He stopped, then gave an inarticulate cry and collapsed in a heap. Bubb's jaw dropped and he stared at Snogger with dilated eyes. The sergeant lay silent and motionless, death was instantaneous for a shrapnel bullet had smashed his spine. Bowdy and Flanagan lifted the dead man in their arms and placed him on the firestep. "I never seed anybody knocked out so sudden," said Bubb in a nervous voice. "One minute speakin' and then...." "Don't think of it," said Flanagan. "The tanks are well on now. What a funny thing--tanks. They are as old as the hills. Montaigne speaks about them. He calls them coaches. Listen." He fumbled in his haversack, brought out a dilapidated volume--Florio's translation of Montaigne and read:-- "Were my memory sufficiently informed of them I would not think my time lost, heere to set down the infinite variety which histories present to us of the use of coaches in the service of warre: divers according to the nations and different according to the ages: to my seeming of great effect and necessity.... Even lately in our fathers' time, the Hungarians did very availefully bring them into fashion and profitably set them a work against the Turks; every one of them containing a Targattier and a Muskettier, with a certain number of harquebuses or calivers, ready charged; and so ranged that they might make good use of them: and all over covered with a pavesado, after the manner of a Galliotte. They made the front of their battaile with three thousand such coaches: and after the Canon had playd, caused them to discharge and shoote of a volie of small shott upon their enemies, before they should know or feel, what the rest of the forces could doe: which was no small advancement; or if not this, they mainely drove those coaches amidde the thickest of their enemies' squadrons, with purpose to breake, disroute and make waie through them. Besides the benefit and helpe they might make of them, in any suspicious or dangerous place to flanke their troupe marching from place to place: or in hast to encompasse, to embarricade, to cover or fortifie any lodgment or quarter." Captain Thorley appeared round the corner, his hand bandaged. A splinter of shell had caught him a few minutes before. "Getting ready, boys?" he asked. "You'll have no difficulty in crossing here.... Another two minutes.... Snogger dead?... What a pity!" He disappeared. "I wish we did get across," said Bubb. "I'm fed up wiv this waitin': I want to get at 'em." Then a whistle was blown; another. The men scrambled up the parapet and tumbled out on to the levels.