With Haig on the Somme

Enemy T

bearers kneeling among the nettles, on the look-out for casualties. They had seen them coming, and th

hisper, speaking with difficulty. "Do

pad under the commandant's ear, a

ow is it going? For me, I do not mind if you

h a crack in the wal

ly successful," he said. "The

stained crimson with his own blood. "I thank you from the bottom

he fa

stretcher-bearers to his companion. "W

poral, touching Dennis on the a

tles, Dennis picked it up, and the pair rac

ulging wallets and strings of racket bombs, was over the parapet before him, and the boy's

and out to kill. They had old scores to wipe o

at with the hideous gas helmets and their huge goggles, and the medi?val-looking trench helmets,

n tight embrace, were seen revolving in a species of grim waltz,

here they fell, and the living took no notice of either. If there was any

ian corporal, whose name was Aristide Puzzeau. "The wind is in t

om a dead comrade, and without waiting for a

ply was exhausted he unslung his rifle with its l

ossessed himself of a steel helmet, for the shrapnel had a habit of raining down on friend and foe alike, but after they had gone some distance in a n

subterranean dug-out from which they poured in rushes, and, crouching down, he waited at one side

uzzeau. "There are plenty more o

u, lunging forward, and the sergean

opening was filled with a surge of men, and De

behind paused. "If there were only half a dozen of us here now, or, better still, a bomb-thrower," and,

nt myself for reinforcements. Do you know every officer

purpose," cried Dennis, pointing to an ugly gre

knew what he was doing, Dennis had scrambled up to the machine-gun emplac

ed, waving with his ar

"He looks English and speaks Fr

t," laughed the corporal. "Voilà! there she goes. And to t

une, for under the gun he found three Germans recently bayoneted and the cartridge-jacket in position.

moment, and they saw

ve someone here, but the company is in difficulties, and we are wanted. Can you take charge, mon gar?on? See,

u if they show their noses again," said the corp

understood. Corporal Puzzeau understood also, and his eyes danced as Den

other side, when that slim brown figure in the uniform of their British Allies with o

u are surely not going back to Paris? Berlin lies in t

and the men who had recoiled, took up the s

ded a little way off, and

e said. "He has learn

that Dennis and the corporal could check the victorious company from penetrating into the zone of their own artillery barra

n corporal, "the general shall hear of this thing you have done.

" he said. "We've taken the trench, anyhow; and as I see our right brigade yond

d after a quick sprint he came up with an English Fusilier

y large eyeglass turned round and stared at him. "You look as though

id Dennis, looking down ruefully at his tat

he same training corps. "Pretty good raid, what? What price Romford after this? Bet you

eaded his way past the rear of the brigade, not without

struck the nearest battalion of his own brigade, and arriv

t word had just come that they, too, were now to make a surprise attack on the e

u!" was Bob's greeting as they met on the fire-step. "You lo

, you've no business with three bags of bombs.

who had been looking at his watch for the last minute said: "Ready, boys!

crossed the strip of "No Man's Land" with his platoon, someho

ed for the moment to find the French corporal no longer at his elbow,

irty wooden steps leading from the end of a short

ans in bunks, and with a glance at the pictures on the walls, and

floor of the inner dug-out, which was quite thirty feet below the level on which

count them, Dashwood?" said

ce. The electric lights went out, and while he was still falling he heard