tegy his great master--Napoleon.

Personally I owe a great deal to his invaluable help and cordial
co-operation. In the darkest hours of our work together--and there
were many such--I never knew him anything but what I have
described--bold, hopeful, and cheery; but ever vigilant, wary, and
full of resource.

Several local attacks were delivered against the 1st Corps which were
repulsed with loss, and I saw little reason to fear that the temporary
weakening of our line would have any ill-effects.

The 1st Cavalry Division was now also _en route_ for the northern
theatre.

On the 5th reports had reached me from Bridges, in Antwerp. He was
certainly pessimistic as to the possibility of the fortress holding
out until we could relieve it. He told me that the Germans had 16-in.
howitzers in position against the forts.

There were indications to-day that considerable German forces were
collecting against Foch's left, near Lille, and the flanking movement
was making very little progress. German cavalry were reported to be in
Hazebrouck.

At Fere-en-Tardenois I received a visit from President Poincare. He
thanked me for all the work the British Army had done in France, and
spoke a great deal about the situation at Antwerp. He told me he
thought the action of the British War Office in sending troops into
Antwerp was a mistake, and expressed great surprise that the control
and direction of all the British troops in France was not
left entirely in the hands of one Commander-in-Chief.

On the 8th, General Headquarters moved to Abbeville, at which place
the 2nd Corps had nearly completed their detrainment. They were
concentrating north-east of Abbeville, and their leading troops were
on the line Oneux--Nouvion-en-Ponthieu.

The 3rd Corps had been relieved on the Aisne by French troops, and
their entrainment at Compiegne was proceeding.

We left Fere-en-Tardenois at 8.30 on the morning of the 8th, and
reached General de Castelnau's Headquarters at Breteuil about one. He
told me that his 4th Corps was again being very hard pressed, and that
the enemy was attacking violently all along his front. The General had
just heard that two of his sons had been killed in action, and was
naturally in a very sad and depressed frame of mind.

I then went on to General Foch's Headquarters at Doullens, which I
reached about four in the afternoon. He gave me a great reception with
a guard of honour.

He took a very optimistic view of the