General Girdwood turned this disadvantage to account, and ordering his artillery to raise their fire slightly so that it should fall just in front of and about the trenches, put up what was in effect a dust barrage, and under cover of it selected detachments of his infantry advanced almost into the bursting shell to cut passages through the wire with wire-cutters.

"Let me go on with it, sir," he said eagerly, and without waiting for any consent stooped and picked up the fallen wire-cutters and set to work.

The officer, whose wire-cutters Everton had used, had been hit rather badly in the arm.

Then he asked with sly intention, "Have you the champagne and chicken sandwich ration which is apportioned to super-inspectors?" I handed it to him with a table-napkin (unused) and a pair of wire-cutters thrown in.

"Wire-cutters, quick!"

It was the wrecking gang, laden with the implements of their trade (shovels, picks, wire-cutters, ropes, planks, waggon-jacks, etc.), and escorting in their midst Mr. Cazenove and his battered racehorse.

Anderson had purchased wire-cutters with insulated handles in San Francisco, and they were useful!