area strafe in front,
behind, and around the single gun. Another time the descent of an
8-inch saved the _amour-propre_ of a worried second lieutenant, who,
after jockeying with his angle of sight, had got into abject
difficulties with his range and corrector.

One morning I was up forward carrying out instructions to keep in daily
touch with the infantry battalions, finding out their requirements, and
discovering what new artillery targets they could suggest. As it was
also my business to know what the Heavies were doing, I stopped at an
O.P. in a trench to ask a very young R.G.A. officer observing for a
6-inch how. such questions as what he had fired upon that morning, and
whether he had noted any fresh Boche movement. I had passed along the
winding trench and descended the dug-out headquarters of one of our
infantry battalions, and was inquiring if the commanding officer had
any suggestions or complaints to make, when the boyish R.G.A. officer
came down the steps and, not noticing me in the dim candle-light, asked
in hurried tones: "Excuse me, sir, but could you identify an artillery
officer who said he was coming here? He stopped and asked me some
extraordinary questions ... and"--hesitatingly--"you have to be careful
talking to people in the front line."

The adjutant and the intelligence officer of the infantry battalion
were smiling broadly. Finally the colonel had to laugh. "Yes," he said,
"I can identify the artillery officer. Here he is. You haven't
discovered a spy this time."

The young officer looked abashed, and when later I passed his "O.P.,"
apologised with much sincerity. I replied by asking him to have a good
look at me, so that he wouldn't mistake me next time we met. After
which we both laughed. We did meet again, not long afterwards, and in
much more exciting circumstances.

When the Brigade left that part of the line, Marshal Foch had begun his
momentous counter-effort between Soissons and Chateau-Thierry. In a
very short time we also were to be engaged in a swift and eventful
movement that changed the whole tenor of the war: a time of hard
ceaseless fighting, countless episodes of heroism and sacrifice, and
vivid conquering achievement.

V. BEFORE THE GREAT ATTACK

On the evening of August 3, an evening with a sinister lowering sky, we
settled in our newest headquarters: wooden huts, perched on the long
steep slope of a quarry just outside the crumbling ruins of Heilly,
celebrated