at the plateau;
for I was young enough to find all operations of war amusing.

"Ay--if you won't get in the way and trip over the pegs. I'll be
down there myself by 'n by with a fatigue party."

I left him and strolled down the hill. The morning air was cold and
the turf, on this north side of the hill, frozen hard underfoot.
But I felt neither hunger nor weariness. Here was war, and I was in
it!

As I drew near the plateau a young officer came walking across it
and, halting beside the quartermaster, held him in talk for a minute.
He wore the collar of his great-coat turned up high about his ears:
but I recognised him at once. It was Archibald Plinlimmon.

Leaving the quartermaster, he strolled towards the edge of the
plateau, hard by where I stood; halted again, and gazed down through
his field-glasses upon the muleteers unloading beneath us; but by and
by closed his glasses with a snap, faced round, and was aware of me.

"Hallo!" said he, as I saluted: but his voice was listless and I
thought him looking wretchedly ill. "You're in Number 4 Company, are
you not? I heard that you'd joined."

It struck me that at least he might have smiled and seemed glad to
welcome me. He did indeed seem inclined to say something more, but
hesitated, and fumbled as he slipped back the glasses into their
cases.

"Are they looking after you?" he asked.

I told him of the sergeant. "But are you well, sir?" I made bold to
ask.

He put the question aside. "Henderson's a good man," he said:
"I wish we had him in our company. Ah," he broke off, "they won't be
long pitching tents now!"

He swung slowly on his heel and left me, at a pace almost as listless
as his voice. I felt hurt, rebuffed. To be sure he was an officer
now, and I a small bugler: still, without compromising himself, he
might (I felt) have spoken more kindly.

The fatigue party descended, the tents were brought up and
distributed, and at a silent signal sprang up and expanded like lines
of mushrooms. The camp was formed; and the 52nd, in high good
humour, opened their haversacks and fell to their breakfast.

The meal over, the men lit their pipes and stretched themselves
within the tents to make up arrears of sleep. It does not take a boy
long to learn how to snatch a nap even on half-thawed turf packed
with moisture, and to manage it without claiming much room. We were
eleven in our tent, not counting the sergeant--who had gone off on
some erran