or section of it; the
spot which had been barren land two days before was now the scene of
great activity. Mess tents were comfortably fixed up, electric light
being obtained from lorries. There were workshops on lorries. The Royal
Flying Corps also had a station near by. These ingenious Air Service men
do all their repairing on the spot. If a lorry gets stuck in the mud
they just use enough lorries until they pull it out.

"Our Rolls-Royce darted into the air on one stretch of bad road. It
bumped out our dynamo, and we made the rest of the way along the dark
road behind a staff car.

"By that time there was no doubt but that we were at the war--passing
between two lines of our heavy artillery on the snow covered ground. The
splashes of fire--red on the glistening white--formed a memorable
picture.

"Every now and again, the snow was lighted up by the star-shells, which
hung in the air and then dropped like a rain of gold on the silver
ground. The thunder of the guns was pleasing, and as each shell sped on
its errand, the unforgettable scene became more beautiful, with the glow
from the star-shells and the sight of men, silhouetted in the temporary
light against the white-blanketed earth, going about their duty, as some
of them had done for more than two and a half years. On we dashed, until
we heard a challenging voice, and discerned a French poilu.

"'Aviation anglaise,' announced my friend. After satisfying himself, the
sentry permitted us to continue on our way. A little further on, to our
chagrin, we learned that a lorry had broken down on a bridge, and that
if our car could not pass it, it would mean a detour of nine miles.
However, our excellent chauffeur was equal to the occasion. After
bending the mud-guards, following the taking of measurements, he drove
the machine over in safety with not half an inch to spare.

"Guns boomed as they had been booming for thirty months. This gives you
food for thought at the front. Finally, we came to Dunkirk, and there
enjoyed uninterrupted repose after our long ride in the biting weather.
Next morning I was up early, and before I had breakfast I watched a
seaplane turning and twisting, riding first tail downward and then head
downward, dropping a thousand feet, and then righting itself, and
outdoing the looping-the-loop idea. I ventured commendation for this
pilot's exploits.

"'Pretty good youngster,' said the commander. 'Soon be able to give him
a journey he's been l