to stand there too, horribly
frightened. The Major said it was impossible to go farther. There was
only a troop of cavalry, taking careful cover, at the farm in front,
and--

"My God, man, you're under machine-gun fire."

So that's what it is, murmured the despatch rider to himself, not
greatly cheered. He saw he could not get to any vantage point by that
road, and it seemed best to get back at once. He absolutely streaked
along back to D.H.Q., stopping on the way very much against his will to
deliver a message from Major Buckle to the Duke of Wellington's who were
in support.

He gave in his report, such as it was, to Colonel Romer, and was
praised. Moral: Be called away by some pressing engagement _before_ the
captain calls for volunteers. May _Gott strafe_ thoroughly all
interfering sergeants!

The Headquarters Staff advanced in an hour or so to some houses. The 3rd
Corps, consisting of the 4th Division and the unlucky 19th Brigade, had
pushed on with tremendous dash towards Jouarre, and we learnt from an
aeroplane which dropped a message on the hill at Doue that the general
situation was favourable. The Germans were crowding across the bridge at
La Ferte under heavy shell fire, but unluckily we could not hit the
blighted bridge.

It was now midday and very hot. There was little water. We had been
advancing over open fields without a vestige of shade.

Under cover of their guns the Germans fled across the Petit Morin in
such confusion that they did not even hold the very defensible heights
to the north of the river. We followed on their heels through St Ouen
and up the hill behind the village. Three of us went on ahead and sat
for two hours in a trench with borrowed rifles waiting for the Germans
to come out of a wood. But it began to rain very hard, and the Germans
came on the other side and were taken by the Cyclists.

It was just getting dark when we rendezvoused at the cross-roads of
Charnesseuil. The village was battered by our guns, but the villagers
did not mind a scrap and welcomed us with screams of joy. The local inn
was reopened with cheers, and in spite of the fact that there were two
dead horses, very evil-smelling, just outside, we had drinks all round.

We were interrupted by laughter and cheers. We rushed out to see the
quaintest procession coming from the west into Charnesseuil. Seventy odd
immense Prussian Guards were humbly pushing in the bicycles of forty of
our Divisional Cyclists