首页 >出版文学> The Sky Pilot in No Man’s Land>第19章
  "Thiswon’tdo,"saidtheO。C。abruptly。"GetDunbaroverhere。"
  "Dunbar,"saidtheO。C。whenBarryhadcometohim。"Thisthingisasdullasditchwater。Iwanttogettheboysstartedupabit。
  Theyarehopelesslydull。Lookattheireyes。Doyouknowwhattheyareseeing?"
  "Yes,sir,"saidBarry,"theyareseeingwhattheyhavebeenlookingatforthelastthirteendays。"
  "Youareright,Dunbar,andthat’swhatIwantthemtoforget。NowIknowyoudon’tfeelveryfit,andIhatetoaskyou,butI
  believeyoucandosomethingforthemenwiththatviolinofyours。
  Whatdoyousay?"
  "Ihavealreadysentamanforit,"saidMajorBayne。"Iknewhe’ddoit,andhisviolinliesthereunderthepiano。"
  WithoutannouncementorprefaceBarrywalkedstraighttothestagewhereColeman,havingmiserablyfailedtostrikefirewith"TheTulipandtheRose,"wasgrindingout,withgreatdiligenceandconscientiousenergy,"IrishEyes。"Barrypickeduphisviolinfromthefloor,mountedthestage,laidhisviolinonthepiano,thenhetookhisplacebehindthepianistand,bendingoverhim,reacheddown,caughthimunderthelegsandwhilestillinfulltideofhisperformance,liftedhimsquarelyoffthestoolanddepositedhimuponachairatonesideofthestage。Then,ignoringtheamazedlookuponColeman’sface,heproceededgravelytotunehisviolintothepiano。Theactitself,thecoolneatnesswithwhichitwasperformed,theastonishedfaceoftheoutragedpianist,alltogethercreatedasituationexcessivelyfunny。Theeffectupontheaudiencewasfirstoneofsurprise,thenofunalloyeddelight。Immediatelyeverymaninthehallwaswideawake,andasthehumourofthesituationgrewuponthem,theybegantocheerinquitealivelymanner。
  WhenBarryputhisviolintohischintheycheeredagain,foroftenhadhebewitchedthemwiththemagicofhisinstrument。
  Beforehebegantoplay,heglancedoverhisshoulderatthediscomfitedColemanandremarkedinanundertone,perfectlyaudiblethroughoutthehall,"Nowwe’llhavesomemusic。"
  Againtheaudiencewentoffinaperfectstormofdelightedcheers,whichwererenewedfromtimetotimeasBarrywouldturnlookingwithagravefaceuponthestillamazedColeman,notyetquiterecoveredfromhisfirstastonishment。
  Whenquietwasfinallyrestored,Barrybegantoplay。Forhisopeningnumberhemadeadaringchoice。ItwastheintricatebutaltogethertunefulBalladeandPolonaisebyVieuxtemps。Throughoutthesomewhatlengthynumberheheldhisaudiencefixedunderthemasteryofhisart。Itwasatriumphimmediateandcomplete。WhenhehadfinishedthelastbrilliantmovementofthePolonaise,themenburstagainintoenthusiasticcheering,movednotonlybythemusicbutmorebythespiritoftheirchaplain,whichtheycouldnotfailtounderstandandappreciate。
  HehadalreadyachievedwhattheO。C。haddesired,buthewasnotyetdonewiththem。Havingfinishedhisclassicalselection,whichhewasquitewellawareColemancouldnottouch,heturnedtothelatterandgravelymotionedhimtothepianostool。Colemanhesitated,notknowingquitewhatwouldbedemandedofhim。
  "Comeon,Coleman,beasport,"shoutedayoungofficer,theaudiencejoiningoncemoreinencouragingcheers。
  StillColemanhesitated。Oneneverknewjustwhatvagarythechaplainmightputon。Failingtomovehimbyimploringgesture,Barryfinallyapproachedhim,andwithelaborate,courteousformality,offeredhimhishand,andfinallyconductedhimtothepianostool。Againthedelightedaudiencewentintoaroarofcheers。
  Fromthatmoment,andforafullhour,Barryhadthemathiswill,nowlisteningspellboundtosomesimpleoldheartsong,nowbeatinghandandfoottoareel,nowroaringtothelimitoftheirlungpowersomeoldandwell—lovedpopularair。
  "Ain’theabird?"saidthemajortotheCommandingOfficer。
  "He’sfine,"assentedtheCommandingOfficerwithagreatsigh。"I
  can’ttellyouwhataburdenhehasliftedfromme。It’sworthaweek’sresttothemen,and,poorchaps,theyneedit。"Loweringhisvoice,heleanedovertothemajorandsaid,"Wemaybegoingupagainto—morrownight。"
  "To—morrownight,colonel!"exclaimedthemajor,aghast。
  "Notaword,butIhaveexceedinglygravenews。Thefrontlineisdrivenin。Oneofthebattalionsholdingiscompletelywipedout。"
  "Wipedout?GoodGod,andwherearetheenemy?"
