aintained his position, hoped against hope that Clerfayt might yet
force his way through before nightfall, and was still master of Tourcoing
and the surrounding fields when darkness came.

(B) THE THIRD COLUMN UNDER YORK

Meanwhile York, with his 10,000 half British and half Austro-Hessian, had
marched with similar success but against greater obstacles parallel with
Otto, and to his left, and had successively taken every point in his
advance until he also had reached the goal which had been set before him.

Details of that fine piece of work deserve full mention.

Delayed somewhat by a mist in the dark hours before dawn, York's command
had marched north-westward up the road from Templeuve, where now runs the
little tramway reaching the Belgian frontier.

The French troops in front of him, as much as those who had met Otto a
mile or two off to the right, and Bussche still further off at Mouscron,
were taken aback by the suddenness and the strength of the unexpected
blow. They stood at Lannoy. York cannonaded that position, sent certain of
the British Light Dragoons round to the left to turn it, and attacked it
in front with the Brigade of Guards. The enemy did not stand, and the
British forces poured through Lannoy and held it just as Otto in those
same hours was pouring into and holding Leers and Wattrelos. Beyond
Lannoy, a matter of two miles or so, and still on that same road, was the
small town, now swollen to a great industrial city, called Roubaix. The
Duke of York left a couple of battalions of his allied troops (Hessians)
to hold Lannoy, and with the rest of the column pursued his march.

Roubaix offered far more serious resistance than Lannoy had done. The
element of surprise was, of course, no longer present. The French forces
were concentrating. The peril they were in of being cut off was by this
time thoroughly seized at their headquarters, and the roll of land
immediately before Roubaix was entrenched and held by a sufficient force
well gunned. A strong resistance was offered to the British advance, but
once more the Brigade of Guards broke down that resistance and the place
was taken with the bayonet.

York's next objective, and the goal to which his advance had been ordered,
was Mouveaux. Mouveaux is a village standing upon a somewhat higher roll
of land rather more than two miles from the centre of Roubaix, in
continuation of the direction which York's advance had hitherto pursued.
From Mouveaux the