by the Germans shelling the place. I hid in a building, and when
they got off the line of the road I resumed my ride on to my dentist.
Just at this moment they are shelling our usual front line billets
vigorously. I mean the ruined houses which we hide behind. Clearly
they must have got more ammunition. Many thanks for cake, chocolate,
tins of coffee and cocoa, and boiled eggs, which all arrived safely.
As a matter of fact, the cake is most useful, whilst we still have a
fair amount of chocolate, and the eggs please do not send again, for
we have now a regular system of supplying eggs to ourselves at 3-1/2
francs a dozen, which keeps us going. I am glad the children like
reading and receiving my letters. Sometimes I am rather hustled for
time, as I have often a great deal to do, and many of my officers have
not been on active service before. First, you have to think out the
orders, and then issue them in writing, and then, still more
important, see that they are carried out. Sorry to hear of Miss
Dunlop's death; she has gone to a better world, anyhow. The one she
has left is in a troublous condition. Please God, it soon rights
itself! No soup squares required, please. I fancy that if I get my
leave at all it will be before April, but of course I cannot choose
the time or anything like that. In fact, they may refuse to allow me
to have a second leave. Had a letter from Bertha Farmar; she is full
of news, and seems very happy. I do not know anything about Colonels
only going into the trenches at night. I have been in during the day
often; but in the trenches that we now occupy it is carrying your life
in your hand to do so--that is, for a tall man; once in, it is just a
question of bending down. It is strange to hear of people playing
football out here--we ourselves are under fire every minute. One of
our men was hit yesterday on the head by a German bullet four hundred
yards farther down the street from where I live, whilst he was having
his hair cut by the company barber. We had fondly imagined that we
were out of the way of bullets!

Yours....

We go into our trenches again to-night, worse luck!

IN TRENCHES.
_February 10th, 1915._

Here we are back in the trenches, and a shell has just burst quite
close to us. A Yeomanry major has been lunching with me. I put him up
in the "Re