mbs began bursting
among them, they took to trails and burrows. "Don't follow them
off into the rocks," Claude kept calling. "Straight ahead! Clear
everything to the ravine."

As the German gunners made for cover, the firing into the gully
stopped, and the arrested column poured up the steep defile after
Gerhardt.

Claude and his party found themselves back at the foot of the
hill, at the edge of the ravine from which they had started.
Heavy firing on the hill above told them the rest of the men had
got through. The quickest way back to the scene of action was by
the same water-course they had climbed before. They dropped into
it and started up. Claude, at the rear, felt the ground rise
under him, and he was swept with a mountain of earth and rock
down into the ravine.

He never knew whether he lost consciousness or not. It seemed to
him that he went on having continuous sensations. The first, was
that of being blown to pieces; of swelling to an enormous size
under intolerable pressure, and then bursting. Next he felt
himself shrink and tingle, like a frost-bitten body thawing out.
Then he swelled again, and burst. This was repeated, he didn't
know how often. He soon realized that he was lying under a great
weight of earth; his body, not his head. He felt rain falling on
his face. His left hand was free, and still attached to his arm.
He moved it cautiously to his face. He seemed to be bleeding from
the nose and ears. Now he began to wonder where he was hurt; he
felt as if he were full of shell splinters. Everything was buried
but his head and left shoulder. A voice was calling from
somewhere below.

"Are any of you fellows alive?"

Claude closed his eyes against the rain beating in his face. The
same voice came again, with a note of patient despair.

"If there's anybody left alive in this hole, won't he speak up?
I'm badly hurt myself."

That must be the new doctor; wasn't his dressing station
somewhere down here? Hurt, he said. Claude tried to move his legs
a little. Perhaps, if he could get out from under the dirt, he
might hold together long enough to reach the doctor. He began to
wriggle and pull. The wet earth sucked at him; it was painful
business. He braced himself with his elbows, but kept slipping
back.

"I'm the only one left, then?" said the mournful voice below.

At last Claude worked himself out of his burrow, but he was
unable to stand. Every time he tried to stand, he got faint and
seemed