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[Page 39]
Bivaouced. In the hollow where the road was marked with a river of slush, feet deep, transport, horses, mules & artillery passed in a swiftly hurrying stream. Here & there a water tank or limber either bogged or smashed held up the hurrying stream. When night fell, the twinkling lines resembled some great city. Men huddle under sheets of tin or tarpaulins, others less lucky lay down in the mud or walked up & down swathed in blankets & great coats to wait for the dawn.
Although the 25th dawned clear it again commenced to rain early. Dozens of planes went up but even these withdrew as morning advanced. The same lines of transport passed to & fro. These excited a good deal of anticipation & little wonder. Two roads junctioned at the foot of the hill where the brigade bivoauced. The bottom road solid enough though covered with slush was seething with transport. Limbers, water carts, ammunition wagons mingled with pack animals loaded with shells. But on the road branching up the hill was where the excitement occurred. A limber laden with shells & pulled by some six or eight horses woefully charged up the slope over knee deep in sticky dough-like mud & shuddered here & there with holes hidden holes. The wagon would suddenly drop onto one of these craters & the horses checked in their stride would would sprawl forward