go smoothly. Most of the sergeants arranged to have only four of each gun crew start the firing, the others being allowed to sleep through until a relief was needed. This proved a wise scheme for we Fired steadily until noon the next day.

                Promptly at 1 A. M. the artillery preparation started. Hundreds of guns of all calibers gave voice from their places of concealment as if at a single command, as indeed it was,—the tick of a second-hand on a hundred synchronized watches. Until eight in the morning the Battery fired steadily on portions of a Boche trench to prepare the way for our doughboys, waiting to start. Eight o'clock was "zero hour", and at that time all the artillery except those heavies which were pounding the Boche rear areas started on the long rolling barrage, which preceded the Infantry step by step southeast along the "Grande Tranchee de Calonne." This progressive barrage stopped at 11:46 A. M., but the pounding of the rear areas went on. The Battery had fired over 2241 rounds in eleven hours steady firing. There was practically no return fire from the enemy.

                The men of the firing battery cleaned the guns, put the pits in order, and set a vigilant guard to give warning of any reverse which would require the resumption of fire, while the rest turned in. It is always the rule in a drive to consider no chance to sleep too short, for no distinction is made between night and day except perhaps added vigilance and greater activity at night.

                The drivers, in accordance with this rule, had been making the most of their inactivity during the firing,

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