long the banks of the Forth and up
through the beautiful Pentland Hills.

Our lockers were well filled, and we never wanted for such dainties as
chocolates and fancy biscuits, and we had magazines, and--above
all--cigarettes.

A party of our lady visitors brought us wool and volunteered to teach us
the art of knitting to while away our idle time. Most of the boys took
kindly enough to it, but I wanted to learn embroidery. It caused no end of
merriment that a man should want to sew. However, I persuaded them to try
me, and one of them offered to do so.

In India I had done quite a little at sketching, and my teacher found me
an apt pupil in this allied art. Very soon I had mastered the art of
making long and short stitches, French knots, border and buttonhole
stitches, etc. I was so highly commended that I received many requests
from these ladies for cushion covers, doilies, etc. They brought the
materials and I plied the needle. It was such enticing work that very soon
two other fellows "joined in."

We had many other ways of passing the time. Visitors would ask us to write
or sketch something in their autograph books, which we did with much
pleasure, and I can tell you that some very, very funny local sketches and
poetry--composed on the spur of the moment, with fellow mates, nurses, and
doctors as the subjects--were carried away from that hospital. They were
highly prized by the recipients. We had also a monthly _Gazette_ recording
the events of the daily life of the hospital in a breezy and interesting
way.

I saw many a bad case brought in, get well, and sent home, but still I
remained, and so Corporal Charles Palmer, who had been there the longest,
promoted himself to be "Commander-in-Chief" and took me as second in
command, I being next to him in length of time there. One of his legs had
been blown off six inches above the knee and the pain he suffered at times
was excruciating. Another lad, a German, sixteen years of age, had had
both legs blown off below the knees by one of the Germans' own shells just
as he was about to give himself up to the British. He spoke very good
English and was surprisingly cheery. The fair sex found him very
attractive and he always got an ample share of the dainties they brought.

I was still in the hospital when the awful "Gretna Green" disaster
happened. Perhaps you remember it. A regiment of the Royal Scots was on
its way to the front. Their train collided with another at Gre