melodic outcry of a sentinel out in the night; all these things merging
into an unforgettable scene of great romanticism and beauty. That
night I lay for a long while stretched near the smoldering ashes of
the camp fire, with my cape as a blanket, in a state of lassitude and
somnolence, my soul filled with exaltation and happiness over the
beauty around me.

The rest, however, was of very short duration, for at six o'clock in
the morning we were aroused, camp was broken up and soon
afterwards we started on a forced march of twenty-two miles without
a halt, during which we twice had to wade knee-deep through rivers.
By midday most of the men were so exhausted that they could
hardly crawl along. It was remarkable that the comparatively
weaker and more refined city-bred people who had done little
physical work in their lives, most of them being professional men,
withstood hardships better than the sturdy and, to all appearances,
stronger peasants; the only explanation for it being perhaps that the.
city-bred people, in consequence of their better surroundings and by
reason of their education, had more will power and nervous strength
than the peasants.

At half-past two we reached a clearing in the midst of a wood
through which a river flowed. Here camp was again established and
a half hour later all the hardships of the march were once more
forgotten in the bustle of camp life. This time we had a full rest until
the next morning at four o'clock, when suddenly orders for marching
were given. After we had been under way for about three hours we
heard far-away, repeated rumbling which sounded like distant
thunder. Not for a moment did we associate it with cannonading,
being, as we supposed, hundreds of miles away from the nearest