January 13th._--Woke at Abbeville; now on the way to
Boulogne, where I hope we shall have time to get mails.

5 P.M.--We went through Boulogne without stopping, and got no mails in
consequence; nor could we pick up P., who has been on ninety-six hours'
leave. We have been on the move practically without stopping since 11
P.M. last night, and are just getting to Bethune, the place we went to
two days after Christmas, where we were quite near the guns, and went
over the Cl. H. which had been shelled. Expect to take wounded up here.
The country is wetter than ever--it looks one vast swamp. Of course the
rain has spoilt our lovely paint!

_Thursday, January 14th._--We picked up a load in the dark and wet, with
some very badly wounded, who kept us busy from 6 P.M. to 4 A.M. without
stopping. Some were caked with mud exactly to their necks! One told me
he got hit trying to dig out three of his section who were half buried
by an exploded coal-box. When he got hit, they were left, and eventually
got finished by our own guns. Another lot of eleven were buried
likewise, and are there still, but were all killed instantaneously. One
man with part of his stomach blown away and his right thigh smashed was
trying to get a corporal of his regiment in, but the corporal died when
he got there, and he got it as well. He was smiling and thanking all
night, and saying how comfortable he was. Another we had to put off at
St Omer, on the off chance of saving his life. He was made happy by two
tangerine oranges.

Many of the sitting-ups have no voice, and they cough all night. We
unloaded this morning, got a sleep this afternoon, and are now, 5 P.M.,
on our way up again. The Clearing Hospitals are overflowing as of old,
and like the Field Ambulances have more than they can cope with. We have
to re-dress the septic things with H_{2}O_{2}, which keeps them going
till they can be specially treated at the base. Some of the enterics are
very bad: train journeys are not ideal treatment for enteric
haemorrhage, but it has to be done. Two of my orderlies are very good
with them, and take great care of their mouths, and know how to feed
them. It is a great anxiety when a great hulking G.D.O. (General Duty
Orderly, not a Nursing Orderly) has to take his turn on night duty with
the badly wounded.

It is time the sun shone somewhere--but it will surely, later on.

_Friday, January 15th._--We got to Bailleul too late last night for
loading, and we