There are four
trains waiting here, and the C.S.'s have been skating on the floods. We
move on at 1 o'clock to-night. No.-- A.T. had a bomb dropped each side
of their train at Bailleul, but they didn't explode.

The French instruction books have come, and I am going to start the
French class for the men on the train; they are very keen to learn,
chiefly, I think, to make a little more running with the French girls at
the various stopping places.

Two officers last night were awfully sick at not being taken off at B.,
but I think they'll get home from Rouen. One said he must get home, if
only for ten minutes, to feel he was out of France.

_Wednesday, February 3rd._--Moved on last night, and woke up at
Bailleul. Some badly wounded on the train, but not on my half.

On the other beat, beyond Rouen, the honeysuckle is in leaf, the catkins
are out, and the woods are full of buds. What a difference it will make
when spring comes. On this side it is all canals, bogs, and pollards,
and the eternal mud.

We found pinned on a sock from a London school child, "Whosoever
receives this, when you return conqueror, drop me a line," and then her
name and address!

_Thursday, February 4th._--For once we unloaded at B. and went to bed
instead of taking them on all night to Rouen.

Moved out of B. at 5 A.M., breakfast at St O., where we nearly got left
behind strolling on the line during a wait. We are going to Merville in
the mining district where L. is.

3 P.M.--We have just taken on about seventy Indians, mostly sick, some
badly wounded. They are much cleaner than they used to be, in clothes,
but not, alas! in habits. Aeroplanes are chasing a Taube overhead, but
it is not being shelled. Guns are making a good noise all round. We are
waiting for a convoy of British now.

It is a lovely afternoon.

The guns were shaking the train just now; one big bang made us all pop
our heads out of the window to look for the bomb, but it wasn't a bomb.
A rosy-faced white-haired Colonel here just came up to me and said,
"You've brought us more firing this afternoon than we've heard for a
long time."

We are filling up with British wounded now on the other half of the
train. It is getting late, and we shan't unload to-night.

_Later._--We were hours loading up because all the motor drivers are
down with flu, and there were only two available. The rest are all busy
bringing wounded in to the Clearing Hospital.

The spell of having t