o tell you the truth, I know precious little,' he replied. 'All I
remember is the shriek of a shell, the noise of ten thousand thunders,
absolute blackness, and then coming to consciousness in a hospital.'

'Then you don't know what happened between the noise of the ten
thousand thunders and awaking in the hospital?'

'No,' he replied, 'I don't. I do remember inquiring, but I was told to
be quiet, and when, on my becoming stronger, I was removed to the base,
no one seemed to be able to tell me what had happened to me. I should
be jolly glad to know. Perhaps you can tell me'; and there was a
suggestion of a sneer in his voice.

'Yes,' I replied, 'I can.'

By this time there was a deathly silence in the room. In a way which I
had not imagined I had changed the whole atmosphere of the place.

'As it happened,' I said, 'I had a curious experience myself, close to
where you were. A shell had exploded not far from me, and I was half
buried, besides receiving a tremendous shock. I managed to drag myself
out from under the _debris_, however, and was in a confused kind of way
trying to find my men. You know what an awful day that was; the
Germans had located us to a nicety, and were sending tons of explosives
on us. It was one of the hottest times I have ever known.'

'Heavens! it was,' he said, and I thought he shuddered.

'We had passed the Germans' first line,' I continued, 'and I was
struggling along in the open, hardly knowing what I was doing, when I
saw some men whom I thought I recognized. I heard the awful whine of a
shell, which fell close by, and it was not a dud. It exploded with a
tremendous noise, and for some time I was wellnigh blinded by dust and
sulphurous smoke. A great hole had been torn in the ground, and a huge
heap of rubbish hurled up. After a bit I saw a man digging as if for
very life. He was right out in the open, and in the greatest danger a
man could be. The men who were still alive shouted to him to get into
the shell-hole, but he went on digging.'

I was silent for a few seconds. I did not know how best to conclude
the story.

'Well, what happened?' he asked.

'He dug you out,' I replied.

'How do you know it was I?'

'Because I helped to carry you to a place of safety.'

'By Jove! I knew nothing about it. But who was the chap who dug me
out? I should like to know.'

'Surely you know?'

'I told you I was unconscious for several days,' was his answer, 'and
when