entering the
building; empty the contents into a large circular stone basin, or hopper,
into which a stream of water is constantly pouring; pass on quickly to a
second basin and fill my bucket at its stream of water; rinse the bucket
as I walk along and discharge the contents into a third stone basin with
its third stream of running water. It must be confessed that there is a
minimum of smell and nastiness; but what a medieval system! The sewage of
1,400 men simply dumped into the river, which flows just outside the
walls, and carried along to poison all the towns and villages downstream.

After thus emptying and rinsing the buckets we leave them to be
disinfected, aired and dried, upon some wooden racks where each company
has its allotted place. Then we march back up the yard, meeting many other
companies laden with their buckets on the way down. The march back is very
pleasant and I wish it were longer, as exercise in the fresh air and
sunlight seems to soothe the tired nerves. By the time we are back at the
north wing I am feeling in good condition and ravenously hungry.

Arrived at the cell I have another call from Captain Lamb. I have found
him very pleasant and intelligent; and his men, so far as I can yet judge,
seem to like him. He has some excellent ideas, and tells me that he would
like to give his company setting-up exercises as he once did; but he
abandoned them as he received no encouragement; on the contrary it was
considered that they were subversive of discipline. This awful fetich,
discipline. We most of us do so love it--for others.

Why does it not occur to somebody in authority that the first and best
means of getting real discipline, in the sense of good conduct, is to give
these men exercise? Here they live, standing or sitting listlessly at
their work all day, and shut in their narrow cells fourteen hours at
night, with no chance to work off their superfluous energies and keep
themselves in proper physical condition. The result in very many cases
must be steady degeneration, not only of body, but of mind and soul as
well.

The Captain tells me that before breakfast I should clean out my cell; so
after he leaves me I carry out his instructions with the assistance of the
old broom in the corner. I sweep the dust out of the cell into a corner of
the entrance; and the lever locks me back into the cell as I shut the door
after the job is completed.

This has not been long done before the clicking