THE CASUS BELLI 5 



other. He wished the latter to advance, and sent 

 an Aide-de-camp with the order. 



The valley was intersected with fences, and cut 

 in two by a considerable brook, and the Aide-de- 

 camp, no doubt influenced by these rather than by 

 the German shells which were falling into the valley 

 pretty freely, turned and galloped down the road 

 apparently with the object of following it round the 

 head of the valley. Five minutes passed, and ten 

 minutes passed, without any move on the part of the 

 troops across the valley. Then the General sent 

 another Aide-de-camp who went off the same way. 

 A quarter of an hour passed and still no move. 



The rest of the story is better told by the prin- 

 cipal actor in his own words (as near as we can 

 remember them). 



"It was most important for these troops to move, 

 and at last I could stand it no longer, so I rode up 

 alongside of him, saluted, and said — 



" ' Will you allow me to go with that order, sir } ' 



'*' ' Yes, certainly,' he replied. 



" I was riding one of two Irish hunters I had 

 managed to take out, and as soon as I was clear 

 of the Staff I popped him over the bank out of 

 the road we were in, and went off at a gallop 

 straight down the hill. From our point of view 

 the fences were not formidable ones, but they were 

 blocked with partially-thawed snow and looked 

 awkward, and the take-off was bad. I, however, 

 took the old horse by the head, rammed him at 

 them, and he never hesitated. We got over the 



