ok
advantage of this brief spell of fine weather to make several attacks
against different points. These were all repulsed with loss to the
enemy, but the casualties incurred by us were by no means light.

"The offensive against one or two points was renewed at dusk, with no
greater success. The brunt of the resistance naturally has fallen on the
infantry. In spite of the fact that they have been drenched to the skin
for some days and their trenches have been deep in mud and water, and
in spite of the incessant night alarms and the almost continuous
bombardment to which they have been subjected, they have on every
occasion been ready for the enemy's infantry when the latter attempted
to assault. Indeed, the sight of the troops coming up has been a
positive relief after long, trying hours of inaction under shell fire.

OBJECT OF GERMAN ATTACKS

"The object of the great proportion of artillery the Germans employ is
to beat down the resistance of their enemy by concentrated and prolonged
fire--to shatter their nerve with high explosives before the infantry
attack is launched. They seem to have relied on doing this with us,
but they have not done so, though it has taken them several costly
experiments to discover this fact.

"From statements of prisoners, it appears that they have been greatly
disappointed by the moral effect produced by their heavy guns, which,
despite the actual losses inflicted, has not been at all commensurate
with the colossal expenditure of ammunition which has really been
wasted.

"By this it is not implied that their artillery fire is not good. It is
more than good--it is excellent. But the British soldier is a difficult
person to impress or depress, even by immense shells filled with a high
explosive, which detonate with terrific violence and form craters large
enough to act as graves for five horses.

"The German howitzer shells are from eight to nine inches in calibre,
and on impact they send up columns of greasy black smoke. On account of
this they are irreverently dubbed 'coal boxes,' 'Black Marias,' or 'Jack
Johnsons' by the soldiers.

"Men who take things in this spirit are, it seems, likely to throw out
the calculations based on loss of morale so carefully framed by the
German military philosophers.

"The German losses in officers are stated by our prisoners to have been
especially severe. A brigade is stated to be commanded by a major; some
companies of foot guards by one-year vol