"I remember, Monroe, that your major and you would have sent me out of this, but you know well enough that there's only one place for me to-night, and the question is, where is the battalion--Ypres Barracks, Chateau Beige, Zillebeck, or where?"

"I enquired at the transports, sir," said Monroe, "and no one appeared to know. They moved out quietly and left no word behind."

"All right, we'll go up to Chateau Belge, and if they are not there, we'll make a shot at Zillebeck," said Barry. "We'll go right away. We don't need a lot of truck this trip."

It was a long and tiresome march, but Barry found himself remarkably fit, and already under the exhilaration of what was before him. At the Chateau Belge they found no word of their battalion, but they were informed that the shelling on the Kruisstraat road had been bad all afternoon, and was still going on. The Boches were paying particular attention indeed to the crossroads.

"All right," said Barry. "We'll go up and have a look at it, anyway."

A hundred yards further up the road they were held up by a sudden burst of H. E. shells, which fell in near proximity to the crossroads before them.

"Well, we'll just wait here a few minutes until we can time these things," said Barry, sitting down by the roadside.

As they were waiting there, three soldiers passed them at quick march.

"Better wait, boys," called Barry; "they are dropping quite a few shells at the crossroads."

"We are runners, sir," said one of them. "I guess we'll just take a chance, thank you, sir."

"All right, boys, if you think best," replied Barry. "Good luck!"

"Thank you, sir," they said, and set off at a smart pace.

While Barry sat listening to the sound of their footsteps upon the pavement, there came that terrific whine, followed by an appalling crash, as a H. E. shell landed full upon the road. Barry sprang to his feet. Three other shells followed in quick succession, then there came the sound of hurrying feet and a man appeared, bleeding horribly and gasping.

"Oh, my God! My God! They are gone! They are gone!"

"Sit down," said Barry. "Now, where's your wound?"

"My arm, sir," said the man.

Barry cut off the blood-soaked sleeve, ripped open his first aid dressing, and bound the wound up tightly. Then he put a tourniquet upon the arm above the wound.

"The other boys killed, you say?" he inquired.

"Yes, sir, blown to pieces. Oh, my God!" he groaned, shuddering. "My chum's whole head was blown off, and the other has his belly all torn up."

"Now look here, old man," said Barry, "you lie down here where you are, and keep perfectly still," for the man was throwing himself about, more from shock than from pain. "We'll get you to the dressing station in a few minutes. Monroe, run and get the stretcher bearers, and I'll go and see how things are up yonder."

He threw his coat over the wounded man, and set off at a run toward the crossroads. He found matters as the man had said, the two bodies lying in a dark patch of bloodsoaked dust, one with head quite blown off, and the other with abdomen horribly torn.

He hurried back to the wounded man, who had recovered somewhat from his shock and was now lying on his side quietly moaning. Barry got from him the names and units of the men who had been killed.

"I will drop a note to your mother, too, my boy," he said, "and tell her about your wound."

"Oh, sir," said the boy quickly--he was only a boy after all--"don't tell her--at least, tell her I'm all right. I'll be all right, won't I?"

"Sure thing," said Barry, "don't you fear. I won't alarm her, and I'll tell her what good stuff you are, boy."

"All right, sir. Thank you, sir," said the boy quietly.

"And I'll tell her, too, that you are not worrying a bit, and that you know that you are in the keeping of your Heavenly Father. How is that?"

"Yes, sir," said the boy in a low voice. "I will be glad to have you tell her that. She taught me all that, sir. Poor mother, she'll worry though, I know," he added with a little catch in his throat.

"Now you brace up," said Barry firmly. "You have got off mighty well.

You have got a nice little blighty there, and you are going to be all right. I'll give your mother the best report about you, so that she won't worry."

"Oh, thank you," said the boy, with fervent gratitude, "that will be fine. And you are right," he added, a note of resolution coming into his voice. "I got off mighty well, and it's only my left arm, thank goodness. I'll brace up, sir, never fear," he added between his teeth, choking back a groan.

Barry accompanied the stretcher-bearer back to the chateau and gave the man over into the care of the C. A. M. C.

"Can you put a squad on to digging a grave?" he inquired of the officer in charge. "If so, though I'm in an awful hurry, I'll stay to bury those poor chaps."

"Sure thing, we can," said the officer. "We'll do the very best we can to hurry it."

In about an hour and a half Barry was on his way again. He dodged the shelling at the crossroads, and following a track across the open fields, arrived at the Zillebeck Bund without adventure.

Here to his relief he found the battalion. He made his way at once to Headquarters, and walked in upon a meeting of officers.

"Well, I'm--" exclaimed Colonel Leighton, checking himself hard, "who have we here! What in hell are you doing here, Pilot? I thought you would be safely in old Blighty by this time," he added, shaking him warmly by the hand.

"Oh, you couldn't work that game on me, colonel," said Barry cheerily, going round the group of men, who gave him an eager welcome. "You thought you had shipped me off, just as the fun was starting, but I got on to you."

"Well, I'll be darned," said Major Bayne. "How did you find out?"

Barry told him, adding, "You will have to train your man to lie more cheerfully."

"That's what comes of a man's environment," said the major, disgustedly.

"I was always too truthful, anyway."

"Well, sir," said Barry, turning to the colonel. "I'm awfully glad to find you here. I was afraid I'd lost you."

"Well, gentlemen," said the colonel, "you have all got your orders. Does any one want to ask a question? Well, then, it's pretty simple after all. Two companies advance as far as Maple Copse, and gradually work up until they feel the enemy, then put in a block and hold against attack, at all costs. The other two companies are to follow up in support at Zillebeck Village. Later on, when our reserves come up, and when our guns return--I hear they are pushing them up rapidly--we are promised a go at those devils. Meantime we have got to hold on, but I expect the battalion will be pulled out very shortly."

The flickering candles lit up the faces of the men crowding the dugout.

They were elaborately careless and jolly, but their eyes belied their faces. Under the careless air there was a tense and stern look of expectation. They were all sportsmen, and had all experienced the anxious nervous thrill of the moments preceding a big contest. Once the ball was off, their nervousness would go, and they would be cool and wary, playing the game for all they had in them.

"Now, gentlemen," said the colonel, as they prepared to leave the dugout, "before I let you go, there is one thing I want to say. It's a tradition of the British army that any soldier or officer who has lost his unit marches toward the sound of the guns. I am proud to-night that we have an example of that old tradition here. We left our chaplain behind, and he didn't know where his battalion had gone, but he moved toward the sound of the guns. That is what I would expect from any of you, gentlemen, but it's none the less gratifying to find one's expectations realised."

Only his flaming face revealed Barry's emotion as the colonel was speaking.

"Now then, gentlemen, carry on, and the best of luck."

"Sir," said Barry, "what about a little prayer?"

"Fine," said the colonel heartily, while round the room there ran a murmur of approval.