indispensable materials and carrying them to the front trenches over sodden roads swept by the enemy's fire. There, the stoical defenders of the Yser, protected by watchful guards and with their rifles always ready to hand, patiently, persistently and with marvellous pluck raised bit by bit the invincible barrier which they had sworn to hold against every new effort of the enemy.

(a) Mastering the Floods

The inundation let loose at the most critical period of the battle of the Yser, when the enemy had succeeded in crossing the river at Saint Georges, Schoorbakke, Tervaete and near Oud-Stuyvekenskerke, could not at first be so regulated as to harass the enemy only. It had gradually invaded part of our own trenches, and it was therefore an urgent matter to get the waters under complete control, lest the heroic means employed should compel the Belgian Army to abandon positions held hitherto at so serious a cost of life. To effect this, important works had to be put in hand without delay; some for defence, others for offence.

The first defensive measure consisted in the construction of trenches, which it was imperative to build at once, whether in water which oozed up at all points or in deep mud. Working with feverish activity, men piled sand-bags, brought up in a constant stream from the rear, on the marshy soil. In this manner parapets of a steadily increasing solidity slowly formed a continuous front which, though still of doubtful strength, sufficed to protect the occupied zone against surprise attacks.

Before the business of putting the ground in a proper state of defence could be initiated, the inundation had to be got under effectual control. This implied, let us note, the power to flood the ground on the enemy's side at will, while preventing the water passing beyond a sharply defined line, and making it quite impossible for the enemy to threaten us in turn.

The enormous technical difficulties which our engineers had to overcome can easily be imagined. We may observe, in the first place, that the Yser district is intersected by many small tributaries of the river and by a number of interconnected canals. The two zones—our own and that of the enemy—thus had direct communication with one another, so that, unless minute precautions were taken, and a great deal of work done, it was not possible to flood either zone without exposing the other to a similar fate.

AN ARTILLERY UNIT'S CONTROL POST

BATTALION HEADQUARTERS IN THE FRONT LINE

A SHELTER

A FOOTBRIDGE ACROSS THE FLOODS

From the First Line to an Outpost.

VIEW OF THE FIRST LINE

Where it crosses Flooded Ground.

FIRST-LINE TRENCH ROUND THE RUINS OF A FARM

Note the arch-shaped Traverses for protecting its Occupants from Snipers.

ADVANCED POST ON THE RIGHT BANK OF THE YSER

Beyond it is seen "No Man's Land."

Nor was this all. The enemy was, and still is, at liberty to lower the water level by "bleeding" the inundation on his side. To defeat such attempts, it was necessary to put ourselves in a position to turn the requisite volume of water towards his lines.

Finally, provision must be made for draining off the water promptly and carefully, should the need arise, so as to prevent a disaster being caused by the enemy increasing the inundation, or merely by the torrential rain which falls at times with disheartening persistence in this depressing region. A constant struggle between the two opponents was thus always in progress. Let us say at once that the ingenuity and unwearying exertions of our men always triumphed in contests of this kind. They continue to dominate the situation completely, and the Germans have had to own themselves beaten.

The reader will realise that we cannot give a detailed description of the measures taken; the most difficult and complicated of which were unquestionably those designed to protect the Belgian lines from inundations let loose on the enemy's positions.

It has been mentioned more than once that, thanks to their command of Nieuport and its locks, the Belgians held the key of the inundations in their hands. But we must not forget that for three years German shells have been continually directed at the locks and bridges. The works that have had to be undertaken, carried out and maintained in good condition throughout this region will astonish the experts when it is possible to reveal their real character.

What shall be said, then, of the great importance of the many barrages which we have had to raise; of the dykes—some of them more than a kilometre long—of the strengthening of the banks along the canals and water-courses that furrow the country in all directions?

The embankments are of two main kinds: the solid and those with sluices. The second are used in places where the free play of the water must be allowed and regulated. It will easily be believed that the construction of these artificial barriers, able to withstand heavy pressure, needed the piling up of 100,000, 200,000 and even 300,000 sand-bags apiece; that not fewer than a million bags were required for the largest dyke, the contents of which were a trifling 30,000 cubic yards!

We cannot say more on the subject here; but the few figures given will, we think, convey an adequate idea of the vast work entailed in controlling the inundations.

(b) The Trenches.

When the first dyke, running continuously along the front, had been finished, and the waters were sufficiently under control to relieve all fears of a serious catastrophe, and when the water-posts disputed with the enemy had been occupied in the midst of the floods, we had to give immediate attention to improving the lines, completing earthworks and organising the depth of the positions in accordance with the general principles set forth above.

There was no time to be lost. With the return of fine weather we had to expect a renewal of activity on the part of the enemy, who apparently had not given up his ambitious designs on Dunkirk and Calais. In each of the sectors which our depleted divisions had to guard, operations were organised on a systematic plan, with the firm determination of carrying them through in the shortest time possible. Work of any importance could not, of course, be done in broad daylight, for, as we have already said, nothing escaped the enemy's notice. Though far away, his guns