‘Is it steeplechasing ye are, or what fool’s game is it ye are playing?’ demanded Sergeant O’Brien, while the rest shrieked with laughter.

‘He—­he’s my prisoner,’ panted Ken.  ’And—­and, sergeant, did Norton get back?’

‘He did.  Come along wid ye, and make your report to the colonel.’

Colonel Conway, who had been on foot all night, was taking a few minutes’ much needed rest in a rough dug-out.  But at sight of Ken, he was on his feet again in a moment.

‘I am very glad to see you, Carrington,’ he said cordially.  ’I had begun to be afraid that you and your companions would not get back.  And yet I knew you had succeeded in your enterprise, for the enfilading fire ceased very shortly after you left.’

Standing at attention, Ken gave his report.  He made much of the doings of Dave and Roy, but modestly suppressed his own.  The colonel, however, was not deceived.

‘You have done very well indeed,’ he said, with a warmth that brought the colour to Ken’s cheeks.  ’Your destruction of the machine gun was a particularly plucky and useful piece of work.  I shall see that your conduct and that of all your companions is mentioned in the proper quarter.  Meantime, you are promoted to corporal.’

Ken’s heart was very nearly bursting with pride.

‘Thank you, sir,’ he said with a gulp, and saluting again turned away.

The colonel stopped him.

‘You had better get some food,’ he said.  ’We shall be moving out of this very shortly.’

‘Faith, ye didn’t do so badly after all, lad,’ said O’Brien.  ’Ate quickly now, for I’m thinking ’tis us for the top of the cliff before we’re a dale older.’

Bread, bully beef, and a drink of water out of their bottles.  That was the simple bill of fare.  But Ken’s exertions during the night had put a sharp edge on his appetite, and he enjoyed the plain meal.

The fog was fast disappearing under the rays of the newly risen sun, and the firing grew heavier every minute.  The hills all round were alive with snipers, but their fire was directed not so much on the trench held by the Australians as on the boats which were landing reinforcements on the beach below.

It was in the boats and on the beach that the casualties were heaviest.  The troops that were landed had to run the gauntlet for fully fifty yards before reaching the cover of the scrub on the cliff, and matters were worse still for the bluejackets pulling the empty boats back to the ships.  They were potted at without a chance of returning the enemy fire.

But they stuck it out finely, and already all the wounded had been taken off, while reinforcements had reached the upper trench, sufficient in number to make up for the first losses.

‘What’s the colonel waiting for?’ asked Dave.  ’Why don’t we go on up and smoke out those blighted snipers?’

’It’s ammunition, I fancy.  And there’s a couple of maxims coming up.  We shall need those if we have to dig ourselves in under fire.’