Between Snow and Fire — page 111: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

CHAPTER XVII. IN THE ENEMY’S COUNTRY. ‘ H1, Hoste, Eustace! Tumble up! We are to start in half an hour.” It is dark as Erebus—dark as it can only be an hour or so before daybreak. The camp-fires have long since gone out and it is raining heavily. The speaker, stooping down, puts his head into a patrol tent wherein two sleepers lie, packed like sardines. A responsive grunt or two and Hoste replies without moving. “Bosh! None of your larks,Tom. Why, it’s pitch dark, and raining as if some fellow were bombarding the tent with a battery of garden hoses.” “Tom can’t sleep himself, so he won’t let us, Mean of him—to put it mildly,” remarks the other occupant of the tent, with a cavernous yawn. “ But it isn’t bosh,” retorts Carhayes testily. ‘I tell you we are to start in half an hour, so now you know,” and he withdraws, growling something about not standing there jawing to them all day. Orders were orders, and duty was duty. So arousing themselves from their warm lair the two sleepers rubbed their eyes and promptly began to look to their preparations. “By Jove!’ remarked Eustace as a big, cold drop hit him on the crown of the head, while two more fell on the blanket he had just cast off. ‘‘ Now one can solve the riddle as to what becomes of all the played out sieves. They are bought up by Government Contractors for the manufacture of canvas for patrol tents,” “The riddle? Yes. That’s about the appropriate term, as witness the state of the canvas.” “Oh! A dismal jest and worthy the day and the hour.” rejoined the other, lifting a corner of the sail to peer out. It was still pitch dark and raining as heavily asever. “We 508 / : : Se oe wo ae 7 : . iL. ae Gomilecbooks.¢