They
were dug deep enough to require very little earthwork for protection;
hence they were more or less invisible by the enemy in their larger
trenches. These latter were constantly subjected to the annoyance of
bullets coming, apparently, from the ground, and, though other foes
might have acted differently in like circumstances, the Boers did not
care for the job of advancing across the open to dislodge the hidden
enemy.
In a very few days a new bomb-proof shelter had been constructed for me,
and to inaugurate it I gave an underground dinner with six guests. This
bomb-proof was indeed a triumph in its line, and I must describe it.
About 18 by 15 feet, and 8 feet high, it was reached by a flight of
twelve wooden steps, at the top of which was a door that gave it the
privacy of a room. It was lighted besides by three horizontal apertures,
which resembled the very large portholes of a sailing-ship, and this
illusion was increased by the wooden flaps that could be closed at will.
The roof was composed of two lots of steel rails placed one above the
other, and on these were sheets of corrugated iron and a huge tarpaulin
to keep out the rain. Above, again, were 9 feet of solid earth, while
rows upon rows of sandbags were piled outside the entrance to guard
against splinters and stray bullets.
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