never heard before. He remembered it
still. It was a Tango song. "His Tango girl!" His thoughts flew off at a
tangent....

CHAPTER XXV

THE CROSSING OF THE AISNE

They spent a delectable night, with their boots off, between real
blankets, after a real wash. Very early, before it was really light,
they joined on to the Battalion, and slid down the hill.

The Subaltern had a few moments' talk with a friend who had commanded
the "Divisional Guard" during the night.

"Scarcely got any sleep," he said. "But I took a peep at their room. It
was laid out for a pucca breakfast. Jove, I could have done with some!"

At the door of the house he had been guarding, quite alone, and leaning
heavily on his thick stick, stood the Divisional Commander. No doubt he
knew of the struggle that lay before them, and was taking the
opportunity of reviewing his battalions as they went in to battle. His
face was red, his hair was iron grey, and rather long. He was a fine big
man, there was a presence to him, a rugged and determined look.

A few minutes later they had plunged into the depths of a thick morning
mist, that rolled like a lake between the heights. The steep road led
them at length to the banks of the Aisne. The Germans had naturally
blown up the bridge behind them, but the Sappers had erected a temporary
structure by the side of the ruined one. It quivered under their weight,
and as the Subaltern looked at the water swirling so swiftly beneath, he
wondered what would happen if one of those huge shells were to blow it
sky high....

Running parallel to the river, and about thirty yards away, was a canal.
This was likewise successfully passed, and so the Aisne was crossed
without a shot being fired.

The Battalion was concentrated while the rest of the Brigade crossed the
river. And all the time the sun was chasing away the light clouds of
river vapour. Soon the enemy would see them, and they would be caught in
this difficult and dangerous movement, and the results would be
disastrous.

But the minutes passed, and the mist melted almost entirely away, and
still the guns were silent. At last they moved off, and began to ascend
the slope. They were only just clear of the place when there was a
whistle, a shriek, a bang and a roar. The explosion was two or three
times greater than anything they had heard before. The very noise was
intimidating, paralysing, and before they had had time to rally their
nerves and collect