time, and we had a grand walk up to the moor, where you can see
half over France each way. There is a travelling wireless station up
there. Each pole has its receiver in a big grey motor-lorry by the
roadside, where they live and sleep. The road wound down to a little
curly village with a beautiful old grey church. On the top of the moor
on the way back it was dark, and the flash signals were morsing away to
each other from the different hills. It reminded me of the big forts on
the kopjes round Pretoria.

I had my first French class this afternoon at St Omer, in the men's mess
truck. There were seventeen, including the Quartermaster-Sergeant and
the cook's boy. I'd got a small blackboard in Boulogne, and they all had
notebooks, and the Q.M.S. had arranged it very nicely. They were very
keen, and got on at a great pace. They weren't a bit shy over trying to
pronounce, and will I think make good progress. They have a great pull
over men of their class in England, by their opportunities of listening
to French spoken by the French, such a totally different language to
French spoken by most English people. My instruction book is Hugo's,
which is a lightning method compared to the usual school-books. They are
doing exercises for me for next time.

_Wednesday, February 10th_, 9 P.M.--We woke at Merville after a
particularly rocky, noisy night journey, and loaded up there with
woundeds and sick, also Indians (but not in my wards for once). My
_blesses_ kept me busy till the moment we unloaded this evening at B.,
and I had not time to hear much about their doings. One extraordinarily
sporting boy had a wound right through his neck, involving his
swallowing. It took about half an hour to give him a feed, through a
tube, but he stuck it, smiling all the time.

Another older man was shot in the stomach, and looked as if he wouldn't
get over it. He told me he'd already been in hospital eight weeks, shot
in the head at the Aisne. I said what hard luck to have to go through it
again. "It's got to be done," he said. "I didn't give it a thought. I
think I shall get over this," he said, "but I don't want to go back a
third time." He has a wife and three children in Ireland.

We are to move up again at 4 A.M. Just had dinner (soup, boiled beef as
tough as a cable, and ration cheese and coffee), and the 'Daily Mail.'

_Thursday, February 11th._--We have spent most of the day at St Omer,
and got a lovely walk in this morning, along