big guns upon the city. 'We can kill Belgian women and
children, anyhow,' they said, 'and we can smash up the old town.' Are
you a bit jumpy?"

"No n-n-no;--that is, a little bit," said Tom.

"Oh, it's quite quiet now," replied the sergeant. "I will walk through
with you if you like and show you round. This is the great square; one
of the biggest in the world. I saw it before it was bombarded; the
Cathedral and the Cloth Hall were just wonderful; see what they are
now! knocked into smithereens. See the trees around, how they are
twisted and burnt? That house there I saw shelled myself. I had got a
bit used to the shelling by that time, but I tell you it gave me a
turn. It was the biggest house in the Square, and a great bomb caught
it fair in the face; it seemed as though the whole world was shaking,
and the noise fair deafened you. The house went down as though it were
cardboard, and other houses around fell as though to keep it company,
while others caught fire. Ay, they're sweet creatures, are those
German swine."

"Doan't you hate 'em?" asked Tom.

"Hate 'em?" said the sergeant; "well, I don't know. Mind you, they are
fine soldiers, and brave men too, or at least they seem brave; but it's
discipline does it. They are just like machinery. Once when I was
right in the middle of it, they attacked in close formation, and we
turned our machine-guns on 'em. Ever seen a mowing machine in a wheat
field? ever seen the wheat fall before the knives? Well, that's how
they fell. Hundreds upon hundreds; but still they came on. Just as
fast as one lot was killed, the others, knowing that they were going to
certain death, came on, thinking they would wear us down by sheer
numbers."

"Did they?" asked Tom.

"No, that time they didn't," replied the sergeant, "but another scrap I
was in they did. That is their plan, you know; it is terribly costly,
but when it succeeds it works havoc."

"Have you been wounded at all?" asked Tom.

"Yes, I have stopped two bullets, one in the foot and another in the
shoulder, but I quickly got over it. I have been wonderfully lucky.
You will get used to it after a bit; you seem a plucky chap; you don't
look like the sort that runs away. Although, mind you, I have seen
plucky chaps hook it."

"No, I'm not plucky," said Tom; "but I don't think I would run away."

"Wait till the shrapnel is falling around you; wait till great pieces
of jagged shell mow men down on your rig