战场上，戈瑞医生蜷缩在地上，约翰叔叔紧张极了，急忙问他是否被子弹击中了。戈瑞医生无力地摆摆手，不住呻吟。原来，他只是太害怕了！他感到自己的身体僵直不堪，无法行动，恐惧占据了他的整个内心。戈瑞医生为何竟如此懦弱？
"Great heavens！"gasped Mr.Merrick，running toward the doctor."Are you hit？"Gys looked up at him appealinglya and nodded."Where did it strike you？Was it a bullet—or what？"The doctor wrung his hands，moaning pitifully.Uncle John bent over him.
"Tell me，"he said."Tell me，Gys！"
"I—I'm scared，sir—s—s—scared stiff.It's that yellow s—s—s—streak in me；I—I—can't help it，sir."Then he collapsed，crouchingb lifelessly close to the sand.
Uncle John was amazed.He drew back with such an expression of scorn that Gys，lying with face upward，rolled over to hide his own features in the sand.But his form continued to twist and shake convulsively.
Patsy came up with her soldier，whose gaudy uniformproclaimed him an officer.He had a rugged，worn face，gray hair and mustache，stern eyes.His left side was torn and bleeding where a piece of shell had raked him from shoulder to knee.No moan did he utter as Mr.Merrick and the girl assisted him to one of the swinging beds，and then Patsy，with white，set face but steady hands，began at once to cut away the clothing and get at the wound.This was her first practical experience and she meant to prove her mettlec or perish in the attempt.
Uncle John skipped over to the sand bank and clutched Gys savagely by the collar.
"Get up！"he commanded."Here's a man desperatelywounded，who needs your best skill—and at once."Gys pulled himself free and sat up，seeming dazed for the moment.Then he rubbed his head briskly with both hands，collected his nerve and slowly rose to his feet.He cast fearful glances at the firing line，but the demand for his surgical skill was a talisman that for a time enabled him to conquer his terror.With frightened backward glances he ran to the ambulance and made a dive into it as if a pack of wolves was at his heels.
Safely inside，one glance at the wounded man caused Gys to stiffen suddenly.He became steady and alert and noting that Patsy had now bared a portion of the gaping wound the doctor seized a thermos flask of hot water and in a moment was removing the clotted blood in a deft and intelligent manner.
Now came Jones and Maurie bearing the man they had picked up.As they set the stretcher down，Uncle John came over.
"Shall we put him inside？"asked Mr.Merrick.
"No use，I think，"panteda the Belgian."Where's the doctor？"asked Ajo.
Kelsey，who had been busy elsewhere，now approached and looked at the soldier on the stretcher.
"The man is dead，"he said."He doesn't need us now.""Off with him，then！"cried Maurie，and they laid the poor fellow upon the sand and covered him with a cloth."Come，then，"urged the little chauffeur，excitedly，"lots more out there are still alive.We get one quick."They left in a run in one direction while Kelsey，whohad come to the ambulance for supplies，went another way.Mr.Merrick looked around for the other two girls.Only Maud Stanton was visible through the smoky haze.Uncle John approached her just as a shell dropped into the sand not fifty feet away.It did not explode but plowed a deep furrow and sent a shower of sand in every direction.
Maud had just finished dressing a bullet wound in the arm of a young soldier who smiled as he watched her.Then，as she finished the work，he bowed low，muttered his thanks，and catching up his gun rushed back into the fray.It was a flesh wound and until it grew more painful he could still fight.
"Where are the Germans？"asked Uncle John."I haven'tseen one yet."As he spoke a great cheer rose from a thousand throats.The line before them wavered an instant and then rushed forward and disappeared in the smoke of battle.
"Is it a charge，do you think？"asked Maud，as they stoodpeering into the haze.
"I—I don't know，"he stammered."This is so—so bewildering—that it all seems like a dream.Where's Beth？""I don't know.""Are you looking for a young lady—a nurse？"asked a voice beside them."She's over yonder，"he swung one arm toward the distant sand dunes.The other was in a sling."She has just given me first aid and sent me to the rear—God bless her！"Then he trailed on，a British Tommy Atkins，while with one accord Maud and Uncle John moved in the direction he had indicated.
"She mustn't be so reckless，"said Beth's uncle，nervously.
"It's bad enough back here，but every step nearer the firing line doubles the danger.""I do not agree with you，sir，"answered Maud quietly.
"A man was killed not two paces from me，a little while ago."He shuddered and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief，but made no reply.They climbed another line of dunes and in the hollow beyond came upon several fallen soldiers，one of whom was moaning with pain.Maud ran to kneel beside him and in a twinkling had her hypodermica needle in his arm.
"Bear it bravely，"she said in French."The pain will stopin a few minutes and then I'll come and look after you."He nodded gratefully，still moaning，and she hurried to rejoin Mr.Merrick.
