he eastward toward Chalons-sur-Marne, beating back and
forth across the country and carefully covering all the ground.

* * * * *

_At the Front, Saturday, September 12th._ We slept last night in beds
which had recently been occupied by German officers and spent a very
chilly night therein on account of the cold, wet wind which blew in
through the many shattered windows. We woke to the rumbling of distant
cannon, which might more correctly be called a trembling of the air
rather than a true sound. Still hoarding our provisions, we ate a
frugal breakfast of stale bread and of tea made from the dried leaves
of linden trees. We started off at half-past seven, receiving a very
friendly God-speed from our aged host and hostess.

All morning we made our way in an easterly direction, beating back and
forth across the country in order to cover as much ground as possible.
When we turned to the north the sound of cannon became louder and when
we swung to the south it grew fainter. We studied the country
carefully and, when possible, talked with any of the Allied officers
we chanced to meet. They usually knew thoroughly the events which had
taken place in the particular neighborhood in which they had operated,
but were astonishingly ignorant of what had gone on at any distance.
What they told us was always very valuable, because it assisted us to
piece together the fabric of the campaign as a whole.

* * * * *

Beyond Vauchamps we came upon a scene where there had been heavy
artillery fighting. The fields were plowed up by innumerable shells
and many dead horses were strewn along the gutters, with here and
there a dead soldier who had fallen in the road and been hurriedly
thrown aside so that he should not hinder traffic.

The highway was elevated a bit above the level country which stretched
on either side, and at one spot we saw where two German guns had
fought from behind this slight protection. They had been placed in
holes sunk a few inches into the ground, and the loose earth had been
piled up to form a little mound in front, preventing bullets from
flying under the gun shield. Empty cartridge cases were strewn about
and a pile of unused ammunition was stacked up like cordwood. The
German guns had been in sight of a French battery across the fields
and a direct-fire artillery duel had taken place between the two. The
craters of thirty-two French shells were