sed through the lower part of his
lung, and then through the abdomen, leaving a hole through which part of
the intestine projected.

"Come along and ask him some questions," he said to me. "Don't stand
about there doing nothing--make yourself useful. Tell him he'll be well
treated--better than the English wounded are treated in Germany."

The prisoner answered in a drawling whisper:

"I never expected bad treatment--the English wounded are not treated
badly by us either."

"Aren't they! That's all he knows about it!... Ask him if he likes war."

"O God, no--war's good for the rich, not for the poor."

"I thought these Huns loved warfare--ask him if he thinks Germany will
win."

"Germany's in a bad way--Ach Gott, don't ask me any more, give me
something to stop my pain!"

"That's the retort diplomatic! Send him off to sleep--let's get the job
done."

When the man had lost consciousness, Captain Grierson, the anaesthetist,
put the chloroform bottle aside, jumped down from the stool, and
searched the pockets of his helpless patient. He did not find much,
however, only a few letters and picture postcards until he came to a
deep trouser pocket from which he drew a big German pipe.

"Not a bad souvenir," he said, as he put it into his own pocket and
returned to his stool. Of course this was not stealing, it was merely
"scrounging" or "pinching" or "collecting souvenirs," which is an
entirely different thing.

For a time the surgeons worked silently, amputating arms and legs,
holding the bare skin between two fingers and cutting the flesh,
throwing bleeding bits on to the floor, dressing and bandaging stumps
and excised wounds.

Captain Calthrop was grumbling at the tedium of the work when his
anaesthetist lit upon a happy thought and said:

"How'd you like to try your hand at giving an anaesthetic? I'll have a
shot at surgery--I've never done it before. I'd like to see if I'm any
good at it."

"Right you are," replied Captain Calthrop, "we'll change over."

"Jolly good idea," added Captain Wycherley at the next table, "we'll
change over too."

"Right-o," said his anaesthetist.

And so the two anaesthetists operated and the two surgeons gave
anaesthetics. It was, perhaps, rather a dangerous thing to do, but as the
wounded men were only Germans it did not matter.

Captain Dowden took no part in this experiment. In fact he even
suggested that it was "a bit thick," but his disapproval did not assume
a mor