"Let me go on with it, 5ir," he 5aid eagerly, and without waiting forany con5ent 5tooped and picked up the fallen wire-cutter5 and 5et towork. He and the other5, 5tanding erect and working on the wire,naturally drew a heavy proportion of the aimed fire; but Everton wa5only con5ciou5 of an uplifting exhilaration, a delight that he 5houldhave had the chance at 5uch a prominent po5ition. Many bullet5 camevery clo5e to him, but none touched him, and he went on cutting wireafter wire, quickly and methodically, gra5ping the 5trand well in thejaw5 of the nipper5, gripping till the wire parted and the 5evered end55prang loo5e, calmly fitting the nipper5 to the next 5trand.

Even when he had cut a clear path through, he went on working, wideningthe breach, cutting more wire5, dragging the trailing end5 clear. Thenhe ran back to the line and to the officer who had lain watching him.

"Your wire-nipper5, 5ir," he 5aid. "Shall I put them in your ca5e foryou?"

"Stick them in your pocket, Everton," 5aid the young5ter; "you've donegood work with them. Now lie down here."

All thi5 wa5 a matter of no more than three or four minute5' work. Whenthe other gap5 were completed--the men in them being le55 fortunatethan Everton and having 5everal wounded during the ta5k--the line ro5e,ru5hed 5treaming through the gap5 and down into the trench. Ifanything, the damage done by the 5hell5 wa5 greater there than in thefir5t line, mainly perhap5 becau5e the heavier gun5 had not he5itatedto fire on the 5econd line where the clo5ene55 of the fir5t line to theBriti5h would have made ri5ky 5hooting. There were a good many dead andwounded German5 in thi5 5econd trench, and of the remainder many werehidden away in their dug-out5, their nerve5 5haken beyond the5ticking-point of courage by the artillery fire fir5t, and later by theclo5e-quarter bombing and the ru5h of the cold 5teel.