gh the storm until they were hoarse and utterly exhausted.
Nothing had been seen or heard of Cotter.

Haines took charge of the situation at once. He formed up the four
platoons, and marched us all back to the beach. There we assumed open
order, and skirmished in a northerly direction. We were told to keep
in touch with each other, and to leave no square yard of the sand
unexamined. We were to go on skirmishing until we found Cotter, dead or
alive. My own idea was that if we found anything it would be his corpse.

I did my best to obey orders, but I almost immediately lost touch with
everybody else. The other men, so I learnt afterwards, had the same
experience. However, I had the good luck to find Cotter. He came towards
me, indeed he ran into me before I saw him. He was in charge of a
policeman, who held him firmly but kindly by the arm. The moment Cotter
saw me he burst out:

"Tell this infernal fool that I'm not drunk," he said.

"If you're acquainted with the gentleman," said the policeman, "it would
be well for you to take him home to his bed. He's not in a fit state to
be out by himself."

I drove off the policeman with some difficulty, making myself personally
responsible for Cotter's safety. Then I questioned the old gentleman.

"What have you been doing?" I said.

"Waiting for the ambulance. I'd be waiting still if that ass of a
policeman hadn't insisted that I was drunk and dragged me away."

"Good Lord!" I said, "and they've been looking for you for hours."

"I know that," said Cotter. "I saw their lights all over the place and
heard them shouting."

"Then why on earth didn't you shout back and let them know where you
were?"

"Casualties don't shout," said Cotter. "They can't They're too weak. I
groaned occasionally; but I suppose they didn't hear me."

"And how long did you mean to lie out in this storm?" I said.

"Till the stretcher bearers found me," said Cotter. "Those were the
C.O.'s orders."

I do not know whether any medals will be given to volunteers after the
war. Cotter certainly deserves one. I have never heard a finer story
of devotion to duty than his. When I had got rid of the policeman he
actually wanted to go back and lie down again.

II ~~ GETTING EVEN

The battalion awaited its orders to embark for France. A feeling of
expectation, a certain nervousness, a half-pleasurable excitement,
prevailed in the officers' mess and among the men. No one thought
of service in F