hot meal. Very speedily the trench fires were dug, and the
dixies[2] were filled with a savoury stew; the while the men were lying
about enjoying their well-earned rest. In the midst of their brief laze
an urgent order came down from General Capper, commanding the men to
return to the trenches immediately, as the enemy were approaching in
strong force. At once the brave lads kicked out the fires and stood to
attention, and moved off to a task from which many of them never
returned. An eyewitness assured me that the Brigadier[3] gave the order
in a voice which was broken with emotion, for he knew full well the
desperate nature of the task he was setting his men. In this grand
response to a most unpalatable order, the very highest discipline is
noticeable; it embodies such an act of devotion to duty as reveals that
mastery over self which lies at the very root of success in warfare.
Such a discipline cannot fail to evoke admiration wherever it is
witnessed. It is noticeable among officers and men alike, and tends to
weld both in that splendid spirit of comradeship which is so peculiarly
a feature of our army at the present time.

In considering the relationship of those in command and those commanded,
I must deal with them separately.

(1) Officers: Many years ago--I think it was during the Crimean
war--_Punch_ gave a very admirable setting of the British officer in two
phases. In one picture was a ball-room in which the whiskered exquisites
of that period were seen in the mazes of a dance, and underneath was
written: 'Our officers can dance.' The next picture revealed the same
men charging up to the guns at the head of their men, and underneath the
words: 'But by jingo they can fight too.' There is no doubt that the
English officer is good at enjoying himself, and no small blame to him,
but when it comes to the stern days of war, he is as keen and gallant as
ever. It must have struck the most casual observer that the proportion
of officer casualties during this war is entirely disproportionate to
the numbers engaged. Again and again this striking fact has met with the
severe stricture of those competent to judge; but it is useless to
attempt to alter the glorious traditions of the English army in this
respect: our officers will lead; and although it may be at a terrible
cost, the results are seen in the splendid backing up of the men. In the
early days of the war, on more than one occasion, I met with such a
remark fro