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174 WITH THE GERMAN ARMIES IN THE WEST
and rows of grey ammunition wagons, all harnessed up with
a team of two horses.
At length we reach a point in the road where four light
field howitzers are posted in a strong position by the wayside.
Captain Chamier tells the chauffeur to stop and to hide the
car well in the shadow of a tree. It is not considered advisable
to proceed further, as the car may attract the attention of
the French observers. We therefore alight and take a little
turn round the battery, which happens to be at work. A
salvo has just been fired, and the reloading is proceeding. I
seize the opportunity of taking a couple of pictures. The
guns, like the ammunition wagons, were well masked and were
either dug in or surrounded by a rampart consisting of stone
and sand-bags covered over with earth. The target for the
day was the village of Souain, 4050 metres distant. I was
told it was practically in ruins and that what remained was
in flames. The firing of the battery was directed from the
Beohachtungsstand or observation post which we visited later
on, and from which the effect of the shells could be discerned
through good field-glasses.
When a shell strikes a house or other object, a dark column
of smoke composed of gases, dust and earth, rises from the
spot, and flames mingling with the smoke soon reveal the fact
that combustible substances have been ignited. When un-
accustomed to these weapons, one cannot but regard them with
a certain amount of awe. This awe is no doubt still further
increased with experience. The officers themselves appear
perfectly unmoved, but I think this is mostly due to the
exercise of self-control. A commander must not betray
emotion before his men. He must be perfectly calm. But it
must nevertheless tell upon the strongest nerves to remain
for long under fire. This battery had occupied the same spot
for eighteen days without being discovered by the French
aviators.
From the battery we proceeded on foot in open order
through an avenue of trees, taking care to keep in the shade.
Of course our security was not absolute, for here and there
the trees had been cut in two by the French fire. We walked
some five hundred metres southward to the observation post
referred to, from which the fire was directed by telephone,
and from which the foremost French positions could be kept
under observation. The first thing that attracted our atten-
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