The Bailleul road, which was my best route, was a pave road, and was hard on a horse.

I did not want poor willing Dandy to suffer from overwork, so I begged the loan of another mount from Headquarters.

It was a young horse, but big and heavily built, and had no life in it.

I was trotting down the road with him one day when he tumbled down, and I injured my knee, causing me to be laid up with water on the knee for about six weeks.

The men used to chaff me about falling off my horse, but I told them that I could sit on a horse as long as he stood up, but I could not sit on the air when the horse lay down.