the Lys at Warneton was strongly held by
the Germans with a barricade loopholed at the bottom to enable the men
to fire while lying down.

"Our cavalry, with the artillery, blew the barricade to pieces and
scattered the defenders," the narrative continues. "Advancing
three-quarters of a mile our troops reached the square, when one of the
buildings appeared to leap skyward. A sheet of flame and a shower of
star shells at the same time made the place as light as day and enabled
the enemy, ensconced in surrounding houses, to pour a devastating fire
from rifles and machine guns. Our cavalry extricated themselves with the
loss of one officer wounded and nine men killed and wounded, but a party
of volunteers went back and carried off their wounded comrades from the
inferno.

"During the 17th, 18th, and 19th of October our right encountered strong
opposition from the enemy about La Bassee, where they had established
themselves behind embankments. On the centre and the left we made better
progress, although the Germans were everywhere intrenched, and, in spite
of the bombardment, held some villages on the Lys. At the close of each
day a night counter stroke was delivered against one or another part of
our line, but they were all repulsed.

"Tuesday, Oct. 20, a determined but unsuccessful attack was made against
virtually the whole of our line. At one point where one of our brigades
made a counter attack 1,100 German dead were found in a trench and forty
prisoners were taken."

The narrative points out that the advance of the Allies has been
hindered by the weather and the nature of the ground, together with the
impossibility of knowing beforehand the reception that advance
detachments were likely to meet in approaching any village or town. "One
place may be evacuated hastily as untenable," the recital continues,
"while another in the same general line will continue to resist for a
considerable time. In some villages the inhabitants meet our cyclists
with kisses, while at the next one the roads will, in all probability,
have trenches cut across them and blocked with barricades and machine
guns. Under these circumstances an incautious advance is severely
punished, and it is impossible for large bodies of troops to push on
until the front has been thoroughly reconnoitred. This work requires the
highest qualities from our cavalry, our cyclists, and our advanced
guards.

Armored motor cars equipped with machine guns are now p