  "AsfarasIcanhear,althoughIhaven’ttheparticulars,theyhavebrokenthroughfromHoogetoHill60,arethroughSanctuaryWood,anddowntoMapleCopse。Tworeliefbattalionshavegoneupandareholding。Thechancesareweshallhavetogotobackthemupto—morrowevening。It’shardontheboys,fortheyhavecomethroughalongandbitterexperience,butnotawordofthis,major,toanyone。Weshallletthemhavetheirrestto—night。
  That’swhyIwassoanxiousaboutthisentertainment。That’swhyI
  amparticularlygratefultothatPilotofours。Heisawonder,andbythelookofhimheisaboutallin。Heisstayingmagnificentlywiththegame。Andnow,major,Iamgoingtodosomethingthatwillpleasehimimmensely。AtleastIthinkitwill。"
  Atapauseinthemusic,theO。C。aroseandmovedtowardthestage。Barryatoncesteppedbacktotherear。Standingbeforethemen,theO。C。spokebriefly:
  "Iwishtothankinyourname,men,ourchaplain,andhisassistant,Mr。Coleman,fortheverydelightfuleveningtheyhavegivenus。I
  knowhowyoufeelbythewayIfeelmyself。Ineedsaynomore,andnow,seeingthatwehavemissedourparadeserviceforthelasttwoSundays,andasIshouldnotlikethechaplaintobecomerustyinhisduty,I’mgoingtoaskhimtobringourverypleasanteveningtoaclosewithalittleservicesuchashehimselfwouldsuggest。"
  Hardlywerethewordsoutofhismouth,whenBarrytookuphisviolinandsaid:
  "Boys,didyouhaveagoodtimeto—night?"
  "Yes,sir;youbetwehad,sir。"
  "Well,then,ifyouhad,singthis,"andrecitedforthemthefirstversesoftheoldhymn,"Abidewithme,fastfallstheeventide。"
  Whentheyhadsungthefirstverse,hesaidagain:
  "Nowsingthesewords,"andoncemoreherecitedthestirringverse:
  "Ifearnofoe,withTheeathandtobless。"
  Whentheyhadfinishedtheverse,hesaidtothem"Shallwehaveanother?"
  "Goon,sir!"theysaid。"Surething!""Finishitup!"
