even if you do not happen to be wearing a cap.

These worthy and hospitable warriors were in charge of a regiment (or
as we should say a brigade) from the south of France about Bordeaux. I
believe they had won for themselves a good reputation as fighting men.
They knew, however, as well how to take care of themselves; and I
fancy they had a first-class chef amongst their servants. It was a
great affair, that meal, which had been prepared to do us honour,
especially considering that it was served actually in the trenches.
Quite a number of dishes succeeded one another, and were washed down
with some excellent red wine. These were followed by several sweets
and a glass of sweet champagne--the latter to drink to our good luck
in the new trenches--glasses were solemnly clinked at this stage of
the proceedings; afterwards cognac, coffee and cigars. The French
officers expressed considerable interest in the Territorial 'T.'s' on
my tunic, asking what they stood for. The French 'Territorial' is of
course a different type to ours, being in the nature of the last
reserve, elderly men not used as 'storm' or 'shock' troops. The meal
passed pleasantly indeed; and at the end, a photograph must be taken
as a souvenir of the meeting, and that was duly done in the winter
sunlight outside. The French soldiers use small cameras in the
trenches, a privilege denied to us. I have never before or since been
in such elaborate trenches as these that we took over from the French.
Vast communication trenches, six to ten feet deep, ran back for miles
behind the front line. The same with the forward area, the number of
deep trenches was simply extraordinary. Their idea may have been to
make so many trenches that the enemy would not know which to shell.
Unfortunately the trenches were not revetted, and when the frost broke
we came to think less of them and travelled as much as possible across
the open. The inside of the trenches was very clean--not a tin or a
scrap of paper to be seen. The refuse was all dumped just over the
parapet or in the shell-holes outside. The French are accustomed to an
easy system of sanitation. During the day few French soldiers are seen
outside their dugouts, except parties cleaning the trenches. In the
front line only a few sentries were kept on duty, and they were
relieved every two hours. The French speak with great confidence of
their field artillery, the terrible 75's. A battery of these guns
handled by French gunn