counteroffensive, and it developed in detail almost exactly along
the lines that he had laid down.

The scene of the fighting across the west bank of the Ourcq was that
of a wide-open country, gently undulating, dotted with comfortable
farmhouses, and made up of a mosaic of green meadow lands and the
stubble of grain fields. The German heavy guns came into action
as soon as the French offensive developed. Tremendous detonations
that shook the earth, and which were followed by sluggish clouds
of an oily smoke showed where the high-explosive shells had struck.
Already, by the evening of the first day's fighting, there were
blazing haystacks and farmhouses to be seen, and the happy and
smiling plain showed scarred and rent with the mangling hand of
war. On the 6th, a sugar refinery, which had been held as an outpost
by a force of 1,800 Germans, was set on fire by a French battery.
The infantry had been successful in getting to within close range
and as the invaders sought to escape from the burning building,
they were picked off one by one by the French marksmen. The French
infantry, well intrenched, suffered scarcely any loss. It was in
brilliant sunshine that the fire broke out, and the conflagration
was so fierce that the empty building sent up little smoke. The
flames scarcely showed in the bright light, and to the onlooker, it
seemed as if some rapid leprous disease was eating up the building.
The situation was horrible for the Germans, either to be trapped and
to perish in the flames, or to face the withering French infantry
fire without any opportunity to fight back. Less than 300 of the
occupants of the refinery won clear.

Wherever the forces met, the slaughter was great and terrible.
In the excitement and the eagerness of the first offensive, the
French seemed to have forgotten the lessons of prudence that the
long retreat should have ingrained into their memory, and they
sought to take every village that was occupied by the Germans with
a rush. The loss of life was greatest at a point four miles east
of Meaux. There, on a sharp, tree-covered ridge, the Germans had
intrenched, and gun platforms had been placed under the screen
of the trees. An almost incessant hail of shrapnel fell on these
lines, and the French infantry charges were repulsed again and
again, with but little loss on the German line. But, meantime,
village after village had been attacked by the French and carried
with the bayonet, and on Sunda