erious attack on an enemy who has plenty of
machine-guns and plenty of successive well-wired positions a great mass
of heavy and other artillery is absolutely indispensable. And over
ground deliberately wrecked and obstructed such artillery _must_ take
time to bring up. And yet--to repeat--how rapidly, how "persistently"
all difficulties considered, to use the King's adjective, has the
British Army pressed on the heels of the retreating enemy!

None of the officers with whom I talked believed that anything more
could have been done by us than was done. "If it had been we who were
retreating," writes one of them, "and the Germans who were pursuing, I
do not believe they would have pushed us so hard or caused us as much
loss, for all their pride in their staff work."

And it is, of course, evident from what has happened since I parted from
my hosts at the Chateau, that we have now amply succeeded during the
last few weeks in bringing the retreating enemy to bay. No more masked
withdrawals, no more skilful evasions, for either Hindenburg or his
armies! The victories of Easter week on and beyond the Vimy Ridge, and
the renewed British attack of the last few days--I am writing on May
1st--together with the magnificent French advance towards Laon and to
the east of Reims, have been so many fresh and crushing testimonies to
the vitality and gathering force of the Allied armies.

What is to be the issue we wait to see. But at least, after the winter
lull, it is once more joined; and with such an army as the War Office
and the nation together, during these three years, have fashioned to his
hand--so trained, so equipped, so fired with a common and inflexible
spirit--Sir Douglas Haig and his lieutenants will not fail the hopes of
Great Britain, of France--and of America!

At the beginning of March these last words could not have been added.
There was an American professor not far from me at dinner, and we
discussed the "blazing indiscretion" of Herr Zimmermann's Mexican
letter. But he knew no more than I. Only I remember with pleasure the
general tone of all the conversation about America that I either engaged
in or listened to at Headquarters just a month before the historic
meeting of Congress. It was one of intelligent sympathy with the
difficulties in your way, coupled with a quiet confidence that the call
of civilisation and humanity would very soon--and irrevocably--decide
the attitude of America towards the war.