The rest was lost.... He abruptly unbuckled his belt, and his braces. I bent down; there was a lump as big as my fist.... He hiccoughed, and vomited. Stupefied and sickened, I stammered: "Yes, yes.... Then.... St-tay where you are!" * * * * * All I had to do was to catch up with the rest. But now a new storm of bullets began to whizz by--thicker than ever--buzzing like a swarm of bees.... And, Pap! Pap! Parapap! Pap!... There surely must have been a mitrailleuse in action. I was alone. I no longer had the support of friendly presences. I did not take more than thirty yards. Good God! I suddenly collapsed. I hurled myself on to the ground. My temples were throbbing. I could not get my breath. What did my life hang on? A thread! Pfffff! Pffmm.... If one of these sinister flies touched me ... there would be nothing left. The horror of such near annihilation ... suffocated me. Nothing!... The black chasm.... I did not want to.... With my mouth open I convulsively breathed the air. I soaked myself in the supreme sweetness of things ... the dazzling sun, the transparent sky, the green fields spread in my sight, and the blue curtain of the woods, encircling the clear horizon...! Pffmm! Less than two yards from my face a little dust arose, a clod had been hit by a bullet. I buried my head in the furrow. I dreamt of digging a hole, and burying myself in it, alive! My section was almost disappearing yonder, nearly two hundred yards away.... I suddenly regained consciousness. What was I doing? I was a coward then? A coward? The word hurt me! Stay here behind. Oh, if only I had a wound! How I longed for one, no matter how bad a one as long as it was not mortal!... Or a sprain. I twisted my ankle and--must I confess it--pressed on it with all my strength. There was nothing to be done! The ligaments held. As a matter of fact I soon gave it up, realising that I must go on. It had got to be done! I was just about to overtake my section when there was a new unexpected noise ... like a huge piece of calico being torn.... They were opening fire farther down the line. But upon what? Nobody knew, but it was the signal for everyone to let fly. Instantly there was a crackle from one end of our line to the other. When I came up some of the men turned round to look at me. "Here's the sergeant!" "Didn't expect to see you again!" "Why not?" "Thought you must be dead!" "Oh, rot!" Did I redden. Bouguet whispered to me: "You must keep your eyes open. Some of 'em try to do a bunk on the Q.T.!" I did not feel quite sure that he was not pulling my leg. Henriot bellowed: "Yes, yes. Keep it up. Fire away!" No detail as to the sight, or target, or the length of range. A man was missing! Guillaumin who crawled past, exclaimed: "You ought to have been there, you see!" Henriot now corrected himself: "Cease firing! Advance!"