t them there two or three times they
came only to the top of the hill, to "Cooker's Halt." We soon chased
them out of that, however, and then I guess poor Fritz had to carry
his stuff all the way from behind the Ridge. On two occasions we
caught large working parties, in broad daylight, and cut them up and
dispersed them. Our position in front of the group of buildings (In
den Kraatenberg) naturally led the enemy to believe that we were using
the building for cover, so he shelled the poor inoffensive houses and
barns most industriously but never put anything close enough to our
real position to do any damage. This taught me a lesson which I put
into operation, later on, at Sniper's Barn, with the best of results.

[Illustration: French Using an Ordinary Wine Barrel on which a Wagon
Wheel Is Mounted to Facilitate the Revolving Movement to Any Desired
Direction.]

From that time on, strafing was an important part of machine gunnery
until, now, together with barrage fire, it comprises about all there
is to machine-gun work, proper, for the automatic rifle has taken over
the greater part of the front-line offensive work.

CHAPTER IV

EIGHT DAYS IN

As the subject of machine guns is one of great interest at this time,
it may not be amiss to devote a little space to explaining some of the
salient features of the most commonly used types.

All automatic arms are divided into classes, as determined by the
following characteristics:

1st. Method of applying the power necessary to operate: (gas or recoil).

2nd. Method of supplying ammunition: (belt, magazine or clip).

3rd. Method of cooling: (water or air).

Another well-defined distinction is made between the true machine gun
and the automatic rifle; the former being so heavy that it must be
mounted on a substantial tripod or other base, while the latter is so
light that it may be carried and operated by a single man. Of the
former class, the Colt, (35 lbs.), the Vickers, (38 lbs.) and the
Maxim, (63 lbs.) may be taken as representative. They are all mounted,
for field work, on tripods weighing fifty pounds or more. In the
latter class, the Lewis, Benet-Mercie, and Hotchkiss, running from 17
to 25 lbs., are fair examples. They are all equipped with light,
skeleton "legs" or tripods, which, by the way, are never used in the
field although they are still considered essential for training
purposes.

In the gas-operated arms, a small hole is drilled in the un