adventures of a typical regiment of Kitchener's Army.

The chapters were written from day to day, and published from month to
month. Consequently, prophecy is occasionally falsified, and opinions
moderated, in subsequent pages.

The characters are entirely fictitious, but the incidents described
all actually occurred.




BOOK ONE

BLANK CARTRIDGES




The First Hundred Thousand

I

AB OVO


"Squoad--'_Shun!_ Move to the right in fours. Forrm--_fourrrs!_"

The audience addressed looks up with languid curiosity, but makes no
attempt to comply with the speaker's request.