hat I had heard was only fancy,
nevertheless I did not sleep well that night. As soon as morning
dawned I hurried to the spot again, but if there had been a struggle
the rain which had fallen had washed the traces away. Neither was
there anything suspicious to be seen.

Later in the day, however, news came to me that Private Edgecumbe was
missing, and as he had last been to my billet, I was to be questioned
as to whether I knew anything of his whereabouts.

As may be imagined when these questions were asked I could give no
satisfactory answers. I could not say that I suspected foul play
without giving my reasons, and those reasons were not good enough to
give. I could only say that he had come to me bringing a message from
Captain Wilkins, that he had left me about midnight bearing my reply.
That about two minutes after he had left I heard the sound of angry
voices, as well as a pistol shot, but beyond that nothing.

'Have you no idea where he is?' I asked anxiously.

'Not the slightest. I have made every inquiry--in vain. The fellow
has disappeared as though he had deserted.'

'He hasn't done that,' I replied. 'He's not that sort.'

'Then what's become of him?'

I shook my head. I was very anxious, but I could say nothing. I dared
not impugn two brother officers on such evidence as I had.
Nevertheless, as may be imagined, I thought a great deal about what had
taken place.

CHAPTER X

THE STRUGGLE IN THE TRENCHES

The events I have been writing about took place towards the end of May,
1916, and, as I have before stated, we were at this time making huge
preparations for the Great Advance. As fortune would have it,
moreover, I was, two days after my parting with Edgecumbe, given a job
five miles further south, and then life became such a rush, that to
make anything like satisfactory inquiries about a missing soldier was
absolutely impossible. I imagine that few newspaper readers at home,
when they read the first accounts of the battle of the Somme, and noted
that we took a few villages and a few thousand prisoners on the first
days of the battle, little realized the tremendous preparations which
had to be made. So hardly were we kept at it, that oftimes we had
scarce time for food or rest.

During the month of June, I received a letter from Lorna Bolivick, in
reply to the one I had sent her informing her of my meeting with Paul
Edgecumbe. It was so characteristic of her that I will insert