ARMY BOYS IN THE FRENCH TRENCHES

OR

HAND TO HAND FIGHTING WITH THE ENEMY

BY

HOMER RANDALL

AUTHOR OF"Army Boys in France" and "Army Boys on the Firing Line"

Illustrated by ROBERT GASTON HERBERT

1919

[Illustration: There was a grinding, tearing, screeching sound, as wire entanglements were uprooted. ]

CONTENTS

 I A SLASHING ATTACK

 II THE UPLIFTED KNIFE

 III TAKING CHANCES

 IV BETWEEN THE LINES

 V THE BARBAROUS HUNS

 VI A TASTE OF COLD STEEL

 VII NICK RABIG'S QUEER ACTIONS

 VIII COLONEL PAVET REAPPEARS

 IX THE ESCAPE

 X A GHASTLY BURDEN

 XI WITH THE TANKS

 XII BREAKING THROUGH

 XIII CAUGHT NAPPING

 XIV IN CLOSE QUARTERS

 XV THE FOUR-FOOTED ENEMY

 XVI CHASED BY CAVALRY

 XVII THE BROKEN BRIDGE

XVIII RESCUE FROM THE SKY

 XIX PUTTING ONE OVER

 XX SUSPICION

 XXI A FAMILIAR VOICE

 XXII THE SHADOW OF TREASON

XXIII A HAIL OF LEAD

 XXIV A DEED OF DARING

 XXV STORMING THE RIDGE

CHAPTER I

A SLASHING ATTACK

"Stand ready, boys. We attack at dawn!"

The word passed in a whisper down the long line of the trench, where theAmerican army boys crouched like so many khaki-clad ghosts, awaiting thecommand to go "over the top. "

"That will be in about fifteen minutes from now, I figure, " murmuredFrank Sheldon to his friend and comrade, Bart Raymond, as he glanced atthe hands of his radio watch and then put it up to his ear to make surethat it had not stopped. 

"It'll seem more like fifteen hours, " muttered Tom Bradford, who was onthe other side of Sheldon. 

"Tom's in a hurry to get at the Huns, " chuckled Billy Waldon. "He wantsto show them where they get off. "

"I saw him putting a razor edge on his bayonet last night, " added Bart. "Now he's anxious to see how it works. "

"He'll have plenty of chances to find out, " said Frank. "This is goingto be a hot scrap, or I miss my guess. I heard the captain tell thelieutenant that the Germans had their heaviest force right in front ofour part of the line. "

"So much the better, " asserted Billy stoutly. "They can't come too thickor too fast. They've been sneering at what the Yankees were going to doin this war, and it's about time they got punctures in their tires. "

At this moment the mess helpers passed along the line with buckets ofsteaming hot coffee, and the men welcomed it eagerly, for it was late inthe autumn and the night air was chill and penetrating. "Come, littlecup, to one who loves thee well, " murmured Tom, as he swallowed hisportion in one gulp. 

The others were not slow in following his example, and the buckets wereemptied in a twinkling. 

Then the stern vigil was renewed. 

From the opposing lines a star shell rose and exploded, casting agreenish radiance over the barren stretch of No Man's Land thatseparated the hostile forces. 

"Fritz isn't asleep, " muttered Frank. 

"He's right on the job with his fireworks, " agreed Bart. 

"Maybe he has his suspicions that we're going to give him a littlesurprise party, " remarked Billy, "and that's his way of telling us thathe's ready to welcome us with open arms. "

"Fix bayonets!" came the command from the officer in charge, and therewas a faint clink as the order was obeyed. 

"It won't be long now, " murmured Tom. "But why don't the guns open up?"

"They always do before it's time to charge, " commented Billy, as heshifted his position a little. "I suppose they will now almost anyminute. "

"I don't think there'll be any gun fire this time before we go over thetop, " ventured Frank. 

"What do you mean?" asked Bart in surprise, as he turned his head towardhis chum. 

"Do you know anything?" queried Tom. 

"Not exactly know, but I've heard enough to make a guess, " repliedFrank. "I think we're going to play the game a little differently thistime. Unless I'm mistaken, the Huns are going to get the surprise oftheir lives. "

"Put on gas masks!" came another order, and in the six seconds allowedfor this operation the masks were donned, making the men in the longline look like so many goblins. 

It was light enough for them to see each other now, for the gray fingersof the dawn were already drawing the curtain of darkness aside from theeastern sky. 

One minute more passed--a minute of tense, fierce expectation, while theboys gripped their rifles until it seemed that their fingers would burythemselves in the stocks. 

Crash!

With a roar louder than a thousand guns the earth under the Germanfirst-line trenches split asunder, and tons of rock and mud and guns andmen were hurled toward the sky. 

The din was terrific, the sight appalling, and the shock for an instantwas almost as great to the Americans as to their opponents, though farless tragic. 

"Now, men, " shouted their lieutenant, "over with you!" and with a wildyell of exultation the boys clambered over the edge of the trench andstarted toward the German lines. 

"We're off!" panted Frank, as, with eyes blazing and bayonet ready forinstant use, he rushed forward in the front rank. 

"To a flying start!" gasped Bart, and then because breath was preciousthey said no more, but raced on like greyhounds freed from the leash. 

On, on they went, with the wind whipping their faces! On, still on, tothe red ruin wrought by the explosion of the mine. 

For the first fifty yards the going was easy except for the craters andshell holes into which some of the boys slid and tumbled. The enemy hadbeen so numbed and paralyzed by the overwhelming explosion that theyseemed to be unable to make any resistance. 

But the officers knew, and the men as well, that this was only the lullbefore the storm. Their enemy was desperate and resourceful, and thoughthe cleverness of the American engineers had carried through the mineoperation without detection, it was certain that the foe would rally. 

Fifty yards from the first-line trench--forty--thirty--and then theGerman guns spoke. 

A long line of flame flared up crimson in the pallid dawn. 

"Down, men, down!" shouted their officers, and the Yankee lads threwthemselves flat on the ground while a leaden hail swept furiously overthem. 

"Are you hurt, Bart?" cried Frank anxiously, as he heard a sharpexclamation from his comrade. 

"Not by a bullet, " growled Bart. "Took some of the skin off my kneethough when I went down. "

A second time the murderous fire came hurtling over them, but theofficers noted with satisfaction that the enemy were shooting high. 

"They haven't got the range yet, " observed Billy. 

"Up!" came the word of command, and again the men were on their feet andracing like mad toward the trench. 

They came at last to where it had been. For it was no longer a trench!

Gone was the zigzag line that the boys knew by heart from having facedand fought against it for weeks. The mine had done its work thoroughly. 

Everywhere was a welter of hideous confusion. Barbed wire entanglementswith their supporting posts had been rooted from the ground. Guns hadbeen torn from their carriages. "Pill boxes" had been smashed to bits. Horses and men and wagons and camp kitchens were mingled together inwildest chaos. 

Parts of the trench had been filled to the surface with earth, whilehuge boulders blocked the entrance to some of the communicatingpassages. 

There were a few sharp fights with scattered units of the enemy that hadretained their senses and were trying to get their machine guns intoaction. But these detachments were soon cut down or captured. The greatmajority of the survivors were so dazed that they surrendered withscarcely a show of resistance and were rounded up in squads to be sentto the rear. 

The first trench had been won, and it was almost a bloodless victory, only a few of the American troops having fallen in the sudden rush. 

But sterner work lay ahead, for the second and third German lines werestill intact, bristling with men and supported heavily by their guns. 

"This was easy, " grinned Billy. 

"Like taking a dead mouse from a blind kitten, " chuckled Tom, as hewiped the grime and perspiration from his face. 

"Don't fool yourselves, " warned Frank, as a shell came whining overtheir heads. "This was only a skirmish. The real fight is coming, andcoming mighty quick!"

CHAPTER II

THE UPLIFTED KNIFE

Even while Frank Sheldon spoke, the artillery of the enemy took on adeeper note until it reached the intensity of drumfire. 

But now the American gunners took a hand, and the shells came pouringover the heads of the boys, searching out the line of the second enemytrench and preparing the way for the advance. 

In obedience to commands, the American soldiers had sought shelterwherever they could find it, while they were recovering their wind. 

Only a moment could be granted for this, however, for time waseverything just now. They had caught the enemy off his guard and musttake advantage of the opportunity. 

"Line up, men!" cried the leader of Frank's detachment, and the highstate of discipline that the American forces had reached was shown bythe promptness with which the order was obeyed. 

A signal was sent back to the supporting guns, and they opened up adeadly barrage fire over the heads of Frank and his comrades, clearingthe ground before them of everything that dared to show itself in theopen. 

Behind this curtain of fire, the boys advanced, slowly at first, butgathering speed at every stride, until they were running at the doublequick. 

Bullets rained about them from the machine guns of the enemy and greatshells tore gaps in the ranks. At Frank's left, a soldier suddenlywavered and then pitched headlong into a shell hole and lay still. Another toppled over with a bullet in his shoulder. But the lanes thatwere made closed almost instantly. 

Now they had reached the wire entanglements that had been battered bythe artillery until they hung in festoons around their posts, leavingpaths through which the American lads poured. 

Then like a great tidal wave they struck the trench!

The Germans had clambered out to meet them, and when the two forces metthe shock was terrific. Back and forth the battle surged and swayed, each side fighting with the fury of desperation. The cannon had ceasednow, for in that locked mass the shells were as likely to kill friendsas foes. It was man against man, bayonet against bayonet, each combatantobeying the primitive law of "kill or be killed. "

The opposing forces at this part of the line were nearly equal, with theGermans having a slight advantage in numbers. But to make up for this, the Americans had the advantage of the attack and the tremendousmomentum with which they had struck the enemy's line. 

For a time victory hung in the balance, but then Yankee determinationand superior skill in bayonet work began to tell. The Americans wouldnot be denied. The German line was pierced, and the forces broke up intoa number of battling groups. 

Frank and Bart, Billy and Tom, who all through the fight had managed tokeep together, found themselves engaged with a squad of Germans doubletheir number, two of whom were frantically trying to bring a machine gunto bear upon them. 

With a bound Frank was upon them. He toppled one over with his bayonet, but while he was doing this the other fired at him point-blank with arevolver. At such a close range he could not have missed, had not Bart, quick as a flash, clubbed him over the arm with his rifle, making thebullet go wild. 

"Quick, Bart!" panted Frank, as with his comrade's help he slued themachine gun around, gripped the trigger, and sent a stream of bulletsinto a group of the enemy charging down upon him. 

Before that withering fire they dissolved like mist, and a circle wascleared as though by magic. 

What Germans were left in that immediate vicinity leaped back into thetrench on the edge of which they had been fighting. 

"Now we've got them!" cried Frank, as with his friends' assistance hequickly wheeled the gun to the brink of the trench and depressed themuzzle so that it commanded the huddled bunch below. "Come out of that, you fellows. Hands up, quick!"

They may not have understood his words, but there was nomisunderstanding the meaning of that black sinister muzzle of themachine gun with a hundred deaths behind it. They were trapped, andtheir hands went up with cries of "_Kamerad!_" in token of surrender. 

On that part of the line the battle was over, for the plan did notcontemplate going beyond the second trench at that time. The Americanboys had won and won gloriously. From all parts of the trench, on atwo-mile front, groups of captives were coming sullenly out with upliftedhands, to be herded into groups by their captors and sent to the rear. 

"Glory hallelujah!" cried Bart, as he removed his mask and wiped hisstreaming face. "And no gas, either. "

"Some scrap!" gasped Billy, as he sank exhausted to the ground. 

"Did them up to the Queen's taste, " chuckled Tom. 

"We certainly put one over on the Huns that time, " grinned Frankhappily. 

And while they stand there, breathless and exulting, it may be well forthe benefit of those who have not previously made the acquaintance ofthe American Army Boys to sketch briefly their adventures up to the timethis story opens. 

Frank Sheldon, Bart Raymond, Tom Bradford and Billy Waldon had all beenborn and brought up in Camport, a thriving American city of abouttwenty-five thousand people. They had known each other from boyhood, attended the same school, played on the same baseball nine and were warmfriends. 

Frank was the natural leader of the group. He was a tall, muscular youngfellow, quick to think and quick to act, always at the front in sportsas well as in the more serious events of life. 

His father had died some years before, leaving only a modest home as alegacy, and Frank was the sole support of his mother. The latter hadbeen born in France, where Mr. Sheldon had married her and brought herto America. 

Later, Mrs. Sheldon's father had died, leaving her a considerableproperty in Auvergne, her native province. This estate, however, hadbeen tied up in a lawsuit, and she had not come into possession of it. She had been planning to go to France to look after her interests, buther husband's death and, later on, the breaking out of the European war, had made this impossible. 

She was a charming woman, with all the French sparkle and vivacity, andshe and her son were bound together in ties of the strongest affection. Naturally her ardent sympathy had been with France in the great warraging in Europe. But when it became evident that America soon wouldtake part, although she welcomed the aid this would bring to her nativecountry, her mother heart was torn with anguish at the thought that heronly son would probably join in the fighting across the sea. 

But Frank, though he dreaded the separation, felt that he must join theCamport regiment that was getting ready to fight the Huns. The decidingmoment came when a German tore down the American flag from a neighbor'sporch. Frank knocked the fellow down and in the presence of an excitedthrong made him kiss the flag that he had insulted. From that moment hisresolution was taken, and his mother, who had witnessed the scene, gaveher consent to his joining the old Thirty-seventh regiment, made upchiefly of Camport boys, including Billy Waldon, who had seen service onthe Mexican border. 

