passing over it flattened the earth well down, but the waggons have cut it
all up again. The first heavy shower will wash all the earth away, and in
a couple of days it will be as bad as before. There are plenty of stones
down in the river, but we have no means of breaking up the large ones, or
of carrying any quantity of small ones. A few hundred sappers and
engineers, with proper tools, would soon go a long way towards making the
road fairly fit for traffic, but nothing can be done without tools and
wheel-barrows, or at least hand-barrows for carrying stones. You see, the
men wanted to use their blankets, but the poor fellows will want them
badly enough before long, and those contractors' goods would go all to
pieces by the time they had carried half a dozen loads of stones. At any
rate, we will content ourselves with making the road passable for our own
waggons, and the troops who come after us must do the same. By the way,
Mr. O'Connor, you have not got your kit yet."

"No, sir; but I have no doubt that it is with the regimental baggage, and
I will get it when we halt to-night."

"Do so," the general said. "Of course it can be carried with ours, but I
should advise you always to take a change of clothes in your valise, and a
blanket strapped on with your greatcoat."

"I have Mr. Andrews' blanket, sir. It was strapped on when I mounted, and
I did not notice it."

"That is all right. The store blankets are very little use for keeping off
rain, but we all provided ourselves with good thick horse-cloths before
leaving England. They are a great deal warmer than blankets, and are
practically water-proof. I have no doubt that Mr. Andrews told his servant
to strap it on as usual."