after a
short speech, proposed the toast "_Viva Italia_," which we drank in
canteen _Weisswein_, or imitation port, to which a senior Italian
officer enthusiastically replied with a "_Viva Inghilterra_." After
their departure the camp contained British only, the remaining number
of officers being a little over three hundred.

ACCOMMODATION.--The principal building, in which about half of us
lived, was a _Kurhaus_, or small hydro, in peace time, with a large
dining-hall at one end. The smallest bedrooms were occupied by one or
two senior officers, while the remainder held about half a dozen. A
shower-bath was on the premises. The rest of us were quartered in
three temporary wooden barracks, where most of the rooms were rather
over-crowded, holding from six to eight fellows.

RECREATION.--At a portion of the grounds was a fairly steep incline
and on this we made a short toboggan run, banking the snow up steeply
at the turn to avoid going through the barbed wire. In many instances
it must have been amusing to watch a small sleigh being steered by a
novice, with fat individuals sitting on the top of him, trying to
avoid the young trees, usually without any success. Unfortunately for
me I had a nasty knack of always being in the worst crashes. It is
impossible to find a more effective way of destroying boots than
continually steering with one's feet. Other people displayed their
extensive knowledge of winter sports by ski-ing, or rather lying on
their backs, unintentionally waving their skis in the air. This soon
had to be abandoned, however, as the weather soon became uncertain,
often changing from a hard frost to a violent thaw every two or three
days.

A naval officer in my barrack received a miniature billiard-table,
which became immensely popular. Cards, roulette, ping-pong and chess
greatly assisted in passing the time. We also had quite a good camp
library, the books mostly having been received from home. I often
heard it remarked that life there was one long queue, and it was not
far wrong. Often one passed the morning waiting one's turn for the
"tin room," or newly arrived parcels, while soon after lunch it was
customary to see the more patient individuals already lining up chairs
and settling down to their books, to wait for hot water which was sold
at tea time. All this may sound most enjoyable, but I will now
endeavour to explain a little of the wonderful system then in vogue at
this camp, the only object of