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AN EXCURSION TO THE FRONT AT LILLE 311
carrying on as if nothing has happened. The only reminder
of war, apart from the wrecked quarters of the town, are the
German infantry, cavalry, guns and transport trains.
Meanwhile we drive through Lille and in passing I throw
a glance at the statue of the noble Pasteur, who spent three
years of his life in the scientific faculty of the town, and of
the brave Joan of Arc, clad in armour and with her standard
in her hand, sitting tall and straight and glorious on her gilded
steed. Our road now runs along the canals, crammed with
lighters, and after swinging off to the west through deserted
suburbs we emerge into the smiling countryside slashed in
all directions with meandering paths and by-ways. We have
now left the village of Lomme behind us and proceed in the
direction of Armentieres. Little groves and coppices, parks
and gardens, farms and villages dot the road on both sides.
The road we are travelling by is narrow and badly cut up
through the rain. We drive past a skilfully masked battery,
working at full pressure. From the enemy’s side the booming
of cannon comes nearer and nearer, but is still outvoiced by
the eternal whirring hum of the car. It is only when we
slacken down or stop that the thunder sounds alarmingly
near. By a farm—or perhaps it is a modest chateau—^we come
to a clump of trees as yet unshorn of their leaves by the
autumn winds. We drive at full speed past this spot, which
can only be about one hundred metres north of the road.
Fortunately we espy in time a young lieutenant with his
two or three men in the shadow of the trees, making the most
frantic signs to us and shouting " halt " as loudly as their
lungs permit.
We pull up as sharply as the tearing pace allows and drive
over a marshy meadow up to the lieutenant, who is standing
at a table littered with maps, compasses, pens, field-glasses
and other paraphernalia. He explained that it was a matter
of life and death to proceed a step further in that direction.
I felt almost inclined to believe him, for it sounded to my
ears as if we were surrounded by fire on all sides. The nearest
German infantry positions were ahead of us along a line
running from north-north-east to south-south-west, and we
had German artillery in front of us, beside us and behind us.
The battery which we had just driven past was firing salvo
after salvo, and we heard the shells whining over the tree-
tops. In front of us the French batteries were pounding away
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