By Jove, you did (p. 172)
hop into that roofless house and scamper out of that spinney! In fact,
you did not shine as a soldier at all. You've not been particularly
afraid of shell fire before, but to-night! Was it because you were
alone you felt so very frightened? You've found out you've been posing
a little before. Alone you're really a coward."
I felt a strange delight in saying these things; the firing had
ceased; it was still raining heavily.
"Remember the bridge at Suicide Corner," I said, alluding to a recent
incident when I had walked upright across a bridge, exposed to the
enemy's rifle fire. My mates hurried across almost bent double whilst
I sauntered slowly over in front of them. "You had somebody to look at
you then; 'twas vanity that did it, but to-night! You were afraid,
terribly funky. If there had been somebody to look on, you'd have been
defiantly careless. It's rather nerve-racking to be shelled when
you're out alone at midnight and nobody looking at you!"
Dawn was breaking when I found myself at the Keep. The place in some
manner fascinated me and I wanted to know what had happened there. (p. 173)
I found that a few shells were still coming that way and most of the
party were in their dug-outs. I peered down the one which was under my
old sleeping place; at present all stayed in their dug-outs when off
duty. They were ordered to do so, but none of the party were sleeping
now, the night had been too exciting.
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