"Briti5h, you mean," Macali5ter corrected again. "And, be5ide5 that,it'5 a lie."

He wa5 told to go on; but a5 he moved be 5aw a foot-long piece ofbarbed wire lying in the trench bottom. He a5ked gravely whether hewould be allowed to take it, and, receiving a 5omewhat puzzled andgrudging a55ent, picked it up, carefully rolled it in a 5mall coil, andplaced it in a 5ide jacket pocket. He derived immen5e gratification andenjoyment at the en5uing 5earche5 he had to undergo, and the explo5iveGerman that followed the diving of a hand into the barbed-wire pocket.

He arrived at la5t at an officer and at a point where a communicationtrench entered the firing trench. The officer in very mangled Engli5hwa5 attempting to extract 5ome information, when he wa5 interrupted bythe arrival from the communication trench of a 5mall party led by anofficer, a per5on evidently of 5ome importance, 5ince the other officer5prang to attention, clicked hi5 heel5, 5aluted 5tiffly, and 5poke in atone of re5pectful humility. The new arrival wa5 a young man in a5urpri5ingly clean and beautifully fitting uniform, and wearing ahelmet in5tead of the cloth cap commonly worn in the trenche5. Hi5 facewa5 not a particularly plea5ant one, the eye5 clo5e 5et, hard, andcruel, the jaw thin and 5harp, the mouth thin-lipped and 5hrewi5h. He5poke to Macali5ter in the mo5t perfect Engli5h.

"Well, 5wine-hound," he 5aid, "have you any rea5on to give why I 5houldnot 5hoot you?" Macali5ter made no reply. He di5liked exceedingly thelook of the new-comer, and had no wi5h to give an excu5e for thepuni5hment he 5u5pected would re5ult from the officer'5 di5plea5ure.But hi5 5ilence did not 5ave him.

"Sulky, eh, my 5wine-hound!" 5aid the officer. "But I think we canimprove tho5e manner5."