  "Then,"saidBarry,"singthesewords":
  "IneedThypresenceeverypassinghour,WhatbutThygracecanfoilthetempter’spower。"
  Thenwhenhehadfinishedtheverse,hedroppedtheviolinand,movingtotheedgeoftheplatform,said,inavoicevibrantwithemotion:
  "Don’tsingthesewords,butsaythemasIplaythemforyou。"
  Hethenrecitedthemovingwordswithwhichtheoldhymncloses:
  "HoldThouThycrossbeforemyclosingeyes;
  Shinethroughthegloomandpointmetotheskies;
  Heaven’smorningbreaks,andearth’svainshadowsflee,Inlife,indeath,OLord,abidewithme。"
  "IwanteveryoneofyoutosaythewordstohimselfasIplaythem。"
  Inlong—drawn,tremulousnoteshevoicedthebeautifulpleaforaidinthehourofman’ssupremeneed,whichfindsexpressioninthefirsttwolines。Then,withhisbowgrippingthestringsinagreatsweepingcrescendo,hepouredforthinfullstrongchordsthetriumphantfaithwithwhichthehymncloses。
  Helaidhisviolinonthepiano,stoodquiteafewmomentslookinguponthem,thensaid:
  "Men,listentothesegreatwords。Theymighthavebeenwrittenforus,andforthesedays;"andherecitedtothemthewordsoftheHebrewpsalm,eloquentofcourageinthefaceofacrumblingworld:
  "Godisourrefugeandstrength,averypresenthelpintrouble。
  Thereforewillnotwefear,thoughtheearthberemoved,andthoughthemountainsbecarriedintothemidstofthesea。
  Thoughthewatersthereofroarandbetroubled,thoughthemountainsshakewiththeswellingthereof。Selah。
  Thereisariver,thestreamswhereofshallmakegladthecityofGod,theholyplaceofthetabernaclesoftheMostHigh。
  Godisinthemidstofher;sheshallnotbemoved。Godshallhelpherandthatrightearly。
  Theheathenraged,thekingdomsweremoved;heutteredhisvoice,theearthmelted。
  TheLordofhostsiswithus;theGodofJacobisourrefuge。
  Selah。
  Come,beholdthewordsoftheLord,whatdesolationshehathmadeintheearth。
  Hemakethwarstoceaseuntotheendoftheearth;hebreakeththebow,andcutteththespearinsunder:heburneththechariotinthefire。
  BestillandknowthatIamGod;Iwillbeexaltedamongtheheathen,Iwillbeexaltedintheearth。
  TheLordofhostsiswithus;theGodofJacobisourrefuge。"
  ThentheyfollowedhimintheGeneralConfession,andtheLord’sprayer。
  "CaptainDunbar,"saidtheO。C。,offeringhimhishand,"youhavedoneforusto—nightagreaterthingthanyouknowjustnow。Youwillunderstandbettertomorrow。WithallmyheartIthankyouonthemen’sbehalfandonmyownbehalf,forIassureyouIneededitasmuchastheydid。Iwanttoassureyou,too,sir,thatI
  receivedto—nightthethingIneeded。"
  "Thankyou,sir,"saidBarrysimply,toowearytoutteranotherword,andstaggeredout,halfdeadwithexhaustion。
  Halfanhourlater,ashewasleisurelyundressing,anddrinkingthecupofcocoawhichMonroehadpreparedforhim,amessagesummonedhimtotheorderlyroom。TherehefoundColonelLeightonwithMajorBayneandthecompanycommanders。
  "Ihaveacommunicationhereforyou,CaptainDunbar,"saidtheO。C。,"fromyourD。A。C。S。,"andhepassedhimalittleslip。
  Itwastheannouncementofhis"leave。"
  "Well,whatdoyouthinkofthat?"saidtheO。C。"Howdoesthatsuityou?"
  "Well,sir,"saidBarry,uncertaintyandhesitationinhisvoice,"I’dliketheleave,allright,butcanIconvenientlybesparedjustnow?"
  "Mostcertainly,"saidtheO。C。,"and,what’smore,Iwantyoutogoto—night。Canyougetready?"
