y mind as to
whether he was quite sane.

'Tell me about it, anyhow,' I said.

'I have so much to tell you that I hardly know where to begin.'

'Better begin at the beginning. What have you been doing since that
night you were at my billet over at St. Pierre?'

'Oh, yes, I'd forgotten all about that. I say, you were right there; I
should imagine that some people think I am in their way. Anyhow, I'd
hardly left your place when I suddenly found myself surrounded by three
men, who went for me. They pretended to be drunk, but I am sure they
were not.'

'Were they soldiers?'

'I don't know. It was too dark to tell. But I am pretty handy with my
fives, and I gave one something to remember, and then thinking
discretion was the better part of valour, I bolted. That was lucky,
for they were trying to grab me. As you may remember, it was pretty
dark, but still not so dark as to keep one from seeing things. I
hadn't gone more than a few steps before a bullet whizzed by me. It
didn't touch me, but as the road on which I ran was open, I turned up a
narrow track,--I thought it might lead to a farmhouse, or something of
that sort.'

'And then?'

'Then I had bad luck; The track led to a quarry, an old disused quarry.
Then I must have had a very bad fall, for I was stunned and I sprained
myself badly. When I came to myself, it was daylight, and I couldn't
move; at least, I couldn't move without awful pain.'

'And what happened then?'

'I lay there a jolly long time. You see the blessed quarry had got
overgrown, and all that sort of thing, and it was a long way from the
road. I yelled, and yelled, but no one came. Then I saw that it would
be all up with me, if I could make no one hear. That seemed silly.'

'And what did you do?'

'It was a bit of a tussle; you see I'd bruised and sprained myself so
badly; but I got out after a bit, and--and--made an old man who was
passing down the main road with a horse and cart hear me. The rest was
very simple.'

'Did you get any punishment?'

'Oh, no, sir. I have to thank you for that. The statement I made
tallied so exactly with yours that I got off all right. Besides, I was
jolly shaken up. At the end of a fortnight I was able to get around
again. Still, it's worth thinking about.'

'What do you mean?'

'Oh, there's no doubt some one is having his knife into me. Of course
I can't help reflecting on what you said. In fact, it was your advice
to look out f