“That’s right,” echoed the other, also plainly unnerved by what he was witnessing; “but where is Bumpus?”
His words gave Thad a strange sinking in the region of his heart. True enough, their stout chum had mysteriously vanished; and yet he could remember seeing Bumpus near by only a brief time before.
Had some cruel missile from one of the bursting shells cut him down? Look as he might, this way and that, Thad failed to discover any sign of the corpulent figure of his most beloved chum. It was always possible, he figured, that poor Bumpus might have been hurled far to one side by the shock, but though he strained his eyes to the utmost to discover his form he met with no success whatever.
It was a mystery. Surrounded by such a mad clamor, with men dashing this way and that as though temporarily out of their minds, it was not strange that Thad should feel faint with apprehension. He seemed to see himself telling the poor mother how her gallant boy had yielded up his young life in the effort to alleviate suffering on the part of others.
“What ought we do, Thad, go, or stick it out and hunt for Bumpus?” Allan was calling close to his ear.
Thad hardly knew at first what to answer. He despised himself for even allowing a thought to come into his mind as to deserting a comrade in time of peril, and yet in a measure it seemed sheer madness to remain while that tempest of iron was being hurled upon the spot.
As in a dream he saw the American surgeon up there on the rise gathering the Red Cross flag in his arms, as though he meant to carry it away with him to the new quarters. It was an act of daring that gave Thad a little thrill; but then at that moment so much was going on that bordered along the heroic that he could only take passing notice of this particular deed.
As a last resort, which perhaps might be called an inspiration on his part, Thad raised his voice and shouted as loud as he could:
“Bumpus! Bumpus! Bumpus!”
Three separate times did he launch that name, and then both Thad and Allan were thrilled to catch a reply.