Officers, coming back from the day's battle lines in automobiles, jumped out of their cars and pressed up, bedraggled and wet through from the rain which had been falling, to have a look at the prisoners.

Common soldiers appeared also.

Of these latter many, I judged, had newly arrived at the front and had never seen any captured enemies before.

They were particularly interested in the Englishmen, who as nearly as I could tell endured the scrutinizing pretty well, whereas the Frenchmen grew uneasy and self-conscious under it.

We who were in civilian dress--and pretty shabby civilian dress at that--came in for our share of examination too.