We looked at each other. I murmured: "And what about the replenishment."
"Ssh!"
He put his finger to his lips. As if the men had not noticed the imminent penury! Several of them had applied to Lamalou for some of his share.
Luckily the enemy's fire was weakening equally. Both sides were drawing breath. The Germans' heavy artillery never paused for an instant. The explosions of enormous "Jack Johnsons" barked all round us. One of them, which fell less than twenty yards away, dug a hole of ten feet and filled part of our trench with the earth it displaced.
Guillaumin and I threw despairing glances towards the rear. The look of the wood had changed completely since morning. A wood? There was not a tree standing!
Guillaumin grumbled: "If I could get hold of Playoust!"
I quite agreed.