e Adventu

hed off like the sticks of a fan, and the one Dennis followed was a typical Fr

e from shell holes, and he covered the distance without much difficulty, a slight drizzle blowing in

past with a shout of, "Cheer-oh!" and he was

the wire," said the C.O. "I've been tryi

before I left, sir, to look

he wants to know," and Dennis retraced his way, rather enjoying t

, but he was growing used to the thunder of the bombardment, until there was an explosion

shell fell in the dark fields on the left, and anothe

mb sought a lever there was a blinding flash very close to him, and following on the heels of th

s his head-lamp went out. "That's shrapnel. N

ull up some forty yards away and the driver spring out on to the

a hat, chauffeur. Can you

lied in a shaky voice: "Can you give me a hand, sir? Look at this!

was the body of a staf

he recognised the officer who less than half an hour before had shown

do. He told me he was taking a message to the French general on the other side of Hardecourt, and that it was o

e pointed to the leather dispatch-case

ne's smashed up. How long would it

utside. But what's the good of that, sir? I c

e wallet. "I'll carry the dispatch, and I'l

ths of this job," and as Dennis climbed into the front seat, th

eadless trunk topple over on to the floor of the car behind them, both shivered

as a door nail," said the man. "That was up near St. Julien, when Princess Pat's got wiped out; but it sort of hits you when you

baret detained them, but did not ho

ennis to the sergeant in charge, who recoile

n lieutenant," and they proceeded, leaving a

rid it of its grim burden and interred poor Thompson among the little harvest of rude crosses that marked wher

own lines, where they'll give him the Last Post and all t

y important, and the general has been good enough to say all kinds of nice things about our br

ey, and already the darkness was giving place before a ghostly grey feeling in

e oppression of that dread something which they were carrying-that something which a short hour bef

at the cabaret, and he opened out the engines. "They tell me there's going to

he guns," said Dennis. "But w

ected the newness of his companion's uniform, notwithstanding the chal

three days yet, but, of course, I've done a lot of tr

are still at it," and he craned his head forward over his wheel. "They've got the range of this blooming road to a T. I don't funk risks, but it's madness to shove ahead through that!" And he slowed the car do

st reach the general at once.

o be pretty clear, and it will run us close behind our own line. I've been

to a narrow track between two swelling rises that had no

ayed like a boat on a choppy sea, the wheels now mounting the

d," said the chauffeur. "You sit tigh

-terrifying roar. A vivid orange flame rose skyward, and as Dennis soared upward through the air

ened his eyes it was almost light, and the face

at movement might tell him, but at last, sitting up, he felt himself all over

med a species of tunnel, and the avenue was still there before him, one of the poplars headl

road, his heart standing still as he saw the mangled chassis of the motor, enti

short of miraculous. The skirt of his own tunic was rent to rags and ribbons, his Sam Browne belt, map-case, and glasses

ee, and a stride farther on was the rest of his companion, so shockingly mut

tered. "An end like this after

ly buried deep in the shell hole, or else plastered far

stively, and drew out a little case containing his identificat

soldier's "small book" he had picked up from one of the dead Saxons in their own trench as a memento to send ho

ory of the dawn overhead the larks were trilling. A patch of scarlet poppies was almost startling i

d would bring us near to our firing line, and I may be able to borrow another motor-bike there. I

, started out on his voyage of discovery, feeling rather dizzy at first, but surprised to find

h were clothed with purple scabious, and he had gone some distance before he though

," he muttered, and then he su

p of trees that tufted the skyline, and, uncertain whether he could gain the shelter of the wood behind him unseen, Dennis was looking backwards over his shoulder when the decision

t his interrogator was wearing a French uniform, Denni

"Perhaps you will be good enough t

nd, still covering Dennis with his rifle, slid down the bank until he wa

yesterday-a staff captain, who gave us orders from the British general which turned out to be false. Come along, my pig. We will see what our captain has to say