Aug. 17th, 1915.

I've been busy all week and even on Sunday, my letter day, so I missed my letter.

I've had two Majors attached to learn things for two weeks. I've shown them all the exhibits I have from horses to trenches, and surrounding country and now I have a few minutes off.

All is till very quiet here. They put two incendiary shells near here last night, but all they burnt was the mud. I think they were meant for the church in the village.

The Major is still away and I wish he were back. This O.C. job is'nt all it's cracked up to be. For a while, (two nights) I was the only officer at the guns and none at the waggon line. Ell was on leave and Mac on duty elsewhere. Now we can hardly squeeze in. Tim is on leave but Ell is back and we have "red" back and Capt. L. attached besides, the two Majors. We sit seven at meals and can hardly make the plates go around. But this wont be for very long. I had a ride yesterday but don't get one often these days, mostly orders and telephone. If you only had a record of all the things said to and about telephones in this war it would be a treat. I often wonder if the Germans swear too. The two mixed would sound fine.

I have'nt been on leave yet but expect to go on Friday and Hope expects to go too. We will certainly go to Scotland. I never thought that you might be misled by the wording of my telegram. I expect it was sent from London, as I handed it in to the Army Post Office near here in Belgium. You thought I was in London at the time. I sent "leave only one week, not home, dont come" You thought I was on leave then.

It has rained for two days off and on. Red has just come back and the water is knee deep in the trenches. The paymaster came tonight and his advent is always a matter of some moment. The men are allowed to draw 15 francs twice a month or $6 a month. It does not give them a great deal of pocket money. In the town they immediately spend it on post cards, chocolate and beer and this is the main reason why the villagers stay in their shattered town.

The harvest is all in the stook and haystacks or straw stacks are beginning again to dot the landscape. It is hard to obtain green food for the horses, but we still get it about twice a week.

We have dug a well at the waggon line which is being deepened and I hope to be able to water all the horses there three times a day. At present we go 2 miles to water to the canal.

We are all in first class health and all we need is a scrap to liven things up. The routine becomes very monotonous.