of counter-attack. As it's an
important point, the enemy will try to recover it. I want to get
into position before daylight, so he won't know fresh troops are
coming in. As ranking officer, you are in charge of the Company."

"Very well, sir. I'll do my best."

"I'm sure you will. Two machine gun teams are going up with us,
and some time tomorrow a Missouri battalion comes up to support.
I'd have had you over here before, but I only got my orders to
relieve yesterday. We may have to advance under shell fire. The
enemy has been putting a lot of big stuff over; he wants to cut
off that trench."

Claude and David got into a fresh shell hole, under the
half-burned scrub, and fell asleep. They were awakened at dusk by
heavy artillery fire from the north.

At ten o'clock the Battalion, after a hot meal, began to advance
through almost impassable country. The guns must have been
pounding away at the same range for a long while; the ground was
worked and kneaded until it was soft as dough, though no rain had
fallen for a week. Barclay Owens and his engineers were throwing
down a plank road to get food and the ammunition wagons across.
Big shells were coming over at intervals of twelve minutes. The
intervals were so regular that it was quite possible to get
forward without damage. While B Company was pulling through the
shell area, Colonel Scott overtook them, on foot, his orderly
leading his horse.

"Know anything about that light over there, Wheeler?" he asked.
"Well, it oughtn't to be there. Come along and see."

The light was a mere match-head down in the ground, Claude hadn't
noticed it before. He followed the Colonel, and when they reached
the spark they found three officers of A Company crouching in a
shell crater, covered with a piece of sheet-iron.

"Put out that light," called the Colonel sharply. "What's the
matter, Captain Brace?"

A young man rose quickly. "I'm waiting for the water, sir. It's
coming up on mules, in petrol cases, and I don't want to get
separated from it. The ground's so bad here the drivers are
likely to get lost."

"Don't wait more than twenty minutes. You must get up and take
your position on time, that's the important thing, water or no
water."

As the Colonel and Claude hurried back to overtake the Company,
five big shells screamed over them in rapid succession. "Run,
sir," the orderly called. "They're getting on to us; they've
shortened the range."

"That light back there wa