Rev. Rupert Inglis 191 



to replenish his wardrobe. On his return to duty he resumes 

 his letters. 



May 23. — " This morning I wrote some letters and went 

 to see Reed, who lives about ten minutes from here. It took 

 just two hours to get there, as I met so many friends on the 

 road. It is like going round Lord's on an Oxford and Cambridge 

 day." 



May 27. — " I have been out almost all day. I met 

 Colonel Gathorne Hardy this morning, the one in the Guards ; 

 he was in charge of rather an exalted person who looked a per- 

 fect child. [The Prince of Wales. — Author.] Everyone is agreed 

 that he ought not to be allowed up here. He has gone now." 



June 14. — " This is rotten weather, it has hardly stopped 

 raining for the last twenty hours. 



" I went down to the Chateau to see Murray and the K. S.L.I. 

 They were all looking very weary, having been heavily shelled 

 all night. I only stayed at the dressing-station till about 

 twelve, and on my way home got pretty well wet through. As 

 I slushed through the mud I thought how nice a ' flea-bag ' 

 would be, but when I reached my dug-out I found ' Sigs ' 

 juggling with two basins trying to catch all the water that was 

 pouring into my bed. He caught most of it, but not all. I 

 managed to find some dry spots and emptied the basins, re- 

 arranging them so as to catch the water. On a small bunk I 

 and the two basins made rather a full house, but I managed to 

 sleep and, strange to say, did not upset the basins." 



June 19. — " I was shown to-day a very interesting docu- 

 ment which was taken off a wounded German one day this week. 

 It was a German General's order. It began by saying their 

 losses had been very heavy in taking certain trenches. It went 

 on to say that these trenches were very important and must be 

 held at all costs (those trenches have now been taken back by 

 us) ; then it went on to say that all English equipment was 

 to be very carefully collected : boots, leather belts, etc. It 

 specially mentioned, further on, that the English dead were to 

 be stripped of their boots, and all woollen garments, as these, it 

 said, ' are essential to our success.' It rather looks as if there 

 was some shortage." 



