So ended for the Thirteenth their first year of war service on the Western Front. It had been in some ways a year of disappointment. Though they had had some turns in the trenches, involving a few casualties, the Regiment had seen no active work as Cavalry. But if hope deferred had brought them some heart-sickness, there was hope still, and they entered upon another year under fairly cheerful conditions. [Illustration: LT. J. I. CHRYSTALL AT BEMAVILLE. OCTOBER 1915] [Illustration: HOUNDS AT L’ABBAYE. 31ST MARCH 1916] CHAPTER VIII. 1916. The year 1916 opened, as the last had closed, without any exciting event for the Indian Cavalry Corps. There was heavy fighting for the Infantry and guns, and the more hopeful spirits in the Thirteenth Hussars still believed, or tried to believe, that their chance would come sooner or later, but there seemed to be no immediate prospect of it. Meanwhile the old routine went on. _Captain W. H. Eve--February 6, 1916._--“We are still busy, though rather dull, at our ordinary training, ... but the men get a lot of games, &c., too--football, running, and so on. We have been having pretty good weather, much drier, and nothing to complain of. It has been a wonderfully fine winter so far, but it isn’t over yet. Things are very forward--too forward, I am afraid. “All the land is under crops, which interferes terribly with our field-work. “Oakes (2nd in command, ‘D’ Squadron) is at present in hospital with a kick on the shin (football), but otherwise we are all very well and flourishing.” _March 19._--“There is little or no news from here except that our proposed move is, I think, postponed for a time. I am sending another digging party away to-day and one comes back. I expect we shall always have a certain number of men away now, digging in second line. We are all very fit and flourishing.” It was a necessary measure of precaution to have lines of trench behind the fighting line. All hoped to go forward, but in case of overwhelming German attacks, strong intrenched positions on which troops could fall back were an obvious need. The letter goes on:-- “I attended a trench-warfare class for a week about a fortnight ago, which was a change, but taught me very little. “The weather is all in our favour for work, but it means that in this closely cultivated country it is almost impossible to find ground to work over, now that they are so busy with the spring work on the land.”