of fighting and love and fear, while the
boys, squatting a little distance away, listened and looked at us in
wonder. I came in from a ride about one in the morning and found those
of the guard who were off duty and the two German boys sleeping side by
side. Literally it was criminal negligence--some one ought to have been
awake--but, when I saw one of the boys was clasping tightly a packet of
woodbines, I called it something else and went to sleep.

A day or two later I was relieved. On the following afternoon I was sent
to Estaires to bring back some details about the Lahore Division which
had just arrived on the line. I had, of course, seen Spahis and Turcos
and Senegalese, but when riding through Lestrem I saw these Indian
troops of ours the obvious thoughts tumbled over one another.

We despatch riders when first we met the Indians wondered how they would
fight, how they would stand shell-fire and the climate--but chiefly we
were filled with a sort of mental helplessness, riding among people when
we could not even vaguely guess at what they were thinking. We could get
no deeper than their appearance, dignified and clean and well-behaved.

In a few days I was back again at the 14th with Huggie. At dusk the
General went out in his car to a certain village about three miles
distant. Huggie went with him. An hour or so, and I was sent after him
with a despatch. The road was almost unrideable with the worst sort of
grease, the night was pitch-black and I was allowed no light. I
slithered along at about six miles an hour, sticking out my legs for a
permanent scaffolding. Many troops were lying down at the side of the
road. An officer in a strained voice just warned me in time for me to
avoid a deep shell-hole by inches. I delivered my despatch to the
General. Outside the house I found two or three officers I knew. Two of
them were young captains in command of battalions. Then I learned how
hard put to it the Division was, and what the result is of nervous
strain.

They had been fighting and fighting and fighting until their nerves were
nothing but a jangling torture. And a counter-attack on Neuve Chapelle
was being organised. Huggie told me afterwards that when the car had
come along the road, all the men had jumped like startled animals and a
few had turned to take cover. Why, if a child had met one of these men
she would have taken him by the hand instinctively and told him not to
be frightened, and defended him aga