Whether the new Russian line will be that of the
Bug or some distance east of it remains to be seen. All that is clear at present is that to the north, in the centre, and in the south . and south-east the Germans are involved in an advance covering an enormous territory both in length and depth. The notion that the Germans can disengage themselves just when they please and lightly fly back to hammer us in the west is, in our opinion, purely visionary. Unless the Germans want to lose all the results they have as yet achieved, they have got to go on grimly forcing the Russians back and making good their victory step by step, and also by doing some very hard railway and road-making work on their lines of communication. And they have got to do it against time, for the beginning of the winter, or at any rate the autumn, rains will be upon them within seven or eight weeks. We are still convinced that we are going to catch the train, but, in our opinion, the Germans, in spite of their present successes, are in great danger of losing it.
