indigestibility they had gone the way of all luxuries.  The generosity of the public, however—­the female portion of it especially—­must not be forgotten.  Substantial presents, which were always acknowledged through the columns of the Press, came frequently to the camps.  The cynics detected astuteness in this rush into print; but while they mourned the frailty of human nature, as instanced by the vanity competitions in the papers, they humbled themselves to the Greeks so far as to partake of such gifts as were offered.  Tobacco, cigarettes, and other dainties were received, and consumed with rude rapidity.  Every man was supposed to be responsible for the safety of a tin pannikin, out of which to scald himself drinking hot tea (for it had the merit of being hot—­if a black draught has any).  But there were soldiers who denied having been supplied with “cups”; whose appeals for pannikins were persistently flouted by the military utensil-keeper-in-chief.  The “tape” of the Service could not tie up mendacity!  The lives of honest martyrs were thus spent in an eternal borrowing quest, and the petty larceny of pannikins was a common and popular crime.  Many a heated, yet amusing, quarrel, many a storm in a porringer relieved the monotony of camp life.

Concerts did it, too, at frequent intervals; and fine concerts they were.  At the Reservoir camp they were particularly excellent, not the least interesting “turns” being the sanguinary “sword speeches” of the Officer Commanding.  Comic and melodious songs were rendered with equal gusto; the Royal Artillery rivalled the D.F.  Artillery, and Tommy Atkins, the merchants, shopboys, clerks, and “civies” generally.  The services of an Irishman—­born great, by virtue of the brogue with which he kicked Off to Philadelphia—­were in great demand at all the halls.  One night the Chair was occupied by the Senior Officer, surrounded by his staff, in a halo of cigarette smoke.  He (the Chairman) had a box in front of him, doing duty as a table; a rough programme lay before him, and two candles, with long beer bottles serving as candelabra, threw sufficient light on the “table,” and lit the cigarettes.  The president had bottles in front of him, containing something still more illuminating than tallow (judging by the hue of the faces privileged to sample it), from which the ring round the “table” from time to time regaled itself.  Many an envious glance was shot at the ring; and by-the-by it was wonderful the celerity with which the diffidence so marked at the outset disappeared when it was observed that vocal contributors (soloists) were by courtesy entitled to a “pull” from the bottles.  Everybody wanted to sing, and dismal howlers who, ordinarily, would die first, were driven, tempted, lured, impelled to howl for drink.  The liquor, generously diluted with minerals, was served out in pannikins; and when the concert ended the National Anthem was taken by storm, as also were the empty bottles to squeeze, lick, and drain to the dregs.