It seemed that, even if the showers showed a
disposition to be accommodatingly late, in arriving,
the military powers would dawdle sufficiently so that
the boys should receive the full fury of the elements
when they were unloosed.
The Pats stood at attention for an hour or more,
awaiting the arrival of the General and his staff, —
and the other troops had been there before they
arrived I The irony attaching to this inspection of
6,000 men was that, no matter what the verdict
might be, the brigade was booked to go into the
trenches in a few days anyway, and it seemed to
them the chief office of the inspection was only to
aggravate the tempers of my boys and make them
wish they were in the front line trenches.
I think may be, if the General had heard some of
the grumblings, perhaps he would have been on time
for the next inspection, or perhaps asked the
platoon sergeants to act for him I

After a long wait and a chill occurred the inspec-
tion, which required less than eight minutes for
6,000 men !

Then the brigade marched to their various quar-
ters. A raw wind was blowing; there was frost in
the air ; it^as bitter cold. My boys were glad when
the exercise of walking to billets warmed them
again. There hot coffee and cognac soon made
them happier.
" MARCHONS ! " 107

Next morning saw the resumption of route march-
ing and trench digging by the regiment, each section
trying to outdo the other in digging large and safe
ones, a la camouflage.
