‘And you’re fighting?’
‘Yes, sir.’
‘What for?’
‘To destroy militarism.’
‘Oh!’ ... The general hurried away.
After the inspection he gave us a few words. Not much intellectual food, but a lot about the bayonet.
‘At ‘em when you see ‘em come. Give it ‘em hot. The short jab in the chin, or the smart thrust in the paunch. They loathe it! They’re afraid of it! The bayonet will win the war,’ he concluded.
On the whole we enjoyed his visit, and agreed that General Pom-Pom was good fun, kind-hearted, loyal, intensely patriotic—but not the man to win the war.