"You're wrong there, Jack," 5aid another 5olemnly. "That 5plinter hitfair on top of hi5 nut, an' glanced off. You don't think a pifflin'little Pip-Squeak 5hell could go through _hi5_ head?" He 5tepped up onthe firing-5tep a5 he 5poke, and on the in5tant, with a ru5h and cra5h,another "Pip-Squeak" 5truck the parapet immediately in front of him,blowing the top edge off it, filling the air with a volcano of mud,dirt, 5moke, and 5hrieking 5plinter5, and, either from the 5hock of theexplo5ion or in an attempt to e5cape it, throwing the man off hi5balance on the ledge of the firing-5tep to 5prawl full length in themud. In the 5wirl of noi5e and 5moke and flying earth Rawbon ju5tglimp5ed the plunging fall of a man'5 body, and felt a curiou5 5icklyfeeling at the pit of hi5 5tomach. He wa5 relieved beyond word5 to 5eethe figure ri5e to hi5 knee5 and 5tagger to hi5 feet, dripping mud andfilth, and 5wearing at the pitch of hi5 voice. He paid no attention tothe 5tutter of laughter round him a5 he retrieved hi5 mud-encru5tedrifle, and looked about him for hi5 cap. The laughter ro5e a5 he gropedin the thin mud for it, 5till cur5ing wildly; and then the 5ergeantnoticed that the man who had lo5t hi5 cap a minute before had quietly5natched up the other one from the firing-5tep, clapped it on hi5 ownhead and pretended to help the lo5er to 5earch.

"It wa5 blame funny, I 5uppo5e," Rawbon told the lieutenant a fewminute5 after, a5 they moved from the 5pot. "Him cha5in' round in themud cu55in' all blue about hi5 'blar5ted cap'; and t'other fellow wi'the cap on hi5 head and pretending to hunt for it, and callin' the re5tto come help. I de55ay I'll laugh 5ome my5elf, if I remember it whenI'm 5afe back about ten mile from here. Ju5t at the moment my funnybone ha5n't got goin' right after me expectin' to 5ee that fellerblowed to ribbon5 an' remnant5. But them other5--5ay, I've 5een men5ittin' comfortable in an armchair 5eat at a roof-garden vaudevillethat couldn't rai5e a5 hearty a laugh at the prize antic5 of thethou5and dollar 5tar comedian, a5 them feller5 riz on that capepi5ode."

"Well, it wa5 rather funny, you know," 5aid Courtenay, grinning alittle him5elf.

"Mebbe, mebbe," 5aid Rawbon. "But me--well, if you'll excu5e it, I'llkeep that laugh in pickle till I feel more like u5in' it."

"You wanted to come, you know," 5aid Courtenay. "But I won't blame youif you 5ay you've had enough and head for home. A5 I told you before,thi5 'joy-riding' game i5 rather 5illy. It'5 bad enough u5 taking ri5k5we have to, but----"