n the Keep; all our men were now out
in the open, and the officers were inspecting their rifles barely four
yards away from me. At that moment I saw the moon, a crescent of pale
smoke standing on end near the West. I felt in my pocket for money,
but found I had none to turn.

"Have you a ha'penny?" I asked Mervin who was passing.

"What for?" (p. 156)

"I want to turn it, you know the old custom."

"Oh, yes," answered Mervin, handing me a coin. "Long ago I used to
turn my money, but I found the oftener I saw the moon the less I had
to turn. However, I'll try it again for luck." So saying he turned a
penny.

"Do any of you fellows know Marie Redoubt?" an officer asked at that
moment.

"I know the place," said Mervin, "it's just behind the Keep."

"Will you lead me to the place?" said the officer.

"Right," said Mervin, and the two men went off.

They had just gone when a shell hit the building on my left barely
three yards away from my head. The explosion almost deafened me, a
pain shot through my ears and eyes, and a shower of fine lime and
crumpled bricks whizzed by my face. My first thought was, "Why did I
not put my hands over my eyes, I might have been struck blind." I had
a clear view of the scene in front, my mates were rushing hither and
thither in a shower of white flying lime; I could see dark forms
falling, clambering to their feet and falling again. One figure
detached itself from the rest and came rushing towards me, by my (p. 157)
side it tripped and fell, then rose again. I could now see it was
Stoner. He put his hands up as if in protest, looked at me vacantly,
and rushed round the corner of the building. I followed him and found
him once more on the ground.

"Much hurt?" I asked, touching him on the shoulder.

"Yes," he muttered, rising slowly, "I got it there," he raised a
finger to his face which was bleeding, "and there," he put his hand
across his chest.

"Well, get into the dug-out," I said, and we hurried round the front
of the building. A pile of fallen masonry lay there and half a dozen
rifles, all the men were gone. We found them in the dug-out, a hole
under the floor heavily beamed, and strong enough to withstand a fair
sized shell. One or two were unconscious and all were bleeding more or
less severely. I found I was the only person who was not struck.
Goliath and Bill got little particles of grit in the face, and they
lo