AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY.

1. A Staff Officer came back from the line without having had a narrow escape.

2. A General visited the line and expressed unqualified approval of everything he saw.

3. A Quartermaster-Sergeant put all the contents of the rum-jar into the tea.

4. A sniper fired at a Hun and reported a miss.

5. A bombing-party threw bombs into a sap without reporting "shrieks and groans were heard, and it is thought that many casualties were inflicted."

6. A Sergeant-Major complimented a new squad of recruits.

7. Somebody read an Intelligence Summary.

8. A very high official fired the first shot to open the new rifle-range and failed to hit the bull.

NOTE—(a) The Marker was not court-martialled for spreading alarm and despondency in His Majesty's forces; but

(b) The quality of mercy was fearfully strained.

9. A bombing-class came back from practice without a single casualty.

10. A Subaltern got leave on compassionate grounds. He wanted to be married.

11. A Corps Commander was punctual at an inspection. And

12. It did not rain on the day of the offensive.

Truly an extraordinary day. Shall we ever live to see it, I wonder?