Étavigny was taken and retaken in the course of the Battle of the Ourcq. The struggle was hard, the Germans making a desperate resistance, as a serious French advance in this locality would have meant the outflanking of their whole line. They succeeded in forcing the troops of the Seventh Corps off the plateau. * * * * * _Taking the road to the right, beside the church, and continuing about 200 yards we come to the_ cemetery, which is in a state of upheaval from the bombardment. The photograph below was taken through one of the gaps. The windmill pump, on the left of the view, was riddled with bullets. _From Étavigny the tourist can either return to Acy by the same road, or follow the itinerary that we now give, which forms a loop around the northern part of the battlefield. In the first case, the distance to Acy is 3½ km., in the second 14 km._ _Starting again from the church along the road which crosses the village, continue straight on towards +Boullare+. Here keep turning to the left and take the road to Betz._ In the hollow on the left were placed the German batteries which joined in action with those of Étavigny. [Illustration: ÉTAVIGNY CHURCH SEEN FROM THE CEMETERY] _The road descends into a rather picturesque valley. Through it runs a small river, the Grivelle, which we must cross, then go through Antilly, turning to the right on entering, and to the left at the fork in the road just after leaving the village._ _We arrive at =Betz= (26 km.). Turn to the left near the church._ Betz did not suffer much from the guns, but some of its houses were burnt by the Germans, notably the Hôtel du Cheval Blanc (_see p. 102_), which can still be recognised by its signboard. [Illustration: HÔTEL DU CHEVAL BLANC AFTER THE FIRE] The castle was occupied by a German headquarters-staff, who left it in a deplorable state. During the pursuit the French officers had to abandon the idea of lodging there: one of them records in his notebook: "The German officers have left disgusting traces of their passage; we see slices of melon, bearing the marks of their teeth, in the wash-hand-basins, and enormous heaps of empty and broken wine bottles." * * * * * _The tourist will cross Betz by the main street, which is seen in the above illustration, and at the further end of the village he will go straight on under the railway, leaving the road to +Nanteuil-le-Haudouin+ on the right._ * * * * *