Already the enemy's rifles were speaking and bullets swept by with a vicious hiss. The men stumbled through the opening in the barbed wires and rushed into the levels. Benners and Reynolds ran out together chuckling, pleased, no doubt, at the success of their enterprise. Bubb and Flanagan followed; the latter had lost his rifle and vowed that he was always unlucky. Suddenly Reynolds fell headlong to the ground. He was on his feet immediately and rushing forward again. "It's the damned wires," said Flanagan. "They're scattered all over the place." As he spoke, Reynolds went down for the second time, but did not rise again. Benners came to a halt and stooped over him. "Are you hit, chummy?" he asked. "I got it through the breast," the boy replied. "It was that which brought me down the last time, not the wires." Reynolds was surrounded now by his comrades. He was sitting half upright, his head sinking towards his knees, the martial elation of a few minutes ago utterly gone. "Well, chummy, you'll be all right in time for breakfast," said Bubb, who expected that these words would buoy up the youngster's courage. But Reynolds seemed to pay no heed, a cold and sorrowful expression settled on his white face, which looked strange and unearthly in the light of the moon. The sergeant cut open the youth's tunic and looked at the wound, which showed red over the heart. There was very little bleeding. "Oh! you'll be all right in no time," said the sergeant in a voice which was strangely soft and kind. "No, no," said the boy, in a scarcely audible whisper. "Leave me to myself, please.... I'll not live very long.... It's too near the heart." These were the last words which the men heard him speak. Ten minutes later he had passed away. * * * * * "I knowed it would pan out that way," said Bubb, as he sat in his dug-out two hours later drinking hot tea from his sooty messtin. It was dawn, the sun came up red in the east and the dewdrops glittered like diamonds on the levels. "'Twas the same wiv old Stumpy. 'E was the third man to light 'is fag wiv the same match," said Bill. "Then 'e went up to the trenches an' 'e was shot dead." "It's all damned rot," said Flanagan. "I knew men getting killed who never smoked a fag." "I had a feeling that Reynolds was going under, anyway," said Benners. "And he was such a good boy, too." "I liked him better than I cared to say," said Flanagan. "He was as eager as hell. And he's dead. He didn't have much of a run for his money." "Takin' it all in all, we're not so blurry badly off," said Bubb. "I wunner if we're goin' ter get relieved soon. I 'ope so, anyway." CHAPTER XVIII BATHING