Bart Raymond, Frank's special chum, a sturdy, vigorous young fellow, wasequally patriotic, and joined the regiment with Frank as soon as war wasdeclared. Tom Bradford, a fellow employee in the firm of Moore & Thomas, a thriving hardware house, wanted to enlist, but was rejected on accountof his teeth, although he wrathfully declared that "he wanted to shootthe Germans, not to bite them. " In fact, almost all the young fellowsemployed by the firm, except "Reddy, " the office boy, who wanted to gobadly enough, but who was too young, tried to get into some branch ofthe army or navy. 

A marked exception was Nick Rabig, the foreman of the shippingdepartment, who, although born in the United States, came of Germanparents and lost no opportunity of "boosting" Germany and "knocking"America. He was the bully of the place and universally disliked. Hehated Frank, especially after the flag incident, and only the thought ofhis mother had prevented Frank more than once from giving Rabig thethrashing he deserved. 

Frank's regiment was sent to Camp Boone for their preliminary training, and here the young recruits were put through their paces in rifleshooting, grenade throwing, bayonet practice and all the other exercisesby which Uncle Sam turns his boys into soldiers. There was plenty of funmixed in with the hard work, and they had many stirring experiences. Apleasant feature was the coming of Tom, who although rejected when hetried to enlist had been accepted in the draft. Not so pleasant, thoughsomewhat amusing, was the fact that Nick Rabig also had been drafted andhad to go to Camp Boone, though most unwillingly. 

How the regiment sailed to France for intensive training behind thefiring lines; how their transport narrowly escaped being sunk by asubmarine and how the tables were turned; the singular chance by whichFrank met a French colonel and heard encouraging news about his mother'sproperty; how he thoroughly "trimmed" Rabig in a boxing bout; how theCamport boys took part in the capture of a Zeppelin; how the oldThirty-seventh finally reached the trenches; Frank's daring exploit whencaught in the swirl of a German charge; these and other excitingadventures are told in the first book of this Series, entitled: "ArmyBoys in France; Or, From Training Camp to the Trenches. "

"Do you remember what that airship captain said the day we bagged him?"chuckled Billy. 

"About it being impossible for Americans to get to France?" asked Bart. "You bet I do. I'll never forget that boob. I wonder if he stillbelieves it. "

"He'd sing a different tune if he were here to-day, " observed Tom. 

"I don't know, " laughed Frank. "The German skull is pretty thick. Stillyou can get something through it once in a while if you keep onhammering. "

"I guess these fellows haven't any doubts about our being here, "observed Billy. 

"They've had pretty good evidence of it, " confirmed Tom, as he watchedthe enemy captives standing about in dejected groups, waiting to be sentto the rear. 

One thing that struck the boys forcibly was the disparity of age betweenthe prisoners. There was an unusual proportion of men beyond middle lifeand of youngsters still in their teens. 

"Grandpas and kids, " blurted out Tom. 

"The Kaiser's robbing the cradle and the grave, " commented Billy. "Germany's getting pretty near to the limit of her man power, I guess. "

"That's true of France and England, too, " observed Frank thoughtfully. "They lost the flower of their troops in the early fighting and they allhave to do a great deal of combing to keep their ranks full. "

"And that's where America has the Indian sign on the Huns, " jubilatedBart "We'll have our best against her second best. "

"We'll trim her good and proper, " predicted Frank. "Even at her best, we'd down her in the end. But don't let's kid ourselves. She's full offight yet, and will take a lot of beating. And there are plenty ofhuskies in her ranks yet. Look at that big brute over there. He looks asthough he could lift an ox. "

He pointed to a massively built German corporal, who was evidently madwith rage at his capture. He was gesticulating wildly to his fellowprisoners and fairly sputtering in the attempt to relieve his feelings. 

"Seems to be rather peeved, " grinned Tom. 

"I can't catch on to what he's saying, " laughed Bart. "But I'll bet hecould give points to a New York truckman or the mate of a Mississippisteamboat. They'd turn green with envy if they could understand him. "

"He's frothing at the mouth, " chuckled Billy. "I'd hate to have him biteme just now. I'd get hydrophobia sure. "

There was no time for further comment. The officers had had to give themen a short breathing spell, for all were spent with their tremendousexertions. But now after the brief rest, all was bustle and hurry. 

"The Huns will be back for more, " predicted Frank, as he and his friendswere set to work changing the sandbags from the side of the trench thathad faced the Americans to the other side that looked toward the Germanthird line. 

"They must be hard to please if they haven't had enough for onemorning, " growled Tom. 

"They're gluttons for punishment, " remarked Bart. "The first-line trenchis junk from the mine explosion, but they won't give this second one upwithout making one mighty effort to get it back. "

The young soldiers were working feverishly to organize the capturedposition, when their corporal, Wilson, summoned them out and theyscrambled forth promptly and stood at attention. 

"Fall in to take back the prisoners, " he ordered. 

A look of disappointment came over their faces and Wilson's eyestwinkled when he saw it. 

"Haven't you had enough fighting yet?" he demanded. "Well, I feel thatway myself, but orders are orders. Come along. "

"Hard luck, " muttered Frank in a low tone to Bart, as they obeyed thecommand. 

"We'll miss some lovely fighting, " agreed Bart. 

"I was just getting warmed up, " mourned Billy. 

"Don't worry, " advised Tom. "We'll be sent back after we get thesefellows to headquarters, and we'll have a chance to get another crack atthem. "

The prisoners, having been searched, were placed in double file betweenthe members of the guarding squad, who walked at a few paces interval oneither side of them. 

"Fall in!" came the corporal's order. "Shoulder arms. March!"

They started out briskly. 

Frank and Bart happened to be close beside the big German corporal whomthey had before observed. His wrath was not yet abated, and he kept up avolley of epithets as he sullenly marched along. 

"He's making as much fuss as though he were the Kaiser, " chuckled Tom, who was vastly amused at the prisoner's antics. 

"Slap him on the wrist and tell him to be nice, " counseled Billy with agrin. 

The captive glared at them with insane rage in his eyes. 

"I think he's going nutty, " remarked Bart. "It's lucky for him therearen't any squirrels around. "

"You want to keep your eye peeled for him, " warned Frank. "He's badmedicine. "

"He's safe enough, " replied Bart, carelessly. "He hasn't any weapon, andif he started to run he wouldn't get far. He isn't cut out for asprinter. "

"Even if he were, a bullet would catch him, " chimed in Billy. "He'd makea big target and it would be a pretty bad shot that would miss him. "

When they reached the blown-up first trench they found it difficult tokeep in line, and had to pick their way over the heaped-up ruin that hadbeen made by the mine explosion. 

Bart tripped over a strand of broken wire, and in trying to save himselffrom falling, his rifle slipped from his hand. 

The German corporal was within a foot of him and saw his opportunity. 

Quick as a flash he drew from his clothing a trench knife that thesearchers had overlooked. The murderous blade gleamed in the air as thecorporal brought it down toward the neck of Bart, who had stooped topick up his rifle. 

CHAPTER III

TAKING CHANCES

"Look out, Bart!" yelled Billy, while Tom made a desperate leap to hiscomrade's rescue. 

But Frank was quicker than either. 

Like lightning he lunged with his bayonet and caught the German in thewrist, just as the knife was about to bury itself in Bart's neck. 

With a howl of rage and pain, as his arm was forced upward, theprisoner's hand lost its grip on the weapon and it clattered harmlesslyto the ground. 

In an instant the German was overpowered and his arms tied behind himwith his own belt. Then his wounded wrist was bound up with a surgicaldressing, and under a special guard he was urged forward in no gentlemanner, for all were at a white heat at his treacherous attempt. 

By the laws of war his life was forfeited, and he seemed to realizethis, for all his bravado vanished and from time to time he lookedfearfully at his captors. He saw little there to encourage him, for Bartwas a great favorite with his company and the attack had stirred them tothe depths. 

"A close call, old man. " said Frank, affectionately tapping his friendon the shoulder. "It would have been taps for me, all right, if youhadn't acted as quickly as you did, " responded Bart gratefully. 

"Frank was Johnny-on-the-spot, " said Billy admiringly. "My heart was inmy mouth when I saw that knife coming down. "

"It was a waste of time to tie up that fellow's arm, " remarked Tom, ashe glowered at the miscreant. "He'll soon be where he won't need anybandages. "

"I guess it's a case for a firing squad, " judged Billy. "But it serveshim right, for it was up to him to play the game. "

Before long they reached headquarters and delivered up their prisoners. If they had expected to be sent back immediately to the firing line, they were disappointed, for the examination of the prisoners began atonce, without the squad receiving notice of dismissal. 

This had its compensations, however, for although they had capturedprisoners before, they had never been present at their examination, andthey were curious to see the turn the questioning would take. 

Captain Baker, of the old Thirty-seventh, was detailed to do theexamining, and because time was precious and it was most important tolearn just what enemy units were opposed to the American forces, he gotto work at once, an interpreter standing at his side while astenographer made note of the replies. 

The captain signaled to one of the most intelligent looking of theprisoners, and the latter stepped out, clicked his heels togethersmartly and saluted. 

"What is your name?" asked the captain. 

"Rudolph Schmidt. "

"Your regiment?"

"The Seventy-ninth Bavarian. "

"Who is your colonel?"

"Von Armin. "

"Who commands your division?"

"General Hofer. "

"Who is your corps commander?"

"Prince Lichtenstein. "

"How many men have you lost in the last few days' fighting?"

Obstinate silence. 

The captain repeated the question. 

"I do not know, " the prisoner answered evasively. 

"Well, were your losses heavy or light?" pursued the captain patiently. 

"I cannot tell. "

The captain switched to another line. 

"Do you know who have captured you?" he asked. 

"The English, " was the prompt answer. 

"No, " replied the captain. "We are Americans. "

The prisoner permitted himself an incredulous smile. 

"Can't you see these are American uniforms?" asked the captain, with asweep of his arm. 

"Yes, " was the reply. "But our captain tells us that the English wearthat uniform to make us think that the Americans have arrived inFrance. "

A grin went around the circle of listeners. 

"You blawsted, bloody Britisher, " chuckled Bart, giving Frank a poke inthe ribs. 

"Where's my bally monocle, old top?" whispered Frank, while Billy andTom grew red in the face from trying to control their merriment. 

The captain himself had all he could do to maintain his gravity. 

"Do you believe your captain when he tells you that?" he inquired. 

"I must believe him, " answered the prisoner simply. 

"There's discipline for you, " muttered Billy. 

"Such childlike faith, " murmured Tom. 

"But even if the Americans are not already here, " persisted the captain, "don't you believe they are coming?"

"They may try to come, " answered the captive doubtfully; "but if theydo, they will never get here. "

"Why not. "

"Our U-boats will stop them. "

"That settles it, " whispered Bart. "We think we're here, but we're onlykidding ourselves. We _can't_ be here. Heinie says so and, of course, heknows. "

"What a come-on he'd be for the confidence men, " gurgled Billy. "They'dsell him the Brooklyn Bridge before he'd been on shore for an hour. "

Questioned as to food supplies, the German admitted that their rations, although fairly good, were not so abundant as at the beginning of thewar. Then with characteristic arrogance he added:

"But we will have plenty to eat and drink too when we get to Paris. "

"I suppose your captain tells you that too, " remarked the inquisitor. 

"Yes, " was the reply. 

"That eternal captain again, " murmured Bart. 

"He must be a wonder, " chuckled Tom. 

"You've been rather a long time on the road to Paris, haven't you?"asked the captain, with a tinge of sarcasm. "Seems to me I've heardsomething about a banquet that was to celebrate the Crown Prince's entryinto Paris a month after the war was started. "

A discomfited look stole over the prisoner's face. 

"That was Von Kluck's fault, " he said sullenly. 

"Seems to me the French army had something to do with it too, " whisperedFrank to Bart. "What does your captain tell you your armies are fightingfor?" continued the questioner. 

"To give Germany her place in the sun, " answered the prisoner withouthesitation. 

"That seems to be a stock phrase of the Huns, " whispered Billy. "I'llbet it's part of the lesson taught in every German school. "

A few more questions followed, but failed to elicit any information ofspecial importance, and the prisoner was dismissed, to have his placetaken by some of his comrades. 

But what they told the boys never knew, for just then Corporal Wilson, who had been in close conference with his lieutenant, beckoned to themand they filed silently out of the quarters. 

"Back to the firing line for us, " remarked Frank. 

"About time too, " replied Bart, as he shouldered his rifle. "We've beenmissing all the fun. "

But the first words of the corporal showed them that they were mistaken. 

"You lads are out of it for the rest of the day, " he remarked. "Go backto your old trench now, get some grub and tumble into your bunks. "

They looked at each other in surprise, for the sun had not much morethan risen. 

"You heard what I said, " reiterated the corporal. "Get all the sleep youcan to-day, for you won't do any sleeping to-night!"

CHAPTER IV

BETWEEN THE LINES

The Army boys looked at each other in blank inquiry, but the corporaldid not offer to enlighten them, and they were too good soldiers to askquestions when orders were given. 

"What do you suppose is in the wind now?" asked Bart, as they made theirway to their sleeping quarters. 

"Search me, " replied Frank. 

"Aeroplanes, " chirped Billy. 

Bart made a thrust at him which Billy dodged. 

"I guess we're picked for a scouting party, " remarked Tom. "The captainmay want to confirm some of the information he's getting from thosechaps. "

"Information!" snorted Bart. "More likely misinformation. Those fellowsstruck me as being dandy liars. "

"They wouldn't be Huns if they weren't, " remarked Billy. "You know BaronMunchausen came from over the Rhine, so they come rightly by theirtalent in that line. But what's the matter with Tony here?" he added, asthey passed by one of the field kitchens in a protected nook, where oneof the bakers was kneading away desperately at some dough and mutteringvolubly to himself. 

