"You must!" He seemed to make up his mind, and approached us, shifting from one leg to another. Then, with a red face, he muttered: "No! Can't ask for that at my time of life!" He was about to go, but we stopped him. "Ask for what, old fellow?" "For a bit of bread, if you've got any over. It's for the children!" "Yes, of course we have! We never eat it all!" As a matter of fact we seldom get enough bread. The loaves have to be sorted out, and, when the mouldy parts have been thrown away, the ration is usually more than halved. The old man walked by the side of the limber while the men searched in their bags. "Here you are!" Two loaves, almost fresh, were held out to him. "With an onion and a good set of teeth they're eatable!" "Thanks.... Thank you so much.... But I'm afraid you'll be short yourselves!" "Oh, no! That's all right, old chap! Why, we get a wagonful of those every day!" He made off, a loaf under each arm. I saw him hunch his shoulders and dry his eyes with the sleeve of his coat. A shower of shrapnel shells suddenly burst in the distance, over the dark woods. "Swine!" growled Millon between his teeth. He had given up his bread. He shook his fist towards the enemy. Once in position to sweep the uplands on the right bank of the Meuse, we dried ourselves in the sun. In the afternoon a few horsemen, Uhlans presumably, appeared on the edge of a distant wood. A broadside of shells quickly made them seek cover again. _Friday, August 28_ "Alarm!" "What?" "Come on, up you get!" "What's the time?" "Don't know.... It's still dark." "All right, then, we'll get up. Hutin, come on, get up!" I shook Hutin, who growled in answer: "All right! Oh, Lord, I was so comfortable there!" The noise of shuffling straw filled the barn. "What's the time?" repeated somebody. "Look out there! There's a rung missing in the ladder." Noises of feet scraping against the ladder. An oath. "Get the lantern!" "Where is it?" "Hanging behind the door." The men groped about for their belongings. "My képi!" "Dashed if I can find the lantern! Come and help, can't you?" "Sure it can't be two o'clock yet." "Come along now, hurry up," cried a sergeant, opening the door. "Anybody else still asleep?"