view, running like men possessed, their
hands above their heads, while the Guards,
looking up from their digging, cheered deri-
sively. Several parties thus broke cover
and rushed hell-tor-leather into the midst
346 THE ADVENTURES OF AN ENSIGN
of our Ensign's Battalion, where they
meekly, almost gratefully, submitted to be
searched, and were marched off at a good
round pace to the rear through the raging
German barrage.
But now the Germans seemed to have
located the new line. Their guns short-
ened their range, and whizz - bangs and
5 '9 shells began bursting about the digging
Guardsmen. The officers went to and fro
encouraging the men, sometimes lending a
hand with pick or spade to give a good
example. The shell fire was getting hotter
every minute, and there was absolutely no
cover save such as the shallow shell-holes
afforded. There were casualties, and the
cry of " Stretcher - bearEB ! " echoed up
and down the line.
El Capitan sat on a corn-stook writing
his report for the Commanding Officer ;
Peter was in conference with the Company
Sergeant- Major. The men had buckled to
THE ADVENTURES OF AN ENSIGN 347
their work with a will and were digging
feverishly, the sweat pouring down their
faces. A British aeroplane soared, shrilly
tooting, above their heads.
Lord, how hot it was ! Our Ensign
doffed his heavy helmet and wiped his
brow. His rifle, which he had carried
round with him all day, was planted,
bayonet downwards, in the ground beside
him. In a shell - hole, a few yards away,
sat a brother officer whom he had not
seen since the previous evening. The latter
called out to him to come over and sit
down. Our Ensign walked across and
dropped on to the edge of the shell - hole,
at the bottom of which a man was
scraping with his entrenching tool.
He filled his pipe and got out his match-
box to light it. Then, from behind, some-
thing struck him a tremendous blow and
lifted him high in the air with a mighty
force, against which he struggled in vain
348 THE ADVENTURES OF AN ENSIGN
with mind and body, desperately fighting
to remain on the ground, striving to retain
the mastery over himself. . . .
. • • •
It was during his convalescence that
this narrative came to be written.
THE END.
PRINTED BY WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS,
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