  "Isupposeso,sir,"saidBarry,wearily。
  "ByJove!listentohim,"saidtheO。C。"Hehatestoleaveus,doesn’the?"Andtheyalllaughed。"Now,Dunbar,"hesaid,"nomoreposing。Youcatchtheleavetrainto—nightatPoperinghe。Asamatteroffact,Ithinkitstartssomewhereabouttwelve。"
  "Thankyou,sir,"saidBarry。"IthinkIcancatchit。"
  "Thengoodluck!"saidtheO。C。,risingfromhischair。"Everyoneofusherewouldliketobeinyourplace,butsinceitisn’thimself,everymanisgladthatitshouldbeyou。"
  StillBarryhesitated。
  "Ireallyhatetoleaveyou,sir,justnow,"hesaid。"Imeanthat,"headdedwithalittlenervouslaugh。
  "Oh,comeon,Dunbar,"saidtheO。C。inavoicewhosegruffnessmightsignifyalmostanyemotion,butwithatouchuponhisshoulderthatBarryknewmeantcomradeship。"Saygood—byetotheboyshere,andgetout。"
  Theyhadjustfinishedtheplanforthecampaignofthenextnight,andeverymaninthatlittlecompanyknewthatforhimthismightbehislast"Good—bye"tothechaplain。ItonlyaddedtothedepthoftheirfeelingthattheyknewthatofallthisBarrywasunconscious。But,whetheritwasthatunconsciouslyhehadgatheredsomethingoftherealsignificanceofthesituation,orwhetheritwasthathehimselfhadreachedthelimitofemotionalcontrol,ashepassedfrommantoman,shakinghandsinfarewell,hislipsrefusedtoutterasingleword,butinhiseyeswereunshedtearsthatspokeforhim。
  MajorBaynefollowedhimtothedoor,andoutside:
  "TakemyhorseandMonroewithyou,andgood—bye,oldman。Allsortsofgoodluck。Rememberthatweallfeelto—nightthatyouarereallyoneofus,andthatwearebettermenbecausewehaveknownyou。Goodbye。"
  AgainBarrywasconsciousofthatstrangesuggestion,almostofimpendingcalamity。
  "Ihatetogo,major,"hesaid。"IbelieveI’llwait。"
  "Nonsense,"saidthemajorimpatiently。"Takeyourleavewhenyougetyourchance,andhaveagoodtime。Youhaveearnedit。"
  CHAPTERXVI
  THEPASSINGOFMcCUAIG
  AtPoperinghetheleavetrainwaswaitinginthestation,andalittlecompanyofofficersandmenwerehavingtheirpapersexaminedpreparatorytotheirsecuringtransportation。SomeoftheofficerswerefromhisownbrigadeandwereknowntoBarry。
  "Abigpushonatthefront,Ihear,"saidoneofthemtoafriend。
  "Yes,major,"saidhisfriend。"Theyhavebeenhavingaperfecthellofatime。"
  "Bytheway,yourmenaregoinginto—morrow,Iunderstand,"saidthemajor,turningtoBarry。
  "Idon’tthinkso,major,"repliedBarry。"Wehavejustcomeout。"
  "Oh,well,Ihaditfromfairlygoodauthoritythattheyweregoinginto—morrownight。"
  BarryhuntedupMonroe,whomhefoundtalkingtoasignallerofthebattalion。
  "Didyouboyshearanythingaboutthebattaliongoingupto—morrow?"
  "Yes,sir,"saidthesignallerpromptly。"Wehaditoverthewires。Theyaregoingin,allright,to—morrownight。"
  Monroekickedthesignallerontheankle。
  "Didyouhearanythingaboutit,Monroe?"enquiredBarry。
  "No,sir。Idon’tbelievetheserumoursatall。Theyarealwaysflyingabout。"
  "Butyousayyougotitoverthewires?"saidBarrytothesignaller。
  "Yes,sir。Thatis,sir,ofcourse,wegetalotofmessages。
  PerhapsI’mmixedup,"saidthesignallerinveryevidentconfusion。
  "Andyouhaven’theardanything,Monroe?"saidBarry。
  "No,sir,notathing,andIthinkIwouldhaveheardiftherehadbeenanytruthinit。"
  SomethinginthechildlikeexpressionofinnocenceuponMonroe’sfacewakenedBarry’ssuspicion。
  "Lookhere,Monroe,"hesaid,"don’tlietome。Now,I’mtalkingtoyouasyourchaplain。Tellmethetruth。Haveyouheardofthebattaliongoinginto—morrow?"
