sought to humiliate me. He was a poor sort of a sport, and many months
later when I was his equal in rank in France I punched his head,
telling him I had waited eighteen months to do it. So you see,
everything comes to those who wait.

As a matter of fact, it was only three weeks before I was made an
acting sergeant, but I have great sympathy with the soft-handed rookie,
for in those three weeks it seemed to me that it was an easy thing to
die for one's country, but to train to be a soldier was about the worst
kind of penal servitude a man could undergo.

When acting as sergeant I was boss of five stables, each containing
eight men, who could only squeeze in the floor space by sleeping head
to feet. These stables were only completely closed in on three sides,
the entrance side being boarded up three feet high, except for the
space of the doorway. There was no attempt to close up this opening,
except after afternoon parade, when visitors would have arrived before
our changing into reception-clothes was completed, and we would
partially block it with our waterproof sheeting.

I must mention that in the early days we had no real uniforms, but used
to parade in blue dungarees and white cloth hats. They certainly made
the men look "_uniform_," but "_uniformly hideous_," and none of us
would be seen in them by a pretty girl, for a king's ransom. As soon
as afternoon parade was dismissed, we would dive for our quarters, and
re-don our "civvies" until next parade. The "cocky" would be
resplendent again in his soft collar and red tie, and the city clerk in
starched collar and cuffs.

Sometimes, however, there was a variation in time between the watches