"Mile after mile through the mud. 'What are we going to do, Dick?' 'Spoil their beauty sleep; they've been kept at it two days, and if we----.' 'Stop that talking in the ranks! Close up there! What's that?' 'One of their patrols, Sir.' 'Push on, boys, push on! It's come at last.' * * * * * "'Men, their picquets are on that hill, ready for us. We are going to take it, and hold it to the last man. The Battalion will form for attack.' * * * * * "You'll want _soldiers_ then, gents; an' you must 'ave 'em ready before'and." [Illustration] [Illustration: Our Review] [Illustration: Army Orders. Great care should be exercised in reconnoitring woods.] [Illustration: (1) The simple mudcrusher thought it would be rather sporting to entrap the mounted scout and laid his plans accordingly.] [Illustration: (2) And the scout thought it was only his duty to bag the mudcrusher, so, disregarding his enemy's fire, he started to round him up.] [Illustration: (3) _Scout_: "Halt! You're my----"] [Illustration: (4) "---- My prisoner, I think!"] [Illustration: Patrols. _Scout:_ "There's a pub down there right enough, but there's an officer coming up the hill." _Corporal:_ "Over the bank, boys; an' take cover behind those ricks!"] [Illustration] THE LOST PATROL. By the JUNIOR SUBALTERN. Wonder what we shall do to-day? It seems as if we'd been here for weeks, although this is only the third day; but I suppose one's first camp always seems like that. It _is_ different from anything else; the drill I've done before don't help me a little bit. It's all very well to pass exams an' get _P.S._ after your name in the Army List, but that don't do much good out on a field day, as far as I can see. Here comes my noble Captain. He's a bit of a slacker, I fancy. Wish he'd buck the men up more in their drill. They were simply awful yesterday, _I_ thought, but he didn't seem to notice it; in fact, I rather imagined he didn't approve of my goin' for 'em in the way I did. By Jove, if I said "Wake up those men," once, I must have said it a hundred times. "What's that? I'm attached to X Company to-day, as young Jackson is on the sick list? What beastly rot! Why, they're the worst company we've got. Chance for me to wake 'em up? That's all bally fine, but----all right, I'm off." This is a lively look-out. My goodness, they _are_ a lot! and their Captain don't seem up to much either----"Yes, Sir. Very good, Sir. Take No. 1 Section and join the advanced party?" "But--er--I've never----" "Hurry up, for goodness sake, the Adjutant's looking as black as thunder." "Oh, _let_ him."