Page:War's dark frame (IA warsdarkframe00camp).pdf/197

Rh made a wry face and tried to rub the muck from his fingers before shaking hands. He glanced doubtfully at Williams, who drew him aside, speaking quietly. He nodded.

"If you wish," he said.

With a stealth greater than we had exercised at the sniper's post we followed him along a narrow gully whose walls were heaped with the blue stuff, whose floor was a stream.

“Walk carefully," he said.

It was really difficult, because of the slimy footing, to remain upright. We constantly caught our balance against the yielding soil. Therefore we didn't see at first the grotesque and uncouth figure that crawled from an opening similar to the entrance of a dug-out. You paused, startled by the fancy of a prehistoric creature leaving his lair and sizing you up for defence or attack. From head to foot he was blue and dripping. The mud was in his ears and thick through his matted hair. Before he could rise the officer spoke to him, and he remained squatted in the opening

"How deep are you?”

You scarcely expected intelligible words to issue from such a creature, but he mentioned an astonishing figure, and went on with rough goodnature: