Once Trenchard, treading very softly as though every one around him were asleep, came across and talked to me.
"You know," he said in a whisper, "this isn't at all what I expected."
"You needn't whisper," I answered irritably, "that battery's making such a noise that I can't hear anything you say."
"Yes, isn't it!" he said with a little sigh. "It's very unpleasant indeed. Do you think Semyonov's forgotten us? We've been here a good many hours and we aren't doing very much."
"No," I answered. "We're doing nothing except get sick headaches."
There was a pause, then he said:
"Where is everything?"
"Well, the battle, for instance!"
"Oh, that's down the hill, I suppose. We're trying to cross the river and they're trying to prevent us."