THE ANGELS OF MONS

The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War

by

ARTHUR MACHEN

1915







Introduction

I have been asked to write an introduction to the story of "The
Bowmen", on its publication in book form together with three other
tales of similar fashion. And I hesitate. This affair of "The Bowmen"
has been such an odd one from first to last, so many queer
complications have entered into it, there have been so many and so
divers currents and cross-currents of rumour and speculation
concerning it, that I honestly do not know where to begin. I propose,
then, to solve the difficulty by apologising for beginning at all.

For, usually and fitly, the presence of an introduction is held to
imply that there is something of consequence and importance to be
introduced. If, for example, a man has made an anthology of great