nd him
wherever he had been, as sure a clue to his passing as broken
wine-bottles!

The Subaltern always associates the climbing of the opposite slope with
pangs of a thirst so intense that he almost forgot to wonder why the
Germans had evacuated so excellent a position without firing a single
shot. But Headquarters were evidently not going to allow them to push
forward into some previously arranged trap. Having by three o'clock in
the afternoon firmly established themselves on the wooded crests of the
slope, they were "pulled up" while a further reconnaissance was being
made. Meanwhile, a sort of outpost position was taken up.

The Subaltern's Platoon was to guard the back edge of a wood, and as he
established his supports in a farm, most of his men were able to fill
their water-bottles, have a wash and brush up, and generally prepare
themselves for whatever the next move might be. The farmer and his
wife, who had remained in their home, did everything that was required
of them; but he could not help noticing that the old couple did not seem
as pleased at their Allies' success as one would have naturally
expected. The reason was soon forthcoming. Following his usual plan of
getting as much information as possible out of the French, he heard the
old man, who seemed unaccountably shy and diffident, mutter casually--

"J'ai pense que vous etiez tous partis hier soir."

"Comment?" said he, "tous partis? Mais, Monsieur, nous sommes les
premiers Anglais qui sont arrives ici."

"Mais, Monsieur! Anglais? Ce n'est pas possible!"

"C'est vrai, assurement."

"Mais, L'Armee Anglaise porte toujours les habits rouges!"

The Subaltern laughed outright. This simple fellow actually believed
that the English fought in scarlet. Even now he was not thoroughly
convinced that they really were English. Ignorance goes hand in hand
with obstinacy, and these simple old peasant folk defended their
stupidity with a veritable wall of impenetrable incredulity.

The Subaltern was still laboriously engaged in explaining matters to the
man, when part of the Headquarter's Staff trotted up the road with a
clatter and a swing and scurry that looked as if they were wanted very
urgently on the left. It was the first time during the campaign that he
had seen the Corps Commander and the Chief of the General Staff on
horseback.

It must have been about five o'clock when he received a message to
concentrate on the main road. On the way he was accos