On the British front the news, in spite of the
lull, has throughout the week been excellent. The total tale of prisoners is now well over fourteen thousand, and the captured material includes two hundred and thirty guns. But though comparative quiet has marked the general situation, there have been " nibbling " advances all round Lens. Sir Douglas Haig, if he can help it, is not going to fling away men by a direct attack upon the tremendous works outside Lens. He prefers automatic captures. Such a capture must be the result of advancing round rather than upon the fortress. Lens will soon become a sand castle with the tide flowing all round it except for one narrow spit of " local and temporary " dry ground. As soon as that has happened, as it is obviously going to happen quickly, the German garrison will make one of their patent strategic retreats " according to plan." Possibly they may have done so already, and Lens is being held by one of those devoted little stage armies instructed to let off as many firearms as they possibly can and await the psychological moment for saying " Kamerad." In any case, Lens can for the present safely be allowed to fry in its own fat.
