asses the third bathing-box, numbering from the south end of the
beach, Mrs. Tompkins' bathing-box, which is painted bright green."

Haines was, very properly, most particular about defining the
bathing-box exactly.

"Corporal Cotter and the other casualties," said Haines, "will take
waterproof ground-sheets with them--two waterproof ground-sheets
each--and keep as dry as possible. The stretcher bearers will follow
the column at a distance of two hundred paces to pick up the casualties,
affording first-aid on the spot, and, on reaching the field hospital,
will apply restoratives under the directions of the Company's Medical
Officer. For the purposes of these manouvres. Corporal Cotter's house
will be regarded as the Field Hospital."

The other three casualties, all elderly and rather delicate men, were
ordered to drop out of the ranks at places further along the beach.
If it was Janet's luck to reach the furthest casualty she would walk,
carrying a stretcher, about a mile and a half altogether. When she got
home she would be less inclined to sneer at people who catch cold in the
service of their country.

The night was extremely dark. I do not think I have ever experienced a
darker night. We could hear the sea roaring on our left, and could see,
when we looked back, a dim glow here and there from the windows of our
houses; but it was quite impossible to see anything on the beach.

I missed Cotter when we had been stumbling along for about a quarter of
an hour, and felt glad that he had done his share. In a minute or so, I
hoped, he would be safe on a stretcher, and half an hour later would
be drinking whisky and water, hot That, so Tompkins told me, was the
restorative which was to be administered to all the casualties.

We got through the business of relieving the trenches in the end, though
we had a tough struggle. The great difficulty was to find them. If
Platoons Numbers 1 and 2 could have shouted to us or flashed their
electric torches we should have got them much sooner than we did. But
noise and light were strictly forbidden. They would, so Haines said,
attract the enemy's fire, and result in our being wiped out by shrapnel.

I got separated at one time from the rest of my platoon, and walked into
the sea twice. Afterwards I fell over the Company Sergeant-Major, who
was sitting in a pool beside a rock. He said he had sprained his ankle.
But that turned out not to be true. He had only twisted it a little, an