MARTIAL LAW 199 



surprise designed by young soldiers who had walked 

 out for pleasure from a neighbouring camp. A 

 sharp " Halt ! " suddenly resounded and still I took 

 no notice. A sharper, fiercer " Halt ! " brought me 

 speedily to a standstill, and when I saw one of the 

 five standing up on the wall of the dyke with his 

 rifle levelled at my head, I knew that I was face to 

 face with martial law. At the same time I felt 

 inclined to show that I was in no sense taken aback 

 and so I asked if it was " a game they were playing 

 or real earnest." The young soldier was tempted 

 to fire his rifle, but a sergeant who rose from the 

 ditch murmured something about " only a lady " 

 and with a wave of his arm motioned me to move 

 on, which I lost no time in doing. I had almost 

 forgotten the incident when another resounding 

 " Halt ! " rang through the air and a tall man in 

 khaki asked, " What business have you on this 

 hill ? " He looked fiercely at me and I saw that his 

 rifle was ready to hand if I took another step with- 

 out answering. 



"I am only taking a walk," I said, and feeling 

 somewhat annoyed at such an innocent amusement 

 being so much interfered with I added in an under- 

 tone, " I have as much business here as you have." 

 The young man's face suddenly relaxed and a 

 broad smile followed. " Pass on," he said, and I 

 felt quite pleased, as I swung down the hill, that I 

 had furnished them with a slight incident to talk 

 over and that their monotonous watch upon the 

 summit of the beacon had at all events been broken 

 by the advent of one imaginary foe. 



We civilians soon became callous of these doings 



