While men worked over his silent form his message was flashing to headquarters and back over the lines to all the posts along that front. The time had come for the big drive. In a short time a great company of dark forms stole forth across No Man’s Land till they seemed like a wide dark sea creeping on to engulf the enemy.
Next morning the newspapers of the world set forth in monstrous type the glorious victory and how the Americans had stolen upon the enemy and cut them off from the rest of their army, wiping out a whole salient.
But while the world was rejoicing, John Cameron lay on his little hard stretcher in the tent and barely breathed. He had not opened his eyes nor spoken again.
XX
A nurse stepped up to the doctor’s desk:
“A new girl is here ready for duty. Is there any special place you want her put?” she asked in a low tone.
The doctor looked up with a frown:
“One of those half-trained Americans, I suppose?” he growled. “Well, every little helps. I’d give a good deal for half a dozen fully trained nurses just now. Suppose you send her to relieve Miss Jennings. She can’t do any harm to number twenty-nine.”