Dispositions": "The advanced guard will
consist of one troop of the Missinabee Horse and one company of the
Umpteenth Battalion." "Thank God for that!" murmurs the colonel,
realising that the one company of his battalion will be spared the
arduous duty of trying to replace cavalry, and that the other three will
be in the first of the fray and consequently the first out of ammunition
and free from the danger always incidental to the use of blank
ammunition at close ranges. Moreover, advanced guards have always been
his hobby, so he proceeds to issue his orders--verbally of course,
though he will write them out later for the sake of curious generals who
make collections of such things. While he is waiting for the cavalry to
report he engages in very earnest conversation with Begbie Lyte, the
signalling officer. Lyte is the serious-faced young man standing arguing
with his little knot of flag-waggers. He has just realised that one
mistake has already been made in the campaign, for, in the enthusiasm
of youth, he brought bicycles to Petewawa. He realises, too, that next
year he will either bring no bicycles or no men, for the latter having
pushed their machines through three miles of sand from the detraining
platform are already expressing their opinion, with true Canadian
freedom, as to their usefulness.

This difficulty is tactfully overcome by leaving the cycles in the
tents, and the "plot," as he calls the instructions he has just
received, is unfolded to them.

Meanwhile the cavalry come up, and the officer-in-charge, knowing
somebody who knows Lyte, spends a few seconds in the exchange of
pleasantries. His name being Horace Smith, it has been quite
conveniently shortened to "Horsey." Smith is one of those geniuses who
knows everybody whom anyone knows; consequently he is always able to
borrow money. Presently he trots off with his troop, and we know we
shall see no more of him until nightfall. In our turn we move off as
well, and the main body, already commencing to munch the haversack
lunches they are carrying, cherish similar opinions as to our fate.

Eventually the whole column is moving down the dusty road and presently
turns northward, following some wheel tracks that eventually merge into
the sand. Then for a long time nothing happens. The cavalry have long
since disappeared; the vanguard of one company shows up occasionally on
a hill top ahead of us and proves that we are at least moving in the
same general