ffering the crew and passengers endured. It was thought after
she was struck she would surely sink, and many deaths by drowning
occurred owing to overcrowding the lifeboats. Like the "Zulu," however,
when day dawned it was found she was able to come into Boulogne under
her own steam. After driving some cases over there, I went to see the
remains in dry dock. It was a ghastly sight, made all the more poignant
as one could see trunks and clothes lying about in many of the cabins,
which were open to the day as if a transverse section had been made. The
only humorous incident that occurred was that King Albert was arrested
while taking a photo of it! I don't think for a moment they recognized
who he was, for, with glasses, and a slight stoop, he does not look
exactly like the photos one sees, and they probably imagined he was
bluffing. He was marched off looking intensely amused! One of the French
guards, when I expressed my disappointment at not being able to get a
photo, gave me the address of a friend of his who had taken some
official ones for France, so I hurried off, and was lucky to get them.

The weather became atrocious as the winter advanced and our none too
water-tight huts showed distinct signs of warping. We only had one
thickness of matchboarding in between us and the elements, and, without
looking out of the windows, I could generally ascertain through the
slits what was going on in the way of weather. I had chosen my "cue"
looking sea-ward because of the view and the sunsets, but then that was
in far away Spring. Eva's was next door, and even more exposed than
mine. When we happened to mention this state of affairs to Colonel C.,
he promised us some asbestos to line the outer wall if we could find
someone to put it up.

Another obliging friend lent us his carpenter to do the job--a burly
Scot. The fact that we cleaned our own cars and went about the camp in
riding breeches and overalls, not unlike land-girls' kit, left him
almost speechless.

The first day all he could say was, "Weel, weel, I never did"--at
intervals.

The second day he had recovered himself sufficiently to look round and
take a little notice.

"Ye're one o' them artists, I'm thinkin'," he said, eyeing my panthers
disparagingly. (The hunting frieze had been taken down temporarily till
the asbestos was fixed.)

"No, you mustn't think that," I said apologetically.

"Ha ye no men to do yon dirty worrk for ye?" and he nodded in direction