k cheque?"
in a wild endeavour to get him out again.

Telegrams were also arriving, one or two from the front. A subaltern
spread the sheet of flimsy in his hand to find his cousin had been
killed in action. There was a sudden hush in the turmoil as he turned
and walked slowly to the window; men at such times are mute and trust to
the simple pressure of the hand to tell that sympathy which the tongue
cannot frame.

A colonel whose hair had grown grey in the service passed from one group
to another, giving a word of advice here and receiving a word of
sympathy there, for his age had debarred any further activities in the
field. "But I have one son over there now," he proudly told you, "and my
other is coming with the next contingent!"

The orderly room clerk entered and pinned up the daily orders. These
were at once surrounded, and would have perished in the _melee_ had the
colonel not taken the situation in hand and read them out in his
sternest parade voice with appropriate comments of his own.

"All officers and men warned for draft will parade to the ranges at 5
o'clock tomorrow morning--that will teach you to sit up all night
playing cards!

"Markers and other details--that includes you, Lyte--will be at the
butts and all targets ready for firing at a quarter before the hour,
&c., &c.

"Light marching order will be worn by all ranks, including one hundred
and fifty rounds per man. Haversack rations to be carried.

"Officers' valises--maximum weight thirty-five pounds--to be rolled
ready for transport by 2 p.m., &c., &c."

This last caused an immediate thinning of the crowd, and till late that
night we struggled over our kits, rolling and unrolling them to try and
bring their weight down to something like the regulation amount.

At 4 o'clock next morning we fell in to march to the ranges, Lyte and
his ill-fated companions having left half an hour before, and from then
on till the afternoon we toiled in the hot sun. Returning about 3 that
afternoon, we found the draft ordered to be ready to proceed at 6
o'clock, barely time for the men to get their tea; and tea in the Army
is a meagre meal at the best of times.

Then after some hours waiting on the barrack square the draft moved off
down the Cheriton road and through the streets of Folkestone to where
the transports lay awaiting us.

Here the British Navy took hold of us again, and there were no further
delays. The men were led below decks and packed as