. How armies fight. nes. The whole ridge now resounds with rifle fire, from theGreys on the right to the squadron of Hussars in La MotteWood on the left. Two 4*7 guns of the 101st HeavyBattery near Botte Redoubt also join in, and drop shrapnel shells along the front slopes of Baisy Hillat a range of two and a half miles. When the formerhit the ground they burst with terrific violence, and throwup columns of earth and dust, which combine with theflame and thick yellow smoke of the explosion in makinga scene of death and destruction, in which it seems toCairnes almost impossible that
. How armies fight. nes. The whole ridge now resounds with rifle fire, from theGreys on the right to the squadron of Hussars in La MotteWood on the left. Two 4*7 guns of the 101st HeavyBattery near Botte Redoubt also join in, and drop shrapnel shells along the front slopes of Baisy Hillat a range of two and a half miles. When the formerhit the ground they burst with terrific violence, and throwup columns of earth and dust, which combine with theflame and thick yellow smoke of the explosion in makinga scene of death and destruction, in which it seems toCairnes almost impossible that any one should live. Both Ways and Genappe are now burning fiercely; andlooking away to his left, the lieutenant can see flamesand smoke rising from Bousval. What with conflagra-tions and raining shells, the mounted infantrymen mustbe having a bad time. Like waves beating on a beach, the German lines surgeforward towards the river. As they approach the railway,the men make a wild dash for shelter behind the embank-. A DAY ON THE FALSE POSITION. 219 ment, each man for himself, and disappear from the viewof the Greys on the ridge. For a time they make no effort to advance beyond this,Line after line rolls forward, and joins the first behind theembankment. By half-past three at least three or fourthousand men must have gathered in front of Ways andGenappe alone. Suddenly the shells commence to fall thicker and thickeron the ridge, and Cairnes notices that they no longer burstover the villages. The time has come; the enemys artilleryhas shifted the whole of its fire to the ridge, so as to letthe infantry assault the villages. Heads begin to show over the embankment, then bodies,then a wave of dark-blue figures flows over the shiningrails, and rolls rapidly towards the river, barely twohundred yards away. Relieved from the torrent of shells which has beenpouring on them, the mounted infantrymen rise frombehind trench and wall. Some crowd into the houseswhich are still standing on t
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