y. He was one of a burying squad on the
scene of the charge of the African brigade near Soizy-aux-Bois. Nine
hundred dead were being buried in one big trench and as I came to
inspect it, my Territorial and a comrade were about to pick up a dead
German who lay face down in a muddy field, with arms outstretched. A
hundred others lay close about us. I offered the Territorial
cigarettes and, as he took one, he indicated the field about us with a
sweep of his arm and said sadly: "If Guillaume could have foreseen all
this, do you think that he, one man, would have begun this war?" And
he looked down with an expression full of sorrow and brotherly
compassion at the dead German who lay at his feet.

* * * * *

In the four days of our trip we have had innumerable punctures and six
blow-outs, in consequence of which we were finally forced to return to
Paris today. The Germans raided all the wine cellars throughout this
whole region and when they retreated left broken bottles along all the
streets and roads.

CHAPTER V

ANALYSIS OF THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE

_Monday, September 14th._ The equipment of the German soldier is in
every detail a marvel of perfection. This impresses me more than any
other single element of the war excepting only the bravery of the
French, and the imperturbable _sang froid_ of the English. A striking
example of this perfection is the spiked helmet. Contrary to
appearance, it is not heavy, weighing indeed scarcely more than a
derby hat. Everyone who picks one up for the first time exclaims in
astonishment, "How light it is!" These helmets are made of lacquered
leather, are nearly indestructible, shed water perfectly, and give
excellent ventilation to the head by means of a clever arrangement of
holes under the flange of the spike. They also shield the eyes and the
back of the head from the sun, and are strong enough to break a heavy
blow.

The German uniforms are of a light gray with a slight green tinge,
and are virtually invisible against the greenish mist-gray fields of
Europe, excepting only when the sun is behind to project a deep
shadow.

The German bayonet is a formidable weapon with a heavy double-edged
blade twenty inches long. Both edges are extremely sharp. I easily
sharpened pencils with one which I picked up.

The German knapsacks are made of cowhide with the hair left on, the
grain of the hair pointing downward to shed rain. The hair may get
we