sional "spinneys," they stood with ears
drooping and tails to the wind, pictures of dejection. No doubt they,
too, cursed the Kaiser. Their feet became soft from standing idly in
the mud, and in a good many cases had become diseased; in general they
went off badly in condition. Standing orders prohibited the cutting
down of a bush or tree on Salisbury Plain, but in the night time we
could sometimes hear the familiar sound of an axe meeting standing
timber, and one could guess that Tommy, in his desire for wood to
build a fire, and regardless of rules, had grown desperate. As one of
them said to Rudyard Kipling when he was down visiting them, "What
were trees for if they were not to be cut down?"

Towards the middle of December, one evening there was a sharp tap on
the tent of Capt. Haywood, Medical Officer of the third (Toronto)
Battalion.

"Come in" he cried.

The laces were undone and Sergeant Kipple stepped into the tent. The
Sergeant was a good man--an old soldier and reliable as the proverbial
watch.

"Well, what is it?" said the M.O.

"I want you to give me somethink to buck me up" said the Sergeant in a
tearful voice.

"But what is the matter?" said the M.O. "Have you a cold?"

"No, I aint got no cold" he said, "I just wants somethink to buck me
up; some qui-nine or somethink."

"But what's the matter?" persisted the M.O. "What do you want it for?"

"Nothing's wrong with me" said the sergeant, "I jist want somethink to
buck me up; this rine is getting on me nerves. It rines all day, and
me clothes 'aven't been dry for a month--if I go out I get more wet.
All day long I 'ave to splash about in the blinkin' mud and rine. At
night I cawnt go to sleep. Me clothes are wet; me blankets are soaked.
I 'ears the bl---- rine coming down on the bl---- tent which leaks all
over; it makes a 'ell of a noise on the tent and I cawnt sleep. I gets
up in the morning and 'ave to do me work and do me dooty. But Doc,
it's gettin' me goat. I feel like cutting me bl---- throat. I 'ave 'ad
thirteen years in the awmy and 'ave me good conduc stripes. I 'ave a
wife and two kids at 'ome. I didn't come over 'ere to drown; I came
over to fight. I wants to do me work but I cawnt do it. If you don't
give me somethink Doc I am afraid I'll cut me bloody throat and I
don't want to die. Cawn't you give me somethink to buck me up, Doc
please?"

The Doc did give him something, and between that and a little
judicious "jollying" Kipple wa