"He seems all riled up about something, for a fact, " commented Frank. 

"What's the matter, Tony?" inquired Bart of the perspiring baker, anItalian who had spent some years in the United States and who wasgenerally liked by the boys of the old Thirty-seventh because of hiscustomary good nature and his skill in compounding their favoritedishes. 

Tony looked up in despair. 

"I can't maka de dough, " he complained. "I worka more dan hour. It likade sand. It getta my goat. "

The boys laughed at his woe-begone face. 

"Put some more water with it, " suggested Billy at a venture. 

Tony looked at him with such a glare of contempt that the amateur bakerwilted. 

"I usa de water!" he exclaimed. "Plent water! No maka de stick. "

"It looks all right, " remarked Frank, as he picked up some of thesubstance on the kneading board and let it dribble through his fingers, "but as Tony says, it's like so much sand. "

"And it tastes queer, " said Billy, putting a bit of it on his tongue. 

"Looks as though some of the food profiteers were trying to putsomething over on us, " observed Tom. 

Just then one of the commissary men came along, evidently looking forsomething. 

"There's a bag of trench foot powder missing, " he said. "Have any of youchaps seen anything of it?"

"Not guilty, " returned Bart. "Though the way my feet feel it wouldn't dothem a bit of harm to have some of that powder on them right now. "

A sudden light dawned upon Frank. 

"Say, Tony!" he exclaimed, "let's see the bag you got that flour from. "

Tony complied and brought forth from one of his receptacles a largepaper bag which was two thirds full. 

Frank seized it and turned it around to see what was stamped on theother side. Then he almost dropped the bag in a wild fit of hilarity. 

"No wonder Tony couldn't make his dough!" he exclaimed, when he couldspeak. "Some chump in the supply department has handed him out a bag offoot powder when he asked for flour. "

He showed the others the marking on the bag, and their merriment equaledhis own, while Tony alternately glowered and grinned. He had begun tothink that somebody had cast on him the "evil eye, " so dreaded by hiscountrymen, and he was relieved to find that his plight was due tonatural causes. Yet the thought of all that wasted effort stirred him toresentment. 

"That's one on you, Tony, old boy!" chuckled Billy, with a poke in theribs. 

"It's lucky the dough wouldn't stick, " laughed Frank. "There wouldn'thave been much nourishment in that kind of bread. "

"Dat guy a bonehead, " asserted Tony, as he scraped his board with vigor. "A vera beeg bonehead. "

The boys assented and passed on laughing. 

"And now for grub!" exclaimed Billy. "Oh, boy, maybe it won't tastegood!"

"I guess we've earned our breakfast, all right, " said Bart. 

"I can stand a whole lot of filling up, " observed Tom. "Talk aboutexercise before breakfast to get you an appetite. We've sure had enoughof it this morning. "

"I never ran so fast in my life, " declared Billy. "A Marathon runnerwould have had nothing on me. "

"We must have covered the space between those trenches in about twentyseconds, " agreed Bart. 

"Well, as long as we weren't running in the wrong direction it was allright, " grinned Tom. 

"The Boches haven't seen our backs yet, and here's hoping it will besome time before they'll have that treat, " said Frank with a laugh. 

They ate like famished wolves and then threw themselves on their bunksto get a long sleep in preparation for the strenuous night that laybefore them. And so used had they already become to roaring of cannonand whining of bullets and shrieking of shells, that, although the dinwas almost incessant all through that day, it bothered them not at all. 

It was nearly dusk when the corporal passed along, giving them a shakethat roused them from their slumbers and brought them out of their bunksin a hurry. 

"Time to get up, boys, " said the corporal. "Not that we're going tostart out right away. But we've got quite a job before us and I want youto have plenty of time to think over your instructions and have themsink in. "

They dressed quickly and after a hearty supper reported to Wilson attheir company headquarters. 

They found the corporal grave and preoccupied. 

"As I suppose you fellows have already guessed, " he began, "we're goingto-night on a scouting party. We're to find out the condition of thewire in front of that third trench that the Huns still hold, and we wantto get more exact information about the location of the enemy's machineguns. Anything else we find out will be welcome, but those are the mainthings. 

"It's going to be pretty risky work, " he continued. "Not but whatthere's always plenty of risk about a job of this kind, but to-nightthere's more than usual. The fierce fighting to-day has got the enemyall stirred up and he'll be on the alert. Likely enough he'll havescouting parties of his own out, and we may run across them in the dark. Then it will be a question of who is the quicker with knife or bayonet. Now you boys scatter and get your crawling suits and hoods and masks, and we'll be ready for business. 

"I can see that there'll be no monotony in our young lives to-night, "observed Frank to Bart, as they obeyed instructions. 

"Not that you can notice, " agreed Bart. "The corp has quite a littleprogram marked out for us. "

"So it seems. "

"And No Man's Land is going to be a little rougher land to-night than itever was before, " predicted Tom. "That mine explosion hasn't done athing to it. "

"All the better, " chimed in Billy. "There'll be better places to hide inwhen Fritz throws up his star shells. But let's get a hustle on or thecorp will be after us. "

They got into their "crawling suits, " so named because they were usedonly on scouting duty, when it was necessary to move over the earth ontheir stomachs or at best on hands and knees. They were a dead black incolor, and in addition to the suit itself comprised a black mask andhood. The hood was loose and shapeless, so as to avoid the sharp outlinethat would have been afforded if it were tight-fitting. 

Dressed in this fashion and lying prone and motionless on the groundwhenever a star shell threw its greenish radiance over the field, thescouts were reasonably safe from detection and sniping. They would seem, if seen at all, to be just so many more objects added to the hundredsthat littered up the ground between the two armies. 

Since they had been in France, the boys had had special training inscouting duty, and the one thing that had been drilled into them perhapsmore than anything else was the necessity for "playing dead, " as Tomexpressed it. One of their exercises compelled them to lie on the groundabsolutely motionless for an hour. Not even a muscle could twitchwithout bringing a reprimand from their keen-eyed instructor. Anotherpart of the drill made them take half an hour merely to rise to theirfeet from a prostrate position, each move in the process being marked bythe utmost caution. It was hard drill, but necessary, and in time theboys had gained a control over their muscles that would have done creditto an Apache Indian. 

In a few minutes they were fully arrayed in their crawling suits andreported to Corporal Wilson. He looked them over carefully and notedwith satisfaction that nothing that was essential to the success oftheir night foray was lacking. 

"With a fair share of luck we'll bring home the bacon, " he remarked, ashe led the way from the trench. 

At the start there was no special caution necessary, as would have beenthe case the day before. For the two trenches in front of them that hadbeen occupied by the enemy were now in the possession of the UnitedStates troops. 

All that day, since the mine explosion had given the signal for attackand storm, the Germans who had been driven from their first two lines oftrenches had made desperate efforts to get them back. There had beenfierce counter attacks, many times repeated, but through them all theAmericans had stood like a rock and thrown the enemy back withoutyielding a foot of the conquered ground. 

At nightfall the enemy had ceased his infantry attacks, although the bigguns on both sides, like angry mastiffs, kept growling at each other. 

"It's been a great day for our fellows, " exulted Frank, as they pickedtheir way through the welter of debris that bore testimony to theviolence of the fighting. 

"It sure has, " agreed Bart. 

"We've got there with both feet, " remarked Tom. 

"And in both trenches, " chimed in Billy. 

"Yes, " said Frank. "I'm glad we didn't stop at the first one. The minecaught the Boches napping there and stood them on their heads. But inthe second it was an out and out stand up fight, man to man, and welicked them. "

"And licked them good, " asserted Billy. "I guess they won't do any moresneering at the Yankees after this day's work. "

They passed the place where Bart had so nearly met his death through thetreacherous attack of his captive. 

"Here's where you nearly went West, " remarked Tom. 

"Don't talk of it, " objected Bart with a grimace. "It makes the chillscreep over me to think of it. I could stand being knifed in a squarefight, but I'd hate to get it the way that fellow meant that I should. "

"One of the Frenchmen was telling me of something like that thathappened at Verdun, " said Frank. 'Two Frenchmen were carrying a woundedGerman officer on a stretcher to the hospital. The officer got out hisrevolver and shot the first stretcher bearer dead. "

"That's gratitude for you, " remarked Bart. "Something like anotherGerman in a hospital, who pretended he wanted to shake hands with theRed Cross nurse who was tending him, and then with a sudden snap brokeher wrist. "

"You hear it said sometimes, " said Billy, "that 'the only good Indian isa dead Indian. ' That's always sounded a little tough on poor Lo. But ifthe Huns keep on the way they are going, it won't be long before all theworld will be saying that the only good German is a dead one. "

"I'm beginning to say it already, " replied Tom. 

They passed stretcher bearers carrying away the wounded, and burialparties engaged in a business still more sad. There was plenty for themto do, for death and wounds had come to many that day, which had beenthe most strenuous for the United States troops since they had come tothe fighting line. 

That many of their regiment had fallen and still more been wounded theboys knew well, although the full toll of their losses would not beknown until the next day. But the enemy had lost still more, and a largenumber of prisoners were in American hands. They had taken two trencheson a wide front, and that night American boys were eating their suppersin the dugouts where Germans had breakfasted in the morning. It had beena dashing attack with a successful result, and Uncle Sam had reason tobe proud of his nephews. 

"One more step on the road to the Rhine, " exulted Frank, voicing thethought that stirred them all. 

"Right you are, " replied Bart "It's a long, long road, but we'll getthere. "

"Do you remember what old Peterson said just before we left for France?"queried Tom. "'The United States has put her hand to the plow and shewon't turn back. '"

"Good old Peterson!" remarked Billy. "He was a dandy scrapper himself inthe old days when he wore the blue. I'll bet he's rooting for us everyday. "

"Sure he is, " agreed Frank. "Everybody in the old firm is. "

"Reddy's rooting the hardest of them all, " laughed Bart, referring tothe red-headed office boy. "Do you remember how excited the littlerascal got when the old Thirty-seventh went past? He almost tumbled outof the window. And how he cheered!"

"He's got the right stuff in him, " said Tom. "Do you know, I shouldn'tbe a bit surprised to see that kid turn up here some time. "

"You're dreaming, " replied Bart. 

"You wait and see, " prophesied Tom. "When any one wants a thing hardenough he usually gets it. He'll ship as cabin boy or something of thekind and some day, when we're least expecting it, Reddy will pop uphere. Watch my hunch. "

"How scared the Huns would be if they knew that Reddy was coming toclean them up, " mocked Tom. 

"He might account for some of them at that, " remarked Billy. "A bulletfrom Reddy's gun would go as fast and hit as hard as any other. You knowwhat David did to Goliath. "

By this time they had passed the second captured trench and were facingthe enemy's trench about three hundred yards away. Their talk ceased ordied down to whispers. 

Before them stretched the desolate waste of No Man's Land, pitted withshell holes, blasted and seared by the pitiless storm of fire that hadswept it all that day. 

Once it had been fertile and beautiful. Now it was withered and hideous. It was a grim commentary on the war that had been as ruthless towardnature as it had been toward man. 

"Now, boys, " said the corporal in a low voice, "you know what we've gotto do. Keep together as much as you can and--Drop!"

The last command came out like a shot, and was caused by a star shellthat rose from the opposing trench and burst in a flood of greenishlight. 

Had they been standing, it would have revealed them clearly, but attheir leader's word they had dropped instantly to the ground, where theylay motionless until the light died away. 

Then they rose and like so many shadows moved cautiously forward, with amotion more like drifting than walking, their ears alert, their eyesstrained, their hearts beating fast with excitement. 

CHAPTER V

THE BARBAROUS HUNS

The night was as black as pitch, which, while an advantage in one way, was a disadvantage in another. For though it lessened their chance ofdetection, it also made it more difficult to get the lay of the land andkeep their sense of direction. 

But here again their training came into play, for they had beenspecially drilled to be blindfolded and remain in that condition forhours at a time. In that way they had developed their sense of feelingjust as a blind man does and had acquired an almost uncanny ability toavoid obstacles and steer a course without the aid of their eyes. 

"Gee!" whispered Bart to Frank, as the two comrades moved along side byside, "I never saw a night so dark. "

"Yes, " replied his comrade, "it's as black as velvet. You could almostcut it with a knife. "

"Lucky if that's the only cutting we'll have to do before the night isover, " murmured Tom. 

Soon they reached a little patch of woodland that stood almost halfwaybetween the lines. Only a few gaunt trees had been left standing, mereskeletons of what they had been, every branch and twig swept away byshells and bullets and even the bark stripped off, leaving the trunks inghastly nakedness. 

But they still afforded shelter from bursting shrapnel or a sniper'sbullet, and the boys stood behind them for a few moments while theylistened intently for any sound that might betray the presence of anenemy patrol, prowling about on an errand similar to their own. 

But nothing suspicious developed, and, reassured, they again, at asignal from their leader, moved forward. But new they were no longer ontheir feet. They were too close to the German line for that. 

Down on hands and knees they wormed their way along inch by inch, reaching out their hand cautiously for each fresh grip on the unevenground. Sometimes their hands encountered emptiness and they were warnedthat they were on the edge of a shell hole. At other times they drewback in instinctive repulsion, as they felt the rigid outlines of a deadbody. But whatever detours they had to make, they managed by touch orwhisper to keep together, and although their progress was slow it wasstill progress, and they knew that they were steadily nearing the Germanlines. 

Suddenly Frank's extended hand came in contact with a sharp object thathe recognized on the instant. It was the barb on a broken strand ofwire. 