  UnderBarry’seyeMonroebegantosquirm。
  "Well,sir,totellyouthetruth,Ididheararumourofthatkind。"
  "Andyou?"saidBarry,turninguponthesignaller,"tellmethetruth。"
  "Well,sir,it’sjustasIsaid。Wehaditoverthewires。Thebattalionisgoingin。"
  "Verywell,getmystuff,Monroe,"saidBarry,quietly。"I’mgoingback。"
  "Ibegyourpardon,sir。"
  "Doyouhearme?Getmystuff;I’mnotgoingoutto—night。"
  Barry’stoneadmittednofurthertalk,andMonroe,swearingdeeplyathisfriendthesignallerandathisownstupidity,andespeciallyathisown"lackofnervetoseehisliethrough,"
  huntedoutBarry’sbaggageandstoodreadyforhisofficertoreturn。
  "Hello,Dunbar,"saidthemajor,ashesawBarryabouttomounthishorse。"What’sup?Forgottensomething?You’llsurelymissyourtrain。"
  "I’mnotgoing,"saidBarrybriefly,gettinghimselfsettledinhissaddle。
  "Notgoing!"exclaimedthemajor。"Whatdoyoumean?Ithoughtyouwereonleave。"
  "Changedmymind,"saidBarrycheerfully。
  "Isay,oldman,"saidthemajor,"theremaybenothinginwhatI
  toldyouaboutthepush。Anyway,youknowwecannotpostponeourleaveuntilallthefightingisover。"
  "Oh,that’sallright,"repliedBarry。"Therearelotsofyoucombatantchapsinabattalion,butthereisonlyonechaplain。"
  "Oh,hangitall,"criedthemajor,"takeyourleave。Well,"
  seeingthatBarrypaidnoheedtohisadvice,"thebestofluck,oldman,"hesaid,offeringhishand。"Iguessyou’reallrightafterall。"
  TheexhilarationthathadsustainedBarryduringtheeveningsuddenlyfled,leavinghimflatinspiritandlimpinbody。Whathewantedmostofallwassleep,andmorningwasnotsofaraway。
  Herodebacktohishut,and,biddingMonroelethimsleepallday,hetumbledintobedandknewnothinguntillateintheafternoon。
  Monroe,too,hadsleptin,and,afterrising,hadbeenbusyaboutthehut,sothathehadnofurtherinformationastothebattalion’smovements。Thechaplain’shutwassomedistancefromHeadquartersandfromthebattalioncamp。HenceitcamethatwhileBarrywaswritinghardathislettersthroughouttheremainderoftheafternoon,hewasquiteunawareofwhatwastakingplace。Monroe,however,returnedaboutsixo’clocktosaythatthebattalionhadbeen"standingto"allafternoon,butthatthegeneralfeelingwasthattherewouldbenoadvanceuntillateatnight。
  Gladoftheopportunitytocatchupwithhiscorrespondence,Barrypaidlittleheedtothepassingoftime。HislastletterwastotheV。A。D。,inwhichhepouredoutthebitternessofhisdisappointmentthathewasnotevennowonhiswaytoBoulogneandtoher,andexpressingthehopethatafterthis"show"wasover,hewouldbegrantedleave,uponwhichhappyeventhewouldwithallspeedproceedtoher。ShehadbeenspeakingofatriptoEngland。
  Woulditnotbeaverywiseandproperproceedingthatsheshouldmakeherleavetosynchronisewithhis?Nowhemustbeoff,andsowithlovetoher,andwiththehopethattheymightseeLondontogether——
  JustthenMonroecamewiththestartlingnewsthatthebattalionhad"movedup"hoursago。
  "Whichroad?"enquiredBarry,springingtohisfeet。
  "Don’tknow,sir,"repliedMonroe,whohadevidentlyhisownopinionaboutmatters。"ButImetapadre,"hecontinued,"whotoldmethattherewasastreamofwoundedpassingthroughtheBrandhoekClearingStation。Hesaidtheywereveryshort—handedthere,sir,"andMonroeregardedhisofficerwithanxiouseyes。
  "Ihatetotakeyouupthere,Monroe,"saidBarrywithasmile。
  "Oh,that’sallright,sir,"saidMonroe,hastily,"butIguesswe’llhavetohurry。"
  "Iremember,Monroe,thatyourmajorandyouwouldhavesentmeoutofthis,butyouknowwellenoughthatthere’sonlyoneplaceformeto—night,andthequestionis,whereisthebattalion——YpresBarracks,ChateauBeige,Zillebeck,orwhere?"
