It was days later that I wandered off, our regiment busy drilling. I watched the boys until I was sure they would not miss me and then in broad daylight began to walk. I had not succeeded in getting Cristiana out of my mind. I wanted to talk to her. I walked for days, having memorized the way through the bivouacs and battles of the previous weeks. In this way, I relived in reverse order all the boredom and banal dramas. I thought of Little Tiger from time to time and knew my pup would keep without me. He had taken a shine to Bellair and knew where to find scraps.
When night fell and I couldn’t see, I slept wherever I happened to be. I was not concerned that I might be caught. I hoped my nationality would exempt me from being court-martialled, and for the rest I decided not to care. I mad
