Shortly before midday the battalion found itself marching along the tram lines in the suburbs of Lille. As the men tramped down the empty road to Pont de Canteleu, two children appeared, timid and round-eyed. "Where is everybody?" asked the Commanding Officer, in his best French. Apparently, our noble opponents had spread it abroad that we should kill everyone we saw, and all had been warned to remain in their cellars. The children retired, and shortly after one or two women and one or two old men appeared. Finding us friendly, their relations were summoned in shrill tones, and before long the street was thronged with people. Never was such a scene! Everyone cheered and sang, laughed and wept. Flags of the Allies, sold to the French by the Germans ere their departure, soon adorned every window. "Vivent les Anglais!" went up from hundreds of throats. Everyone embraced everyone else; officers and men alike were kissed and kissed again by the enthusiastic people; while horses and equipment were soon half smothered in flags and flowers. Progress became very difficult, so dense was the crowd and so anxious to express their joy and gratitude. Of all the sights of the war there were few, if any, half so moving as the picture of this almost miraculous awakening of these unhappy folk from their long and cruel nightmare. How they laughed and cried! With what intense feeling they sang "The Marseillaise"! Not a man was there who did not feel that here at last was a reward worth all the misery and dangers of our campaigning. At last we reached the Pont de Canteleu, the entrance to the famous City of Lille. The bridge, like all other bridges, was, of course, in ruins; but there was sufficient of it left standing for civilians to cross one at a time. Guards were posted at all these bridges, and no one crossed into the town, the Corps Commander's orders being very strict on this point. About 5 p.m. the 172nd Brigade, which had been detailed to take charge of Lille, began to arrive, and the men were passed over one at a time. As soon as this long performance was completed our piquets were withdrawn. Billets were now selected for the battalion in the vicinity of the bridgehead, and very good they were. Battalion Headquarters secured a magnificent chateau, where everything looked so suspiciously arranged for our comfort that, in spite of the inspection carried out by the special R.Es., we were quite prepared to discover some large-sized "booby trap." An old French gentleman dug up from the garden two bottles of excellent claret and one of old brandy, which he gave to us, and it need hardly be said that the present was most acceptable.