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86 WITH THE GERMAN ARMIES IN THE WEST
position a body of German infantry is advancing to the
attack. With the aid of the field-glasses we can see the soldiers
go forward bent almost double in order as long as possible to
retain the shelter of the height which screens the guns. It
seems likely, however, that the French have noticed the
move, as shrapnel is constantly seen bursting over these lines
—one little tuft of smoke after the other, and out of their
midst a streak of lightning. Once we could count as many as
eight such cloudlets soaring simultaneously over the German
infantry, and doing their best to pour a hail of bullets over it.
It must thus be at least two batteries that are concentrating
their fire on this point. Besides the shrapnel, common shells
also keep falling in the vicinity of the attacking lines. These
shells are easily distinguishable by the dark grey columns of
earth, clay and smoke thrown up on impact with the ground.
Immediately to the south of the hill in the south-west and
concealed by it, a strong German infantry force lies entrenched.
Here also the artillery is in position. On the near side of the
batteries I notice two crescent-shaped, dark outlines on the
ground, which turn out on scrutiny through my field-glasses
to be bodies of infantry apparently at rest. This is the artillery
cover. On their front the guns are well masked, embedded in
the ground and protected by shallow parapets which resemble
as closely as possible the appearance of the contiguous ground.
It is only from where we are, that is to say from behind, that
the guns are visible. So far no French infantry or cavalry
has been observed this morning ; on the enemy’s side the
fight is only being conducted with artillery. The Frencn
artillery fire was said by the German officers to be directed
very well indeed, but the projectiles often failed to burst and
were therefore comparatively harmless, unless one had the
bad luck to stand right in their path.
The booming of cannon is now audible all round us, even
from behind, a battery of four 21-cm. mortars having been
brought up from the village and unlimbered only a hundred
metres away from us. They make a terrible noise and the
whole ground trembles when they are discharged. I had a
peculiar feeling when standing in front of these winged
messengers of death, a consciousness of security mingled with
respect, for are they not fighting against the enemy’s positions,
the duty of whose guns is to take our lives ? The four reports
come so close together that there is only a second or two in
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