They spoke excitedly with Colonel Kirby and our French staff officer, but we continued at a walk and Colonel Kirby lit a fresh cheroot.

After some time there came an aeroplane with a great square cross painted on its under side, and we were ordered to halt and keep quite still until it went away.

When it was too far away for its man to distinguish us we began to trot at last, but it was growing dusk when we halted finally behind the forest--dusky and cloudy, the air full of smoke from the explosions, ill-smelling and difficult to breathe.

During the last three-quarters of a mile the shells had been bursting all about us, but we had only lost one man and a horse--and the man not killed.
As it grew darker the enemy sent up star-shells, and by their light we could sometimes see as plainly as by daylight.

British infantry were holding the forest in front of us and a road that ran to right of it.