Evening star., 1915-01-22

desperate combats. The road is cut
into the side of the hill between the
plateau and the valley. The narrow
margin of roadside on one hand before
the drop into the valley had become
one long cemetery. The Germans hau
inferred there their dead of past
surmounted by q stone or wooden cross
telling sometimes of one, oftener OF
twenty or thirty or more comrades
lying at rest beneath. On the oppo-
site side of the road were entrances
to numerous tunneied stone quarries.
driven several hundred feet into the
hillside Within the quarries had been
lodged German troops. the number in
each cavern varying from company
to regiment.
Village Destroyed by Shells.
The village of Crouy itself presented
the familiar picture of shell-wrought
destruction with which the correspond
ent has become SO well acquainted after
five months of travel through the war
zone. From the battlefield on the pla-
teau above was unfolded a panorama
of the precipitous sides of the Aisne
valley and the French positions on the
opposite hills. scissors. in full view
below. seemed startlingly close. with
the towers of the cathedral of the
thirteenth century abbey emerging
from the maze of stone houses.
The promenade along the exposed
SIDE OF the plateau. in sight OF Solssohs
and the bank of the Aishe. held IN force
by the French. gave IA rather uncannE
feeling of insecurity. However. 1t was
slight haze rendered the little group in
German field gray invisible to the
French artillery on the heights on the
opposite side of the valley, and the
infantry in the valley itself, although
was too far. helOW to direct an
ehectlVe flre. me maze also Iaade II
ment,
The battlefield is still dotted with
corpses by the hundreds, principally Of
ae.ieh so!ulers "io zen uu'i..s ane.,
irha, ,n'I - nros.., 49,, eeins ,,dar ~ =.
tillery and infantry fire and death over
took some as they ran. The positions
of the bodies show that most of the
French soldiers retired fighting. al
though some of them fell on their faces
as they were stumbling toward the
roar Some lie snrauri;np on their
backs. faces to the sun. occasionally
with heads pillowed on knapsacks,
showing that death was not instan-
taneous and that perhaps q last service
had been rendered to them by their
fleeing comrades. Three or four had
managed to draw from their pockets
packages of black French cigarettes
for a final smoke before passing away
Most of the bodies lie with heads
pointed toward the abandoned French
trenches, rifles by their sides or often
still cIenched in the stiffened hands.
Long Lines OF DEAD Men.
.
Al tue eose Vi 'he pidleau' 1ust oFei
Its brink, lay long line of dead men.
They had turned for last stand
against the adv,ncine Germans and
boa r,,,. .,o;, aontl, S.,,d,. 20 .h. eli.
'"e'A " 81" "
ualioh showed that they had made no
attempt to rush down the declivity to
temporary safety. The bayonets On all
tbetr riees ware Axad .nd :, , ,,,h.r
- ,, -,
VI cases the chambers OF thelr pieces
stlll held exploded shells. Two or
three rifles We're found. the stocks of
which had been broken off at the grip
evidence of severity of the hand to
hand fighting
rerm1sion ""s u. MY III h ie1,.hs OF norror OF
taet. VI Sot tnell very nuiloer
slaughter Thev saemad i've s,,,ras in
huge panoramic painting of a battle,
The human note, however, often came
OUT "hen one was told OF the contents
~ rrarnS -; ~ uHn IN 'ne nc p"ao
French soldiers II was Tho d,,t, of tha
inteI1ipence ofTicer in .ba narty r,tS
uhicb tba corrasno,dan+ +ra,.,aa 20
I'HoA'NNI tia' SA|N' ~