erbalance.

He then set about putting his domestic affairs in order--tidying up his
kit and his bivvie, overhauling the larder, shaking his dusty blankets
and the like. He surveyed his weather-beaten countenance in a broken
triangle of glass. "What-o, mother, that you should see me now!" and
he winked whimsically at himself. A fortnight's black beard formed a
dark halo round his features, plenty of dust from the heaps of earth
above stuck in his hair, and he was already a bit thinner than in
Egyptian days. At the present moment a pair of ragged shorts, hanging
insecurely about his middle, was his only garment. The rest of his
body was, like his face, tanned and dusty.

He now performed to the full such toilet as was possible in his present
quarters. He rubbed himself vigorously with a towel, cleaned his teeth
with about two dessert-spoonfuls of water, and brushed his hair. He
gave his rifle a few runs through and a dust, and restored round the
bolt a careful wrapping of cloth. This completed the setting of his
house in order.

A corporal sang out from up the sap that the troop was to be ready for
the front line at one o'clock, so Mac roughly, but good-naturedly,
tumbled his cobbers off their ledges and admonished them to turn to and
prepare.

The next half-hour was spent in getting ready, dressing, having some
lunch, which varied not from the earlier repast, and attaching gear.
They looked a shabby mob, with their equipment slung round them and
their clothing adapted to individual taste. As mounted men put in
suddenly to reinforce the foot, their equipment was not all it might
have been for trench warfare; but they had come to work and not to a
beauty show.

They filed away up the dusty, sun-scorched sap, through narrow
communication trenches, bringing forth disgusted curses from the
dwellers therein, whose cooking and living arrangements were suspended
during their passage; and settled finally in an advanced sap leading
out towards the enemy lines. It was deep and narrow and had no
conveniences either for comfort or fighting. The afternoon drowsed
slowly past, a spell of sapping at the sap-head occasionally breaking
the monotony.

With sundown, both sides revived for the evening activity, a meal, and
preparations for the night. The Turks, since their heavy but futile
attacks of two nights previous, had not returned into that placidity
which betokened cessation of evil intentions. There was an errat