the canal, watching the big
barges which take 2000 tons of beetroots for sugar.

There is a scheme on foot for fitting up these big barges as transport
for the sick (this one came from Furnes) as moving Clearing Hospitals.
I've been over one, in Rouen. They are not yet in use, but might be
rather jolly in the summer.

It is the warmest spring day we've had. I had my second French class
this afternoon again at St Omer. We are now moving on, up to Bailleul. I
expect we shall take patients on this evening, and have them all night.

_Friday, February 12th_, 6 A.M.--We did a record loading up in fifty
minutes last night, chiefly medical cases, and took eight hours to crawl
to Boulogne. Now we are on the way for Havre, but shall not get there
till about 10 P.M. to-night, so they will have a long day in the train.

A good many of the lying-downs are influenza, with high temperatures and
no voice. It is a bore getting to B. in the night, as we miss our mails
and the 'Daily Mail.'

7 P.M.--This is an interminable journey. Have not yet reached Rouen, and
shan't get to Havre till perhaps 2 A.M. The patients are getting very
weary, especially the sitting-ups. The wards of acute liers you can run
like a hospital. Some of the orderlies are now getting quite keen on
having their wards clean and swept, and the meals and feeds up to time,
and the washings done, but it has taken weeks to bring them up to it.
When they do all that well I can get on with the diets, temperatures,
treatments, and dressings, &c. On the long journeys we take round at
intervals smokes, chocolate, papers, hankies, &c., when we have them.
The Victoria League has done me well in bales of hankies. They simply
love the affectionate and admiring messages pinned on from New Zealand,
and one of them always volunteers to answer them.

We shall be up in shifts again to-night.

We are all hoping to have a day in Rouen on the way back, for baths,
hair-washing, shopping, seeing the Paymaster, and showing the new Sister
the sights. For sheer beauty and interestingness it is the most
endearing town; you don't know which you love best--its setting with the
hills, river, and bridge, or its beautiful spires and towers and
marvellous old streets and houses.

_Saturday, February 13th_, 2 A.M.--Still on the way to Havre! And we
loaded up on Thursday. This journey is another revelation of what the
British soldier will stick without grumbling. The sitting-ups are eight