THE SAND DUNES.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 26, 1 April 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE SAND DUNES.

ON THE DUTCH FRONTIER

Something more than a mere free frontier post is undoubtedly being established by the Germans on the last mile and a half of Belgian territory between Knocke and the Dutch frontier (says a "Daily Chronicle" correspondent.) At this point along the muchbombarded coast the Belgian sand dunes slope down in a narrow ridge to disappear in the shallow islet of the Zwin, which forms a small niche on the coast where the two territories adjoin. The frontier for the last mile seaward runs through the swamps and tidal waters of the Zwin, and when the tide is out it is possible to walk far out upon the sands to a point which brings one almost in front of Knocke, of which a close view can be obtained, and to see hevond it first Heyst, then Zeebrugge with its long pier and lighthouse. The journev to this open ground is tortuous and difficult. The ways out of Sluis are deep in thin mud, and when the paved road is left there 'is a slippery walk or bicycle ride along a path about two feet wide, wjth a steep drop into a canal on one side and a Slough of Despond on the other. With the heavy rain driving in from the sea on a strong wind and with the path becoming narrower and more treacherous as the coast is approached, there is little opportunity of looking round in response to the frequent rifle shots one hears only a few fields away to the left. When I reached the low shores of the .Zwin I was net through, my hat had been carried away where it was impossible to follow, and'for the moment the Belgian coast was blotted out by a dark curtain of rain clouds sweeping in from the North Sea.

GERMANS AMONG THE DUXES. Soon the sky cleared and the sun shone faintly, and there, about a mile away, were the Germans on the dunes. running hither and thither like black ants on a monster mound. Just be vond them were the houses of Knocke. Below them, seaward, were strewn several derelict mines on the sands. Inland from the foot of the sandy ridge the low sodden level fields stretched away towards Sluis, the landscape broken only by a few thin'straight lines of trees that marked the course of canal, dyke, o; dirty, almost impassable, road. At a closer glance it was just possible to make out the line of the frontier some i way inland by the sentry boxes, both Dutch and German, placed at intervals, by farmhouses on the roads, and in the otherwise deserted fields. The sea today was innocent of cruisers or monitors. Only a few small fishing boats were out to the north off the Waleheren coast. On both the landward and seaward sides of the ridge of sand large numbers of Germans were constantly mounting and descending the slopes, obviously carrying a material of some sort to the summit. There a number of sentry boxes are placed, and men pass to and'fro without ceasing. Against the sky line these sentry boxes stand out distinctly, between them are several small bodies of men, who appear from the distance to lie digging in the sands. A gun which at a previous visit was clearly visible through glasses had disappeared to-day, but farther along the coast towards Heyst there were placed what looked like a number of machine guns. BEHIND THE DUTCH FLAG. For a time I watched the German activities without apparently attracting their curiosity, but at length there was a decided interest taken in the solitary, hatless stranger who had tramped through swamp sands so far out to sea. On the ridge of the hills a small company of horsemen stood out. One made straight for the still ebbing tide half a mile out. Another dropped to the sands and hugged the base of the ridge. Three others, who on approaching me I found were two officers and an orderly, came down the top of the ridge, and then wheeling seaward came trotting over the sloppy sands to the frontier post against which I was leaning. Above nie and bound to the iron frontier stout wires was a huge Dutch "flag" of red, white, and blue, painted on a large board the better to withstand the gales and rains of the winter. Twenty yards or so from the post they all met and halted. There was a casual sort of conversation, a few glances in my direction, a lighting of cigarettes, and then a general dispersal and return home. One officer changed his mind at this moment and came back nearer than before, but like the lion in "Julius Caesar" he merely "glared upon me and wont surly by without annoying nie." The officers were riding magnificent chargers. There is constant speculation as to the precise significance of this rather obvious parade close to the Dutch frontier. By some it is regarded as mere window dressing designed to impress all who may see it. Others freely assert that a landing of the British is feared, while yet others take the view that the Germans are just spying out the shortest cut to Holland and safe internment when " the dav" is at hand.