The Seed of Empire by Fred M. White

There were, of course, many other sports and pastimes down there at the base besides the historic encounter between the Musketeers and the Hard Nuts, which had become a joke of which the troops never seemed to tire. For instance, there was a gymkhana organised by the Indians, which in its way was a revelation to the British Tommies, who, except for the handful of seasoned troops that had seen service in our great Eastern Dependencies, had never seen anything like it before. They had a wholesome respect for the Ghurka and the Sikh, whom they knew to be magnificent fighters, but this was the first time they saw what our coloured soldiers could do in the way of horsemanship and feats of strength and skill.

There was plenty of time for all this now, for the winter had set in, the cold, wet winter which resolved itself into a game of patience and endurance on both sides. There would be nothing much doing before the spring, a fact in which the German leaders sullenly acquiesced. It was a case of sitting tight in the trenches and watching one another carefully for months. There might be outbreaks here and there, half-hearted attacks, but beyond all doubt the amazing defences of Ypres had reduced the Germans to a standstill for the time being. There were plenty of reserves now, so it was possible to give the heroes of the campaign the spells of rest that they so sorely needed. Three or four times during the next few weeks the Musketeers were back in the trenches, but only for a few days at a time, and then it became possible to give certain units the opportunity of a few days' leave.