[Illustration:  Where French sailors fought at Dixmude:  The naval defences—­front view.]

Dixmude, the name of which little West Flanders town on the Yser all the world knows now, after being heroically defended against persistent night-and-day attacks and bombardments at all hours, was taken by the reinforced Germans after a forty-hours renewed attack on November 11.  The defenders, however, held out in the outskirts of the town, and could not be dislodged.  The post is not part of the Allied main line, but rather of value as a bridge-head over the river.  The French naval officer who sent the photographs shown above was one of the defenders until he had to withdraw wounded.  When he was there Dixmude had been defended by 6000 French sailors, reinforced at the end of October by 1500 Algerian soldiers.

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The illustrated war news, Nov. 18, 1914—­19

[Illustration:  The COWHERDS of war:  Armed German Marines rounding up cattle for food for the army in the field.]

One of War’s “little ironies” finds illustration in our photograph.  A great conflict such as that now being waged is full of contrasts:  grins, pathetic, sometimes not without a suggestion of humour.  That the German Marine should be told off in a pretty rural district to round up cattle for food for the German troops is a case in point.  The sleek and shapely kine which these sturdy fellows are commandeering plod peacefully along in happy ignorance of the fact that they are prisoners of war being led to their doom by an armed guard.  If it were not for the significance of the weapons borne by the Marines, the scene would be as purely pastoral as that immortalised by Gray.  It suggests the “lowing herd”—­with a difference.—­[Photo. by Photopress.]

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20—­The illustrated war news, Nov. 18, 1914.

[Illustration:  The attack on the “Pegasus” By the “KOeNIGSBERG” (Now “Imprisoned"):  TRANSHIPPING wounded to the hospital-ship “Gascon.”]

The “Pegasus,” an old and small cruiser, was attacked and disabled by the German cruiser “Koenigsberg” (recently trapped by the “Chatham” in an East African river), a modern ship of larger size and much heavier metal, at daybreak on September 20, while anchored in Zanzibar harbour to clean boilers.  The “Koenigsberg” stole up during the night, sheltered behind an island off the shore and, easily outranging the guns of the “Pegasus,” shelled her helpless opponent.  After that the German ship drew off, leaving the “Pegasus” in a sinking condition and with 26 men killed and 53 wounded.  Our photograph, which has just been received here, shows the “Pegasus’” wounded being transhipped to the Union Castle liner “Gascon,” serving as a hospital-ship to take the injured to the Cape.