Contemptible""

night the Battalion Orders made it clear that a start was to be made. Parade was to be earlier than usual, and nothing was to be left behind. Every one was very sorry to be

Friday morning the Battalion marched away, not without many handshakings and blessings from the simple villagers. The Subaltern often wonders what became of Mesdames, and that excitable son R

e nationale," due northwards. The day was very hot, and the Battalion was hurried, with as short halts as possible, towards Landrécies. As, ho

d for the night, the Subaltern threw off his equipment, and having bought as much cho

dinner. He often remembered this meal afterwards, for it was the last that he had properly served for some time. In the middle of it the Colonel was summoned hastily

eal beginning of the show.

ed, and an hour later a big railway junction. The march seemed to be directed on Mauberge, but a digression was made to the north-west, an

e but the field of Waterloo, with all its familiar names: Charleroi, Ligny, Quatrebras, Genappes, the names which h

ar, you ought to know all about

same evening, but this hour was subsequently altered to two o'clock the next morni

self was so tired that he had to lie down on the cold road at each hourly halt of ten minutes, and, with his cap for a pillow, sleep soundly for at least eight of those minutes. Then whistles were sounded ahead, the men would rise wearily, and shuffle on their equipment with the sing

miles further, a halt for breakfast was ordered, as it was about eight o'clock. The Colonel called for Company Commanders, and w

he road, or clustered round the "Cookers," drawing their breakfast rations of bread and cold bacon. Then the Major came back. There was an expression on his face that showed he was well aware of the dramatic part he was about to play. Imagine him standing by the wayside, surrounded by his Officers, two Sergeant-Majors, and some half-dozen senior Sergeants, all with pencils ready poised to write his orders in their Fiel

rd correctly. The enemy here, in the western corner of Belgium? The Major's orders petere

e of victory and beat successfully against the crumbling sands of the Kaiser's military monarchy-Victory, drenching Germany with the blood of her sons, and adding a lustre to the Sun of Peace that should never be dimmed by the black clouds of Militarism! And all this was not to be? He had never even heard that Li

re openly incredulous. "The ruddy 'Oolans 'ere a'rea

el afraid? If so, would he be able to hide it? Would his men follow him well? Perhaps he might be wounded (parts of him shrank from the thought), or killed. No,

excitement of the future dissolved the accumulating fatigue of the

en, decked in their Sunday best, were going calmly to church, just as if the greatest battle th

ont of them deployed. Officers were loading their revolvers, the men charging their magazines. One Company l

nd hurried on to the little village which was to be their especial