They had reached the entanglement protecting a segment of the Germantrench. 

Frank had been a trifle in advance of his comrades, and he softlysignaled his discovery to the others. In an instant they had stiffenedout and lay as rigid as statues. 

For five minutes not one of them stirred, while they listened for thetread of the sentry who might be stationed behind the wires. 

Some distance off they could hear the sound of voices in guttural tones, the occasional click of a bayonet as it was slipped into place, the lowrumble of what might have been field pieces being moved into position. 

Now too their eyes came into play, for ahead of them the darkness wasthreaded with a faint ray of light that rose above the trench, and whileit did little more than make darkness visible, it was still sufficientto form a background against which they could have detected the figureof a sentinel. 

But they drew no false assurance from that fact, for the enemy's patrolmight be lying on the ground, as silent as themselves and as watchful, ready to fire in the direction of the slightest sound. 

It was a nerve-trying situation, but life or death might depend on theirself-control, and they stood the test successfully, although poor Tomhad an almost irrepressible desire to sneeze, in conquering which healmost broke a blood vessel. 

Convinced at last that it was safe to move, they commenced to crawlalong the outside of the wire, trying by the sense of touch to find outwhat havoc had been made in it by the American artillery fire and whereit would be easiest to break through. 

They had drawn on rubber gloves, for they knew that the Germanssometimes charged the wires with electricity, and a touch with the barehand would mean instant death. 

But that day the fighting had been so fierce and the enemy had been keptso busy in resisting the American onslaught that no such precaution hadbeen taken. And this better than anything else told the boys how badlythe enemy had been shaken. 

At several places they found gaps that had been made by the Yankee guns, and these they widened by the use of the wire cutters that they carriedin their belts. 

At each such breach the boys tied small pieces of white rag, so that onthe next day these fluttering bits of white could be seen through fieldglasses by the American officers, and the full force of guns and mencould be brought to bear against these weakened portions of the line. 

They worked rapidly and silently, timing their cutting with the roar ofthe guns that still kept up the artillery duel, so that the click of thenippers would be drowned in the heavier sound. 

Little by little in the course of the work, the members of the patrolhad drawn apart, depending upon their ability to rejoin each other byfollowing the line of the wire. 

Frank found himself working on a specially tangled bit of wire that wasmade still more difficult of handling because it was intertwisted withthe stalks of a thick hedge. He had just nipped a piece of wire in two, when his quick ear detected a sound on the other side of the hedge. 

Instantly he stiffened. Every muscle became as taut as tempered steel. He scarcely seemed to breathe while his unwinking eyes tried to borethrough the mass of tangled brush and wire to see what was on the otherside. 

There too the rustling sound had ceased and a silence prevailed as deepas his own. 

For minutes that seemed ages this condition persisted. Then slowly, soslowly that Frank at first was not sure that he saw aright, a slenderspear-like point broke the outline of the top of the hedge. Only thefact that it stood out against the dim light that came from the enemytrench enabled Frank to see it at all. 

Gradually the object rose higher until it seemed to broaden out at thebase; and then with a quickening of the pulse Frank realized that whathe saw was the spike of a German helmet!

He had won in the duel of silence. The other, unable to stand thestrain, had risen first. Would he win in the grimmer duel that seemed tobe impending?

Frank's fingers stole toward his revolver, but stopped before theyreached it. There must be no shooting so near the enemy trench. A hordeof Germans would be upon him in a twinkling. 

His rifle lay beside him where he had placed it while working on thewire. His fingers closed upon the stock. Here was a weapon that he mightuse at either end with deadly effect. The butt could serve as a club, while the bayonet, painted black like the rest of his accoutrements sothat no glimmer of steel should betray it, carried death on its point. 

Now beneath the helmet the head of a man appeared, then the shoulders, and finally the sentry, evidently satisfied that his suspicion had beenwithout foundation, straightened out to his full length. He stood foranother minute or two peering into the darkness. But Frank's black-cladform merged so perfectly into its surroundings and he remained somotionless that the German at last was convinced. 

With a grunt of satisfaction he stooped to pick up his rifle. 

Lithe as a panther, Frank sprang to his feet, leaped over the hedge andlanded heavily on the stooping form, knocking the breath out of theGerman's body. 

In a flash Frank's sinewy hands were upon the sentry's throat, stiflingthe cry that sought to issue from his lips. 

There was a brief struggle, but the attack had been so sudden andtremendous that it was soon over, and the German lay limp andunconscious. 

The instant Frank realized this, he relaxed his hold. He tore open theman's coat, felt for his heart and found that it was still beating. 

What his foe would have done if the case had been reversed, Frank knewperfectly well. A dagger point would have pierced his heart and stilledits beating forever. More than once he had looked on the bodies ofcomrades who had been butchered while lying wounded and helpless on thebattlefield, and had been stirred by a wild desire to take similarvengeance on those who had violated all the laws of war. 

But he was an American, with all the proud traditions of honor andchivalry that had come down to him through generations. He could notslaughter a helpless foe. He had the man a prisoner. It was enough. 

Quickly he tied the sentry's hands, using the German's own belt as astrap. Then he tore some strips from the white cloth he had beencarrying to fasten on the bushes and made a gag, in case the man shouldrecover his senses and try to give the alarm. 

He dragged the man through a gap in the hedge so that he would not befound by any of his comrades who might come that way. Then he crept downto where the corporal and the other members of the patrol were stillbusy on the wires and in a whisper told what had happened. 

Wilson was quick to see the opportunity that the capture had afforded. 

"Good work, Sheldon, " he commended. "Here's where we get through thewires. And we've got to do it quickly, for we don't know at what timethat fellow's relief may be coming along. "

His prophecy seemed about to be fulfilled with startling suddenness, for, even while he spoke, a group of several figures, topped by helmets, was revealed by the action of one of them in striking a match. It flaredup brightly for a second, but luckily the boys were outside the zone oflight that it formed. 

They lay perfectly still, although each of them took a tighter grasp onhis rifle. 

The men conversed in guttural tones for several minutes, that seemed asmany ages to the watchers in the shadows. 

Would the Germans come toward them or walk away from them? Their lives, or at the least their liberty, might depend upon the answer. 

One of the men pointed in their direction and even took a step forward, but his comrades stopped him and an animated discussion ensued, whichfinally resulted in their retracing their steps in the direction fromwhich they had come. 

A sigh of relief went up from the boys and their grip on their weaponsrelaxed. 

"A mighty close shave, " whispered Billy. 

"It was all of that, " agreed Bart. 

"As close for them as it was for us, " said Tom grimly. "I had that bigfellow picked out and I'd have dropped him sure. "

Like so many ghosts, the party drifted along in Corporal Wilson's wakeuntil they came to the gap. A glance at the motionless sentry showedthat he had not yet returned to consciousness. 

"That was a knockout for fair, " murmured Billy admiringly. 

"He must have thought a house was falling on him, " whispered Bart with alow chuckle. 

"Frank's no featherweight, " agreed Tom. "I'd hate to have those trenchclogs of his come down on my back with him inside of them. "

A warning "s--sh" from the corporal brought them back to the grimbusiness still before them, and they crept along behind him as he wormedhis way through the breach. 

Camp utensils were scattered upon the ground and indicated that a fieldkitchen had stood there recently, an impression that became a convictionwhen Bart burned his hand by bringing it down upon some smolderingembers covered with ashes. 

He bit his tongue trying to repress the exclamation that leaped to hislips, but he succeeded, although his fingers were badly blistered. 

Little by little, with many pauses, they reached the edge of a smallsection of the first trench. Nothing hindered them, no one challengedthem. In fact their progress was so free from obstacles that thecorporal, a wily veteran who had had long experience among the savageMoros while serving in the Philippines, became uneasy, fearing anambush. 

Still, that was one of the chances that the party had to take, and therewas nothing to do but to keep on. But they redoubled their precautions, every sense tingling with watchfulness against a sudden surprise. 

They worked their way along the trench until they reached the entrance. No sound came from the interior. They listened for the murmur ofconversation, the scraping of feet, the clank of a weapon. They lookeddown its length for a ray of light. Not a gleam or a sound rewardedthem. 

As far as they could judge, it was absolutely deserted. But on the otherhand it might be bristling with armed men, waiting in a stillness asdeathlike as their own the command to fire. 

For fully ten minutes their watch continued. Then the corporal gatheredthem close around him and gave his commands in a whisper. 

"We'll raid it, " he decided. "There are only a few of us, but we'll havethe advantage of surprise. That is, if they're not waiting to surpriseus. But we'll have to gamble on that. It's only a connecting trench, andthere won't be more than a dozen men or thereabouts in it. If we couldbag them and take them back to camp it would be a good night's work. Have your guns ready and be prepared to slip them a few grenades if wehave to. I'll lead the way and when the time comes I'll flash my light. Come along now and be right on your toes when I give the word. "

Corporal Wilson went first and his scouting party followed close on hisheels. It was like going into the jaws of death. It would have takenless nerve to face a charge, for then their blood would have been up andthey would have been fired by the sight of their enemy. There would havebeen nothing of this eerie stillness, this vault-like chill. Yet not oneof them hesitated or lagged behind. 

Twenty paces had been covered when the corporal stopped, drew out hisflashlight and sent out a stream of radiance that illumined every nookand cranny of the trench. 

On the instant the boys had their rifles at their shoulders with theirfingers on the triggers, ready for a volley. 

But their precaution was needless. The trench was empty!

Empty as far as men were concerned. But it was full of other things thatmade their hair stand up with horror as their meaning swept in uponthem!

CHAPTER VI

A TASTE OF COLD STEEL

Planted at intervals in the trench were rows of iron stakes, coming to asharp point at the top and cunningly camouflaged so that they would notbe detected by any one looking over the edge. The Army boys were notslow in seeing the meaning of the trap and the fiendish ingenuity thathad conceived it. 

"It's a dummy trench!" murmured Corporal Wilson. "The idea is to havetheir men seem to retreat into it when the fighting takes place on thispart of the line. Our boys come on in pursuit, jump over the edge, comedown on these sharp stakes and are spitted like larks. Nice way to wagewar, that!"

"It's worthy of the Hun, " growled Tom. 

"And when you've said that you've reached the limit, " observed Bart. 

"The Turks are pretty good at torture, " murmured Frank bitterly, "butthey must feel like thirty cents when they compare themselves with theirGerman masters. "

"Let's get these things out of the way, " said Billy wrathfully, as hegrasped one of the spikes. 

But the corporal stopped him instantly. "Don't dig them out!" he cried. "There's no knowing but what you may cause an explosion. Or they mayhave some electric connection that will give warning to the Boches. We've spotted the location of this infernal trap and that's enough. Ourofficers will see that our men steer clear of it. "

"Of course, " remarked Bart, "all the value to the Huns of this trapdepends upon our boys jumping in from the top of the trench. If theycame in from the entrance to the dugout, all the trouble of plantingthese spikes would be thrown away. "

"It would be a trap just the same, only in a different way, " replied thecorporal. "It's a safe bet that the Germans have machine guns plantedwhere they can sweep the whole length of this part of the trench. They'dwait until our boys were all crowded in here and then the machine gunswould start spitting and wipe every last one of them out. There'd be noway to get put except the way they had come in, and no one could getthrough that storm of bullets. But now let's get out of this while thegoing's good. "

The conversation had been carried on in the faintest whispers, and afterthe first hurried examination of the dummy trench there had been nolight. But they all felt better when they had passed out of the trenchwithout mishap and lay on the ground above. Here they were at least inthe open, and if death came to them they would not be slaughtered likerats in a trap. 

The corporal consulted his radio watch and found that it wanted but twohours to dawn. 

"Not much time left, boys, " he murmured. "And unless we get back to ourlines before daylight, we'll stand a good chance of losing the number ofour mess. But if we don't do anything else, we've done a pretty fairnight's work. The finding of this dummy trench will put a crimp in theHeinies' plans. I'd like to have some prisoners to take along just forluck but all we've bagged is that sentry. "

"Perhaps we haven't even got him, " suggested Frank. "Some of hiscomrades may have found him by this time. "

"Not likely, " replied Bart. "He couldn't make a noise, and as we lefthim outside the wire they wouldn't be likely to stumble over him. "

"All the same, we'd better get a hustle on, " replied the corporal, andthey started on their homeward journey as stealthily as they had come. 

They had some difficulty in finding the breach in the wire through whichthey had entered, but at last they succeeded and wormed their way out. Then they felt around for the sentry and found him in the place they hadleft him. He had returned to consciousness, for when the corporal riskeda ray of his flashlight on the upturned face, they could see that hiseyes were open and looking at them intelligently. 

The corporal placed the muzzle of his revolver against the man's neck asa gentle reminder of what would happen to him if he should make a sound, and they proceeded to untie his hands. Then they motioned to him that hewas to get on his hands and knees and go before them, which, withmuffled grunts, and after two or three attempts, he succeeded in doing. He was evidently dazed yet and stiff from the cramped attitude in whichhe had been lying, but stern necessity was on him and he finally wobbledand staggered on before them. 

They had got some little distance away from the wires when Franksuddenly came to a dead stop. His comrades halted instantly. 

"What is it?" whispered Wilson, who was nearest to him. 

"That blur ahead of us, " returned Frank. "It looks a little more solidthan the rest of the darkness. "

He pointed ahead and a little to the right. 

"I don't see anything, " remarked Tom. 

"Neither do I, " affirmed Billy. 

"I think I see a little blacker patch than usual, " declared Bart. "Andit seems to be moving. "

The corporal put his ear to the ground. 

