down on the quays at the Bases, now unrolled
themselves at the rate of about two and a quarter miles a day. One
interesting feature of this rapid track-laying was that when the tank
train left E----, on its two and a half days' journey down to the
railhead at A----, the track on which the train was to run was not
completed into A----. But, nevertheless, the track arrived ahead of
the train, which was the main point!

As they rode into the ruined village of A---- Talbot and his companion
came across still further evidence of the steps which the German will
take to inconvenience his enemy. In order to battle against the hordes
of rats which are so prevalent in the old parts of the line in France,
the Boche breeds cats in enormous numbers. Yet, in order to carry out
to the limit his idea that nothing of value should fall into our
hands, he had killed every cat in the village. In every house three or
four of these poor little creatures lay around with their heads
chopped off. Tabby cats, black cats, white cats, and little kittens,
all dead. Farther on, over a well at the corner of the main square was
posted a sign which read: "This well is poisoned. Do not touch. By
order. R.E."

Here and there a house had been left intact, with its furniture
untouched. It was not until later that it struck us as peculiar that
these houses had been spared from the general destruction. Two or
three days later, however, after we had moved in, and headquarters had
been established, we discovered that under many of these houses, and
at certain crossroads which had not been blown up in the usual manner,
the Boche had left mines, timed to go off at any time up to
twenty-eight days. One could never be sure that the ground underneath
one's feet would not blow up at any moment. These mines were small
boxes of high explosive, inside of which was a little metal tube with
trigger and detonator attached. Inside the tube was a powerful acid,
which, when it had eaten its way through, set free the trigger and
exploded the charge. The length of time it took for the mine to
explode was gauged by the strength or weakness of the acid in the
tube.

[Illustration: A TANK MOVING TO THE ATTACK DOWN WHAT WAS ONCE
A MAIN STREET]

We were also impressed with the mechanical genius of the German. The
Boche had made a veritable mechanical toy out of nearly every house in
the village which he had spared. Delightful little surprises had been
prepared for us