ugh the window, and said
"What? With all these beautiful daughters," and then continued with a
graphic description of the horrors in Belgium.

This quieted the old lady down, but we were not sorry to leave there and
shift to billets further up the road that night. It was the only
instance we encountered of our being unwelcome in France, and the billet
we occupied that night, although one of the filthiest houses we came
across, was marked by a much more cordial spirit.

We were fortunate to get into this farm, as two of the companies had to
bivouac, there being only accommodation for the staff and two companies
in the area. The matter was decided by lottery, the major being lucky
enough to draw a long straw.

[Illustration: AMATEUR THEATRICALS BACK OF THE LINE]

It was rather a squeeze getting the company stowed away that night, but
we managed somehow, and then turned into the kitchen. Here we were
entertained with a graphic description by an old hag of how she had been
wounded. It seemed that in some of the preliminary fighting she had run
across a field between our troops and the Germans and received three
bullets. She was quite cheerful about it and showed us two wounds, and
when A---- casually asked about the third she collapsed in a chair and
went into spasms of laughter. All the rest of the evening she would
point her finger at him and start again to tee-hee. A---- was much
annoyed.

We stayed in that vicinity another day, as it was not certain whether we
would be thrown into support in the attacks on the Aubers Ridge at
Fromelles or the Bois de Biez, but it was eventually decided that the
artillery preparation had been inadequate, and the following night we
continued our march southward.

Near Locon we passed some of the Indian Cavalry, gigantic-looking men
with their turbanned heads. They surveyed us gravely as we passed, one
or two flashing brilliant smiles in response to some friendly greeting.
Then shortly afterwards we crossed the canal, and without further
incident reached the outskirts of Bethune, where we went into bivouac in
an open field, being favoured, most fortunately, with fine weather.

Our long trek had ended.

CHAPTER XIV

FESTUBERT, 1915

While the 4th Army Corps were trying to gain a footing on the northern
end of the Aubers Ridge near Fromelles the 1st Army was making an
equally desperate attempt to the south in front of Festubert, a village
already in our hands.

But her