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The next day, a Sunday, was entirely devoted to preparing personal gear for the depot journey: this means fitting lamp wick straps to our fur boots or finnesko, picking from our kits a proportion of puttees and socks, sewing more lamp wick on to our fur gloves so that these could hang from our shoulders when it was necessary to uncover our hands.
"The colonel has warned officers about their kits, and it would never do to have mine turned back from the waggon at the last minute." Mr. Bogle pricked up his ears. "The waggon? Are we for off again, sirr?" he inquired. "Indeed I could not say," replied the cautious Angus; "but it is well to be ready."
There were several hours to spend in waiting, and during this time the kits were retrieved from the station yard and a prudent change was made from soft hats into shrapnel helmets and fighting equipment. After a rapid entrainment we at last pulled out at about 2 p.m.
Guy seized him by the ear and took him out with him into the fresh air, where the white frost was and where the white moon was shining now. "The soldiers are after us and know where we are, Kits. Pitch that stuff away." "Not if " "And get the horses ready quick! I will be with you in a moment."
It is decided on; Dechamps retires, the papers go in, the hero goes out what a relief! no inspection of soldiers' dirty kits no parade by day no guards nor rounds by night no fatigue parties of men who never fatigue themselves no stupid court-martial no horrid punishments no reviews to please a colonel who never is pleased, or a general who will swear no marching through streets, to be stared at by housemaids from upper windows, and by dirty boys in the side paths no procession to follow brass instruments, like the train of a circus no bearded band-master with his gold cane to lead on his musicians, and no bearded white goat to march at the head of the regiment.
"Your son shall at once be rated as a midshipman in the ship's books;" and then he added, a shade of grief passing across his countenance, "He will have no difficulty in getting an outfit from the kits of the four youngsters who were killed on the 1st. By the by, what is he called?" "Pearce, sir Pearce Ripley is his name," answered the boatswain.
"Some of the broken boards that held up the tunnel," was the answer, and Joe pointed to pieces of timber that had been splintered and shattered by the cave-in. "Yes, it's the only way out," agreed Blake, who, now that his cut had been bound up with bandages from the first-aid kits the boys carried, felt better. "We'll have to dig out." And after a short rest they began this work.
Through the wireless they were informed about the progress of the relief expeditions and had even heard their guns in the distance. They gradually grew, however, weaker and weaker, so that on the surrender the troops in the first lines were too weak to march back with their kits.
Then mess-call caused two hundred and fifty hungry soldiers to file into the mess-room, kits in hand, and line up at the further end for food and hot drink. At 7.46 Dick Prescott stepped briskly into the company office. "Sergeant Kelly, have each man carry out his mattress to the incinerator and empty out the straw. Detail men to burn the straw. Have the cots piled at the end of each squad room.
She had taught them to behave well at meals, so, though their eyes glared and their tails quivered with impatience, they obeyed; and when she put the food on a high shelf and retired to the big basket, the four old cats sat demurely down before her, while the five kits scrambled after her and tumbled into her lap, as if hoping to hasten the desired feast by their innocent gambols.
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