y and
capture the trenches on the right of the crater. On capturing them,
I was to open a covering fire to enable the bombers to go further
forward. A similar move was being made by B Company on the bombers'
left. In short, a wedge was being driven into the Turkish line, and
the point of the wedge--Doe's bombing party--was to penetrate to the
gun-position. Both my task and Doe's were dam-dangerous, said the
Colonel, but Doe's was the damnedest. On the effectiveness of my
flanking support might depend his life and the success of the raid.
Did I see?

"Yes, sir."

The hour of the attack was not known, he explained. Since the whole
Helles line was moving, the final order must come from G.H.Q. But
everybody was to be armed and ready in the trenches by dawn.... And
... well, good evening, Ray.

It was about dusk. I returned to the dug-out, and by candle-light
wrote out my company orders. Then Doe and I decided that we ought to
put together a few letters. And Doe tossed his pencil gaily into the
air and caught it. The action was to cover with a veneer of
merriness a question which it embarrassed him to ask.

"Oughtn't we to make a jolly old will?"

"Sure thing," agreed I, in imitation of him. "It'll be rather fun."

Sec.4

Soon after Battalion Orders were out, Monty came and sat down in our
dug-out. We had known he would come, and our reception of him was
planned. Doe, whose affected gaiety had begun to give place to a
certain wistfulness as the darkness fell, spoke first:

"D'you remember telling us one night on the _Rangoon_ about some
fellows who--who--gave you their wills the day before an attack?"

Monty turned his head, and started to frown through the dug-out door
at the still AEgean Sea.

"Yes," he said.

"Well, Rupert and I thought that we'd--that p'raps you'd look after
these envelopes, in case--"

"Oh, damn!" said Monty. I had never heard him swear before, but I
knew that in the word his big heart spoke. Doe still held our
envelopes towards his averted face, and at last he took them
silently.

"Thanks, awfully," said Doe.

"Thanks," said I.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, shut up!" Monty grumbled, and started
whistling unconsciously. Immediately in my mind the words "Dismiss
me not thy service, Lord" framed themselves to the tune, and
conjured up a vision of the smoking room of the _Rangoon_ and its
decks by starlight. Abruptly Monty broke off, and said, still
frowning at the sea:

"Since those