s hit. Our infantry
advancing and retiring--others advancing and coming back--Germans doing
likewise, a hellish din of shell fire, and me pouring in fire whenever I
could see them.

"At last I got six shrapnel into a wood and cleared a heap of them out
and got into them with shrapnel. It was awful! The sergeant major put
his hand up to his head and said: "Oh, sir, it's terrible!" That seemed
to settle them, and at last we saw the infantry advancing to their
positions without resistance.

"Now was my chance. I determined to get those machine guns if I could,
as otherwise the infantry would. So I left ---- in command and got the
trumpeter, sergeant major, and six men with six rifles, and went forward
'to reconnoiter,' as I reported to ---- after I had gone. It was a weird
ride, through thick black woods, holding my revolver ready, going in
front with the little trumpeter behind and the others following some way
in the rear. We passed some very bad sights, and knew the woods were
full of Germans who were afraid to get away on account of the dreaded
shell fire. We got in front of our infantry, who were going to fire at
us, but I shouted just in time.

"At last we came to the edge of a wood, and in front of us, about 200
yards away, was a little cup-shaped copse, and the enemy's trenches with
machine guns a little farther on. I felt sure this wood was full of
Germans, as I had seen them go in earlier. I started to gallop for it,
and the others followed. Suddenly about fifty Germans bolted out, firing
at us. I loosed off my revolver as fast as I could, and ---- loosed off
his rifle from the saddle. They must have thought we were a regiment of
cavalry, for, except for a few, they suddenly yelled and bolted. I
stopped and dismounted my lot to fire at them, to make sure that they
didn't change their minds.

"I waited for a lull, and mounted all my lot behind the bushes and made
them spring as I gave the word to gallop for cover to the woods where
the Welsh company was. There I got ----, who understands them (the
guns), and an infantryman who volunteered to help, and ---- and I ran up
to the Maxims and took out the breech mechanism of both and one of the
belts, and carried away one whole Maxim. We couldn't manage the other.

"We got back very slowly on account of the gun, and the men went wild
with excitement that we had got one gun complete and the mechanism and
belt of the other."

With such incidents the pursuit of the