thirty-three men from each
of the three squadrons here, to represent the regiment at an
inspection by the Commander in Chief. Well, we went off this morning,
and found similar detachments from all the corps not in the trenches.
It was a dull morning and the mud was awful, and just before his
Majesty was due a German aeroplane appeared heading straight for us.
Our guns opened fire on it and it made off north, but it added
excitement. Otherwise it was a quiet morning and hardly any firing
from the trenches. The King and Sir James arrived in the first car,
then the Prince of Wales driving his own car, and a crowd of staff
officers. The two divisional staffs were presented, and then they
started walking down the lines. My new horse is a real good 'un, but
can't stand "Present arms!" under his nose, and he nearly backed into
his Majesty as he came up from behind.

The Leicesters were in front of us. They had only come up out of the
trenches at midnight and were in a lovely state of mud and
unshavedness. The King simply reveled in them. He stopped and chatted
to quite every one man in three; wanted to know all about trench
fighting, and didn't seem to mind a bit their being covered with mud
and unshaved for days. The Prince was just as interested. He wandered
about at will, paying no attention to his father, and chatting with
all and sundry. One man was wearing a pair of German boots which
interested the King very much. He spent quite twenty minutes with the
Leicesters, and they deserved it. They have done splendidly all
through.

After that he gave two V.C.s to gunners who had won them very early in
the war, and then when he ought to have been moving on he began
strolling up and down the line again, asking all sorts of questions
and noticing everything. At last they got him into his car to move on
to the next army corps. The General came back to give us his message.
It was that he was very pleased with all he had seen and heard; that
he wanted the troops to know that both he and the Queen always kept
them in their thoughts, and that he meant to see all of them again,
with his own eye, as soon as the war was over. The General gave it out
very well, (he is fluent in Hindustani,) and it made a great
impression on the men.

It was altogether a wonderful visit, so quiet and informal and
businesslike; no apparent precautions or rehearsal; the King tramping
about in the mud as though he were partridge shooting, while the
Prin