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ON THE WAY TO THE FIFTH ARMY 67
have been blown up, but one of them, the one of stone, over
which the main road passes, has been repaired by the Engineers.
The httle village of Liny, on our right, has been more fortunate.
Here the pretty little white houses with their red-tiled roofs
are almost untouched.
We now begin to notice that we are approaching the firing
line. The whole road is encumbered with troops. Here comes
a detachment of wounded on foot, with bandages round heads
and hands, or with the arm in a sling. We meet an empty
ammunition column, an endless string of rattling wagons.
We always keep to the right of course. Woe to him who
breaks this rule and causes a stoppage on the road.^ If it is
not broad enough, it becomes rather awkward at times to get
along. And how often does it not happen that two transport
columns meet on the same bit of road, one empty going north-
ward and the other fully laden travelling south ! Suddenly
we find ourselves in the narrow passage between two such
moving walls. If into the bargain another car with field post
comes along—every corps has its own post—a temporary
congestion is not infrequently the result, but thanks to the
smartness of the drivers and chauffeurs the trouble is soon
overcome.
The artillery ammunition column which we are just now
passing is an impressive sight. The noise of these vehicles,
dull and heavy, is quite different from that of the empty
wagons on our left, but then they are loaded to the top with
heavy ammunition, shells for 21-cm. mortars at Septsarges
and neighbouring villages. Every ammunition wagon
—
consisting of limber and wagon body—with its team of six
horses requires the services of six men. Three of them
—
drivers—ride on the off-side^ horses, two are seated on the
limber, and one facing the rear on the wagon body. They are
armed with Mauser pistols fastened on the left side of the belt,
but the swords of the drivers are securely strapped on to the
left side of the saddle.
The horses are fat and sleek, and pull without exerting
themselves unduly. They move at a walking pace—anything
else would be impossible on this road. It is a far finer sight to
see one of these columns trundling along at full speed with
* In Sweden (as in England) one always keeps to the left.
’ i.e. the left-hand horse. As Germans drive to the right this is their
" ofi " side.
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