It is almost midnight and the brave Territorial looks continually at the sea which splashes at his feet. Suddenly the man hears an unusual sound in the water in front of him. He is all attention and cries out: "Halt, there! Who goes?" The night is clear and soon he sees two dripping arms stuck high in the air. "What are you doing there--this is not the time to go in swimming--advance with the countersign--it's a boche!" "Kamarad! Kamarad!..." "Listen here, I regret it, but I can't accompany you, you understand--I can't leave my post. You see that bridge? Take it! You will go to that house just over there, it is Marine Headquarters, and ask for the commanding officer. Is that clear? Now get along--good-night." And the prisoner left alone---- A SPECTACLE OF THE WAR, NIEUPORT. _September_, 1915. I lunched for the last time with my friend Reymond. He is accompanying me to Brigade Headquarters of the Marine Fusiliers, where I must say good-by, because, to-morrow, I leave for another sector. We are in the principal street of Nieuport and are only a short distance from our objective when a frightful detonation rends the air a few steps away. Dense clouds of smoke envelop everything. A few steps more, and we see a very sad spectacle. Four 105's, two timed shell and two percussion, break in the midst of a group of workers--forty or more Zouaves are on the ground, wounded or dead---- _Parbleu!_ it was like a sight at the Great Dune, on a similar occasion; one could not help but see, like the nose on your face----What indifference! A Zouave, short and stocky, yelling and waving his arms madly--he is all bloody--he must have gone crazy---- FOOTNOTES: [10] Trench vernacular for wine. [11] Coffee--Tr. [12] Jean Gouin is the personification of everything witty, brave and odd about the Marine Fusiliers, the French soldiers of the sea. One of them is always referred to as Jean Gouin. The Germans learned to respect him very deeply in the first days of the war.--Tr. [13] Singe--literally monkey. Vernacular for canned beef or meat.--Tr. [14] Petite Marmite--Soup cooked and served in a small earthenware or metal receptacle or pot. Also, term used for German shell of big caliber.--Tr. CHAPTER FOUR FIRST VISIT TO VERDUN _Sub-Lieutenant Capart left the Flanders' sector for good. He arrived at Verdun during the first days of October._ CHAPTER FOUR THE FANCIFUL IDEA OF MAJOR PETIT, VERDUN. _October_, 1915. In the middle of the month of October, 1915, I was invited to dinner by General Coutanceau, Governor of Verdun. Verdun, at this particular time, still retained its aspect of a little garrison city in times of peace, and, when I entered Bevaux Barrack, I felt far away from the war---- I found Colonel Masselin who awaited me in his office, busy as was his habit and who rose precipitately on seeing me enter the room.