behind which the batteries were
retiring I came upon the colonel, his overcoat buttoned up, his face
pallid with sleeplessness; but his mood was one for overriding
difficulties. He rode beside me awhile, and then pulled up, exclaiming,
"Let's have a cup of tea to start the day with. Laneridge"--to his
groom--"bring my Thermos flask."

"The first thing for you to do," he went on, as we drank tea and
munched ration biscuits, a few of which wise folk always slip into
their pockets when things are a-doing out here, "is to get wires out to
the batteries again. Headquarters will be at Rouez. Division have gone
back to where ---- Corps were yesterday, and we take over their
quarters."

"What's the view of things at Infantry Headquarters, sir?" I asked as
we mounted again.

"Well, they blame the mist for the enemy getting past the outposts.
Most of the machine-guns they camouflaged with so much trouble never
came into the picture. But for some reason or other the Boche didn't
follow up. Perhaps he was waiting for reserves, or perhaps he got
suspicious. Our infantry didn't suffer many casualties, and I'm sure
the enemy didn't. We retired according to schedule time, and things
were quite quiet when I crossed the canal at four o'clock this morning.

"Extraordinary attitude of mind some of the men out here nowadays
have," he proceeded. "Last night they brought in one of the ----'s, who
was captured by the Boche in the morning but escaped and got back to
the battalion. He said that the enemy set prisoners bringing ammunition
up to their front line. When he was asked how he escaped, he said that
a shell killed 'the man-in-charge' of the party and he got away. 'The
man-in-charge,'" repeated the colonel. "He spoke as if the Boche N.C.O.
were a sort of foreman, and as if bringing up ammunition which was to
be shot at your own countrymen was the most ordinary thing in the
world."

Two high-velocity shells whizzed above our heads, and the colonel's
mare plunged excitedly. The enemy were evidently "stoking up" for a
fresh effort. We trotted on and toured the batteries, the colonel
inspecting the O.P.'s from which our fire was to be directed, and
ascertaining whether there was difficulty in keeping ammunition supply
up to 300 rounds per gun. When we reached the Brigade Headquarters
horse lines, I instructed the sergeant-major to turn out the telephone
waggon in readiness to lay lines to the new battery positions. Then
breakfast--stea