. Pulling a black stump of a pencil out of his pocket, he
proceed to write a dispatch. It was as follows:

"DEAR CURNEL,--Paddy Doolan an' I, with twenty boys, just captured
enemy's position. Enemy running like blazes. The officer bloke
refuses to be dead. I'm sending him to you. We're just goin' off to
try an' capture a general.--Yours,

"BILL BUSTER."

"P.S.--Did you get that mad fellow wot thinks we're playin' cricket?
Pore chap!"

This letter and the prisoner were dispatched under escort to Colonel
Killem in rear. Bill again proceeded to join the long line of scouts
which now faced the outposts of the enemy. This was the second stage
of the attack. The "screen" now came up and thickened the Australian
line. Many officers came with it, so Bill, without protest, vacated
the post of "general."

"Bang, bang, bang!" went the rifles. "Z-r-r-p-rip-rip!" went the
machine-guns, while the sullen boom of the field artillery in rear
indicated that matters were becoming interesting.

"Advance by rushes," ordered the senior Australian officer in the front
line.

"Why don't you let us give 'em the bayonet?" muttered Bill, disagreeing
with the tactics of his superior.

"Shut up," ordered an old sergeant.

"All right, funny-face."

"Consider yourself a prisoner," was the final word of the N.C.O. as
they went forward on the rush. Bill wished for more than a round of
blank.

Section after section took up a new line. Then the rushes started
again. All the time the rifles were spitting out their fire. They
reached within fifty yards of the outpost line. As this was simply a
protective screen, and not the line of resistance, the enemy's outpost
companies commenced to fade away systematically in the direction of
their main body.

"Prepare to charge," ordered the officer.

"With bayonets?" queried Bill.

"No," he snapped.

"Wot's a bloomin' bayonet for?" asked Bill when the officer was out of
hearing.

"For openin' jam tins, ye fathead," said Paddy.

"Charge!" The long line rose like one man. With a great cheer they
swept away the remnants of the outpost companies and occupied the
ridge. This gave the Australians a complete view of the main position.
Both flanks rested on impassable obstacles. The front was secured by
imaginary entanglements, backed up by a series of trenches and an array
of Maxims and guns. This was the information required by the
Australian G.O.C. The reconnaissance had