led out.

"Listen," whispered Tom, "it's one of the Bosches speaking to me. What
is it?" he asked aloud.

"Only this," and the German laughed as he spoke: "you Lancashires are
going to attack us at six o'clock to-morrow morning, eleven hundred
strong, and we're ready for you. That's all," and again the German
laughed.

"What does he mean?" said Tom to the man who stood by his side. "I
know nothing about any attack. Do you?"

"I knows there's something on foot," replied the other, "but what it is
I don't know."

"Do you think we ought to tell one of the officers?"

"Nay, it's not worth the trouble," was the reply; "besides, it's only a
bit of bluff."

Two hours later the English trenches were full of movement; evidently,
as the other sentry had told Tom, something was on foot. Orders were
given in low, tense tones, and although it wanted some time to
daylight, preparations were evidently being made for an attack.

The words which the German had spoken weighed heavily on Tom's mind.
Of course he was only a private, but might not the news he had received
mean something? The more he thought about it, the more he was
convinced that the German who spoke to him told the truth. Tom had no
knowledge, and no warning, that an attack was to be made, and yet,
within two hours from the time the German had spoken to him,
preparations were being made for an attack. He knew, too, that his
battalion was eleven hundred strong, having been reinforced only two
days before. Seeing a young officer, he determined to speak to him and
tell him what he had heard.

"It is very funny," said the subaltern, "I can't understand it a bit;
but it's too late now, we must go through with it." All the same the
subaltern found his way to his Colonel.

Precisely at six o'clock that morning the attack was made. From what
Tom learnt afterwards, it had been conceived and prepared for in
secret. None but those in high command had any knowledge whatever of
it. But evidently the enemy knew. As the German soldier who had
warned Tom said, "they were ready for them," and when the attack was
made they were met by a storm of bullets. Indeed the whole adventure
would have been disastrous had not the subaltern to whom Tom had spoken
reported the conversation to a superior officer, who had hurriedly
given orders for a number of the Black Watch to be brought up. As it
was, although our loss of life was heavy, we did not have to yield any
groun