(1) The hair-brush.

(2) The cricket-ball.

(3) The policeman’s truncheon.

(4) The jam-tin.

The hair-brush is very like the ordinary hair-brush, except that the bristles are replaced by a solid block of high-explosive.  The policeman’s truncheon has gay streamers of tape tied to its tail, to ensure that it falls to the ground nose downwards.  Both these bombs explode on impact, and it is unadvisable to knock them against anything—­say the back of the trench—­when throwing them.  The cricket-ball works by a time-fuse.  Its manipulation is simplicity itself.  The removal of a certain pin releases a spring which lights an internal fuse, timed to explode the bomb in five seconds.  You take the bomb in your right hand, remove the pin, and cast the thing madly from you.  The jam-tin variety appeals more particularly to the sportsman, as the element of chance enters largely into its successful use.  It is timed to explode about ten seconds after the lighting of the fuse.  It is therefore unwise to throw it too soon, as there will be ample time for your opponent to pick it up and throw it back.  On the other hand, it is unwise to hold on too long, as the fuse is uncertain in its action, and is given to short cuts.

Such is the tactical revolution promised by the advent of the bomb and other new engines of war.  As for its effect upon regimental and company organisation, listen to the plaintive voice of Major Kemp:—­

“I was once—­only a few months ago—­commander of a company of two hundred and fifty disciplined soldiers.  I still nominally command that company, but they have developed into a heterogeneous mob of specialists.  If I detail one of my subalterns to do a job of work, he reminds me that he is a bomb-expert, or a professor of sandbagging, or director of the knuckle-duster section, or Lord High Thrower of Stink-pots, and as such has no time to play about with such a common thing as a platoon.  As for the men, they simply laugh in the sergeant-major’s face.  They are ‘experts,’ if you please, and are struck off all fatigues and company duty!  It was bad enough when Ayling pinched fourteen of my best men for his filthy machine-guns; now, the company has practically degenerated into an academy of variety artists.  The only occasion upon which I ever see them all together is payday!”

* * * * *

Meanwhile, the word has just gone forth, quietly and without fuss, that we are to uproot ourselves from our present billets, and be ready to move at 5 A.M. to-morrow morning.

Is this the Big Push at last?

II

We have been waiting for the best part of two days and nights listening to the thunder of the big guns, but as yet we have received no invitation to “butt in.”