"Ah! _That_ lot will never get to Paris!" Night fell. The infantry regiments began to retire in order down the hollow of which we were occupying one of the slopes. Some mounted Chasseurs passed by at a trot, followed by a whole brigade of Cuirassiers. It was the retreat! We were beaten!... beaten!... The enemy was marching on Paris! The sun was now but a red crescent on the horizon. The horsemen advancing towards Silly disappeared in their own dust. We still continued firing, lavishing shrapnel on the plain where men still moved here and there. "Cease firing!" The gunners either had not heard, or did not want to hear.... Three guns still barked. Shouting at the top of his voice the Major repeated the command. Perspiring and brick-red with heat the gunners sponged themselves over and then, with folded arms, stood silently behind their guns, contemplating the fields of which not one square inch had been spared. We were expecting orders to retire in our turn, but eventually received instructions to pass the night here. A battalion of infantry had been sent to support us, and the men deployed in skirmishing order and took up positions about two hundred yards from the park, which we had had to form on the spot. We heard that in front of us not a single French unit remained. We were at the mercy of a cavalry night attack. _Thursday, September 10_ After yesterday's engagement we had expected a furious cannonade to begin at dawn. But not a sound was heard. The sun illuminated the plain and the slopes upon which we were waiting for the enemy in firing position. Not a single gun was fired, and we began to grow surprised and uneasy. A Lieutenant-Colonel at the head of a passing column recognized the Major and hailed him. "Hallo! Solente!" "Hallo!" "How are you?" "I'm all right, thanks." "What's your Group doing there?" "Guarding the Nanteuil road." "Then you don't know what's happened?" "No, what?" "The enemy retired during the night." "No!" "Yes, it's quite true! We've got orders to advance.... The Germans are retiring all along the line." The two officers looked at each other and smiled. "Then in that case...." "It's victory!" The news passed rapidly from gun to gun and nearly set the men dancing with joy. Victory, victory! And just when we were not expecting it! Towards midday we also received orders to advance. At Nanteuil a slight recrudescence of life was noticeable. A grocer was taking down the wooden shutters of his shop, and some of the windows were thrown open as we went by. As at Dammartin I read on several of the doors the notice: "_Gute Leute_." The road we were following skirted the fields on which we repulsed the enemy yesterday. We halted, doubtless waiting for fresh orders.