Battery's rear position guns to fire on them
by the map, and guessed that the Battery's forward guns would be hard
at it already.

The colonel came back from the Infantry Brigade, quiet and
self-possessed as ever. "Defence in depth means forces more scattered,
and greater difficulty in keeping up communication," he remarked,
taking a chair and lighting a cigarette. "As far as can be gathered,
the situation is this: The Boche got through in force on our left and
the --th Division gave way. That bared our own Division's left flank,
and is the reason why the --rd Brigade had such a bad time and lost so
many guns. The enemy is still coming on; and he's doing too well, also
against the --th Division on our right. Our own people say he has
worked past their outposts, but that so far as is known they are
holding out. The main battle positions are still safe, and a
counter-attack is being arranged. No news at all of what is happening
farther north!" This was the longest speech the colonel made on that
21st of March.

4 P.M.: I telephoned to the regimental sergeant-major and told him to
come up with the mess cart and the G.S. waggon for remaining kit, and
ordered the servants to pack up. Twenty minutes later Dumble returned,
dusty and dispirited.

"Well, Dumble, what news?" inquired the colonel quickly.

"I couldn't get to the Battery, sir--the enemy are round it, between it
and our infantry," began Dumble in cut-up tones.

"The nearest I got was in a trench held by the 7th Westshires. An
officer told me that an advanced party of the enemy came over the crest
about 12.30. They fired Very lights in response to a Hun contact plane
that flew towards the switch-trench leading N.E. towards the battery.
By 2 o'clock more enemy infantry were coming from the south, apparently
to join up with the advanced party who had sat tight. Both A and B
Batteries fired on this new body, and they seemed to me dispersed. But
by half-past three, while I was there, Germans in small parties were
crawling through the wire in front of A Battery, and getting into our
trenches."

He paused and wiped his streaming face with his handkerchief.

"What were our infantry doing?" the colonel interrogated.

"There were only small parties of them, sir, and very scattered," went
on Dumble. "The officer and myself, with a dozen men, got along a
trench to within thirty yards of some Huns and fired on them. But
another party, from almost behind us, came along