ing their turn on the floors, and the walking cases
(which on the A.T. we used to call the sitting-ups) in groups and
queues. No one was fussing, but all were working at full pitch; and very
few of the men were groaning, but nearly all were gruesomely covered
with blood. And they look pretty awful on the bare gory stretchers, with
no pillows or blankets, just as they are picked up on the field. Many
are asleep from exhaustion.

What cheered me was one ward full of last Sunday's bad cases, all in
bed, and very cheery and doing well. They loved the writing-cases, &c.,
and said it was like Xmas, and they wouldn't want to leave 'ere now.

A great many of this morning's had already been evacuated, and they were
still pouring in. One has to remember that a great many get quite well,
though many have a ghastly time in store for them in hospital.

The barge is in the canal again taking in the non-jolters.

Some stalwart young Tommies at No. 4 were talking about the prisoners.
They told me there weren't many taken, because they found one in a
Jock's uniform.

I've drawn my curtain so that I can't see those hateful motor ambulances
coming in slowly full, and going back empty fast, and must go to sleep.
I simply loathe the sight of those M.A.'s, admirable inventions though
they are. Had a look into a lovely lorry full of 100-lb. shells in the
square.

7 P.M.--Only one officer has died at the O.D.S. to-day, but there are
two or three who will die. They have evacuated, and filled up three
times already.

The news from the "scene of operations" is still good, so they are all
still cheerful. The difference to the wounded that makes is
extraordinary. That is why last Sunday's show was such a black blight to
them and to us.

_Monday, May 17th_, 10 A.M.--Another night of horrors; one more died,
and two young boys came in who will die; one is a Gordon Highlander of
18, who says "that's glorious" when you put him to bed.

It was a long whirl of stretchers, and pitiful heaps on them. The
sergeant stayed up helping till 3, and a boy from the kitchen stayed up
all night on his own, helping.

In the middle of the worst rush the sergeant said to me, "You know
they're shelling the town again?" and at that minute swoop bang came a
big one; and we looked at each other over the stretcher with the same
picture in our mind's eyes of shells dropping in amongst the wounded,
who are all over the town. I hadn't heard them--too busy--but the