isation had been ordered, and hardly ten days since
operations had begun. What a huge effort then the army must already
have made!

But I soon forgot the poor beasts, for we were nearing the scene of
the struggle. Behind the shelter of every swell in the ground were
ammunition waggons. I went up to one of these and was astonished at
what I saw. The limbers, which are always so smart in the
barrack-yard, with their grey paint, were covered with a thick coating
of dust or of hardened mud. The horses, dirty and thin, seemed ready
to drop. Their necks were covered with sores, and they were hanging
their heads to eat, but seemed not to have strength enough to take
their food. Drivers and non-commissioned officers were sprawling
about, sleeping heavily. Their cadaverous faces, beards of a week's
growth and drawn features showed even in their sleep how exhausted
they were. I could hardly recognise the original colour of their dingy
uniforms under the accumulation of stains and dust.

It was now eight o'clock in the morning. The sunshine was beating hot
upon the sleepers, but they seemed indifferent to this. They had
simply pulled the peaks of their caps over their eyes and were snoring
away, with their noses in the air and their mouths open. Beasts and
men together formed a group of creatures that seemed utterly depressed
and worn out. I could never have believed it possible to sleep under
such conditions, with the guns booming unceasingly in all directions.

I went up the nearest ridge and thence got a glimpse of a corner of
the battle. I had expected to see a sight similar to that which had
delighted us at manoeuvres; troops massed in all the depressions of
the ground, battalions advancing in good order along the roads, and
mounted men galloping about on the higher ground. But there was
nothing of the sort.

In front of me, about 600 yards off, and under cover of the brow of a
hill carpeted with russet stubble, I saw two batteries of artillery,
firing their guns. I looked intently. The pieces were in perfect line
and the gunners at their posts. The shots were fired at regular
intervals and with cool deliberation. The gunners took their time, and
seemed to be working very casually. I had expected to see them fairly
excited: the men running under a hail of shells, teams brought up at a
gallop as soon as a few salvoes had been fired, and the guns whirled
off at full speed and lined up in battery again some hundreds of
yard