bout six
hundred yards from Fritz's trenches, and that his, like ours, were on
slightly higher ground than that which lay between the lines. There was a
farm house here and there, behind us.

I could see a line of trenches on either flank but the one on the right
was most easily perceptible. There was an open space at the end of our
battalion line on the right flank, and our left flank was bent back
slightly. We also learned that we had moved into this position without the
Huns knowing that we were near. I could see the boche balloons some
distance behind the enemy lines.

CHAPTER TEN

It was still morning when it was reported by one of our look-out men, who
had been scanning the boche lines with a pair of field glasses (only his
head showing above the top of the trench made for observation purposes),
that the Germans were walking about the tops of their trenches in a
careless fashion.

Naturally some of the last batch of men to join us wanted to have a pop at
them, but our officers said no--to let sleeping dogs lie. Most of us
peeped over and saw them. Doing so, my eye caught a large number that had
concentrated behind a mound to our right front--directly in advance of the
English troops that held a section of trenches on our right flank. I
should judge that there were about a hundred of the enemy,--some holding
up white handkerchiefs in the lead, and a mass of them a little distance
behind. My heart was in my throat, and I wondered whether the K. R. R.'s
were aware of their presence. I had heard stories of Germans with flags of
truce. But so, evidently, had the commanders of the Rifles, for soon there
was enacted before me a tragedy which I shall never forget.

About one hundred of the Rifles went forward to bring in this batch of
Germans who were advancing apparently to surrender. They advanced very
slowly and cautiously. Just when they were within short range, the Germans
in front, bearing white flags but no arms, threw themselves onto the
ground, machine guns began firing over their heads and those with rifles
began firing point blank into the ranks of the British.

The K. R. R.'s were ready for them. They opened up like a fan, their
machine guns and rifles began crashing and the Huns were thrown into
confusion. They dropped like clay pipes in a shooting gallery. The crews
of the boche machine guns were picked off by the riflemen, and the K. R.
R.'s machine guns kept on pouring lead into the mass. It