an' a billowin' cloud o' white smoke an' dust. There was some of our
troops hookin' a few wounded civilians out as we passed and the road was
cluttered up wi' bricks an' half a door an' broken bits o' chairs an'
tables an' crockery. Fair blew the inside out o' the house, that shell
did.

'When we come clear o' the town there was a long stretch o' clear road to
cover, an' we was ploddin' down this when we hears the hum o' an
airyplane. The Left'nant squints up an' "It's a Tawb," he sez.

'"Beggin' your pardon sir," I told 'im, "but it's a German. No mistakin'
them bird-shaped wings an' tail. He's a German, sure enough."

'"That's what I just said, Bombardier," he sez, which it wasn't but I
knew it was no use sayin' so.

'The airyplane swoops round an' comes flyin' straight to us an' passed
about our heads an' circles round to have a good look at us. The
Left'nant was fair riled.

'"Dash 'is impidence," he sez. "If he'd only come a bit lower we might
fetch him a smack"; an' he tells the gunners to get their rifles out.
But the German knew too much to come close down though he flew right over
us once or twice.

'"Why in thunder don't some of our guns have a whale at 'im,'" the
Left'nant says angry-like, "'or our airmen get up an' shoot some holes in
'im. He'll be droppin' a clothes-basketful o' bombs on my wagons
presently, like as not. An' I can't even loose off a rifle at the
bounder. Good Lord, that ever I should live to walk along a road like a
tame sheep an' let a mouldy German chuck parcels o' bombs at me without
me being able to do more'n shake my fist at 'im. . . ." 'An he swore
most vicious. The airyplane flew off at last but even then the Left'nant
wasn't satisfied. "He'll be off back 'ome to report this Ammunition
Column on this particular spot on the road," he sez, "if he's not tickin'
off the glad tidings on a wireless to 'is batteries now. An' presently I
suppose they'll start starring this road wi' high-explosive shell. Did
ever you know a wagon full to the brim wi' lyddite being hit by a
high-explosive, Bombardier, or hear how 'twould affect the Column's
health?"

'"I knew of a German column that one of our airyplanes dropped a bomb on,
at the Aisne, sir," I sez. "I passed the place on the road myself soon
after."

'"An' what happened?" he asks, an' I told 'im it seemed the bomb exploded
the wagon it hit an' the wagons exploded each other. "That Ammunition
Column," I sez, "went