e R.T.O.; he had just time to lie flat, and it burst a few yards
from him, on the line. S. and I stayed up till 3 A.M. and then called
the others, and we got up again at 8 and were all busy all the morning.
It is a weird business at night, picking your way through kitchens and
storerooms and wards with a lantern over the rickety bridges and
innumerable heavy swing-doors. I was glad of the brown overall G. sent
me, and am wearing the mackintosh apron to-day that N. made me. We are
probably staying here several days, and are doing day and night duty
entire--not divided as last night. I am on day. We have a great many
washings in the morning, and have to make one water do for one
compartment--(the train ran out of water this morning--since refilled
from the river alongside); and bed-makings, and a lot of four-hourly
treatment with the acutes. The enteric ward has a very good orderly, and
excellent disinfecting arrangements. It is in my division of the train.
Lack of drinking water makes things very difficult.

I thought things were difficult in the hospitals at Le Mans owing to
lack of equipment, but that was child's play compared to the structural
difficulties of working a hospital on a train, especially when it stands
in a siding several days. One man will have to die on the train if we
don't move soon, but we are not full up yet. Twenty-seven men--minor
cases--bolted from the church yesterday evening on to the train when the
shells were dropping, and were ignominiously sent back this morning.

It has so far been the most exciting journey the train has had. Jack
Johnson has been very quiet all the morning, but he spoke for a little
again just now. I'm going to have a rest now till four.

Four Tommies in one bunk yesterday told me things about the trenches and
the fighting line, which you have to believe because they are obviously
giving recent intimate personal experiences; but how do they or any one
ever live through it? These came all through the Retreat from Mons.
Then through the wet weather in the trenches on the Aisne--where they
don't always get hot tea (as is said in the papers, much to their
scorn). They even had to take the tea and sugar out of the haversacks of
dead Germans; no one had had time to bury for twelve days--"it warn't no
use to them," they said, "and we could do with it."

In the Retreat they said men's boots were worn right off and they
marched without; the packs were thrown away, and the young