4

2.

watched the enemy approach. The wind was with
them. Our house was within 100 feet of the lake's
edge, where company after company of
French and Senegalais formed a skirmish line.
Orders were given in hushed voices. We were
surrounded by Senegalais sentinals and could
not go to our voitures without being accosted.
Harry was dressing and wanted his automatic.
While Clint talked with a sentinel (who could
understand neither French or English, and
therefore nothing that Clint said, except
"American") I got the revolver. What he
would have done with it I don't know.
I left mine where it was. The "75s" on the
hill behind us fired constantly and the
shells whanged over our heads and burst
far out over the fleet. There were no
star shells, for they would have illumin-
ated the beach where our soldiers
were [fe?ing]. All we could see were
the dark forms of soldiers in front of
us and the gleams of the search lights on
the sails as it swept from one side
of the lake to the other - the flashes of
the cannon and bursting shells. All we
could hear was the purr of the little motor
that ran the projecter, the shuffle of feet
on the pebbly beach, the commands in under-
tone, and the report of the explosions &
prolonged cry of the shells passing over.
I went to bed and slept in snatches, and
then soundly. In the morning we learned
that the wind changed about 10:30 at night
and the Boche returned without firing a shot.