as he spoke the four puffs burst forth again and upon exactly
the same ground.

At this juncture a head appeared over the parapet behind us and after
some talk with F., came one who tendered us a pair of binoculars, by
whose aid I made out the British new line of trenches which had once
been German. So I stood, dry-mouthed, to watch the burst of those
huge shells exploding upon our British line. Fascinated, I stared
until F.'s hand on my arm aroused me, and returning the glasses with
a hazy word of thanks I followed my companions, though often turning
to watch the shooting which now I thought much too good.

And now we were traversing the great battlefield where, not long
since, so many of our bravest had fallen that Britain might still be
Britain. Even yet, upon its torn and trampled surface I could read
something of the fight--here a broken shoulder belt, there a
cartridge pouch, yonder a stained and tattered coat, while everywhere
lay bombs, English and German.

"If you want to see La Boiselle properly we must hurry!" said F., and
off he went at the double with K.'s long legs striding beside him,
but, as for me, I must needs turn for one last look where those
deadly smoke puffs came and went with such awful regularity.

The rain had stopped, but it was three damp and mud-spattered
wretches who clambered back into the waiting car.

"K.," said I, as we removed our cumbrous headgear, "about how much do
you suppose these things weigh?"

"Fully a ton!" he answered, jerking his cap over his eyes and
scowlingly accepting a cigarette.

Very soon the shattered village was far behind and we were threading
a devious course between huge steam-tractors, guns, motor-lorries and
more guns. We passed soldiers a-horse and a-foot and long strings of
ambulance cars; to right and left of the road were artillery parks
and great camps, that stretched away into the distance. Here also
were vast numbers of the ubiquitous motor-lorry with many
three-wheeled tractors for the big guns. We sped past hundreds of
horses picketed in long lines; past countless tents smeared crazily
in various coloured paints; past huts little and huts big; past
swamps knee-deep in mud where muddy men were taking down or setting
up other tents. On we sped through all the confused order of a mighty
army, until, chancing to raise my eyes aloft, I beheld a huge
balloon, which, as I watched, mounted up and up into the air.

"One of our sausages!" said F., glo