life again!”
Back to normal life again … Phillip felt the shadow of his life coming upon him; he thrust it away as they clinked glasses, against a moderate roar now coming from the bar. After dinner they went in Hobart’s 4·5-litre Mercédès, which had four immenseflexible exhaust pipes coiling like brass snakes out of the side of the bonnet, to the theatre; and shattered the frosty midnight hour by a return to camp with blue flames stabbing through the cut-out.
Chapter 3
FRESH FIELDS
The purpose of limbers and waggons, the various woods and metals in their construction, the harness of mules which drew them—traces and straps by which they were tugged and the long pole bar supported on neck, hip, and withers; grooming by brush and curry-comb, sponging nostrils, dock, and sheath; importance of watering before feeding, to prevent colic or stoppage when the gases of indigestion pressed against the heart and might finally stop its beating by causing rupture; daily rations, providing three feeds totalling 10 lb. of oats and 10 of hay for officers’ chargers and light draught horses and mules of the section—sixty-four animals in all—and the biggest feed in the evening, because it gave the animal more time to digest its food and also it was injurious to work on a big feed. Chaff given with oats, to make the animal chew; bran mash once a week to open its bowels.
Picketing: on a hard soil, near water supply, gentle slope for drainage, hedge or wall for shelter, hard-core standings for the feet; watch weavers, blowers, and cribbers—neurotic animals which disturbed the sleep of others by swinging their heads to and fro as though with mournful thoughts, or blew sighfully , or gnawed incessantly at picket post, rope, or neighbour’s rug.
March discipline: stables at least 1½ hours before moving; the farrier, or cold-shoer, inspecting all hoofed feet; rations of corn secured in nose-bags, canvas water buckets available; even loading of limbers and the one G.S. waggon; forward scrutiny to see roads were clear, to prevent blockage, fatal in battle, when thousands of vehicles both horse-drawn and petrol-driven were in unceasing movement amidst shell-fire, and downward traffic from the battlefield was as important as upward supplies. Phillip remembered Loos, the miles of shattered horses, men, and vehicles by day, and the failure of the transport of overforty battalions to get forward in the night; immobility when the enemy line was broken, and the untried reserves arrived sleepless, unfed, and thirsty upon the battlefield, and too late; so that in the morning, when they advanced, they were shot down and they broke, leaving the battlefield while the German reserves, which had come up by marches equally forced during the night, stood up and watched them go.
The day before the written exam arrived. The stout subaltern who had won fame by getting up, over, and off his mount in one unified motion, had been a salesman of women’s clothes in civil life; he had a fund of smutty stories which Phillip heard with reluctance; and when he came to him with a suggestion about the forthcoming exam, Phillip did not like what he had to say.
“I say, old man, I’ve got an idea. The usual practice, I understand, in the sections is to give each instructor a present at the end of the course. That works both ways, naturally, with the instructor letting his class know beforehand the questions of the written paper, at half-a-crown a head. I think you’ll agree that isn’t altogether unreasonable? How about it? I thought I’d approach you first, old man, as you’re senior officer here.”
“Well, I really don’t know. I don’t want to go against the rest of the section, but I’m not keen on having the questions either.”
“Of course, you’ll pass out on your head, old man.”
“You’re much more likely”——began Phillip, then stopped himself. But the other man said, with a laugh, “I see what you mean!” The laugh made
Back to normal life again … Phillip felt the shadow of his life coming upon him; he thrust it away as they clinked glasses, against a moderate roar now coming from the bar. After dinner they went in Hobart’s 4·5-litre Mercédès, which had four immenseflexible exhaust pipes coiling like brass snakes out of the side of the bonnet, to the theatre; and shattered the frosty midnight hour by a return to camp with blue flames stabbing through the cut-out.
Chapter 3
FRESH FIELDS
The purpose of limbers and waggons, the various woods and metals in their construction, the harness of mules which drew them—traces and straps by which they were tugged and the long pole bar supported on neck, hip, and withers; grooming by brush and curry-comb, sponging nostrils, dock, and sheath; importance of watering before feeding, to prevent colic or stoppage when the gases of indigestion pressed against the heart and might finally stop its beating by causing rupture; daily rations, providing three feeds totalling 10 lb. of oats and 10 of hay for officers’ chargers and light draught horses and mules of the section—sixty-four animals in all—and the biggest feed in the evening, because it gave the animal more time to digest its food and also it was injurious to work on a big feed. Chaff given with oats, to make the animal chew; bran mash once a week to open its bowels.
Picketing: on a hard soil, near water supply, gentle slope for drainage, hedge or wall for shelter, hard-core standings for the feet; watch weavers, blowers, and cribbers—neurotic animals which disturbed the sleep of others by swinging their heads to and fro as though with mournful thoughts, or blew sighfully , or gnawed incessantly at picket post, rope, or neighbour’s rug.
March discipline: stables at least 1½ hours before moving; the farrier, or cold-shoer, inspecting all hoofed feet; rations of corn secured in nose-bags, canvas water buckets available; even loading of limbers and the one G.S. waggon; forward scrutiny to see roads were clear, to prevent blockage, fatal in battle, when thousands of vehicles both horse-drawn and petrol-driven were in unceasing movement amidst shell-fire, and downward traffic from the battlefield was as important as upward supplies. Phillip remembered Loos, the miles of shattered horses, men, and vehicles by day, and the failure of the transport of overforty battalions to get forward in the night; immobility when the enemy line was broken, and the untried reserves arrived sleepless, unfed, and thirsty upon the battlefield, and too late; so that in the morning, when they advanced, they were shot down and they broke, leaving the battlefield while the German reserves, which had come up by marches equally forced during the night, stood up and watched them go.
The day before the written exam arrived. The stout subaltern who had won fame by getting up, over, and off his mount in one unified motion, had been a salesman of women’s clothes in civil life; he had a fund of smutty stories which Phillip heard with reluctance; and when he came to him with a suggestion about the forthcoming exam, Phillip did not like what he had to say.
“I say, old man, I’ve got an idea. The usual practice, I understand, in the sections is to give each instructor a present at the end of the course. That works both ways, naturally, with the instructor letting his class know beforehand the questions of the written paper, at half-a-crown a head. I think you’ll agree that isn’t altogether unreasonable? How about it? I thought I’d approach you first, old man, as you’re senior officer here.”
“Well, I really don’t know. I don’t want to go against the rest of the section, but I’m not keen on having the questions either.”
“Of course, you’ll pass out on your head, old man.”
“You’re much more likely”——began Phillip, then stopped himself. But the other man said, with a laugh, “I see what you mean!” The laugh made
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