To be sure I had been taken from my company and relegated to the band: but during the twelve days the siege lasted there was always a call for boys to watch the explosions from the town and warn the workmen when a shell was coming: and, on the whole, since Ciudad Rodrigo contained plenty of ammunition and did not spare it, I enjoyed myself amazingly.
On the night of the 9th, while the First Division dug at the trenches, our men helped with the building of three counter-batteries a little ahead of the convent; and, because the French guns began to make our hill uncomfortable, we shifted camp and laid a shallow trench from it, along which we could steal to work under fair cover.
On the 10th the Fourth Division took over the siege trenches, and on the 11th the Third Division relieved: on the 12th came our turn.
The day breaking with a thick fog, Lord Wellington determined to profit by it and hurry on the digging, which the bitter frost was now miserably impeding.

To him, or to someone, it occurred that by scooping pits in front of the trenches our riflemen (the 95th) might give ease to the diggers by picking off the enemy's gunners.
And with this object we were hurried down in force to take up the work as the Third Division dropped it.
Now I knew the North Wilts to belong to this Division, and it had occurred to me on the way down that as likely as not I might run across Leicester.

And keeping a sharp look-out as his regiment filed forth from the trench, I spied him before he caught sight of me.
He recognised me at once; but instead of passing with a scowl (as I had expected) he treated me to a grin as nearly humorous as his sallow face allowed, and came to a halt.
"D'ye know who's in there ?" he asked, jerking his thumb back towards Ciudad Rodrigo.
"No, sir," I answered, scarcely grasping the question, but quaking as this man always made me quake.
"Thought you mightn't.

Well then, our friend is in there." "Our friend ?" I echoed.

"Who ?" "Whitmore." His grin became ferocious now.