ne of high hills about a
mile away, and it looks like a huge lake with the trees reflected in it.
No orders to move, as usual. Ambulance trains travel as "specials" in a
"marche," which means a gap in the timetable. There are only about two
marches in twenty-four hours, and the R.T.O.'s have to fit the A.T.'s in
to one or other of these marches when orders come that No.-- A.T. is
wanted. We do not get final orders of where our destination is till we
get to Hazebrouck or St Omer. We have been six days without a mail now,
and have taken loads to Etretat and to Havre.

_Thursday, January 21st._--We were not a whole day at Sotteville for
once: moved out early this morning and are still travelling, 9 P.M.,
between Abbeville and Boulogne. It has been a specially slow journey,
and, alas! we didn't go by Amiens: the only time we might have, by
daylight. Beauvais has a fine Cathedral from the outside. I believe we
are to go straight on from Boulogne, so we may not get our six days'
mail, alas!

_Friday, January 22nd._--We didn't get in to B. till midnight, too late
to get mails, and left early this morning. At Calais it was discovered
that the kitchen had been left behind, in shunting a store waggon, so we
have been hung up all day waiting for it at St Omer. Went for a walk. It
is a most interesting place to walk about in, swarming with every kind
of war material, and the grey towers of the two Cathedrals looked lovely
in a blue sky. Such a dazzling day: we were able to get on with painting
the train, which is breaking out into the most marvellous labelling, the
orderlies competing with each other. But when at 6 P.M. it seemed the
day would never end, No.-- A.T. steamed up with our kitchen tacked on,
and in the kitchen was the mail-bag--joy of joys!

We have just got to Bailleul, 10.30 P.M.: a few guns banging. We are
wondering if we shall clear the Cl. hospitals to-night or wait till
morning: depends if they are expecting convoys in to-night and are
full.

11 P.M.--P. and I, fully rigged for night duty, have just been gloomily
exploring the perfectly silent and empty station and street, wondering
when the motor ambulances would begin to roll up, when B---- hailed us
from the train with "8 o'clock to-morrow morning, you two sillies, and
the Major's in bed!" so now we can turn in, and load up happily by
daylight, and it's my turn for the lying down, thank goodness, or rather
the Liers, as they are called.

_Saturday,