going
right over the old ground, sir," he told the colonel, "and the Boche
has not yet made a proper stand. Our Divisional Infantry are in the
line again, and the latest report, timed 6 A.M., comes from Montauban,
and says that they are approaching Trones Wood. We shall be supporting
them to-morrow morning, and the C.R.A. is anxious for positions to be
reconnoitred in X 10 and X 11. The C.R.A. has gone up that way in the
car this morning."

I looked into an adjoining tent and found the liaison officer from the
heavies busy on the telephone. "A 5.9 battery shooting from the
direction of Ginchy. Right! You can't give me a more definite
map-spotting? Right-o! We'll attend to it! Give me counter-batteries,
will you?"

"Heavies doing good work to-day?" I asked.

"Rather," he returned happily. "Why, we've got a couple of 8-inch hows.
as far up as Fricourt. That's more forward than most of the
field-guns."

As I stepped out there came the swift screaming rush of three
high-velocity shells. They exploded with an echoing crash in the wood
below, near where my horse and the colonel's had been taken to water. A
team came up the incline toward the chateau at the trot, and I looked
rather anxiously for our grooms. They rode up within two minutes,
collectedly, but each with a strained look. "Did those come anywhere
near you?" I inquired. "We just missed 'em, sir," replied Laneridge.
"One of them dropped right among the horses at one trough."

By the colonel's orders I rode back to the waggon lines soon
afterwards, bearing instructions to the battery commanders to join the
colonel at half-past one. The Brigade might expect to move up that
evening.

The battery commanders came back by tea-time with plans for that
evening's move-up completed. The waggon lines during the afternoon were
full of sleeping gunners; a sensible course, as it proved, for at 6.45
P.M. an orderly brought the adjutant a pencilled message from the
colonel who was still with the C.R.A. It ran--

Warn batteries that they must have gun limbers and firing
battery waggons within 1000 yards of their positions by 3.30
A.M., as we shall probably move at dawn. Headquarters will be
ready to start after an early dinner. I am returning by car.

"Hallo! they're expecting a big advance to-morrow," said the adjutant.
The note also decided a discussion in which the adjutant, the
signalling officer, and the cook had joined as to whether we should
dine ea