The story of every individual's past life, relations, friends, regiment, and soldier experience had been told again and again, until the repetition was wearisome.

The cool nights following the hot days were favorable to little gossiping seances like the yarn-spinning watches of sailors on pleasant nights.

Our squad, though its stock of stories was worn threadbare, was fortunate enough to have a sweet singer in Israel "Nosey" Payne--of whose tunefulness we never tired.

He had a large repertoire of patriotic songs, which he sang with feeling and correctness, and which helped much to make the calm Summer nights pass agreeably.

Among the best of these was "Brave Boys are They," which I always thought was the finest ballad, both in poetry and music, produced by the War..