would have had a pretty stiff job. It seemed certain
that in a day or two we would enter the offensive against this powerful
fort, and we were well aware of what this movement would call for.

At about 2:30 Sunday afternoon we halted at a small village named
Cousances, expecting to move on at any time. Here it was reported that
the Kaiser had abdicated, and that all Germany was in a state of
revolution, but we had heard this same thing at least a dozen times
before, and so thought nothing of it. The entire front from the Channel
to the Vosges was ablaze, with the Yanks near Sedan, the capture of
which village by the Germans in 1871 marked the triumph of Bismarck.
History was about to repeat itself. The British in Flanders were rapidly
driving the Hun from Belgium, while in the Champagne the French were
making such advances as they had never made before. Apparently Foch had
chosen Berlin for the Allied objective.

While these events were in progress, a German courier, laboring under
great difficulty, was carrying messages from the Allied Headquarters to
the German General Headquarters, at Spa, in Belgium. Only a few hours
remained for the Hun to arrange his answer. German propaganda was at an
end, and that of the Allies consisted of cold steel from the heavies.
One by one Germany's allies had deserted her, until now she stood alone
facing the ever increasing strength of the strongest and noblest armies
of the world. Her armies were almost demoralized. At home her people
were terrorized at the thought of having their Fatherland invaded, and
were demanding that the war be ended. For over four years they had
waited behind a curtain of lies and outrages, only to see it lifted and
defeat staring at them. Such were a few of the conditions which
confronted the German High Command at Spa, while Foch, with his gallant
armies smashing on, calmly waited for one of two short words--Yes or No.

At Cousances, stowed away in an old dismantled factory, we were waiting
for this important answer. As was mentioned before, we had expected to
continue our march, but orders had evidently been changed to wait for
the German answer. On Monday morning, November 11th, the famous "drum
fire" was plainly audible, and again things didn't sound at all
peaceful. Having had a little previous experience around Cheppy and
Charpentry, we realized what the acceptance or rejection of the terms
would mean. There was no noticeable let-up in the firing. The s