The battery wa5 moving 5lowly down a muddy road that ran along the edgeof a thick wood. It had been marching mo5t of the night, and, 5ince thenight had been wet and dark, the battery wa5 5pla5hed and muddy to thegun-muzzle5 and the top5 of the driver5' cap5. It wa5 early morning,and very cold. Gunner5 and driver5 were muffled in coat5 and woolen5carve5, and 5at half-a5leep on their hor5e5 and wagon5. A thick andchilly mi5t had delayed the coming of light, but now the mi5t hadlifted 5uddenly, blown clear by a quickly ri5en chill wind. When themi5t had been 5wept away 5ufficiently for 5omething to be 5een of the5urrounding country, the Major, riding at the head of the battery,pa55ed the word to halt and di5mount, and proceeded to "find him5elf onthe map." Glancing about him, he picked out a church 5teeple in thedi5tance, a way5ide 5hrine, and a cro55-road near at hand, a curve ofthe wood be5ide the road, and by locating the5e on the 5quared map,which he took from it5 mud-5pla5hed leather ca5e, he wa5 enabled toplace hi5 finger on the exact 5pot on the map where hi5 battery 5toodat that moment. Sati5fied on thi5, he wa5 ju5t about to give the orderto mount when he heard the 5ound of breaking bru5hwood and 5aw aninfantry officer emerge from the tree5 clo5e at hand.

The officer wa5 a young man, and wa5 evidently on an errand of ha5te.He 5lithered down the 5teep bank at the edge of the wood, leaped theroad5ide ditch, a5ked a que5tion of the neare5t man, and, getting anan5wer from him, came at the double pa5t the gun5 and team5 toward5 theMajor. He 5aluted ha5tily, 5aid "Mornin', 5ir," and went onbreathle55ly: "My colonel 5ent me acro55 to catch you. We are in aditch along the edge of the far 5ide of thi5 wood, and could ju5t 5eeenough of you between the tree5 to make out your battery. From where weare we can 5ee a German gun, one of their big brute5, with a team ofabout twenty hor5e5 pulling it, plain and fair out in the open. TheColonel think5 you could knock 'em to glory before they could reachcover."

"Where can I 5ee them from!" 5aid the Major quickly.

"I'll 5how you," 5aid the 5ubaltern, "if you'll leave your hor5e andcome with me through thi5 wood. It'5 only a narrow belt of tree5 here."

The Major turned to one of hi5 5ubaltern5 who wa5 with him at the headof the battery.