British at their mercy. Sir John
French, however, had a clever knowledge of human nature. He began his
efforts to remedy the difficulty by telling the war correspondents his
troubles. They spread the news. Then he secretly collected all of the
available artillery in the Ypres region, together with his limited
supply of shells, and was ready to deal such a blow to the Duke of
Wuerttemberg's army when it marched on Ypres the latter part of May,
1915, that it was necessary for the Germans to get reenforcements
through Belgium. This was a great surprise to the Teutons and cost
them dearly.

CHAPTER XXI

SIR JOHN FRENCH ATTEMPTS A SURPRISE

The operation of this plan of Sir John French had an excellent effect
in the Ypres region, but it had the opposite effect on the British who
were trying to take Lille. Moreover it was necessary for the British
to continue to occupy the attention of the left wing of the German
army, under the command of the Crown Prince of Bavaria, in order to
keep him from using his men against General Foch, who was attempting
to push his way between Arras and Lille. Inasmuch as the British
artillery had proved ineffective because of its lack of enough and the
proper kind of ammunition, Sir John French planned another surprise
for the Germans. This time he selected the weapon which the Teutons
seemed most to fear when it was in the hands of the British--the
bayonet. The salient on the German front at Festubert, between La
Bassee and Neuve Chapelle, was chosen for the proposed military feat.
The territory occupied by the Teutons had the appearance, to the
casual observer, of being lowlands on which were wrecked homes, farms,
and trees. The actual conditions of this section of the country were
much more serious for any body of troops which planned to make an
attack. The ground was moist and muddy, in many places being crossed
by treacherous ditches filled with slimy water. Moreover the exact
range of practically every square foot of it was known to the German
artillerymen, whose guns were on the high ground to the west of the
lowlands. The British were in trenches from seventy to three hundred
yards from those of their enemy. If the men there could dash across
the intervening space and get into the German trenches before being
annihilated by the kaiser's cannon, they would use the bayonet with
deadly effect, and, from past experiences, have reasonable hope of
gaining a victory. It was decided to