s possible."

"And we thought we had got a proper move on sending back those tents,"
concluded the American major who told me the story.

And now we were in action with these virile ardent fellows. Two of
their Divisions took part in the great battle which at 5.30 A.M. opened
on a 35-mile front--ten days of bloody victorious fighting, by which
three armies shattered the last and strongest of the enemy's
fully-prepared positions, and struck a vital blow at his main
communications.

The first news on Sept. 27th was of the best. On our part of the front
the Americans had swept forward, seized the two ruined farms that were
their earliest objectives, and surged to the top of a knoll that had
formed a superb point of vantage for the Boche observers. By 7.30 A.M.
the Brigade was told to warn F.O.O.'s that our bombers would throw red
flares outside the trenches along which they were advancing to indicate
their position.

But again there was to be no walk-over. The Boche counter-attack was
delivered on the Americans' left flank. We were ordered to fire a
two-hours' bombardment upon certain points towards which the enemy was
pouring his troops; and the colonel told me to instruct our two
F.O.O.'s to keep a particular look-out for hostile movement.

By 11 A.M. Division issued instructions for all gun dumps to be made up
that night to 500 rounds per gun. "Stiff fighting ahead," commented the
colonel.

At three o'clock Dumble, who was commanding A Battery, Major Bullivant
having gone on leave, reported that the Americans were withdrawing from
the knoll to trenches four hundred yards in rear, where they were
reorganising their position.

That settled the fighting for the day, although there was speedy
indication of the Boche's continued liveliness: a plane came over, and
by a daring manoeuvre set fire to three of our "sausage" balloons, the
observers having to tumble out with their parachutes. All this time I
had remained glued to the telephone for the receipt of news and the
passing of orders. There was opportunity now to give thought to the
fortifying of our headquarters. Hubbard, who prided himself on his
biceps, had engaged in a brisk discussion with the officers of a
near-by Artillery brigade headquarters regarding the dug-out that he
and myself and "Ernest" had occupied the night before. Originally it
had been arranged that we should share quarters with them, dug-outs in
a neighbouring bank having been allotted for th