ed the cook house and had taken some hot soup, they
prepared to go out on the field again and look for wounded.

The night seemed very dark as they stumbled along. The dead lay piled
everywhere in hideous confusion. There seemed to be no wounded. Man
after man they scanned with their flashlights. The unsteady lights
often gave the dead the effect of motion. As they sent the ray here
and there they thought they saw eyes open or close, arms move, legs
stretch out, or mangled and tortured bodies twist in agony. But under
their exploring hands the dead lay cold.

They reached the first line trench and passed beyond it. Here lay
ranks of the enemy, mowed down under the pitiless English fire.

"There is someone living over here," said Velo. "I heard a groan."

They turned and found a group of men; three dead, and across their
bodies two who surely moved.

Zaidos propped his light on the breast of one of the dead soldiers and
lifted the head of a young officer whose shattered leg held him
helpless. He was quite conscious, and spoke to Zaidos in a weak
whisper.

"I'm gone!" he said. "See what you can do for the man lying on my leg.
I would have bled to death long ago if it hadn't been for his weight."

Zaidos looked in his kit anxiously. It was almost empty and the
bandage was all gone.

"Velo, get back to the station and bring me a fresh kit," he ordered.
"I'm going to hold this artery until you get back, and see if I can't
keep a little blood in here." He sat down and pressed a finger on the
fast emptying vein. With his free hand he held a flask to the lips of
the almost dying man. Velo disappeared in the dark.

"Really, my dear chap," said the wounded officer, "it's a waste of time
for you to do that. I wish you would jolly well leave me for some
other chap. I'm done; and I don't care in the least, so you need not
trouble your conscience about me."

Hurt to death as he was, the officer smiled; and Zaidos was all at once
filled with the conviction that he was someone whom he had met. But
where?

"That's nonsense!" said Zaidos. "We will fix you up if you will make
up your mind to hang on to yourself."

"I've been hanging on for a good while," said the officer pleasantly.
"I've been here for a year or two, I think. I only came down from
London for the night, you see. Not very long, eh, old chap?" He
nodded his head.

"You what?" said Zaidos stupidly.

"London, you know," said the officer.