ns.

Now Niven got word by messenger to go to the nearest point where
the telephone was working and tell the brigade commander the
complete details of the situation. The brigade commander asked him
if he could stick, and he said, "Yes, sir!" which is what Colonel
"Fanny" Farquhar would have said. This trip was hardly what would
be called peaceful. The orderly whom Niven had with him both going
and coming was hit by high explosive shells. Niven is so small that it
is difficult to hit him. He is about up to Major Gault's shoulder.

He had been worrying about his supply of rifle-cartridges. There were
not enough to take care of another German infantry charge, which
was surely coming. After repelling two charges, think of failing to repel
the third for want of ammunition! Think of Corporal Christy, the bear-
hunter, with the Germans thick in front of him and no bullets for his
rifle! But appeared again Mr. Thomas Atkins, another platoon of him,
with twenty boxes of cartridges, which was rather a risky burden to
bring through shell-fire. The relief as these were distributed was that
of having something at your throat which threatens to strangle you
removed.

Making another tour of his trenches a little later in the afternoon,
Niven found that there was a gap of fifty yards between his left and
the right of the adjoining regiment. Fifty yards is the inch on the end of
a man's nose in trench-warfare on such an occasion. He was able to
place eight men in the gap. At least, they could keep a look out and
tell him what was going on.

It was not cheering news to learn that the regiments on his left had
withdrawn to trenches about three hundred yards to the rear--a long
distance in trench warfare. But the P.P.s had no time to retire. They
could have gone only in the panic of men who think of nothing in their
demoralization except to flee from the danger in front, regardless of
more danger to the rear. They were held where they were under what
cover they had by the renewed blasts of shells, putting the machine-
guns out of action.

Now the Germans were coming on again in their supreme effort. It
was as a nightmare, in which only the objective of effort is recalled
and all else is a vague struggle of every ounce of strength which one
can exert against smothering odds. No use to ask these men what
they thought. What do you think when you are climbing up a rope
whose strands are breaking over the edge of a precipice? You climb;