the five columns from their five
starting-points of Warcoing, Bailleul, Templeuve, Froidmont, and
Pont-a-Marcq, could not begin even upon the 16th. It would take the best
part of a day to bring the Arch-Duke Charles up to Pont-a-Marcq; his men
were in imperative need of rest during a full night at St Amand, and it is
probable, though I have no proof of it, that he had not even fully
concentrated there by the evening of the 15th, and that his last units
only joined him during the forenoon of the 16th.

The whole of that day, therefore, the 16th, was consumed so far as the
first, second, third, and fourth columns were concerned, in merely
gathering and marshalling their forces, and occupying, before nightfall,
the points from which they were to depart simultaneously in the combined
advance of the morrow. They _had_ to wait thus for the dawn of the 17th,
because they had to allow time for the fifth column to come up.

The time-table imposed upon the great plan by these delays is now
apparent. The moment when all the strings of the net were to be pulled
together round Souham was the space between midnight and dawn of Saturday
the 17th of May. And the hour when all the six bodies of the allies were
to join hands at "R" near Tourcoing was the noon of that day.

Before day broke upon the 17th, Clerfayt was to find himself at Wervicq
upon the River Lys and across that stream, while of the five southern
columns the Arch-Duke Charles was to be attacking the French troops just
in front of Pont-a-Marcq with the fifth column at the same moment; Kinsky,
with the fourth, was to be well on the way from Froidmont to Bouvines
where he was to attack the French also and cross the bridge; the Duke of
York, with the third, was to be well on the way from Templeuve to Lannoy;
Otto, with the second, was to be equally advanced upon his line, somewhere
by Wattrelos in his march upon Tourcoing; while Bussche, with his small
first column, on the extreme north, was to be getting into contact with
the French posts south of Courtrai, which it was his duty to "hold,"
impressing upon Souham the idea that a main attack might develop in that
quarter, and so deluding the French into maintaining their perilously
advanced stations until they were cut off from Lille by the rest of the
allies.

The morning would be filled by the advance of Clerfayt from Wervicq
southward upon Mouveaux and Tourcoing, while the corresponding fighting
advance northward upon Mo