nked one side of the large open space where the ambulances
stood. A big store tent occupied another and the cook-house was in a
shed at the extreme corner, with the Mess tent placed about as far from
it as possible! I fully appreciated this piece of staff work later.
There were also a lot of bathing machines, which made me vaguely wonder
if a Snark had once inhabited the place.

"The fourth (viz. sign of a Snark) is its fondness for bathing machines
Which it constantly carries about,
And believes that they add to the beauty of scenes--
A sentiment open to doubt."

My surmises were brought to an abrupt end.

"Pat, dear old Pat. I say, old bird, you won't mind going into the
cook-house for a bit, will you, till the real cook comes? You're so
good-natured (?) I know you will, old thing."

Before I could reply, someone else said:

"That's settled then; it's perfectly ripping of you."

"Splendid," said someone else. Being the chief person concerned, I
hadn't had a chance to utter word of protest one way or the other!

When I _could_ gasp out something, I murmured feebly that I _had_
thought I was going to drive a car, and had spent most of my leave
sitting in a garage with that end in view.

"Oh, yes, of course you are, old thing, but the other cook hasn't turned
up yet. Bridget (Laidlay) is worked off her feet, so we decided you'd be
a splendid help to her in the meantime!"

There was nothing else for it.

I discovered I was to share a tent with Quin, and dragged my kit over to
the one indicated. I found her wringing out some blankets and was
greeted with the cheery "Hello, had a good leave? I say, old thing, your
bed's a pool of water."

I looked into the tent and there it was sagging down in the middle with
quite a decent sized pond filling the hollow! "What about keeping some
gold fish?" I suggested, somewhat peevishly.

Whatever happened I decided I couldn't sleep there that night, and with
Quin's help tipped it up and spread it on some boxes outside, as the sun
had come out.

That night I spent at Lamarck on a stretcher--it at least had the virtue
of being dry if somewhat hard.

When I appeared at the cook-house next morning with the words, "Please
mum, I've come!" Bridget literally fell on my neck. She poured out the
difficulties of trying to feed seventeen hungry people, when they all
came in to meals at different hours, especially as the big stove
wouldn't "draw." It had no d