an offensive would not turn all its cavalry into infantry. This
was parting with one of the old three branches of horse, foot and gun
and closing the door to a possible opportunity. If the Japanese had had
cavalry ready at the critical moment after Mukden, its mobility would
have hampered the Russian retreat, if not turned it into a rout. When
you need cavalry you need it "badly," as the cowboy said about his
six-shooter.

Should the German line ever be broken and all that earth-tied, enormous,
complicated organization, with guns emplaced and its array of congested
ammunition dumps and supply depots, try to move on sudden demand, what
added confusion ten thousand cavalry would bring! What rich prizes would
await it as it galloped through the breach and in units, separating each
to its objective according to evolutions suited to the new conditions,
dismounted machine guns to cover roads and from chosen points sweep
their bullets into wholesale targets! The prospect of those few wild
hours, when any price in casualties might be paid for results, was the
inspiration of dreams when hoofs stamped in camps at night or bits
champed as lances glistened in line above khaki-colored steel helmets on
morning parade.

A taste, just a taste, of action the cavalry was to have, owing to the
success of the attack of July 14th, which manifestly took the Germans by
surprise between High and Delville Woods and left them staggering with
second-line trenches lost and confusion ensuing, while guns and
scattered battalions were being hurried up by train in an indiscriminate
haste wholly out of keeping with German methods of prevision and
precision. The breach was narrow, the field of action for horses
limited; but word came back that over the plateau which looked away to
Bapaume between Delville and High Woods there were few shell-craters and
no German trenches or many Germans in sight as day dawned.

Gunners rubbed their eyes at the vision as they saw the horsemen pass
and infantry stood amazed to see them crossing trenches, Briton and
Indian on their way up the slope to the Ridge. How they passed the crest
without being decimated by a curtain of fire would be a mystery if there
were any mysteries in this war, where everything seems to be worked out
like geometry or chemical formulae. The German artillery being busy
withdrawing heavy guns and the other guns preoccupied after the
startling results of an attack not down on the calendar for th