_Continuing along the road to Villeroy_ we come, after about 2 km. to the +GREAT GRAVE+ of which a view is given opposite. It contains the bodies of numerous officers and men who fell in the surrounding fields. At the extreme end of the grave on the right is buried the well-known writer, Charles Péguy, whose death seems to have been the one he desired when writing the following lines, now famous: Heureux ceux qui sont morts dans les grandes batailles Couchés dessus le sol à la face de Dieu.... Heureux ceux qui sont morts pour leur âtre et leur feu Et les pauvres honneurs des maisons paternelles.... Heureux ceux qui sont morts, car ils sont retournés Dans la première argile et la première terre. Heureux ceux qui sont morts dans une juste guerre, Heureux les épis mûrs et les blés moissonnés. _At the fork of the road beyond the grave, go to the right towards Iverny._ It is within 200 yards of these cross-roads, in the field on the left of the road, that Lieutenant Péguy was killed, shot through the head while standing amidst his soldiers of the 276th, whom he had ordered to lie down. _On arriving at Iverny, turn to the right towards Monthyon._ At the entrance to this village, near the farm de l'Hôpital, there is a little pond where the cases of shells abandoned by the Germans were emptied (_view on following page_). These cases belonged to the three batteries of 77's which were established on the right of the road behind the farm buildings, in a depression of the ground. We have seen above that these batteries started the cannonade which began the battle of the Marne. Marked down by the French batteries they hastily abandoned the position. [Illustration: POND WHERE THE GERMANS THREW THEIR SHELLS] _Leaving the pond on the right we follow the road to the left which brings us to the picturesque village of =Monthyon= (15 km.)._ Despite the difference in spelling, it was the patrimonial fief of the celebrated philanthropist Baron de Montyon (1733-1820), founder of several prizes for good conduct and literature awarded yearly in solemn session by the "Institut de France." We have seen that Monthyon, attacked without success on the 5th by the French, was on the 6th abandoned by the Germans. General de Lamaze established his headquarters there. _On arriving at the church turn to the right and descend towards the highway from Saint-Soupplets to Penchard._ Half-way down the slope will be seen on the left a villa which overlooks all the countryside, and where the French staff had a first-rate observatory during those hard days of September. The view below, taken from the upper balcony, shows a corner of the vast panorama seen from there. [Illustration: THE PLAIN AT THE FOOT OF MONTHYON] _At the foot of the slope turn to the right towards Penchard and follow the railway lines on the road._