weather, not the danger that depressed us. I, who was near the
center of the trench, could see to right and left over the ends, and
I made a hasty count of heads, discovering that we, who had been a
regiment, were now about three hundred men, forty of whom were
wounded.

I saw that we were many a hundred yards away from the nearest
British trench. The Germans had crept under cover of the darkness
and dug themselves in anew between us and our friends. Before us was
a trench full of infantry, and there were others to right and left.
We were completely surrounded; and it was not an hour after dawn
when the enemy began to shout to us to show our hands and surrender.
Colonel Kirby forbade us to answer them, and we lay still as dead
men until they threw bombs--which we answered with bullets.

After that we were left alone for an hour or two, and Colonel Kirby,
whose wound was not serious, began passing along the trench, knee-
deep in the muddy water, to inspect us and count us and give each
man encouragement. It was just as he passed close to me that a hand-
grenade struck him in the thigh and exploded. He fell forward on me,
and I took him across my knee lest he fall into the water and be
smothered. That is how it happened that only I overheard what he
said to Ranjoor Singh before he died. Several others tried to hear,
for we loved Colonel Kirby as sons love their father; but, since he
lay with his head on my shoulder, my ear was as close to his lips as
Ranjoor Singh's, to whom he spoke, so that Ranjoor Singh and I heard
and the rest did not. Later I told the others, but they chose to
disbelieve me.

Ranjoor Singh came wading along the trench, stumbling over men's