who followed
in the wake of the poisonous shells. On the following day it was
said that the only Germans left alive on the left side of the
Yperlee Canal were either wounded or prisoners. The French had
destroyed three German regiments, taken three redoubts, and captured
four fortified lines and three villages. In this connection it may not
be amiss to note that the French reported that, on May 15, 1915, the
German Marine Fusiliers who were attempting to hold the Yperlee Canal
concluded it was the better part of valor to surrender. Before the
Germans could relinquish their places they were shot down by their
comrades in the rear.

Fighting along the line of the salient continued with more or less
vigor for nearly ten days, but, until May 24, 1915, there were no
engagements that had much out of the ordinary. On that date, however,
the entire front from Bellewaarde Lake to Shelltrap, a line three
miles in length, was bombarded with asphyxiating shells. This was
followed by a gas cloud that was sent against the same extent of
trenches. The wind sent the cloud in a southwesterly direction, so
that the deadly fumes got in their work along nearly five miles of the
front. It is asserted that the cloud was 40 feet in height, and that
the Germans continued to renew the supply of gas for four and a half
hours. It had little effect wherever the British used their
respirators, for they managed to stay in their positions without undue
inconvenience. Those who suffered the most from the gas cloud were the
infantry of the Fourth Division on the left. The cloud which had
followed the asphyxiating shells was in turn followed by a severe
bombardment from three sides--the east, northeast, and north. The
principal attacks were made in the neighborhood of Shelltrap, the
British front along the Roulers railroad, and along the Menin road in
the vicinity of Bellewaarde Lake. In those places the British were
pushed back at least temporarily; but counterattacks were delivered
before nightfall, and the greater part of the lost ground regained.
Thus, to the disappointment of the Germans, their extra effort, with
all the means of warfare at their disposal, had resulted only in
reducing the salient at an enormous cost in lives on both sides, but
the gain had been for the most part temporary.

Before leaving the consideration of the second battle of Ypres it may
be well to estimate what has been gained and lost by both sides. In
the attempt to we