There was no gainsaying the fact that he behaved in the most praiseworthy fashion, sparing himself no pains. He was always to be seen on his feet, going to shake up the men who were reeling with weariness. Towards midnight, the critical time, he suddenly proposed that we should play games. I thought at first that he was joking. But no, he had undertaken to keep us awake at all costs. He must treat the children in his school in the same way. Childish occupation kept us amused for a long while. The greatest success was the game of Old Mother Perlimpin Pin which soon had to be stopped as the laughter was becoming so uproarious. Towards two o'clock in the morning a thunder shower came on. We were soon soaked to the skin. "In ordinary life," joked Guillaumin, "we should have kicked the bucket after a night like this." I offered to go the rounds with the object of keeping myself awake. The first sentry challenged me at a good distance. It was Judsi. He was calmly smoking a cigarette. "Smoking's not allowed, Judsi." "Pooh. It's a bit o' coompany. That won't stop a chap keepin' 'is eyes skinned." But directly I had pointed out that the point of light might betray his presence at a distance, he gave way: "That's true enough, that is." He instantly threw his cigarette away in the damp grass. I wanted to try an experiment on the next sentry-group and continued to advance after the order to "Halt!" Very well! I saw my two fine fellows both order arms again. "Well, what are you up to? This is a nice state of affairs." I reproached them. "We recognised you, Sergeant!" "That doesn't matter, you ought to have made me halt." "But as we recognised you!" It was impossible to get them to alter their opinion. As for the last two sentries, they simply "about-turned" on the spot; that is to say, that at the first suspicious sound they fired on the picket. I saw how unhinged and overwrought they were, and had pity on them. I ended by promising to say nothing about it to the subaltern. I found the latter on his knees. He had spread out his map, which was beginning to get torn, and was saying to Guillaumin that we should do no more than screen Metz; the chief thing was to push straight on to Mayence, the key to the whole of the Rhine district. The rain stopped, and some time passed. Towards four o'clock Henriot shyly suggested: "Would it bore you frightfully to go out with a patrol party?" "On the contrary!" The idea appealed to me. By gad, I was not sorry to be able to stretch my legs. I chose four men. Bouillon who had just been on outpost duty absolutely insisted on being one of them. He was not going to let me go alone. He was certainly a good chap!