was
helping me. I had just turned in, but my feet got so cold. I can never
sleep straight on end for four hours in my room. The Germans again
attacked on our right twice yesterday afternoon. The two attacks were
beaten off with heavy loss to the enemy, I believe. I was out with one
of my staff inspecting some works, and met the Colonel of the Lincolns
with his staff. I asked him to tea, and he refused on the ground that
"shelling time" had arrived, and he did not wish to go near our
Headquarters. Whilst he trotted off to inspect one work, I went to
another, and sure enough he was quite right. "Shelling time" had
arrived; for, instead of going for my Headquarters as usual, they
proceeded to shower shrapnel on the work he had just got into,
fortunately, without killing or hurting any of his party. Our guns are
now replying, and bits of our ruin are falling down from the shock.
Poor Gen. Baron von Ompteda! He was in the Prussian Army. It is sad
that he is killed, since you knew his wife, poor thing! Naturally one
prays for the heart of the German nation to be changed, but for me,
pending that change, I am doing my business methodically. I have just
been pointing out to the Siege Battery people where their shells will
have the best effect on the enemy. I forgot, I think, to tell you that
we obtained information from some of our prisoners of the last three
days that they found our rifle fire very deadly. Well, one of the
regiments that attacked us had already lost from our fire 320 men
since January 20th only until the 27th inst.... Not bad, and quite
true, I believe; and this going on all along the line. There was
bright moonlight last night with snow, and I may tell you that I
walked warily! I had one man killed and another wounded by the same
bullet yesterday....

IN TRENCHES.
_January 31st, 1915._

I am now waiting for your letter to-night. I cut from _The Times_ of
January 29th "Soldiers' Morals" and Lady McClintock's views. Major
Baker brought this paper across with him when he returned. Well, it is
trying to snow now, and rather cold. Yesterday I came under the fire
of a machine gun in the course of my afternoon rounds. I had gone to
see some works that the Artillery were building and which I had to
supervise. Hearing a fight break out on our right, I called to the
Engineers who were working on the parapets to jump down, a