Evening star., 1915-03-29

their officers and the driving Of stakes.
as they strengthened their works Ger
man rines. helmets, caps and diaries
were plentiful in the British breast
works a souvenir hunter could have
a helmet by going out in front for It.
points like bloodless human faces were
visible on the field between the two
Iorces wherever you went along the
front Under the light of the German
flares they. took the form Of masses OF
PROSTATE bodies. and by daylight one
could see the attitude of each as he
fell, including that of a German sol
der with an unexploded hand grenade
lying where 1t dropped from his nm
gers.
Loss Of Germans.
their main charge to recover Neuve
Chapelle. Not for want Of courage
they failed. The German official bull
letin stated that the German losses at
Neuve Chapelle were 5000, but this
could hardly include the known killed
and 1000 prisoners taken, without
counting the wounded.
Though the Germans shout badinage
In their trenches, they have asked Tor
no armistice to bury their dead, and
on previous occasions when the Brit
British dead 1t was refused. Therefore
the bodies remain. This shows how
grim is the actuality, despite occasional
sallies of wit. A breastwork Jester
takes care not to show his head when
he makes his quip, lest bullet make
it his last
1t is shrewd, calculating war every
moment from the parapet and camp
fre comradeshfp under the protection
of the wall Of sandbags which bullets
Is ynln
admiration for the skill of the Ger
mans as soldiers heard from both Of
fcers and men. but there is confidence
also that the Germans have shot their
bolt.
Coming to an Irish regiment. an
1r1shInan said:
u have three brothers in the states
and am going myself after the war.
The Germans need licking and when
anybody needs a licking that's the
place for the Irish
These Irishmen insisted that the cor
respondents have a cup of tea and
wouldn't he try slice of bacon, which
was sizzling in the pan, while an oc-
casional bullet sizzled over the parapet-
None Laud War.
The wounded captain, my host. going
beyond his own bailiwick, chatted with
fellow officers about breastwork max
ing and other business details. They
referred to this and that friend who
had been killed since they last met, as
if death were a familiar thing to all.
Not one lauded war or found glory IN
1t, but all had no thought except to
continue until victory had been won
If ! got a few yards ahead of my
guide l found how rare was the priVl-
lege to civilian to be alone i'll that
exclusive works. Some soldier instant,
ly demanded to know who | was. and
if there had been no one to identity me
should have been promptly appre-
hended and sent to headquarters under
suspicion Of being a spy.
It was after 3 o'clock in the morn
ing when my host and myself lay down
in his dugout. but not to sleep; for
there were many things to talk about.
Twice, when the desultory firing be-
came heavier on both sides. he went
out to see what was the cause.
We have not settled down on this
front yet" he said. The Germans are
pretty grouchy over their beating.
Both sides begin firing on the slight
est alarm: they don't want to risk any
night attack getting started"
At dawn, as 1 said goodbye, 7 ex-
pressed regret to my host for having
kept him awake all night. "Oh, no."
he replied, Il stay awake always at
until l. BY day we can see the Ger
mans if they try on any tricks"
Power of Modern Artillery.
In leaving the lines by daylight care
must be taken against the open spaces
visible to the German sharpshooters,
who may not make a miss the second
time. if they do the first.
To see Neuve Chapelle by daylight is
to see the most fearful example of the
power Of modern artillery fire yet
witnessed. No village is left - only
bricks and mortar with the excep-
ton of half dozen houses which
were hit several times. After knock
ing the buildings to pieces the British
shells kneaded and pulverized the re-
mains. Yet two objects stood vir
tually unharmed amid that low sky
line OF ruins - effigies Of Christ on
travellers in France. Eight-inch shells
had excavated enormous holes on either
side of the base of one. While other
trees in the town had been cut in two
and splintered and gashed, four small
evergreen shrubs around the other eff
diers remarked the curious phenome-
non: indeed, the soldiers talked much
of it.
In going over the ground, one road
visualized how this battle, which has stiff
fened English confidence, had been fought.
There were the remains of tho old frontal
and reserve trenches the Germans had
occupied when the battle began, with a
burst of fire from a multitude of guns
fired on signal.
Germans Were Surprised.
One could realize how. in the crash of
explosions and the rending Of earth, there