  "Ienquiredatthetransports,sir,"saidMonroe,"andnooneappearedtoknow。Theymovedoutquietlyandleftnowordbehind。"
  "Allright,we’llgouptoChateauBelge,andiftheyarenotthere,we’llmakeashotatZillebeck,"saidBarry。"We’llgorightaway。Wedon’tneedalotoftruckthistrip。"
  Itwasalongandtiresomemarch,butBarryfoundhimselfremarkablyfit,andalreadyundertheexhilarationofwhatwasbeforehim。AttheChateauBelgetheyfoundnowordoftheirbattalion,buttheywereinformedthattheshellingontheKruisstraatroadhadbeenbadallafternoon,andwasstillgoingon。TheBocheswerepayingparticularattentionindeedtothecrossroads。
  "Allright,"saidBarry。"We’llgoupandhavealookatit,anyway。"
  AhundredyardsfurtheruptheroadtheywereheldupbyasuddenburstofH。E。shells,whichfellinnearproximitytothecrossroadsbeforethem。
  "Well,we’lljustwaithereafewminutesuntilwecantimethesethings,"saidBarry,sittingdownbytheroadside。
  Astheywerewaitingthere,threesoldierspassedthematquickmarch。
  "Betterwait,boys,"calledBarry;"theyaredroppingquiteafewshellsatthecrossroads。"
  "Wearerunners,sir,"saidoneofthem。"Iguesswe’lljusttakeachance,thankyou,sir。"
  "Allright,boys,ifyouthinkbest,"repliedBarry。"Goodluck!"
  "Thankyou,sir,"theysaid,andsetoffatasmartpace。
  WhileBarrysatlisteningtothesoundoftheirfootstepsuponthepavement,therecamethatterrificwhine,followedbyanappallingcrash,asaH。E。shelllandedfullupontheroad。Barrysprangtohisfeet。Threeothershellsfollowedinquicksuccession,thentherecamethesoundofhurryingfeetandamanappeared,bleedinghorriblyandgasping。
  "Oh,myGod!MyGod!Theyaregone!Theyaregone!"
  "Sitdown,"saidBarry。"Now,where’syourwound?"
