ys 'andy. Wot'll you 'ave, lads?"

"Give us 'Silk 'At Nat Tony.' That's a proper funeral 'ymn."

"Right you are! Sing up, now!"

And then we sang Tommy's favorite kind of requiem:--

"I'm Silk Hat Nat Tony,
I'm down and I'm stony:
I'm not only broke, but I'm bent.
The fringe of my trousers
Keeps lashing the houses,
But still I am gay and content.

I stroll the West gayly,
You'll see me there daily,
From Burlington Arcade
Up to the Old Bailey.
I'm stony! I'm Tony!
But that makes no diff'rence, you see.
Though I haven't a fraction,
I've this satisfaction,
They built Piccadilly for me."

CHAPTER XI

"SITTING TIGHT"

I. LEMONS AND CRICKET BALLS

Throughout October we fulfilled the prophecy of the officer who told us
that "sitting tight" in the German trenches was to be our function. There
were nightly counter-attacks preceded by heavy artillery fire, when the
enemy made determined efforts to retake the lost territory. There were
needless alarms when nervous sentries "got the wind up," to use the
authentic trench expression, and contagious excitement set men to firing
like mad into blank darkness. In the daytime there were moments of calm
which we could not savor owing to that other warfare waged upon us by
increasing hordes of parasitic enemies. We moved from one position to
another through trenches where the tangled mass of telephone wires,
seemingly gifted with a kind of malignant humor, coiled themselves about
our feet or caught in the piling swivels of our rifles. There were orders
and counter-orders, alarums and excursions. Through them all Tommy kept
his balance and his air of cheery unconcern, but he wished that he might
be "struck pink" if he knew "wot we was a-doin' of anyw'y."

Our ideas of the tactical situation were decidedly vague. However, we did
know, in a general way, our position with reference to important military
landmarks, and the amateur strategists were busy at all times explaining
the situation to frankly ignorant comrades, and outlining plans for
definite action.

"Now, if I was General French, I'd make 'Ulluch me main objective. They
ain't no use tryin' to get by at this part o' the line till you got that
village."

"Don't talk so bloomin' ignorant! Ain't that just wot they been a-tryin'?
Wot we got to do is go 'round 'Ulluch. Tyke 'em in the rear an' from