But after the first day the French had entrenched themselves behind their earth breastworks, hastily dug and thrown up, and now remained secure.  Into these the German guns now poured their fire.  The defenders were ready for the first attack by infantry, which it was realized would come soon.

And it came even sooner than was expected.

Hal, with a despatch for the officer in command of the first line troops just to the north of Verdun, was about to return when there came a sudden shout: 

“Here they come!”

Hal turned quickly.

There, perhaps half a mile away, stretched out a long thin line, barely visible through the dense cloud of smoke that overhung the ground.  Hal took in the situation, instantly.  The German infantry was advancing to the charge under artillery support.

Behind the first long line stretched out a second and beyond that a third and a fourth and many more.  They advanced slowly in the face of a rain of lead turned on them by the men in the trenches.  Men fell to the right and to the left, Hal could see, but the gaps were filled instantly and the long lines pressed forward.

Now they were within three hundred yards and the heavy German guns became silent.  The advance now must be made without further artillery support, for the German batteries could not fire without imminent danger of shooting down their own men.  The Germans broke into a run.

From behind the French earthworks was poured a hail of lead, but it did not serve to check the approaching foe.  On to the breastworks they came and clambered up.  Behind the first line came many more and they swarmed upon the defenders like bees in a hive.

Bayonet met bayonet and revolvers cracked.  Men struggled with their bare hands.  Friend and foe went down together, struggling to the last.  On the right and on the left, though Hal could not see these actions, similar scenes were being enacted.  The Germans had made their initial advance upon a front of almost fifteen miles.

A bugle sounded.

French reinforcements were rushed forward to aid the hard-pressed men in the first line trenches.  More Germans poured in.  The struggling mass surged backward and forward.  Then the French broke and fled, and Hal found himself among a panic-stricken mass of humanity, running for life for the protection of the second line trenches.  From behind, the victorious Germans fell to their knees and poured a steady rifle fire upon the vanquished.  Over the heads of their fleeing countrymen the second line French troops returned the fire.

Hastily the Germans fell to work throwing up earthworks facing the second French line.  Under experienced hands the breastworks sprang up as if by magic.  They entrenched calmly under the rifles of the French infantry and the heavy guns of the French batteries, though men fell upon all hands.

Far away, but coming closer, the German batteries now opened fire on the second French trenches, firing above the heads of the victorious German infantry.  The infantry action subsided.  The duel of big guns was resumed.