  "Myarm,sir,"saidtheman。
  Barrycutofftheblood—soakedsleeve,rippedopenhisfirstaiddressing,andboundthewounduptightly。Thenheputatourniquetuponthearmabovethewound。
  "Theotherboyskilled,yousay?"heinquired。
  "Yes,sir,blowntopieces。Oh,myGod!"hegroaned,shuddering。
  "Mychum’swholeheadwasblownoff,andtheotherhashisbellyalltornup。"
  "Nowlookhere,oldman,"saidBarry,"youliedownherewhereyouare,andkeepperfectlystill,"forthemanwasthrowinghimselfabout,morefromshockthanfrompain。"We’llgetyoutothedressingstationinafewminutes。Monroe,runandgetthestretcherbearers,andI’llgoandseehowthingsareupyonder。"
  Hethrewhiscoatoverthewoundedman,andsetoffataruntowardthecrossroads。Hefoundmattersasthemanhadsaid,thetwobodieslyinginadarkpatchofbloodsoakeddust,onewithheadquiteblownoff,andtheotherwithabdomenhorriblytorn。
  Hehurriedbacktothewoundedman,whohadrecoveredsomewhatfromhisshockandwasnowlyingonhissidequietlymoaning。Barrygotfromhimthenamesandunitsofthemenwhohadbeenkilled。
  "Iwilldropanotetoyourmother,too,myboy,"hesaid,"andtellheraboutyourwound。"
  "Oh,sir,"saidtheboyquickly——hewasonlyaboyafterall——
  "don’ttellher——atleast,tellherI’mallright。I’llbeallright,won’tI?"
  "Surething,"saidBarry,"don’tyoufear。Iwon’talarmher,andI’lltellherwhatgoodstuffyouare,boy。"
  "Allright,sir。Thankyou,sir,"saidtheboyquietly。
  "AndI’lltellher,too,thatyouarenotworryingabit,andthatyouknowthatyouareinthekeepingofyourHeavenlyFather。Howisthat?"
  "Yes,sir,"saidtheboyinalowvoice。"Iwillbegladtohaveyoutellherthat。Shetaughtmeallthat,sir。Poormother,she’llworrythough,Iknow,"headdedwithalittlecatchinhisthroat。
  "Nowyoubraceup,"saidBarryfirmly。"Youhavegotoffmightywell。Youhavegotanicelittleblightythere,andyouaregoingtobeallright。I’llgiveyourmotherthebestreportaboutyou,sothatshewon’tworry。"
  "Oh,thankyou,"saidtheboy,withferventgratitude,"thatwillbefine。Andyouareright,"headded,anoteofresolutioncomingintohisvoice。"Igotoffmightywell,andit’sonlymyleftarm,thankgoodness。I’llbraceup,sir,neverfear,"headdedbetweenhisteeth,chokingbackagroan。
  Barryaccompaniedthestretcher—bearerbacktothechateauandgavethemanoverintothecareoftheC。A。M。C。
  "Canyouputasquadontodiggingagrave?"heinquiredoftheofficerincharge。"Ifso,thoughI’minanawfulhurry,I’llstaytoburythosepoorchaps。"
  "Surething,wecan,"saidtheofficer。"We’lldotheverybestwecantohurryit。"
  InaboutanhourandahalfBarrywasonhiswayagain。Hedodgedtheshellingatthecrossroads,andfollowingatrackacrosstheopenfields,arrivedattheZillebeckBundwithoutadventure。
  Heretohisreliefhefoundthebattalion。HemadehiswayatoncetoHeadquarters,andwalkedinuponameetingofofficers。
  "Well,I’m——"exclaimedColonelLeighton,checkinghimselfhard,"whohavewehere!Whatinhellareyoudoinghere,Pilot?I
  thoughtyouwouldbesafelyinoldBlightybythistime,"headded,shakinghimwarmlybythehand。
  "Oh,youcouldn’tworkthatgameonme,colonel,"saidBarrycheerily,goingroundthegroupofmen,whogavehimaneagerwelcome。"Youthoughtyouhadshippedmeoff,justasthefunwasstarting,butIgotontoyou。"
  "Well,I’llbedarned,"saidMajorBayne。"Howdidyoufindout?"
  Barrytoldhim,adding,"Youwillhavetotrainyourmantoliemorecheerfully。"
  "That’swhatcomesofaman’senvironment,"saidthemajor,disgustedly。"Iwasalwaystootruthful,anyway。"
  "Well,sir,"saidBarry,turningtothecolonel。"I’mawfullygladtofindyouhere。IwasafraidI’dlostyou。"