ed eggs, candles,
bread, &c., and I scrambled the eggs for dinner and made chocolate, in
addition to our bully beef, which was stewed in the company's cooker
and made a very good stew. We then censored our men's letters and went
to bed.

The letters seem most meagre affairs. All they said was that they were
writing to send their addresses. They were much as follows:--

My darling so and so,--

Hoping this finds you well as it leaves me well. I am writing to
send you my address. (Then follows an address hopelessly wrong,
and most of which I had to censor). We travel first-class here--in
bullock carts. (The men were put in vans in the train--you have
probably seen pictures of them labelled: Hommes 40, Chevals 8. I
would rather be one of the chevals myself; we had second-class
carriages--the officers). Please send me some fags. The people
here don't speak English. I can't put as many crosses in as I
would like as the officers have to read them.

Much love, &c.

This is not an actual letter, but a similar one to them all.

Interruption. A knock came in "Monsieur il y a un soldat qui vous
demande" "Merci madame est-il dehas" "O oui Monsieur," Merci Madame. I
go and see. B Company Officers' valises have gone astray, &c.

When we were finally in bed and almost asleep comes loud knocking.
Brown puts his head out of the window. "For the love of Heaven, come
and show us our billets." B and D Companies have just arrived a day
later than us and their guide is deficient in common sense. We are
quite old soldiers now and past such excitement; we could billet
ourselves in China if necessary. However, Brown goes to help. To-day
we rose early and breakfasted at 10-0 off bacon and eggs (fried by
me), bread and jam. We have a company orderly officer, and it is my
turn to-day, so I had to get up and put trousers, coat and boots over
my pyjamas and to mount a guard at 8 a.m. and to dress properly
afterwards. We have cold baths out of a hand basin and shave. One is
very particular about shaving and all small details. The men have to
be kept as smart as possible, and it is laid down that shaving is most
important. If left to themselves they soon grow long beards, long hair
and dirty clothes. All the morning we spent in cleaning up. We swept
out the yard. They hardly know themselves now. The farm has never been
so clean before. We built an incinerator to burn all our rubbish; we
organised a Company Store,