78 Pages - The Black Vault

the extra advantage of height. In some of the pits,to give head-cover, loopholes of sandbags weremade, though in most cases this was not needed,owing to the concealment of the bushes. I found itwas necessary to examine personally every loophole,and correct the numerous mistakes made intheir construction. Some had the new clean sandbagsexposed to full view, thus serving as merewhited sepulchres to their occupants, others wereequally conspicuous from their absurd cock-shy appearance,others were not bulletproof, whilst othersagain would only allow of shooting in one direction,or into the ground at a few meters range, or up intothe blue sky. As I corrected all these faults I thoughtthat loopholes not made under supervision mightprove rather a snare.The result was, in the way of concealment, splendid.From these pits with our heads at ground level wecould see quite clearly out on to the veld beyond,either from under the thicker part of the bushes oreven through those which were close to our eyes.From the open, on the other hand, we were quiteinvisible, even from 300 meters distance, and wouldhave been more so had we had the whiskers of the“brethren. ” It was quite evident to me that thesesame whiskers were a wise precaution of nature forthis very purpose, and part of her universal schemeof protectivemimicry,The numerous small dongas and rifts lent themselvesreadily to flanking fire, and in many places thevertical banks required no cutting in order to giveideal protection against even artillery. In others, thesides of the crooked waterways had to be merely65