nce. There's always some damn
fellow who does a stupid thing like that and puts the wind up people."

The situation was really saved by the adjutant's new charger, which,
startled by an overcoat the groom had flung over him, began the best
exhibition of bucking he had given since he joined us. As he was in the
lead, and access to the road was by a narrow closed-in track, no one
could get by him.

The grooms in a shamefaced way protested that some one had passed the
"Saddle-up" order, and had a few hectic stinging words addressed to
them. Apparently a mounted orderly, galloping past with a message, had
shouted out something about the enemy being close behind.

The incident being closed, the colonel and myself strapped on belts and
revolvers. The colonel glanced swiftly at the map position of the
battery that the approaching Huns had scuppered, and then said
quickly--

"Whatever happens, we shall have time for something to eat. Tell
Manning to bring in lunch."

III. THE END OF A BATTERY.

We none of us exactly enjoyed that lunch. It was a nice lunch, too: the
steak cut thin, like steak _a la minute_, and not overdone, with crisp
onion sprigs--"bristled onions" the cook always called them; and,
wonder of wonders! a pudding made by cribbing our bread allowance, with
plum jam and a few strips of macaroni to spice it up. But the thought
that the Boche had scuppered C Battery not a thousand yards away, and
was coming on, did _not_ improve the appetite. And news of what was
really happening was so scant and so indefinite! The colonel commented
once on the tenderness of the steak, and then looked thoughtful; the
doctor remained dumb; for myself, I felt keyed up to the state that
seems to clear the mind and to make one doubly alert in execution, but
my hand did perhaps shake a trifle, and I drank two whiskies instead of
my usual one. I thought of one or two things I ought to have done and
had left undone. I remember feeling distinctly annoyed because a
particular hair lotion on its way from England might not be delivered.
I made sure that a certain discoloured Edward and Alexandra Coronation
medal--given me for luck--was secure in my pocket-book, and stuffed my
breast-pockets with all the cigars they would hold.

Lunch was finished in about eight minutes, and the imperturbable
Manning cleared away.

"What about these Defence File papers and the maps on the wall, sir?" I
asked the colonel, my mind harking back to