The Emperor William—His advisers—The modern Huns—The barrier 244 of the trenches—The Soixante-Quinze—Its superiority to its German rival—The French gunner—Pride of the nation in its artillery—Determination in the workshops—The struggle of the trenches—A German description CHAPTER XX SIEGE WARFARE Second period of the war—Germany besieged—The pressure on 263 the west—Partial offensives—The lack of shells—Its effect on the war—“Craters of Death”—Monotony of the trenches—A National Army—Soldier-priests—Their contempt of death—Their self-sacrifice—Their spiritual work—Influence on the troops—The realities of life—Church and State—The example of the State—Spirit of unity—Points of attack—Hammer and tongs—The St. Mihiel salient—Chauvoncourt—Les Eparges—Bois d’Ailly—Bois Brulé—Bois le Prêtre—The Vosges and Alsace—The soldiers of France—France and England—The Boche standards of right and wrong—The German cancer and the end of the war CHAPTER THE LAST GERMANY AND THE ALLIES Pride and prejudice—English pride before the war—Pride of 282 France—Pride of race—_Noblesse Oblige_—Pride of Germany—Pride of the _parvenu_—Peaceful pre-war invasion of German commerce and kultur—Neutral views of Germany’s guilt—French views of England—Redemption by hate—What is “the right”?—Greater Germany?—Tannenberg’s views—The Kaiser’s conversion—Germany’s designs on neutral countries—The new year—The dead EPILOGUE 301 By M. LÉON MIRMAN LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE General de Castelnau _Frontispiece_ Les Halles, Raon l’Etape 22 French Advance in Village Street of Magnières 36 M. Léon Mirman 44 M. Simon 50 French Advance at Sainte-Barbe 92 General Dubail 104 Gerbéviller 116 Farm of Léomont 134 General Foch 156 Infantry Attack on Farm of Saint Epvre, on the Heights 190 above Lunéville Outside the Préfecture, Nancy 202 Nomeny 214 Réméréville 222 Château de Haraucourt 222