and mewed in a
strange manner. For a moment I was startled, for the animal clung to my
breeches. The poor creature looked half-starved. In its frenzy, it might
bite or scratch my leg or hand. Blood-poisoning would be likely to
follow. I gently lowered my gloved hand and caressed its head. With a
soft purr it relaxed its hold of my leg and dropped to the ground.
Feeling more comfortable I unfastened my satchel and, taking out some
biscuits, gave them to the poor brute. It ravenously ate them up. My
second surprise was to come. A faint scratching and mewing sound came
from behind some bread bins in a corner and, as I looked, the black cat
sprang forward with a biscuit in its mouth in the direction of the
sound. I followed and gently moved the bin aside. The sight there almost
brought tears into my eyes. Lying upon some old rags and straw were
three tiny kittens. Two were struggling around the mother cat, mewing
piteously and trying to nibble at the biscuit she had brought. The other
was dead.

The mother cat looked up at me with eyes which were almost human in
their expression of thanks. I took out some more biscuits, and breaking
them up in an empty tin I picked up from the floor, I poured some water
from my bottle on to them, placed it beside the starving group and,
leaving a handful near the mother cat, I made their retreat as snug as
possible.

Making our way again to the main road I stood by some ruins and looked
away in the distance where the Germans had disappeared. What a
difference. Here were green fields, gorgeous woods, hills, and dales
with winding roads sweeping away out of sight. It reminded me of the
feeling Moses must have experienced when he looked upon the Promised
Land. Here were no shell-torn fields, no woods beaten out of all
semblance to anything, no earth upon which thousands of men had poured
out their blood; but, here in front of us, a veritable heaven.

"Come along," I said, "let's explore. If there are any Bosches about
they'll soon let us know of their presence. Let's get on to that other
ridge; the Somme river should be there somewhere."

We left the village and cautiously followed the road down one hill and
up the next. The Germans had disappeared as completely as if the earth
had swallowed them up. Not a soul was to be seen; we might have been
strolling on the Surrey hills!

I gradually reached the brow of the next ridge. The sight which met my
eyes was the most stimulating one I had