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[Page 48]
fairly big canvases, making a careful drawing on one (or both) and painting on the other keeping the drawing for correcting reference, when working away from the subject. I think that thereby one gets, first of all, a good going over of the ground, which fixes the impression and in addition, one has a more or less correct topographical picture, a thing much to be desired in this type of record.
Yesterday on account of the noise I got such a racking headache that I had to take phenacetin. The rain at midnight silenced the hubbub somewhat.
Tonight I am going to make my second drawing so that tomorrow I can start painting. After that I shant be long here, tho' I'm not anxious to go back – it's good out here. The only thing against it is the dampness of the dug-out life - especially in a wood. I must stop now and get on to my work. Having been held back by the weather and other things I have to get a hustle o-n now.
BOIS d' ECARD0NNEUSE,
France 18/7/18.
Last night I carried out my programme of redrawing on the second canvas the scene I already had on the first. I had just about done that when Lt. Reid suddenly remembered he had two letters for me. I took them and went off intending to go to bed, but lay down instead. All at once a barrage broke out and the Sgt. I asked me to come and watch it. It turned out to be not such a big one but big enough to be interesting to me. Great flashes as vivid but less intermittent than in a violent thunderstorm, and the sound, if less than thunder, a great deal more varied and punctuated. The general hub-bubbing rumble is variegated by the tattoo of machine gun fire and great sforzando crashes and stabs of the big hows, and naval guns. It was sublime and awful and the digs gave them a hiding, anyway. As you can probably guess, I've had very bad luck with the weather since I've been out here. It was fine when I wasn't ready and now that I am prepared is very changeable. As it was almost fine this morning, after last night's downpour, I took my things out and found