helped to finish the
trenches. I heard the following morning that one of our patrols had
captured a German. I wondered if he might be the big fellow I had passed
in the dark.

We received the order to "stand to" at dawn. Other troops had dug
themselves in some distance behind us during the night. We got another rum
issue just before "stand to"; it was highly appreciated.

At dawn, the Germans attacked in mass formation, but our rifle and
artillery fire made big gaps as they advanced. They did not reach our
trenches. They retired, leaving piles of dead. The nearest of their dead
were not more than one hundred yards from us.

This time we had very few casualties in our battalion--largely on account
of our having dug in ahead of our old position, the range of which the
enemy had. Their fire constantly over-reached us.

After this attack was over, we heard the buzzing of airplanes, and
although we had been instructed not to look up--the white of faces being
very conspicuous from above--we ventured to do so, and saw a British plane
smash headlong into a boche machine. Both went end over end to earth, and
the pilots undoubtedly were killed. The Englishman, in giving his life,
had saved perhaps hundreds of us in the trenches.

In the afternoon, after a heavy bombardment, which tore up some of our
barbed wire, the enemy made another charge. This time they came over in
wave formation. The order was passed along to "fix bayonets," and, as soon
as the Germans reached the barbed wire, to spring out and meet them. This
we did.

We fought off line after line. The Black Watch suffered many casualties
here, but not so many as the Germans. This crowd had less love for the
bayonet than their brothers at the Aisne. Soon we were chasing them out
beyond the barbed wire. We took many prisoners. If it had not been for the
officer's whistle to retire, I think we would have driven them to Berlin,
the way we felt that day. However, back we had to come.

The enemy's artillery fire began to pound on us as we were making for our
trenches, and some of our fellows were bowled over as the result of it. As
many of the wounded as we could bring, we brought back with us.

One fellow was lying about fifty yards away from the trench. Two of his
mates volunteered to go out for him, but in the attempt they were wounded
and forced to come back without him. Two others then went out; these
managed to bring him in--but he was dead. He was a young lad--on