Waddell, who
had finished his bully.
"If they have any sense of decency," said Major Kemp, "they will send
us back to rest a bit, and put another Division in. We have opened the
ball and done a lot of dirty work for them, and have lost a lot of men
and officers. Bed for me, please!"
"I should be more inclined to agree with you, Major," said Wagstaffe,
"if only we had a bit more to show for our losses."
"We haven't done so badly," replied Kemp, who was growing more
cheerful under the influence of hot cocoa. "We have got the
Hohenzollern, and the Bosche first line at least, and probably Fosse
Eight. On the right I hear we have taken Loos. That's not so dusty for
a start. I have not the slightest doubt that there will be a heavy
counter-attack, which we shall repel. After that we shall attack
again, and gain more ground, or at least keep the Bosche exceedingly
busy holding on. That is our allotted task in this entertainment--to
go on hammering the Hun, occupying his attention and using up his
reserves, regardless of whether we gain ground or lose it, while our
French pals on the right are pushing him off the map. At least, that
is my theory: I don't pretend to be in touch with the official mind.
This battle will probably go on for a week or more, over practically
the same ground. It will be dreadful for the wounded, but even if
we only hold on to what we have gained already, we are the winners.
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