bled red blood hour after hour, making him hideous to look on;
but the Japanese, calmly untying the clout which encased his head,
bound it instead across the wound, merely cursing the enemy and not
stirring an inch. The rest of us had not time to note much even of
that which was taking place right alongside of us; for we had orders
to be ready at any moment for a forward rush. If it had come we should
have been caught in a trap and lost. That I knew and understood.

We had stood this storm for a couple of hours, and were beginning to
revenge ourselves on the advanced line of skirmishers by winging them
whenever an incautious movement disclosed an arm or a leg, although we
had the strictest orders not to fire except to check a rush, when a
new danger presented itself, and was added to our already
uncomfortable position. An antiquated gun that had been sending
screeching shells over our heads, had evidently been given orders to
drive us from where we lay, for the shells which had been flying high
moved lower and lower, and buzzed more and more fiercely, until at
last one struck the roof. The aim, however, was still too high, for
the _debris_ of tiles, timber and mortar clattered down the other side
of the house and did us no harm.

It may have been five or ten minutes when a tremendous blow shook our
staging, and a vast shower of falling tiles and bricks drowned all
other sound. A shell, aimed well and low, had taken the roof full and
fair, and brought a big piece in on top of us. For some time we could
see nothing, nor realise the extent of the damage done, for clouds of
choking dust filled our improvised fort, and made us oblivious to
everything except a supreme desire for fresh air. Pushing our
loopholes open, regardless of the enemy's fire, we gasped for breath;
never have I been so choked and so distressed, and presently, the air
clearing a little, a huge rent in the roof was disclosed. On the
ground behind lay piles upon piles of rubbish and broken tiles, and
perilously near our heads a huge rafter sagged downwards, half split
in two. We were debating how long we could stand under such
circumstances, when a second shock shook the building, and once more
we were deluged with dust and dirt. This time the hanging rafter was
dislodged and fell sullenly with a heavy crash to the ground; and now,
in addition to the gap in the roof, a long rent appeared in the rear
wall. Our top line of loopholes was obviously, worse than