had among them eight Germans, several mere boys. One insisted on kissing
my hand, much to the orderlies' amusement.

(A truckful of pigs outside is making the most appalling noise. 11 P.M.
I am writing in bed. We generally move up about 11.30 P.M.)

Every journey we hear thrilling accounts, rumours, and forecasts, most
of which turn out to be true. We have had a lot of the St Eloi people.

There were several versions of a story of some women being found in a
captured German trench. One version said they were French captives,
another that they were German wives.

In one compartment were five Tommies being awfully kind to one German;
and yet if he had a rifle, and they had theirs, he'd be a dead man.

The hospitals at Boulogne are so busy that no one goes off duty, and
they are operating all night.

We had time for a blow across the bridge after unloading, and I happened
to meet my friend S. (who was at Havre). She is on night duty, and they
are grappling with those awful cases all night as hard as they can go.
Four were taken out of the motor ambulances dead this week; the jolting
is the last straw for the worst ones; it can't possibly be helped, "but
it seems a pity."

In all this rush we happen to have had nights in bed, which makes all
the difference.

The pigs still squeal, but I must try and go to sleep.

_Thursday, March 18th._--We have had an off-day to-day at the place of
woods and commons, which I hope and trust means that things are
slackening off. It doesn't do to look ahead at what must be coming, now
the ground is drying up before the job is finished; but we can be
thankful for the spells of rest that come for the poor army.

We had a heavenly ramble this morning, and found blue periwinkles and
anemones in the woods, but no primroses. Lots of palm and gorse. Robins,
willow-wrens, and yellow-hammers were singing, the darlings, much
prettier music than guns, and it is good to get away from the sound of
motors and trains and whistles.

We also had home-made bread and butter to-day out of the village, which
caused more excitement than the Russian successes. We are having much
nicer food since the French chef left, and it costs us exactly half as
much.

_Friday, March 19th._--On the way down. Woke up at Bailleul, and loaded
early wounded and sick. Not such severe cases among the wounded, but
several pneumonias, enterics, &c., besides measles, diphtheria, and
scarlet.

Very cold windy day, with