eted every time there was an explosion by cat-calls, shouts
and whistling on the part of our imperturbable soldiers. Then the
enemy diverted his guns to a village through which our return
road ran. On our approaching this place we found our way barred
by military policemen, who informed us the traffic was
temporarily held up, and that we would have to seek our
destination by another and a more devious route. Looking back,
one is amused at the nonchalance of this tea in the open with the
Hussar officers, while German missiles were shooting over our
heads and crashing to earth a couple of hundred yards away. Had
the enemy shortened the range we should all have gone up among
the little birds.

Did you see that splendid joke in _Punch_--an old man talking to
a very badly wounded Irish soldier swathed in bandages from head
to foot? The former says, "This is a terrible war, isn't it, my
man?" Pat replies, "Yes, sorr, it is that; a rale tirrible war.
But faith! 'tis better than no war at all." Capital, and so
deliciously Irish!

_August 23rd, 1915._

Excessively busy days these--out sometimes from nine in the
morning till about ten at night, often missing meals perforce. A
few days back I was in the city whose name practically sums up
the character of British fighting--Ypres. Never have I seen such
a picture of desolation. Not a house standing; only skeletons of
buildings, shattered walls, and gaping window openings, from
which all vestige of glass has long since disappeared. The Church
and the Cloth Hall are simply piles of debris. To walk along the
streets is like a kind of nightmare, even when the Boches are not
indulging in a spell of hate against the place. Talk of
Pompeii--why, this puts it quite among the "also-rans." What a
pathetic spectacle to see a whole city in ruins! Stupefaction and
sadness at the wholesale destruction is my impression of this
melancholy ruin of an historic town.

Having seen my rations delivered to our regiments, I and my
companions (two Hussar officers) visited a battery of 5-inch
howitzers at work not far off, through the medium of a friendly
Artillery officer. Their headquarters have been amazingly lucky
in not being hit up to date. They told us that there was going