gold ring on the road just by me; and I
intend to keep it as a souvenir of the episode.

"We remained here for five hours--from 2.30 to 7.30. Men were
reinforcing us all the time. After about half an hour General Stockwell
appeared again. Glaring at Sergeant-Major Hoyle he addressed him as
follows:

"'Here are fifteen men whom _I_ myself--_I_--have collected along the
road. Get them some tea at once, sergeant-major!' He glanced at us all
and then rode off again. He is clean-shaven and exceptionally young for
a General; I should think he is not more than thirty-five. He is rather
good-looking, but he has _some_ temper. Some one remarked that General
Stockwell and Colonel Best-Dunkley were men of similar temperament; on
this occasion the latter had run up against the former; this interesting
little episode at this country corner was the result!

"There was an aerodrome near by (at Boisdinghem), and the Major there
kindly sent his motor-lorries down the road to fetch up our men; so they
kept arriving in motor-lorries the whole afternoon.

"I can tell you we enjoyed this rest. One officer who had fallen out saw
a mail motor-lorry. The driver said that he was looking for the (164)
Brigade! So he got a lift. The mail arrived while we were resting in
this shaded road; so I got your letter of June 12 and the enclosed
letters, and read them there....

"When we marched off again it was much cooler. The majority of the
Battalion had been collected during the five hours, and we marched
happily on--the band playing. The country was pretty, and everything was
gay! The Colonel was awfully nice, inquiring whether the step was to our
liking, and making himself agreeable in every possible way. All were
pleased with him.

"We arrived at our destination at 8.30, and the men were taken straight
into the barns where they are billeted. Tea was served out immediately.

"I am billeted in a farm again. The people are very decent indeed. The
woman gave me three drinks as soon as I arrived, offering them herself
and refusing to take any payment for them; she also offered to boil me a
couple of eggs, but I did not wish to put on good nature any further.
There is a nice little boy named Edmond, aged fourteen. I talked to him
in French as much as it was possible for me to do in that language. He
cannot speak English....

"Allen and I are both billeted in the same room here. B Company Mess is
in a house close by, and B Company are billeted in