ked about. The china in the house is in the
pretty French style, the coffee pot particularly neat and nice. It is
curious sitting here with shells having fallen all round us within 300
yards, and yet to be so perfectly peaceful. Still, it is war. I said
to one of my captains: "Where did you bury So-and-So yesterday?" and
he replied: "Where he was shot, sir. He was a heavy man, and we could
not take him to the place where we buried the others." So there the
poor man lies in a ploughed field, and no more trace of him excepting
that in his humble way he did his duty and gave his life for his
country. I suppose the evening of November 30th will see us in the
trenches again. By the way, please tell Miss P---- that I have found
her handkerchief most useful in the trenches. Nothing smaller would
have been any good at all. I am trying to get my chestnut horse back,
and asking the Brigade Major to telegraph for him to the Remount. The
Government has commenced to issue to the men goatskin coats of white
and brown or black goats. Where such a goat lives I do not know;
anyhow, here is his skin! I suspect I shall very soon have one too, if
the weather gets colder.

IN BILLETS.
_November 29th, 1914._

You can see by this that your notepaper has duly arrived, for which I
am much obliged. I was also glad to get your letter, and I am sure
that you must be very pleased to be back in Rostrevor again. Curious
how I have been kept away from you for three years, is it not, first
by my promotion, and then this awful war.... Well, yesterday I think I
told you that I saw a shell strike close beside one of my companies,
so I ran and put the men into bomb-proof, or rather splinter-proofs.
Having seen they were safe, I went on with my work, though it is not
pleasant doing this sort of thing whilst shells are flying about!
Anyhow, I started out afterwards to reconnoitre the road to a certain
town, and passed two men of the Rifle Brigade making a coffin. I asked
for whom it was intended, and found that this same shell had killed a
very nice Major, called "Harman," of the Rifle Brigade, whilst another
man was badly wounded, and a Captain also in the Rifle Brigade. It all
happened just as far from me as Carlton Village is from the house, or
a few yards more at farthest. Well, we buried the poor fellow after
dark. This morning we had service both for our Cath