Shooting at officers' uniforms was a pleasant diversion, and they had
been well pierced with bullets before they were taken in.


A FRENCH COMEDIAN.

Later on, and farther on--after our capture of a position I shall
shortly have occasion to describe--we made the acquaintance of a French
"born comedian," who was a tower of strength at our entertainments, and
who in various other ways was a cause of constant amusement. He had been
left behind by his regiment, and we found him hanging around the place.
It had been his home, and it seemed that the magnet of life-long
associations held him to it. He was very useful in taking us round to
cottages which, to our surprise, we found to be still inhabited, and in
giving us the tip where to find cheap, if very thin, beer and other
refreshments. He was particularly proud of his German jack-boots--made
for legs very much bigger than his own. When we had concerts he used
to give us clever imitations of the late Harry Fragson in his
"Margarita" and other varieties, to the accompaniment of the mouth-organ
band. He used to say: "Ze Engleesh soldier--très bon--ze French
soldier--bon--mais ze Allemand--no bon!" On one occasion he told us:
"Après la guerre, ze Engleesh soldier beaucoup admirers--ladees! Ze
French soldier admirers, too. Ze Allemand--non!"

[Illustration: A FRENCH COMRADE-COMEDIAN.]

He got hold of peasants to wash our clothes for us and introduced us to
a little mill-race, which we reached through a thicket which concealed
us, and the spectacle of our men stripping and diving into the stream in
cold weather amused him hugely. He jumped about in his big boots,