"I think Sheldon is right, " he said, after a moment of intenselistening. "At any rate we'll take no chances. Slip into some of theseshell holes and lie low. If it should be an enemy patrol and there aretoo many to tackle we'll let them go by. But if there aren't more thandouble our number we'll take a crack at them. Keep your weapons readyand let fly when I give the word. "

The ground was so pitted with craters from the heavy artillery duel thathad been raging all the day before that they had no difficulty infinding shelter. Their prisoner, who judged by the preparations thatsome of his own comrades were approaching, was inclined to balk a littleand delay matters, but a vigorous push of Bart's boot hastened hismovements and he was tumbled in unceremoniously. And they blessed theprecaution that had still left the gag in his mouth when they hadunfastened his hands. 

More and more the blur ahead of them detached itself from thesurrounding darkness, until even skeptical Tom and Billy knew that whatthey saw was a body of men bearing down steadily in their direction. 

Of course there was a chance that it was an American patrol out on anerrand similar to their own, but it was unlikely, if that were so, thatthey would be going in the direction of the enemy's lines when the nightwas so far spent. 

Nearer and nearer came the party until not more than thirty feet laybetween them and the American boys who knelt in the shell holes, withfaces stern and set and fingers on the triggers of their rifles awaitingthe word of command. 

But for some unknown reason the blur became motionless and remained sofor several minutes. Then it receded, as though the party had changedits plan. 

"What do you suppose is the matter with them?" whispered Tom. "Do youthink they've tumbled to our being here?"

"How could they?" returned Frank. "They'd have to have the eyes of catsto see us in these holes. "

"I hope the corp will let us go after them, " murmured Billy. "I'm alltuned up for a scrap. "

Wilson hesitated. If he went after the supposed enemy, they wouldprobably hear him and he would lose the advantage of the surprise. Onthe other hand, that they now seemed to be going in the direction of theAmerican lines might indicate that, after all, they were a patrol of hisown comrades. But while he weighed the chances, the question was solvedfor him by the fact that the blur again became distinct. And this timeit grew larger very rapidly, indicating that the party had at lastreached a definite decision. On they came until only a few pacesseparated them from the Army boys. 

Just then a star shell rose from the German lines and sent a flare oflight stabbing the darkness and clearly revealing a dozen or moreGermans. As they were facing the glare they were momentarily dazzled byit, and the Americans peering beneath their black hoods on a level withthe ground could have easily escaped detection had they been soinclined. 

But that instantaneous flash had decided the corporal. The odds weremore than two to one, but such odds as that was only a challenge toYankee fighting blood. 

"Fire!" he shouted, and five rifles spoke as one. Three of the enemywent down as though stricken by an axe, and another staggered and hisrifle clattered to the ground. 

But the enemy rallied almost instantly, and at a hoarse command therewas a return volley. This proved harmless, however, for the boys knewthat it would come and bent beneath the edge of the craters until theiron storm had swept over them. 

"Now, boys, at them with your bayonets!" shouted Corporal Wilson, assoon as he had drawn the enemy's fire. 

With a leap the American squad was on the level ground and rushing withleveled bayonets at the foe. 

The Americans had the advantage of the surprise, and their headlongcharge would have won instantly if the forces had been equal. Butalthough two went down at once, the others, after yielding groundsomewhat, closed in a death grip with their assailants, and there was afurious combat at close quarters. 

There was no more shooting. It was a matter now of clubbed rifles andbayonet thrusts. 

Frank found himself engaged in a bayonet duel with a massive German whotowered above him in height and probably outweighed him by twentypounds. He was well trained too in bayonet work and was a mostformidable opponent. 

But he met his master when he crossed bayonets with Frank. The latterhad made himself expert by long training under skilful Frenchinstructors, and, besides, was the most finished boxer in the regiment. At thrust and parry, feint and riposte, advance and retreat, he stoodfirst among his comrades. 

Against the furious bull-like rushes of his opponent, he opposed aquickness and agility that more than counterbalanced his enemy's weightIt was a contest of a bull against a panther, and the panther won. 

For perhaps two minutes the fight continued. Then with a lightningthrust Frank's bayonet found its mark, and the German staggered for amoment, fell headlong and lay still. 

His fall seemed to take the heart out of the others who were beingoutfought and pressed back. They wavered, broke and started to flee, butthe sharp crack of the corporal's revolver brought one of them to theground, and the others halted. 

Up went their hands and from the lips of each came the cry "_Kamerad_!"in token of surrender. 

The American boys rounded them up and disarmed them. Then the corporaltook account of stock. 

Bart was there panting and flushed with nothing worse than a scalp woundwhere a rifle butt had glanced from his head. Wilson himself was unhurt. Billy also had come through unscathed, but Tom was nowhere to be seen. 

An awful fear, a fear that they had never felt in the fighting itself, clutched the hearts of his comrades. Good old Tom, bound to them by athousand ties of friendship and comradeship--had he met his fate in thisdesolate stretch of No Man's Land?

Frantically they searched among the bodies for one that wore a suitsimilar to their own. Frank found it first. His hand went to the heartand to his joy found that it was beating. 

He lifted Tom's head and rested it on his knee. 

"Tom! Tom!" he called, as he chafed his chum's hands and loosened hissuit at the throat. 

Tom's eyes slowly opened, and, recognizing his friend, a faint smilecame to his lips. But he did not speak, and Bart, who was the only otherone who could be spared from guarding the prisoners, joined Frank inredoubled efforts to bring Tom back to full consciousness. 

"He doesn't seem to have any bones broken, " said Frank after a hurriedexamination. 

"And he isn't bleeding, " replied Bart. "But he has a lump on his head asbig as an egg. "

At last Tom's full consciousness returned, and with his chums'assistance he got slowly and painfully to his feet. 

"Guess they haven't got my number yet, but they came mighty near it, " hesaid, trying to grin. "I'd just run one of the Huns through the arm whenI saw another out of the tail of my eye swinging for my head with hisrifle. I tried to dodge, but he must have been too quick for me, forthat's the last I remember. "

"Thank heaven it was no worse!" ejaculated Frank fervently. 

"It would have been a mighty bad thing for us if you had cashed in, oldboy, " said Bart with feeling. "How did the scrap turn out?" asked Tom. 

"Though I suppose there's no use in asking, or you wouldn't be heretaking care of me. "

"We trimmed them good and proper, " said Frank, from whom a ton's weighthad been lifted by finding that his friend had escaped serious injury. 

"A lovely scrap, " added Bart. "I wouldn't have missed it for a farm. We've wiped out five and rounded out the rest. Let's go over and see howmany there are. "

"Eight, " announced the corporal, as he counted the prisoners who stoodin a group sullen and morose. "There must have been a baker's dozen inthe party. "

"I don't know how superstitious they may be, " chuckled Billy, "but I'llbet that from now on they'll agree that thirteen is an unlucky number!"

CHAPTER VII

NICK RABIG'S QUEER ACTIONS

"Well, " remarked Corporal Wilson, who was relieved beyond measure tofind that his own little force was practically intact, "eight is apretty good bag for one night's work, not to speak of five more whowon't do any more strafing for the Kaiser. "

"Nine, " corrected Bart. "Don't forget our speechless friend in the shellhole. "

"No doubt he'd be perfectly willing to be forgotten, " grinned Billy. "But we'd better take him along just for luck. That'll be nearly twoprisoners apiece for each of the bunch. Pretty fair work if you ask me. "

There was no further time for talking, for it would soon be dawn andthey were eager to get back to their own lines. They had been under aterrible strain through all the long hours of the night and werebeginning to feel the reaction. And they were not at all averse toshowing their comrades in the regiment how well they had fared and howstoutly they had held up the colors of the old Thirty-seventh. 

"Who goes there?" came the sharp challenge of the sentry, as they drewnear the American trench, and they knew that a score of rifles wastrained upon them to back up the sentry's demand if the answer werehalting or suspicious. 

"Friends, " replied the corporal. 

"Advance and give the countersign, " was the next requirement. 

Corporal Wilson complied, and he and his squad were joyfully welcomed. 

"I said 'friends'" added the corporal with a grin, as the party madetheir way through the opening in the wire defences, "but perhaps thatdoesn't go for all this crowd. Some of them didn't want to come, but wetold them they'd better, and here they are. "

"A bunch of huskies, " remarked the sentry, as he surveyed the prisonerscritically. "You don't mean to say that just you five rounded up thatgang?"

The four privates merely grinned. 

"Looks like it, doesn't it?" answered the corporal with keen relish ofthe sentry's surprise. "Counting those we brought down, there are justfourteen that will turn up missing when the Boches call the roll thismorning. "

"That's going some, " said the sentry admiringly. "I only wish I'd beenalong with you. Some fellows have all the luck. "

The prisoners were turned over to the officer in charge, and thecorporal made his way to headquarters to make his report of the night'swork. 

Bart and Tom went under the hands of the surgeons to have their woundsand bruises treated, and were assured that with a little rest they wouldbe as well as ever in a day or two. Then the boys, "dog-tired, " as Bartexpressed it, but happy and exultant that they had done their work welland were back safe once more, tumbled into their bunks to enjoy the restthey had so richly earned. 

"Never was so tired in my life, " murmured Frank, drowsily, as he fellrather than climbed into his bunk. 

"Same here, " chimed in Billy. 

"Rip Van Winkle won't have anything on me, " drawled Tom. "What's twentyyears of sleep? I'm going to take forty. "

As for Bart, he started to say something but dropped off to sleep whilesaying it. 

None of the quartette woke until late in the afternoon. Then they foundthat their exploit had made a stir in the regiment. Their fight againsttwice their number was the most interesting feature to their comrades ofthe rank and file. But still more important in the view of theirofficers was the discovery of the dummy trench, which might have beenturned into a shambles for the American troops if they had rushed intothe trap so cunningly and so fiendishly set for them. 

"It was fine work, Corporal, " the captain said warmly, when Wilsonfinished his report. "You deserve credit for having brought your squadback without the loss of a man. "

"They mostly brought themselves back, sir, " replied Wilson with a smile. "It's a pleasure to command such a nervy crowd as that. You don't needto use the spur. I'm mostly busy putting on the brakes. It would havedone your heart good if you could have seen the way they waded into theHuns. That fellow Sheldon particularly is a crackerjack when it comes toa scrap. He's as strong as an ox and as quick as a cat. "

"I've had my eye on him, " replied the officer. "He'll go far before thewar is over. You can go now, Corporal. I'll have your work mentioned inthe order of the day. "

He was as good as his word, for when the regiment was drawn up forinspection the order of the day commended each man of the squad by namefor their gallant exploit that, as the order ran, "reflected credit onthe regiment. "

"How's your head feeling now, old man?" Frank asked of Tom, as theyrejoined each other at mess. 

"Pretty groggy, " responded Tom. "But I'm not kicking. I'm lucky to bealive at all. That fellow made an awful swipe at me, and if it had hitme fair it would have been all over. "

"A miss is as good as a mile, " put in Bart. "I had a pretty close shavemyself. Seemed as though twenty star shells were going off at once. "

"Yesterday was your lucky day, " remarked Billy. "You had two narrowescapes. "

"Let's hope it won't be three times and out, " responded Bart lightly. "By the way, I wonder what they did with that corporal who tried to do meup?"

"Most likely he's shot by this time, " observed Tom. "If he isn't, heought to be. "

"He isn't shot yet at any rate, " remarked Fred Andon, who sat near by. "I guess the fighting was so hot all day yesterday that they didn't havetime to attend to him. Likely enough he's down in the prisoners' penwaiting for the court-martial. "

"Let's go down and see after we've finished our chow, " suggested Billy. "That is if you fellows ever get through eating. Look at Tom stowing itaway. He'd eat his way through the whole quartermaster's department ifhe was let. "

"And he's the fellow that they wouldn't let enlist because of histeeth, " gibed Bart. "They didn't know Tom. "

"I'm not the only one that got a raw deal, " replied Tom, with whom itwas always a sore point that he had been refused when he wanted toenlist, but had been accepted in the draft. "There's a drafted man herewho was telling me the other day that he walked ninety miles to enlist. And do you know what the enlistment board did to him?"

"What?" was the query. 

"Turned him down because he had flat feet, " responded Tom. "Told him hewouldn't be able to stand a five-mile hike. "

There was a roar of laughter. 

"I heard another good one, " chimed in Billy. "A fellow wanted to enlist, and the examining board wanted to reject him because he had a cast inhis eye. 'Oh, that's all right, ' he drawled, 'I allus shets that eyeanyway when I shoot. ' That made them laugh and he got by. "

In high spirits they finished their meal, and as they were off duty forthe next hour or two, made their way down to that quarter of the fieldwhere the prisoners' camp was placed. 

Behind the barrier at the point nearest them they saw one bulky captive, who was munching contentedly the food that had been given him, and whohad none of the woe-begone expression that a man in his position iscommonly expected to show. 

"See him shovel it in, " laughed Billy. 

"He doesn't seem to have a care in the world, " remarked Bart. 

"Probably glad to be behind our machine guns instead of in front ofthem, " conjectured Tom. 

"Hello, Heinie!" said Frank good-naturedly. 

"Hello yourself, " came the answer. 

"Do you speak English?" asked Frank in surprise. 

"A little, " replied the German, and proceeded to prove it by answering, although in rather a halting manner, the questions they put to him. 

No, he at any rate had not wanted the war. He was a skilled mechanic inone of the munition factories. There had been a strike on account of badconditions and he had been one of the leaders. The Government had seizedhim and bundled him off to the front. He was glad to be captured. Afterthe war the Kaiser would see that men were born to be something elsethan cannon fodder. 

