Having risen at General Birdwood's hour of five to go with him on inspection I might watch his methods, and it means something to men to have their corps commander thus early among them when a drizzly rain is softening the morass under foot. He stopped and asked the privates how they were in a friendly way and they answered with straight-away candor. Then he gave some directions about improvements with a we-are-all-working-together suggestiveness, but all the time he was the general. These privates were not without their Australian sense of humor, which is dry; and in answer to the inquiry about how he was one said: "All right, except we'd like a little rum, sir." In cold weather the distribution of a rum ration was at the disposition of a commander, who in most instances did not give it. This stalwart Australian evidently had not been a teetotaler. "We'll give you some rum when you have made a trench raid and taken some prisoners," the general replied. "It might be an incentive, sir!" said the soldier very respectfully. "No Australian should need such an incentive!" answered the general, and passed on. "Yes, sir!" was the answer of another soldier to the question if he had been in Gallipoli. "Wounded?" "Yes, sir." "How?" "I was examining a bomb, sir, to find out how it was made and it went off to my surprise, sir!" There was not even a twinkle of the eye accompanying the response, yet I was not certain that this big fellow from the bush had been wounded in that way. I suspected him of a quiet joke. "Throw them at the Germans next time," said the general. "Yes, sir. It's safer!" Returning after that long morning of characteristic routine, as we passed through a village where Australians were billeted one soldier failed to salute. When the general stopped him his hand shot up in approved fashion as he recognized his commander and he said contritely, with the touch of respect of a man to the leader in whom he believes: "I did not see that it was you, sir!" The general had on a mackintosh with the collar turned up, which concealed his rank. "But you might see that it was an officer." "Yes, sir." "And you salute officers." "Yes, sir." Which he would hereafter now that it was General Birdwood's order, though this everlasting raising of your hand, as one Australian said, made you into a kind of human windmill when the world was so full of officers. Gradually all came to salute, and when an Australian salutes he does it in a way that is a credit to Australia.