.
"That must be either Haisnes or Douvrin," said Major Kemp. "We are
much farther to the left than we were yesterday. By the way, _was_ it
yesterday?"
"The day before yesterday, sir," the ever-ready Waddell informed him.
"Never mind; to-day's the day, anyhow. And it's going to be a busy
day, too. The fact is, we are in a tight place, and all through doing
too well. We have again penetrated so much farther forward than any
one else in our neighbourhood that we _may_ have to fall back a bit.
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