Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-12-27

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men-anything and everything that you
please. But they were all home and at
homo in their saddles and seats. They
said nothing; their officers said little
enough to them.
They came in across what once had
been turf; wheeled with tight traces;
halted, unlocked; the wise teams stamped
off to their pickets. and behold. the six
guns were left precisely where they should
have heen left to the fraction of en- inch.
! You could see the wind blowing the last
| few drops of wet from each leather muz-
| gle cover at exactly the same angle 1t
was all old known evolutions. taken I'M
consciously in the course of the days
| work.
"Our men have one advantage" said
a voice. LAS Territorials they were in
troduced to unmade borses once a year
at training So they've never boon accus-
tomed TO mado horses"
And what do the horses say about Il
ALP 1 asked, remembering what 1 had
seen on the road in the early days
They said a good deal at first, but
our chaps could make allowances for
'em. They know now
talk. His own arm does that for him.
The batteries off-saddled in silence.
though enc noticed on all sides little
quiet caresses between man and beast
affectionate muzzlings and nose-slap-
pings. Surely the gunners relation to
his horse is more intimate even than the
oavalryman's for lost horse only turns
cavalry into infantry. but trouble in a.
gun-team may mean death to all round
And this IL a gunner's war. The young
wet officers said so. joyously, as they
passed to and fro picking up scandal
about breast-straps and breechings ex-
aiming the collars of ammunition wagon
teams, and listening to remarks about
shoes.
Local blacksmiths, assisted by the bat
terry itself, do the shooting. There are mas
ter smiths and important farriers. who
have cheerfly thrown up good wages to
help the game, and their horses reward
them by keeping fit A fair proportion
Of the horses are aged-there was never
a gunner yet satisfied with his team or
Its rations till he had left the battery
but they do their work as steadfastly and
whole-heartedly as the men.
am persuaded they also like being in
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lens of draught and direction. The En-
ghsh' too. and Londoners particularly,
are the hndest and most reasonable of
folk with animals. II 1t were not our
business strictly to underrate ourselves
for the next few years, one would say
that the Territorials' batteries had AL
ready done wonders. but perhaps Il Is
better to let II all so with the grudging
l a nraNa al
bombardier; well, It isn't so dam bad
considerin'."
Missed HOwitEers.
left them taking their dinner in mess
tins to their tents. with a strenuous after
moons cleaning up ahead of them and
a detail under orders to take over some
more horses fGotn the railway station.
The big park held already nearly 5000
men. had seen no more than a few
hundred. and missed the howitzers' bat
tsries after all.
cock-pheasant chaperoned me down
the drive. complaining loudly that where
he was used TO walk with his ladies'
under the beech trees. some unsporting
people had built a miniature landscape
with tiny villages, churches and factories,
and came there daily 10 point cannon
az it,
Keep away from that place." said L
! "or you VIII find yourself in a field
kitchen"
/ Not met" he crowed. I'm as sacred
as golf-coursesy
! There was a little town a couple OF
miles down the road where one used to
! lunch In the old days and have the hotel
( TO oneself Now there are six ever
changing OFFICERS In billet there. and the
astonished horses CULVER all day to trac-
ton engines and high-piled Tories. A
unit Of the Army Service corps and some
Mechanical Transport lived near the sta
! ton.
Are they easy to find?'' I asked OF a.
/ wandering private with the hands of a
sweep and the head OF Christian among
the lions.
We'll, the A. 8, c. are in the Terri
torisl Drill hall for one thing; and for
another you're likely to hear usi There's
some motors come In from Bulford--"
He snorted and passed on. smelling OF
petrol
The drillshed was peace and comfort
The A. g. C. were getting ready for pay
day and for concert that evening. Out
side. In the wind and the occasional rain
sPurts life was different The Bulford
motors and sosno other crooks sat on a
Hide road between what had been the
local garage and q nswiy-ereoted work
snop Of ereakinS ScaffOld poles and
oeliStrE. sntttnG rickc1oths. whsrs a
] forge gioWod and general repairs were
being anectsd Beneath the motors men
Lay On their backs and called their
fr1cnds - pAs Lhs2 spannara, or for