we stood. They said that the German and French trenches there
faced one another across a low field and were so near together that at
night the French could hear the Germans singing. Some peculiarity in
the contour of the land had led the enemy to think that here was a
promising point to break through the French lines; consequently a
series of violent attacks had been launched from Lassigny against this
position. These attacks had repeatedly been repulsed with heavy losses
and thousands of dead Germans lay in the field between the two sets
of trenches.

I decided to ask permission to go over this recently contested area,
and therefore turned back to Brigade headquarters in the village of
Roye-sur-Matz, which we had just left. There, in a second talk with
the officer who had previously directed us, I learned for the first
time that we had taken the wrong road and been for a considerable time
between the French and German armies, and only a few hundred yards
from the German trenches. That we had there seen no signs of armies,
guns, or entrenchments, indicates the curious characteristics of
modern warfare, and the invisibility of all combatants even when
actively engaged. The permission which I had desired to obtain to
inspect the ground of the recent battle was refused as being too
dangerous.

* * * * *

We later passed through the village of Guerbigny. Here, as at all
times during our trip, the guns could be heard booming in the
distance. At the farther end of the place a family of peasants, led by
the grandfather, were packing their humble worldly goods into a big
cart to which was hitched an exceedingly old white horse. They were
very sad and explained simply, "C'est dur de partir." They pointed
across a field to a little church tower about a mile away, only dimly
visible through the haze, which still hung low over the landscape,
saying pathetically: "On bombarde ce hameau; c'est la les avant-postes
des Francais." Our maps showed that the church tower was in the
village of Erches. A straight road ran down to it from where we stood.
The mist seemed to favor the possibility of our reaching this village
without being too quickly observed by the Germans. We therefore
promptly put on all speed and in a few seconds drew up under the lee
of a battered house, which was on the advance line of the French army,
and were in the midst of the battle. A French officer, who appeared
out of the house,