Conducted to the colonel, the boche lieutenant announced he had a communication to make to me. They reached me on the telephone and I gave the order to send him on. I waited impatiently for an hour, I swear, and I was far from imagining what was coming---- * * * * * The young man was brought into my office; he was a large and solid chap, who planted himself in front of me and saluted with respect. "I listen----" With a strong Teutonic accent he said to me in French: "His Imperial Highness, the German Crown Prince, commander of the opposing army, has charged me to bring you this package!----" I slowly untied the string that bound the package, in which I found a framed photograph of the German Crown Prince and in the corner he had likewise written in French: "To my loyal and chivalrous adversary! William, Crown Prince of Germany." I was absolutely nonplused and I dismissed the boche lieutenant, whom I was on the verge of cursing. * * * * * "And the portrait?" I asked General Coutanceau---- "I forwarded it by the usual military channels. General Sarrail did not fail to notice the outcome, but I never knew what became of the picture----" Turning toward me with his rare smile: "You will agree that this story is a _veritable_ romance!" RECOMPENSE, BEFORE ORNES. _October_, 1915. All night we have worked in No Man's Land. What a night! We had to install certain wire entanglements and _chevaux de frise_[16] in front of our trench of the first line. Happily the boche mitrailleuse in front of Moulin d'Ornes did not fire; otherwise we would have been riddled! My men went at it vigorously and all the work had been terminated--I had divided them into several gangs and had recommended the new wire network be placed parallel to the old. I went over the entire line to survey the work and to observe the patrols who protected the men ahead of the trenches. One of my gangs just missed causing us a villainous adventure! They stumbled on some wire, which by shell-fire had been thrown out of line, and following it, they had worked directly toward the enemy---- They had placed their _chevaux de frise_ one after the other and I stopped stupefied on making this discovery. I had for a moment the impression that my men had been picked up by the boches. Fortunately not a shot had been heard and I said to myself it would probably be possible to repair the error committed. First it was necessary to find my _poilus_---- I followed the line of _chevaux de frise_, my revolver in hand. Thus I arrived a few yards from the boche wire entanglements. My men were not there and it was likely they had gone taking the material to the village. An hour later I found them and started them again on the work. All the rest of the night passed without incident----