"Well, " remarked Frank as they moved along, "there's one fellow at leastthat doesn't cry: '_Hoch the Kaiser_. '"

"Seems good to see it so full, " remarked Bart with great satisfaction, as he saw the large number of Germans who had been captured in thefierce fighting of the day before. 

"If only the Kaiser and the Crown Prince were in that bunch, " sighedTom. 

"That's a pleasure still to come, " replied Frank. "But where's thefellow that tried to stab Bart? I don't see him anywhere. Seems asthough the party isn't complete without him. "

They made inquiry of one of the guards. 

"Oh, that one, " replied the guard. "They've roped him out from the restof these mavericks and given him a hut all by himself. I guess he'sthinking of making his will. I hear they're going to have him out beforea drumhead in the morning. "

"Which hut is it?" asked Frank, as his eye took in a little group ofshacks at the further end of the field. 

"That end one down by the big tree. " The guard pointed it out with thepoint of his bayonet. 

They went down in that direction, and as they neared the hut saw that itwas guarded by a single sentry. 

"Who's that fellow on guard?" asked Tom. "My head's so dizzy yet thatI'm seeing things double. "

"Looks rather familiar for a fact, " said Bart. "Wait till he turns hishead this way. "

The next instant the sentry turned, and there was a whistle of surprisefrom Billy. "By the great horn spoon!" he ejaculated. "It's Nick Rabig!"

"Set a Hun to watch a Hun, " remarked Tom bitingly. 

"Oh, come, Tom, " remonstrated Frank, "that's going a little too far. I've no reason to like the fellow, and we know he had to be dragged intothe army, but that doesn't say he's a Hun. "

"All except the uniform, " persisted Tom. "He'd rather be fighting forthe Kaiser this minute than for Uncle Sam. "

"Shouldn't wonder if Tom's more than half right, " assented Billy. "Youknow the way he" used to talk in Camport. "

"You notice that we've never seen him volunteering for any of theraiding parties, " said Billy. 

"But that may only mean that Rabig has a yellow streak in him. Itdoesn't say that he's a traitor, " returned Frank. 

"Well, maybe he isn't, " conceded Tom. "But all the same it seems ratherqueer that he should have been picked out to guard this Heinie. Theycould talk together in German through that closed door and nobody bewise to what they were saying. "

"I don't suppose the officers know Rabig as well as the rest of us do, "said Billy. "But say, fellows, look at that bit of white under the doorof the hut. What do you suppose it is?"

"Oh, just a scrap of paper, " laughed Bart. "Just like the Belgiantreaty. "

"Something the wind's blown up against the door, I guess, " conjecturedTom. 

"Wind nothing!" exclaimed Frank, whose vision was keener than that ofany of the others. "It's under the door and it's getting bigger andbigger all the time. I tell you what it is, fellows, " he went onexcitedly, "it's a note that's being pushed out by the fellow inside. "

"Let's get behind these trees and see what's going on, " suggested Bart, indicating a clump of trees near which they happened to be standing. 

In a moment they were screened from observation. Then they watched withthe keenest interest what would follow. 

That Rabig had caught sight of the paper was evident, for he stopped hispacing and turned his eyes on the door. Then he looked stealthily abouthim. The nearest sentry was some distance away, and the boys were wellhidden by the trees. 

Then Rabig made a complete circuit of the little hut, as though to makesure that no one was lurking about. Having apparently satisfied himselfon that point, he returned and resumed his pacing until he was directlyin front of the door. 

Here he paused and drew out his handkerchief and wiped his forehead. Butas he went to put it back, it dropped from his hand so that it lay closeby and almost upon the protruding piece of paper. 

He was stooping to pick it up, when he caught sight of a sergeant comingin his direction. Instantly he straightened up, and as he did so thebutt of his rifle knocked against the door. 

The paper disappeared as though it had been drawn swiftly back from theinside, just as the sergeant came up. 

"Gee!" gasped Tom. 

"Prisoner all right, Rabig?" inquired the sergeant. 

"Yes, sir, " replied Rabig. "He seems to be keeping pretty quiet. Ilooked in a little while ago and he was lying asleep on the bench. "

"Keep a close watch on him, " counseled the sergeant. "What he tried todo to Raymond yesterday shows that he's a desperate character. But Iguess that by this time to-morrow he won't need any one to watch him. "

The sergeant passed on and the boys looked at each other withspeculation in their eyes. 

"What do you think of it?" asked Frank thoughtfully. 

"Think?" snorted Tom. "I think that Rabig is a bad egg. What else isthere for any one to think?"

"It certainly looks suspicious, " said Bart with a little wrinkle ofanxiety creasing his brow. 

"One thing is sure, " declared Billy. "It was a note that was beingpushed outside that door. The fellow inside was trying to get intocommunication with Rabig. "

"True, " assented Frank. "But that in itself doesn't prove anything. Youor I might be on sentry duty and a prisoner might try to do the samething to us. "

"Yes, " agreed Billy. "But we wouldn't act the way Rabig did. We'd havepicked up the note and given it to the sergeant of the guard. "

"And we wouldn't have sneaked around the hut to see if any one was nearby, " said Tom. "Why did he drop his handkerchief, except to have anexcuse for picking it up and copping the note at the same time?"

"And his rifle butt didn't hit the door by accident, " put in Billy. "That was a tip to the prisoner that some one was coming. Did you seehow quickly the note disappeared?"

"I hate to think that there's a single man in the regiment who's adisgrace to his uniform, " remarked Frank, "but it certainly looks bad. That fellow Rabig will bear watching. "

"I told you he was a Hun, " declared Tom. "His body's in France, but hisheart's in Germany. "

CHAPTER VIII

COLONEL PAVET REAPPEARS

The Army boys thought over the situation in some perplexity. 

"What do you suppose we ought to do?" asked Bart. 

"We ought to go hotfoot to the captain and tell him what we've seen, "declared Tom with emphasis. 

"I hardly like to do that, " objected Billy. "At least not at this stageof the game. After all, we haven't any positive proof against Nick. Hishandkerchief might have dropped accidentally. And the knocking of thebutt of his gun against the door could have happened without his meaninganything by it. He could explain his going around the hut by saying hewanted to be especially vigilant in guarding the prisoner. "

"Yes, " agreed Frank, "we haven't proof enough against Rabig to hang ayellow dog. And I wouldn't want to get him in bad with his officers onmere suspicion. "

"That note might be proof if we could only get hold of it, " suggestedTom. 

"Swell chance!" returned Bart. "You can bet that note is chewed up andswallowed by this time. The first thing the Hun thought of, when he wastipped off that some one was coming, was to get rid of the evidence thatmight queer his chance of escape. "

"I'll tell you what we'll do, " said Frank. "We'll just go down and seeRabig and ask him casually about the prisoner. That may make him thinkthat we're on to something, and if he's planning to do anything crookedit may scare him off. It won't do any harm anyway, and we'll take achance. "

They left the clump of trees and strolled down carelessly in thedirection of the hut. 

Rabig saw them coming, and the surly look that was habitual with himbecame more pronounced than usual. There was no love lost between himand any of them. He had been thoroughly unpopular in Camport because ofhis bullying nature even before the outbreak of the war, and his evidentleaning toward Germany had deepened this feeling. 

Since he had been drafted, he had of course kept his pro-German views tohimself, for he valued his skin and had no desire to face a firingsquad. But his work had been done grudgingly, and his disposition toshirk had more than once gained him short terms in the guardhouse. 

Of all the group approaching him he most heartily disliked Frank. In thefirst place, Frank had never permitted him to bully him when they werewith Moore & Thomas, and the two had been more than once on the brink ofa fight. And since the boxing bout in the camp, when he had tried foultactics and Frank had thrashed him thoroughly, his venom toward hisconqueror had been more bitter than ever. 

The boys stopped when they reached the front of the hut. 

"Hello, Rabig!" they greeted him. 

"Hello!" responded Rabig, still keeping up his pacing. 

"Right on the job, I see, " remarked Bart, pleasantly enough. 

"Your eyesight's mighty good, " replied Nick sullenly. 

"Yes, " Bart came back at him, "I can see a bit of white paper from quitea distance. "

Rabig gave a sudden start. 

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded. 

"Nothing special, " replied Bart carelessly. "What should I mean?"

"By the way, " put in Tom, "you'd better tuck your handkerchief in alittle more tightly or you'll lose it. It looks as though it were almostready to drop out. "

"What if it does?" snarled Rabig. "I could pick it up again, couldn'tI?"

"Of course you could, " said Tom, "but you might pick up something elsewith it. Dust, or a bit of paper, or something like that. "

"Say, what's the matter with you guys anyway?" demanded Rabig, gloweringat them. 

"That looks like quite a solid door, " remarked Frank, inspecting itcritically. 

"Oh, I don't know, " responded Billy. "It's got dents in it. Here's onethat looks as though it were made by a rifle butt. "

Rabig looked at them angrily, and yet furtively, evidently seeking tofind out how much their remarks meant. 

"You fellows had better get along, " he snapped. "You're interfering withdiscipline by talking to a sentry on guard. "

Rabig's newborn reverence for discipline amused the boys so that theyhad hard work to repress a laugh. 

"You're right, " responded Frank. "We'll mosey along. "

"Ta-ta, Rabig, " said Bart. "Keep your eye peeled for any Hun trick. Thatfellow nearly got me yesterday with his knife, and he might try to playthe same game on you. "

"Don't you worry, " growled Rabig. "I can take care of myself. "

The chums passed on, laughing and talking about indifferent things, until they were out of ear shot. 

"We've got him guessing, " remarked Billy with a grin. 

"We managed to put a flea in his ear, " agreed Tom. 

"Did you see how red he got?" questioned Bart. 

"He sure is wondering how much we know, " summed up Frank. "Whether itwill make him go straight or not is another question. What we fellowsought to do is to take turns keeping tab on him, so that he can't actcrooked even if he wants to. " "It's a pity there should be any men inthe American army whom we have to watch, " said Tom bitterly. 

"Yes, but that's to be expected, " returned Frank. "There's never been anarmy in the history of the world that hasn't been infected with traitorsmore or less. "

"Look at Benedict Arnold, " remarked Billy. 

"To my mind, it's surprising that there aren't more, " said Frank. "That's what the Kaiser was counting on. He thought that the Germanelement in America was so strong that we wouldn't dare to go to war withhim. Do you remember what he told Gerard? That 'there were five hundredthousand Germans in America who would revolt'?"

"Yes, " grinned Billy, "and I remember how Gerard came back at him withthe 'five hundred thousand lamp-posts on which we'd hang them if theydid. '"

They were out on the main road by this time, and they stepped to oneside and saluted, as an officer in French uniform, accompanied by anorderly, came galloping along. 

The officer's eye swept the group as he returned the salute, and when itrested on Frank he drew up his horse so suddenly that the beast sat backon its haunches. 

The officer threw himself from the horse's back, cast the reins to hisorderly, and came impetuously toward the astonished Army boys with hishand extended to Frank. 

"Monsieur Sheldon!" he exclaimed, his face beaming. "_Mon braveAmericain. Le sauveur de ma vie. _"

"Colonel Pavet!" cried Frank with equal pleasure, as he took theextended hand. 

"Yes, " replied the newcomer, "Colonel Pavet, alive and well, thanks toyou. Ah, I shall never forget the night when I lay wounded on thebattlefield and you climbed out of the trench and made your way througha storm of bullets and shells to my side and carried me back to safety. It was the deed of a hero, a modern d'Artagnan! How glad I am to see youagain!"

"And I to see you" responded Frank warmly. "You were so dreadfullywounded that I feared you might not recover. "

They were talking in French, which Frank spoke like a native, thanks tohis French mother, and the other boys saluted and passed on, leaving thetwo together. 

"If we had not met, I would have searched you out, " went on the colonel, "for I have some news for you. News that both you and your mother willbe glad to hear. "

"My mother, " repeated Frank, his eyes kindling and his heart responding, as it never failed to do at the mention of that dear mother of his, whoin her lonely home across the sea was waiting and praying for him. 

CHAPTER IX

THE ESCAPE

"Yes, " replied Colonel Pavet, "your mother, Madame Sheldon, --it seemsstrange for me to name her thus, for I never think of her except asLucie De Latour, as I knew her in her girlhood--has a very excellentprospect of coming into the property that was willed to her. "

"I'm very glad to hear that!" exclaimed Frank. "And I know that mymother will be pleased too. I have told her in my letters about mymeeting with you, and I gave her the remembrances that you were kindenough to send her. She was delighted to know that I had met one of herold neighbors in Auvergne, and she asked me to thank you most heartilyfor your kindness in promising to look after her interests. "

The colonel smiled genially. 

"She is too good, " he responded. "The obligation is all on my side. Myhumble services would have been at her disposal in any event simply forthe sake of old friendship. But how much more ought they to be whollyhers, now that her son has saved my life. "

"I am afraid you put too much value on what I did, Colonel, " said Frankdeprecatingly. 

"It was something that not one in ten thousand would have done, " repliedthe colonel warmly. "When I found myself helpless and wounded on thatfield of death I thought my life was over, and I had commended my soulto God. "

"I'm glad that you have lived to strike another blow for France, " saidFrank. 

"Ah, for France!" repeated the colonel fervently, as he lifted his capreverently. 

