a thousand feet up.  Our anti air-craft guns opened on him, and we could see the shells bursting with little cottony puffs all around.  Some of the shrapnel struck near us.  They missed him, and up he went again.  Presently all five came circling lower and lower, jockeying for position and spitting away with their guns.  As they all got to the lower levels, the anti air-craft guns stopped firing, fearing to get our men.

Suddenly one of the Huns burst into flames and came toppling down behind his lines, his gas tank ablaze.  Almost immediately one of ours dropped, also burning and behind the Boche lines.

After that it was two to one, and the fight lasted more than ten minutes.  Then down went a Hun, not afire but tumbling end over end behind our lines.  I learned afterwards that this fellow was unhurt and was taken prisoner.  That left it an even thing.  We could see half a dozen planes rushing to attack the lone Boche.  He saw them too.  For he turned tail and skedaddled for home.

Bonesie began to philosophize on the cold-bloodedness of air fighting and really worked himself up into an almost optimistic frame of mind.  He was right in the midst of a flowery oration on our comparative safety, “nestling on the bosom of Mother Earth”, when, without any warning whatever, there came a perfect avalanche of shell all around us.

I knew perfectly well that we were caught.  The shells, as near as we could see, were coming from our side.  Doubtless our people thought that the trench was still manned by Germans, and they were shelling for the big noon attack.  Such an attack was made, as I learned afterwards, but I never saw it.

At eleven o’clock I looked at my watch.  Somehow I didn’t fear death, although I felt it was near.  Maybe the rum was working.  I turned to Bonesie and said, “What about that safety stuff, old top?”

“Cheer, cheer, Darby,” said he.  “We may pull through yet.”

“Don’t think so,” I insisted.  “It’s us for pushing up the daisies.  Good luck if we don’t meet again!”

I put my hand in and patted Dinky on the back, and sent up another little prayer for luck.  Then there was a terrific shock, and everything went black.

When I came out of it, I had the sensation of struggling up out of water.  I thought for an instant that I was drowning.  And in effect that was almost what was happening to me.  I was buried, all but one side of my face.  A tremendous weight pressed down on me, and I could only breathe in little gasps.

I tried to move my legs and arms and couldn’t.  Then I wiggled my fingers and toes to see if any bones were broken.  They wiggled all right.  My right nostril and eye were full of dirt; also my mouth.  I spit out the dirt and moved my head until my nose and eye were clear.  I ached all over.

It was along toward sundown.  Up aloft a single airplane was winging toward our lines.  I remember that I wondered vaguely if he was the same fellow who had been fighting just before the world fell in on me.