shot up into the air, but this time it was mixed with bits of
houses and fragments of earth. The smoke drifted off slowly, and
reluctantly floated away on the wind until some minutes later we were
able to discern the town as it emerged from the cloud of dust, showing
a great gap in its sky-line.

* * * * *

We had lunch in Doullens with the officers of Mr. Norton's train.

* * * * *

At one point in the front line we heard this story relative to
barbed-wire entanglements. A week ago a lieutenant and several of his
men ventured forth at night and succeeded in crawling unobserved under
the entanglements. Reaching the German trenches they leapt in among
their enemies and did much execution; but becoming too enthusiastic,
they overstayed their leave, so that none of them ever returned. The
Germans, not wishing to be again surprised in such a disagreeable
manner, on the next dark night slipped out of their trenches and hung
a great quantity of cowbells upon the lower strands of their wire
entanglements. Before many nights had passed another party of daring
Frenchmen again essayed to crawl to the German trenches but, ringing
up the cowbells, were all killed in the resulting fusillade.

Not content to leave the matter as it stood, an intrepid Frenchman
crept out on the following night, unwinding a ball of twine as he
advanced. He succeeded in attaching the end of this to a cowbell
without making any noise to betray his presence. He then made his way
safely back to his own trenches and from their shelter vigorously
pulled the string. A most ungodly clank and clatter resulted, wrecking
the stillness of the night. This aroused the Teutons and led them into
a solid hour of furious but futile shooting. The string was similarly
pulled on several succeeding occasions and always produced the desired
result of uproar and shooting, until it was finally severed by a
bullet.

* * * * *

Our party arrived in Hesdin at half-past six this evening. It was
raining furiously and the condition of the roads and the obscurity of
the night made it extremely hazardous to proceed farther. The village
was packed with British transports and we could find only one vacant
bed in the whole place. Two of us slept in that and the other two on
stretchers in the ambulance.

* * * * *

_Thursday, November 12th._ At eleven o'clo