"As I started to say, " he resumed after a moment, "your mother'sprospects for coming into her own are excellent. After my wound I wassent home, and for some time it was doubtful whether I would live ordie. But God was good and I recovered. While I was gradually mending Ihad ample time to look into that matter of the contested will. And, fortunately, just at that time my brother André, who is one of theleading lawyers of Paris, came to the chateau to see and cheer me upwhile I was convalescing. I laid the whole matter before him, and hewent into it thoroughly. He has gone over all the proceedings in thecase, and he tells me that there is no doubt that your mother has thelaw as well as right--unfortunately they are not always the same thing--on her side. He says that the testimony of those who are contesting thewill smacks strongly of perjury. It is too bad that your mother cannotbe here, for then André thinks the whole thing could be straightened outat once. "

"It is too bad, " agreed Frank; "but in the present state of things, andthe danger on the Atlantic from submarines, I would not want her to takethe risk. But what you say delights me, as I am sure it will her, and Ican't thank you enough for all the trouble you have taken. "

"Not trouble, but pleasure, " corrected the colonel. "And you can beassured that the matter will not be allowed to lag now that André hastaken it up. When he starts a case he can be depended on to carry itthrough to a finish. I will keep in close touch with him and will letyou know from time to time how the matter is progressing. But now tellme about yourself. "

"There's not much to tell, " replied Frank. "I'm well and have been luckyenough so far not to have stopped a bullet. "

The colonel's eyes twinkled. 

"Not much to tell, " he repeated. "No, not if Monsieur Sheldon does thetelling. But there are others who speak more freely. Your captain, forinstance. "

Frank flushed uncomfortably and Colonel Pavet laughed outright. 

"Bravery and modesty usually go together, " he went on. "How about thatmachine gun episode yesterday, when an American soldier cut down itscrew, turned it on the enemy trench and compelled the men in it tosurrender? How about the raiding party where five men accounted forfourteen of the Huns? You see, _mon ami_, that I have a good memory fordetails. Ah, you are blushing. I wonder if you, too, could recall thesethings if you tried. "

"There were a lot of us in on them, " parried Frank, "and one did as muchas another. "

"Well, " rejoined the colonel, "I'm proud that a French woman is yourmother. You have a glorious heritage in the traditions of two gallantcountries. And I rejoice to see the way you Americans are throwingyourselves into the fighting. We were sorely pressed by the Hun hordesand were fighting with our backs against the wall. "

"And such fighting!" returned Frank enthusiastically. "The world hasnever seen anything finer. The spirit of France is unconquerable. "

"Yes, " replied the colonel proudly. "As one of our great orators hassaid: 'If the men are all killed the women will rise up; if the womenare killed the children will rise; if the children are killed the verydead will rise and fight--fight for France. "

"But I must go on, " he continued, motioning to his orderly to bring uphis horse. "I have a long journey yet before I reach the headquarters ofmy division. I am more delighted than I can tell that I met you as Idid. May we meet again soon. "

"In Berlin, if not sooner, " interjected Frank with a smile. 

"Ah, that is it, " said the colonel delightedly. "In Berlin! That is theway to speak. It may be a long time, but sooner or later the Stars andStripes and the Tricolor will wave together _Unter den Linden_. MayHeaven speed the day!"

The French officer wrung Frank's hand warmly, sprang into the saddle, and with Frank's "_bon voyage_" ringing in his ears, galloped rapidlyaway. 

Twilight was coming on as Frank set out to rejoin his comrades, who werewaiting for him at a little distance down the road. His heart was light, for he had news to write his mother that he knew would bring herpleasure. 

"Some swell, " chaffed Tom, as Frank came up to his friends. "Talking toa colonel as though he were a pal. I wonder that you condescend to talkto us common privates. "

"It is a comedown, " grinned Frank; "but I'll try to tolerate you for awhile longer. But say, fellows, that colonel is a brick! Not a bit ofside about him. And he's doing a lot for us in the matter of my mother'sproperty that I've told you about. "

"That's bully!" exclaimed Bart heartily. 

"I'll forgive him, " conceded Tom magnanimously, "even if he does talk ina lingo that I can't understand. "

"Why, I thought you were a finished French scholar by this time, "chaffed Bart. 

"Do you remember the day Tom tried to ask for soup and got his tonguetwisted around 'bouillon'?" gibed Billy, with a broad grin. 

"Well, I got the soup anyway, didn't I?" defended Tom. 

"Sure you got it, " agreed Billy. "I could hear you getting it. "

Tom made a pass at him that Billy ducked. 

"Talking about soup makes me hungry, " remarked Bart. "If you fellowsstand talking here much longer we'll be late at chow. "

"I'd like to have one more look at that hut Rabig's guarding, " saidFrank a little uneasily. 

"We might stroll down this way again after supper if you like, "suggested Billy, "but just at present a little knife and fork exerciseseems the most pressing business I have to attend to. "

Just then their talk was interrupted by a single shot, followed by avolley of them, and looking back in the direction from which they hadcome, they saw men running in the direction of the hut that Rabig hadbeen guarding. 

They turned and ran at full speed and were soon in the midst of anexcited group gathered about the hut. 

"What's up?" asked Frank of one of the soldiers. 

"Prisoner escaped, " replied the other briefly. 

"What prisoner?"

"The fellow that Rabig was guarding. Some way or other he got out, managed to strike Rabig down and skipped. Poor Rabig's pretty badlymessed up. "

The boys looked at each other. 

"_Poor_ Rabig, " repeated Tom, and there was a world of meaning in histone. 

CHAPTER X

A GHASTLY BURDEN

The sergeant of the guard came running up quickly, followed by two otherofficers of higher rank, and a hurried inquiry took place on the spot. 

Rabig had been lifted to his feet from where he had been lying, andstood supported by two comrades. Blood was running down his face from awound in his head. He seemed weak and dazed, although a surgeon who hadbeen hastily summoned pronounced the wound not dangerous. He seemed tohave been dealt a glancing blow, and, as in the case of all scalpwounds, the blood had flowed freely. 

"Bring a seat for him, " commanded the lieutenant in charge, and theorder was promptly obeyed. 

"Now, Rabig, " proceeded the officer, not unkindly, "tell me about this. How did you come to lose your prisoner?"

Rabig looked about him in a helpless sort of way. 

"I don't know, " he mumbled. "My head is swimming so that I can'tremember. "

"Try to think, " said the officer patiently. Rabig seemed to make aneffort, but did not succeed and fell back in a swoon that put an end forthe present to the questioning. 

"Who saw anything of this?" queried the lieutenant, looking about him. "Does any one know in what direction the prisoner went?"

"If you please, sir, " said one of the sentries who had been guarding anadjacent hut, "I saw a man jump on a horse and go through the woodsthere, but it was getting dark and I didn't know but what it might beone of our own men. But I ran up here and found Rabig lying on theground, and the door of the hut was open. I sent a shot after the man onhorseback and so did some of the other men, but we couldn't take aim andI don't know whether we hit him or not. "

"Look alive there, " commanded the officer. "Sergeant, take a squad ofmen and beat up these woods. The fellow may be hiding there. Take himdead or alive. "

"Yes, sir, " replied the sergeant, saluting. 

The soldiers standing by were hastily sent into the woods and otherswere summoned to join them. The prisoner had got a good start, but bythis time the field telephones were busy all along the line and hischance of ultimate escape was by no means bright. But he was a powerfuland desperate man, and if he had any weapons at all he would probablymake his capture a costly one. 

"He'll reason that he's a dead man if we get him and he might as welldie fighting, " remarked Frank, as with his comrades he picked his waythrough the woods. 

"Righto, " agreed Tom. "And even if he didn't have a weapon when heescaped, there are lots of them lying around and he won't have anytrouble in picking one up. "

"I wonder if he'll stick to the horse, " mused Bart. 

"I hardly think so, " replied Billy. "He knows from the shots that weresent after him that we know he used a horse in escaping and will belooking for a man on horseback. So he'll try to deceive us by going onfoot. "

"He'll probably hang about in the woods until it's pitch dark and thentry to get through the lines, " said Frank. "He may be behind any tree orbush, and we want to be mighty careful to examine each one as we go pastit. "

"Maybe he'll climb a tree, " suggested Tom, looking up to the branches ofone he happened to be under at the moment. 

"Not a chance at this time of the year, " objected Billy. "There aren'tany leaves to hide him, and even in the darkness we could probably seehis outline against the sky. Then, too, if he were seen he could bepotted too easily. No, he's not up a tree. "

"Queer that he should have got away so soon after we'd been down to thehut, " remarked Frank. 

"Queer!" snorted Tom. "It isn't queer at all to my way of thinking. Thewhole thing was cut and dried. "

"Then you think that Rabig was in cahoots with him?" asked Bartdubiously. 

"I'm sure of it, " responded Tom. "Use your common sense, fellows. We seehalf a dozen suspicious things that look as if Rabig and the prisonerhad some understanding. A little while after the prisoner escapes. What's the answer?"

"The answer might be several things, " replied Frank, who hated tobelieve evil of even his worst enemy. "A lot of things are due tocoincidence. It may be perfectly true that Rabig was in sympathy withthe German, but that doesn't say that he'd go so far as to let himactually escape. He was taking big chances with his own skin in doingit. "

"Besides, there's no doubt that Rabig was wounded, " remarked Bart. "Thatfellow seems to have given him an awful knock. He was bleeding likefury. "

"Oh, it was easy enough to arrange that, " answered Tom, unconvinced. "Itwould have been too raw to have Rabig let the fellow go and still besafe and sound. How could he explain it? He'd be brought up forcourt-martial. But a scalp wound could be easily made where it wouldproduce the most blood and do the least harm. "

"But what object would Rabig have in taking such chances?" asked Billy. "The fellow had been searched and couldn't have had any money with him. "

"No, but he could have promised plenty, " argued Tom. "Perhaps he's toldRabig that the grateful Kaiser would make him rich. How do we know thatRabig wouldn't fall for that? He's got an ivory dome anyway. If therewere more than two ideas in his head at one time they'd be arrested forunlawful assemblage. "

The boys laughed and Tom went on:

"Besides, how do we know but what Rabig is planning to desert and wantsto pave the way for a warm welcome on the other side? It would be easyenough to slip across while the lines are so near each other. "

"But Rabig seemed to be pretty badly hurt, " said Billy. "You saw himfaint. "

"Which only proves that he is a good actor, " retorted Tom dryly. "Don'tthink me hardhearted, fellows, because I'm not. I'm always ready to giveeverybody his due. But I feel sure down in my heart that this thing wasall fixed up beforehand, and some day you'll find that I'm right. "

For more than two hours they kept up the search without result, and thefact that they had not had their supper was forced upon them withgrowing insistency. 

"Isn't there any time limit to this?" grumbled Bart. "I'll be huntingfor acorns instead of a prisoner before long. "

"I've got a vacuum where my stomach ought to be, " moaned Billy. "Gee, wouldn't I like to be streaking it for the mess room. "

"Cork up, you fellows, " commanded Frank. "Listen! I thought I heardsomething just then. "

The talking ceased instantly, and all stood as rigid as statues. 

"It's a horse coming this way, " whispered Frank, after a moment ofstrained attention. "Quick, fellows, get behind these bushes and haveyour rifles ready!"

They crouched low and peered up a little glade that ran through theforest. 

But the noise ceased as suddenly as it had begun and they began to thinkthat their comrade had been mistaken. 

"Guess Frank's been stringing us, " chaffed Billy. 

"He's the only one who seems to have heard anything, " said Tom. 

"Don't you worry about my hearing, " said Frank. "I tell you I heard ahorse's hoofs. Perhaps the rider suspects something and is trying to geta line on us, just as we're trying to get one on him. "

"It may have been a horse all right, " said Billy, "but that doesn't sayhe had any rider. He may be rambling around all by his lonesome, andperhaps he's stopped to graze somewhere. "

"There he goes again!" exclaimed Frank, and this time every one of themheard what was undeniably the thud of a horse's hoofs. 

But there was a hesitation, an uncertainty about the animal's movementsthat seemed unusual. It moved as though it had no purpose in view noguiding hand on the reins. At times the canter seemed to subside into awalk. There was something about this unseen steed, at large in the dimforest, that gave the boys a most uncomfortable feeling. 

Then suddenly a more resolute note in the sound and an increase in itsvolume told the listening boys that the horse was coming straight towardthem. 

The clatter of hoofs drew nearer, and they clutched their guns moretightly. 

Soon they were able to distinguish in the gloom the outline of a horseand rider. The man's figure loomed up huge and threatening, and theyfelt sure that it was the big German corporal for whom they weresearching. 

The boys waited until the horse was almost upon them and then rushed outinto the road. 

"Halt!" cried Frank. He seized the horse's rein while the others leveledtheir rifles at the rider. 

The horse reared in fright, but the rider made no answer nor did heattempt to draw a weapon. 

"Get down!" commanded Frank. "We've got you covered. Surrender. "

Still the rider remained silent. 

Frank having quieted the horse went alongside and put his hand on theman's arm. 

"Come----" he began, then stopped suddenly. 

There was a moment of utter silence, and Frank for the first time in hislife could feel the hair rising on his head. Then he controlled himself. 

"Put up your rifles boys, " he commanded. "The man is dead!"

CHAPTER XI

WITH THE TANKS

"Dead!" exclaimed Frank's comrades in voices that shook with surpriseand horror. 

"That's what I said, " replied Frank. "Touch him and see for yourselves. "

All did so and found that the body was rigid. How long the horse hadborne his lifeless burden they could not tell. The legs were set stifflyin the stirrups and the hands had a death grip on the reins. 

The boys had seen death in many forms. Scarcely a day had passed sincetheir arrival at the front without that sad experience. But it had neverseemed so ghastly or uncanny as at this moment. That silent, colossalfigure, seated bolt upright, worked fearfully on their imaginations andseemed far more formidable than any living enemy would have seemed. 

"One of those bullets that the sentries sent after him must have reachedhim, " said Bart in an awed voice. 

