These stones, with the exception of the two chapters entitled "The Husbandmen," are all based on the experiences of the writer when serving in France and elsewhere, or on those of fellow-officers with whom he has been brought into contact. The writer makes no claims— and possesses none —to be considered a writer of fiction. Several of these stories deal with the battle of Mons, the Marne, the Aisne, Ypres, and the Somme; in each of these cases an attempt has been made to describe things as they actually occurred, though the art of "camouflage" has been practised to the extent of disguising the names of the characters and units concerned. Other and more strategical pens have described these mighty battles viewed at leisure as examples of the art of war; the writer has limited himself to describing them as they presented themselves in glimpses to the eyes of men who, being engaged in fighting them, had no time to speculate about them. The particular phases recorded in these pages are here made public for the first time; some day they will doubtless receive more orderly treatment in the records of certain West-country regiments and the history of two batteries of artillery. For the truth of the story called "No Man's Land" the author does not vouch; it is sufficient to say that it is based on a conversation with a fellow-officer one night in billets behind the lines. CENTURION.
![Gentlemen At Arms ([pref. 1918])](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/2940013711563_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg)
![Gentlemen At Arms ([pref. 1918])](http://img.images-bn.com/static/redesign/srcs/images/grey-box.png?v11.9.4)
![Gentlemen At Arms ([pref. 1918])](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/2940013711563_p0_v1_s600x595.jpg)
