After waiting some time, Corporal Murray proceeded to extract the shell.

He took his place at the breech, while No.

2 unlocked the plug and swung it open.
"Now we'll see what is the matter," he began.

"I guess it is another case of--" He never finished the sentence.

With a frightful roar the defective cartridge exploded, sending fragments of shell and parts of the breech-block into the corporal's face and chest.