y came at us like a wall; the ground was grey
with them. And I was up on a smashed traverse, trying to keep the men
together, when it went up too."

"A shell was it?"

Jim shook his head.

"A shell did burst near us, but it wasn't that. No, the trench was
mined, and the mine went off a shade too late. They delayed, somehow;
it should have gone off if we took the trench, before they
counter-attacked. As it was, it must have killed as many of their men
as ours. They told me about it afterwards."

"Afterwards?" said Callaghan, curiously. He looked at Jim, a little
doubtful as to whether he really knew what he was talking about.
"Did ye not come straight here then, sir?"

"I did not; I was buried," said Jim grimly. "The old mine went up
right under me, and I went up too. I came down with what seemed like
tons of earth on top of me; I was covered right in, I tell you, only I
managed to get some of the earth away in front of my nose and mouth.
I was lying on my side, near the edge of a big heap of dirt, with my
hands near my face. If I'd been six inches further back there
wouldn't have been the ghost of a chance for me. I got some of the
earth and mud away, and found I could breathe, just as I was choking.
But I was buried for all that. All our chaps were fighting on top of
me!"

"D'ye tell me!" gasped Callaghan incredulously.

"I could feel the boots," Jim said. "I'm bruised with them yet. What
time did we go over that morning?--nine o'clock, wasn't it?"

"It was, sir."

"Well, it was twelve or one o'clock when they dug me out. They
re-took the trench, and started to dig themselves in, and they found
me; I've a spade-cut on my hand. My Aunt, that was a long three
hours!"

"Did they treat you decent, sir?"

"They weren't too bad," Jim said. "I couldn't move; I suppose it was
the weight on me, and the bruising--at least, I hope so. They felt me
all over--there was a rather decent lieutenant there, who gave me some
brandy. He told me he didn't think there was anything broken. But I
couldn't stir, and it hurt like fury when they touched me."

"And how long were you there, sir?"

"They had to keep me until night--there was no way of sending back
prisoners. So I lay on a mud-heap, and the officer-boy talked to
me--he had been to school in England."

"That's where they larned him any decency he had," said Callaghan.

"It might be. But he wasn't a bad sort. He looked after me well
enough.