I was sent to see whether the report was true. Of course, it would
not do to go as an officer--suspicions would be aroused, one would
be allowed to see nothing, and would probably be arrested as a spy.
I therefore went to stay with a friendly farmer in the neighbourhood,
and went out shooting every day among the partridges and snipe which
abounded there. The first thing I did was to look at the country
generally, and try to think which points would be most valuable as
positions for artillery.

Then I went to look for partridges (and other things!) on the hills
which I had noticed, and I very soon found what I wanted.

Officers were there, taking angles and measurements, accompanied by
workmen, who were driving pegs into the ground and marking off lines
with tapes between them.

As I passed with my gun in my hand, bag on shoulder, and dog at heel,
they paid no attention to me, and from the neighbouring hills I was
able to watch their proceedings.

When they went away to their meals or returned to their quarters, I
went shooting over the ground they had left, and if I did not get a
big bag of game, at any rate I made a good collection of drawings and
measurements of the plans of the forts and emplacements which they had
traced out on the ground.

So that within a few days of their starting to make them we had the
plans of them all in our possession. Although they afterwards planted
trees all over the sites to conceal the forts within them, and put up