Back In Action

Chapter Forty-Six

Titisee, Germany — Monday 15 November 1915

After an uneventful four-and-a-quarter-hour drive, David arrived in Titisee shortly past fourteen twenty. He parked the lorry in front of the small grocery store and entered. "Ich habe frische Kartoffeln aus der Schweiz zu verkaufen... I have fresh potatoes from Switzerland to sell."

"Wie viele und wie viel?... How many and how much?"

"Zweihundertfünfzig Kilo auf zwölf Pfennigs... Two hundred and fifty kilos at twelve pennies."

The woman accompanied him to the lorry, looked at the bins of potatoes and examined their quality, then offered him ten. David shook his head and said he could get much more in Triberg for only another two and a half hours of driving. She nodded, pursed her lips, then agreed to twelve.

Greg and Hans arrived to help empty the last few bins into the root cellar beneath the store. After David had been paid, the three of them climbed into the cab and drove out of town in silence.

Hans finally spoke, "We built a large cairn over his remains. Looks like he had died instantly, head crushed by a large rock."

David remained silent as he drove around the shores of Titisee and headed down the valley toward Schluchsee. Finally, he said, "I'm relieved it was quick. Relieved he hadn't been captured."

"Those were our first thoughts." Hans closed his eyes and blew out a loud breath. "Found him on our way back in toward the camp on Saturday afternoon. Looks like the rocks collapsed onto him. A lot of unstable rock all along the bluffs up there."

"That's always been main my fear in climbing," David said. "Not falling, but having things fall onto me."

Hans grimaced. "We spent all day yesterday locating the best rocks to blow. There are so many of them, but we've identified the four prime ones. At least to our perception. Be good to have Georg's opinion on them."

When they drove into the courtyard at Sonnenhang an hour and a quarter later, the men were all at the tables under the oaks, and David glanced at his watch. "About ten minutes late for tea. We'll unload the bins later."

David announced to the group that Herman had been killed by falling rocks. "It appeared quick, and he wouldn't have suffered. Let's all have two minutes of silence for him."

The mood continued sombre as they sat in silence well beyond the two minutes. Then Sergeant Perrier said quietly to David, "We found the tunnel partly flooded this morning when we recommenced work. At first, I thought it was from yesterday's rain. It took four hours of pumping to uncover the bottom of the drift and see water flowing over it. We went in to investigate and found water coming from the working face. Appears we've run into a small aquifer, Sir."

"Aquifer?"

"An underground stream, Sir."

"So, what do we do now?"

"I looked at three options, Sir. The best is to find the aquifer upstream of the tunnel and divert it, but with the border post so close, that's too risky here. The next option is to reroute the tunnel and go above the aquifer. That's an extra week and a half of digging it but does nothing to get rid of the water. We need to drain it from the sump area at the bottom of the ramp to give the flow an escape. My thoughts are to dig a drain tunnel from the sump across to the open slopes."

"Why not dig it from where the flow comes in, Sergeant?"

"That's too close to the border, Sir. We'd be easily seen."

"Yes, of course. How long would it take to dig the drain?"

"I've done a basic survey and some calculations. If we do a small hole, two by three, we should be through the chalk in about a week. The floor of the main tunnel will have a steady wash of water from the aquifer to the entrance sump. More in the rain."

"Is there a chance the aquifer is larger farther along?"

"Yes, certainly, Sir. We've just the seepage through the fissures at the moment. Pumping two gallons a minute easily keeps ahead of it. However, I've surveyed the slopes above. Most of the catchment area appears to flow into two surface streams, one on each side of the broad rib. There shouldn't be much water unless there's a crack system running from the upslope stream."

"Seems very complex." David stroked his beard. "So, what's your next step?"

"Continue with the pumping, Sir. We can drain the sump with the hand pump; less than half an hour every four. Meanwhile, we take precise sights and measurements so we can begin planning the drainage tunnel. We'll need to start digging at its outlet. Otherwise, we risk having our working face flooded if the ingress increases."

"You'll be out in the open, in plain view of the border guards."

"Our first twenty or thirty feet will be a trench until we reach the chalk. Most of it will be masked from the Customs post by the hedgerow. We are going to begin probing and measuring after tea, Sir."

David looked at his watch. "Sixteen thirty-five. Thank you, Sergeant. I need to make a telephone call to Bern. I'll meet you down at the site, and you can explain your sightings and plans to me."

After dinner, David sat with Sergeant Perrier at the kitchen table watching him sketch and label diagrams, then run a series of calculations. "It looks like we have thirty-two feet of trench before we reach the chalk, Sir. Then it's sixty-seven feet of tunnel to the sump. Probably a week and a half, closer to two weeks."

"That's slower than your progress in the main tunnel."

"The slow part will be the trench. Loose soil, so we'll need sloping sides, Sir. That portion will be slow going because there's a lot of material to move without looking suspicious."

David nodded. "We can have the others work with you on that."

"Already in my calculations, Sir."

"I should have known. You always take the broad picture into consideration." He paused and looked at the Sergeant. "Gerrard, have you ever considered seeking a commission?"

"Turned the recommendation down twice, Sir. I like this level of responsibility."

"You're obviously very intelligent. You've great confidence, you're decisive, you motivate your men well, and they are all are eager to follow you. Your performance, your bearing and your leadership are all at a commissioned level. Think about it. You've much more to offer."

"I don't think I could handle the added responsibility, Sir."

"You're already demonstrating you're capable of handling responsibility at levels beyond that of many junior officers." David rose from the table. "I'll bid you good night. Think about it. I'll see you at breakfast."