tised with the
guns. Another party accompanied Borwick to a secluded spot where he
drilled them in machine-gun practice. Borwick was as skilful with a
machine gun as with a piano. This was the highest praise one could
give him.

That night at mess, Gould said suddenly:--

"To-morrow's a half day, isn't it?"

"Of course. Wake up, you idiot," said Talbot. "We're playing 'J'
Company at soccer, and on Sunday we're playing 'L' at rugger. Two
strenuous days before us. Are you feeling fit?"

Gould was feeling most awfully fit. In fact, he assured the mess that
he, alone, was a match for "J" Company.

Our soccer team was made up almost entirely of men who had been
professional players. We had great pride in them, so that on the
following afternoon, an eager crowd streamed out of the village to our
football field, which we had selected with great care. It was as flat
as a cricket pitch. A year ago it had been ploughed as part of the
French farmland, and now here were the English playing football!

Before the game began there was a good deal of cheerful chaffing on
the respective merits of the "J" and "K" Company teams. And when the
play was in progress and savage yells rent the air, the French
villagers looked on in wonder and pity. They had always believed the
English to be mad. Now they were convinced of it.

From the outset, however, "J" Company was hopelessly outclassed, and
wishing to be generous to a failing foe, we ceased our wild cheering.
"J" Company, on the other hand, wishing to exhort their team to
greater efforts, made up for our moderation, with the result that our
allies were firmly convinced that "J" Company had won the game! If
not, why should they dance up and down and wave their hats and shriek?
And even the score, five to one in favor of "K" Company, failed to
convince them entirely. But "K" went home to an hilarious tea, with a
sense of work well done.

And what of the rugger game the next day? Let us draw a veil over it.
Suffice it to say that the French congratulated "K" Company over the
outcome of that, although the score was twelve to three in favor of
"J"!

We awoke on Monday morning with a delightful feeling that something
pleasant was going to happen, for all the world the same sensation we
used to experience on waking on our birthday and suddenly remembering
that gifts were sure to appear and that there would be something
rather special for tea! By the time full consciousness returned, we