see over the top.
Therefore, what was he doing trying to look over the parapet here of
all places? Secondly, the way he fell. A man killed instantaneously,
and shot through the back of his head, would in all probability pitch
forward on his face. You say his face was towards you, and that he was
sitting in the corner of the traverse." He paused to fill his pipe.

"Go on," said the Company Commander curiously. "You interest me."

"The third point is one on which I admit that I am doubtful. The
bullet wound is clean. Now I am inclined to think--though I don't
know--that a bullet passing through a chalk bag would become jagged,
and would not be travelling straight when it continued its flight.
However, I don't attach much importance to that. And the fourth and
last point is almost too trifling to mention. Do you notice anything
peculiar about his uniform?"

The listener flashed his torch over the dead officer, "No," he said at
length. "I can't say that I do. Except that one of his regimental
badges is missing. I suppose you don't mean that, do you?" The
Company Officer laughed irritably.

"I do," returned the other quietly. "It's a point of detail, even if a
little one." He looked thoughtfully at the man in front of him. "Do I
strike you as a callous sort of devil, old man?"

"You seem to be treating the boy rather on the line of a specimen for
improving your deductive powers."

"Perhaps you're right." Staunton turned away. "But I didn't mean it
that way--quite. Sorry, Joe; the boy was a pal of yours?"

"He was."

"God rest his soul!" The second-in-command spoke low. Then, with a
final salute to the youngster whose soul had gone to the haven of
fighting men, he turned away and vanished into the night.

* * * * * *

The next day the Company Commander came round to Battalion
Head-quarters.

"My two best subalterns," grunted the Colonel in disgust, "within two
days. Very annoying. Good boys--toppers both of them. You'd go quite
a way, Dick, before you bettered Brinton and Dixon."

"You would," affirmed the second-in-command. "Quite a way."

"And with all your theorising last night, old man," remarked the
Captain slyly, "we both forgot the obvious solution. He got on the
fire step, found he couldn't see over--so he clambered up on top.
Then, when he was getting down, he was hit, and slithered into the
position I found him in."

Staunton regarded the spe