"I suppose so, " replied Frank. "But it doesn't matter now. Our search isover. "

"What are we going to do with the body?" asked Billy soberly. 

"I guess we can't do anything just now, " replied Frank. "I don't thinkwe could get those reins out of his hands anyway, and I for one don'twant to try. Besides, this is the proof for the officers that theprisoner hasn't escaped. They're anxious, because they don't know whatinformation he might have been carrying back to the German lines. Theonly thing to do is for one of us to lead the horse--with its rider--back to camp. "

This seemed to the others the solution of the problem, although the taskwas a gruesome one and they would have gladly evaded it if they could. It made chills run down the spine to trudge along leading the horse withthat huge figure towering behind them in the darkness, mocking at thembecause he had escaped to the silent land from which they could neverbring him back. 

But there was comfort in numbers, and what no one of them could perhapshave done singly they finally accomplished by taking turns, keepingclose together all the while as the ghostly cavalcade wound its waythrough the woods. 

It was with a sigh of heartfelt relief that they finally drew up beforethe friendly lights of the regimental headquarters that had never beforeseemed so welcome. 

Their coming caused a great sensation, and there was soon a dense crowdaround them, for the uncanny circumstances of their return spreadthrough the camp like wildfire. The reins were cut from the dead handsand the body lifted to the ground. Then after making a full report theboys went to their quarters. They were besieged with inquiries bycurious comrades, but they shook them off as soon as possible. Theirexperience had been one that they were only too anxious to forget. 

"I don't think I want any supper, after all, " remarked Tom to hisfriends. 

"Same here, " responded Bart. "I don't feel as though I'd ever be hungryagain. "

"All I want to do is to get to sleep and forget it, " said Billy. "Thatis, if I _can_ get to sleep. "

"You'll sleep all right, " observed Frank, "but I wouldn't guarantee youagainst nightmare. "

But harrowed as their nerves had been, they were too young and healthyto stand out against the sleep they needed, and when they woke the nextmorning both their spirits and their appetites were as good as usual. Life at the front was too full of work and rush for any one experienceto leave its imprint long. 

Their first inquiry after breakfast was for Rabig. 

"How's Rabig getting along?" Frank asked of Fred Anderson. 

"Oh, he's all right, I guess, " answered Fred carelessly. "When thedoctors came to examine him they found that the wound didn't amount tomuch. Said he'd be all right in a day or two. "

"Is he under arrest?" asked Tom. 

"Why, yes, I suppose he is, " answered Fred. "But I guess it's a mereform. The fact that the prisoner didn't finally get away will count inhis favor. It's like baseball. An error is an error, but if the man whoought to be out at first gets put out when he tries to steal second theerror is harmless. It's no credit to Rabig that a bullet got the man helet escape, but it's lucky for him just the same. "

It was evident that Anderson had no suspicion that Rabig had been guiltyof anything but carelessness, and the boys carefully refrained fromsaying anything about what they had gathered from their observation theday before. But when they were alone together they had no hesitationabout speaking their minds. 

"Some fellows could commit murder and get away with it, " grumbled Tom. 

"Cheer up, you old grouch, " chaffed Billy. "At any rate the prisonerdidn't escape, and so there's no harm done. "

"And if Rabig is guilty he's got nothing from it but a sore head, " putin Bart. 

"I don't feel dead sure that Rabig helped him, " said Frank, "and yet themore I think it over, the more I'm inclined to think that Tom is rightabout it. Still, Rabig's entitled to the benefit of the doubt. I knowhow the Scotch jury felt when they brought in the verdict: 'Not guilty, but don't do it again. '"

"That's just what I'm afraid Rabig will do, " said Tom. "This timeluckily it didn't matter. The prisoner didn't escape. But if Rabig is atraitor, how do we know but what the next time he might do somethingthat might cause a defeat?"

"It does make one uneasy, " agreed Bart. "Nick in the regiment is like asplinter in the finger. It makes you sore. But we'll keep our eyes openand the very next crooked move he makes it will be curtains for him. "

"Or taps, " added Billy. 

The fighting now had lost the first intensity that had signalized theday of the mine explosion. The Germans had been strongly reinforced, andhad held their third line, which had now become their first. 

"And they've got plenty of other lines behind that one, " commented Tom, as he sat on a trench step cleaning and oiling his rifle. 

"Slathers of them, " assented Billy. "I suppose they stretch all the wayback to the Rhine. "

"It will be some job to root them out of them if we have to storm eachone of them in turn, " remarked Bart. 

"We don't have to count on that, " said Frank confidently. "The Alliesgained twenty-five miles at a clip when they drove Hindenburg back fromthe Somme. The Huns may stand out a long while, but when the time comesthey may collapse all at once like the deacon's 'one-hoss shay. '"

The Americans in the meantime had thoroughly reorganized the capturedpositions and had held them against a number of strong counter-attacks. But these became fewer as they failed to produce results, and althoughthe artillery still kept on growling and barking, the wearied infantryhad a chance to get some of the rest they so sorely needed after theirherculean efforts. 

"Nothing to do till to-morrow, " yawned Billy, as after performing theirturn of trench duty they found themselves with an hour or two on theirhands. 

"Let's take a little hike back of the lines and see what's doing, "suggested Bart. 

"I think there's something in the wind connected with the tanks, "remarked Frank. "They say there's a bunch of them coming up from allparts of the front and getting together just back of our division. "

"They're hot playthings, all right, " commented Tom. "They certainly keepthe Huns on the jump. If we only had enough of them we might roll rightinto Berlin. "

They passed some of the field batteries where the men, stripped to thewaist, were serving the guns, running the shells in and dischargingtheir weapons with marvelous smoothness, speed and precision. 

"This is the life, " chaffed Tom. "You fellows have a picnic here awayback of the lines, while we chaps in the front line do all the work andstop all the bullets. "

"G'wan, you doughboys, " retorted a gunner good-naturedly. "If we'realive here after eight days, the orders are to shoot us for loafing. "

A little further on, they came upon a myriad of tanks of alldescriptions. There were "baby" tanks, "whippets, " "male" and "female, "all with different functions to perform during a battle. Just as in thenavy there are vessels of all sizes from a light scout to asuper-dreadnought, so already this arm of the service was developingvarious grades, each to do some special work for which the others werenot so well adapted. 

"See how they're hidden, " said Frank, as he pointed to a very forest ofbushes and branches that extended above the array of tanks. 

"That's to keep the Boche aviators guessing, " observed Bart. "They'dgive their eyes if they could only spy out where these fellows are beingmassed. "

"I heard one of the fellows say that the tanks travel only at night sothat the Boches can't track them, " said Tom. 

"And see what a raft of them have been got together here, " said Billy. "I tell you, fellows, there's something big going to be pulled offbefore long. "

"Say, boys, see who's here!" exclaimed Frank, and they turned to seeWill Stone coming toward them with a broad smile of welcome on hisbronzed face. 

CHAPTER XII

BREAKING THROUGH

There was a rush toward Will Stone, and in a moment the Army boys wereshaking hands with a vigor that showed the pleasure they felt at againmeeting their acquaintance, who belonged to the tank division. 

"Say, fellows, have a heart, " Will grinned. "I need these hands in mybusiness. But it sure does me good to see you again. And all of youalive and kicking! I'll bet that's more than some of the Huns are thatyou've run up against. "

"Oh, we're still able to sit up and take nourishment, " laughed Frank. "But tell us about yourself, old man. You look like ready money. "

"I see you have a marking different from what you had when we saw youlast, " remarked Bart, looking at the insignia that proclaimed Will anofficer. 

"And look at that war cross!" cried Tom. "I guess you've been some busylittle bee to get that. Shake again, old scout. "

Stone flushed and looked a little embarrassed. 

"Only a few little skirmishes here and there, " he said deprecatingly. "But the real big thing is yet to come. Look at this army of tanks. We've never had so many in one place since the war began. "

"Looks like a herd of elephants, " commented Frank, as his eye ran alongthe array that seemed to number hundreds. "They'll do more tramplingthan any herd of elephants that ever trod the earth, " remarked Stonegrimly. "But come along, fellows, and let me show you my own particularpet. It's the biggest one of the bunch, and it's a peach! We call itJumbo, and it carries a crew of twenty men. "

They followed him till they came to a monster tank on which Stone placedhis hand caressingly. 

"Isn't it a beauty?" he asked, as he beamed upon them. 

"I should call it a holy terror, " grinned Frank. 

"What the Huns will call it won't be fit for publication, " laughedBilly. 

"I guess they've already exhausted the German vocabulary, " chuckledStone. "But just wait until this beauty of mine goes climbing over theirtrenches and smashing their pill boxes and tearing away theirentanglements. Then they'll know what they're up against. "

"I only wish we could see you while you're doing it, " remarked Tom. 

"Likely enough you will, " replied Stone. "From things I've picked uphere and there I think the infantry will be right alongside of us in thenext big jamboree. Don't you fellows make any mistake about it, there'sgoing to be one of the biggest stunts of the war pulled off in thecourse of the next few days. Mithridates with his elephants won't be acircumstance to us with our tanks. There sure is bound to be some lovelyfighting. "

"Let it come!" exclaimed Tom. 

"And come quickly, " chimed in Frank. 

"The only thing I'm sorry for is that you're in the Canadiancontingent, " said Bart. "I want to see you leading the way in a U. S. A. Tank. "

"You may yet, " replied Stone. "Uncle Sam will soon be sending over histanks, and you bet when they do come they'll be lallapaloozers with allthe modern improvements, and then some! And the minute that happens I'mgoing to apply to be transferred to the United States army. TheseCanadians are among the finest men in the world and they're doingmagnificent fighting, but still I'll feel more natural when I'm fightingunder the Stars and Stripes. "

"Well, that won't be long now, " replied Frank. "Our men and our guns andour tanks and everything else we need to lick the Kaiser will be comingin droves pretty soon. And then watch our smoke. "

"Right you are, " agreed Stone enthusiastically. 

Then as a trumpet rang out he added: "That's the signal for a rehearsal, fellows, and I'll have to get on the job. We're going to put ourmachines through their paces. I'm mighty glad to have seen you again, and I wish you no end of luck. "

"Come over to our line when you get a chance and see the way our boysare shaping up, " was Frank's invitation, which was echoed heartily bythe others. 

"You bet I will, " responded Stone, as with a wave of his hand he went tohis work, while the boys strolled back to their quarters. 

"He's the real stuff, " commented Frank. "All wool and a yard wide. "

"He'd rather fight than eat, " observed Tom. 

"If the Canadians take him as a sample, no wonder they're glad to seeUncle Sam mix in, " remarked Billy. 

Some days went by, days of steady rush and preparation. It was evidentthat some big operation was near at hand. Troops were moved up fromother portions of the long line that stretched from Switzerland to thesea. There were the bronzed Tommies in khaki, the snappy, dashing poilusin their uniforms of corn-flower blue, veterans hardened in a score ofbattles from Ypres to Verdun. And right alongside of them in closestcomradeship and gallant rivalry were the stalwart sons of the UnitedStates of America, the very flower of her youth, who had already hadtheir baptism of fire and who had sworn to themselves that no flagshould be further in the van than Old Glory when it came to the sterntest of battle. 

Nearer and nearer the tanks had crept to the front of the line and takenup their places in front of great openings that had been made in thewire entanglements and skilfully concealed from the enemy. 

A certain number of them were assigned to lead each regiment, and theCamport boys' delight was great when they saw that Jumbo, with a squadof assisting tanks, had been told off to lead their regiment. 

"Just what the doctor ordered, " exulted Frank, when he saw Stone stepout of the door of the monster tank. 

"We'll follow you, old man, till the cows come home, " called Bart, asthe boys crowded around the young operator. 

"We'll try to make a broad path for you, " laughed Stone, as he returnedtheir greeting cordially. 

"When is the show coming off?" asked Billy. 

"Almost any time now, I guess, " replied Stone. "About all we need is anice misty morning. It's up to the weather sharps to tip us off. Thenwe'll amble over and give the Huns a little shaking up. "

Several days passed with the weather exasperatingly clear. Usually thesoldiers would have welcomed the bright sunny mornings. But now, whenthey were keyed up to a high pitch, the one thing they longed for was adull and lowering sky that would favor the great enterprise they had onhand. 

"You might think the boys were a lot of grangers after a dry spell, fromthe way they're praying for rain, " remarked Billy, as for the hundredthtime he scanned the sky. 

"Remember how different it used to be when we had a baseball game onhand?" laughed Frank. "Then a gleam of sunshine was like money from homeafter you'd been broke for a week. "

"That cloud a little while ago looked as though it might have hadthunder and lightning behind it, " observed Bart, "but it was only afalse alarm. "

"Nothing but wind, like a German bulletin, " grinned Billy, stretchinghimself. 

"Or their U-boat prophecies, " added Frank. "But cheer up, fellows, thissunshine can't last forever. "

There came at last just the kind of weather wanted. A soft drizzle setin at nightfall, not enough to make the ground muddy, but enough to makethe steaming and saturated air lie heavy on the earth. Everythingindicated that there would be a fog at dawn. 

"I guess to-morrow's the big day, " remarked Frank, as he looked out atthe settling mists. 

"High time, " grumbled Tom. "I'd grow stale if we had to wait muchlonger. "

The regiments slept on their arms that night, and an hour before dawnall were astir and in their places. There was no special artillery fire, such as usually preceded big attacks. It was given to the tanks to levelthe entanglements of the enemy and open up the gaps for the troops toswarm through. 

The hour dragged by until within ten minutes of the time appointed forthe assault. Then a monotonous hum filled the air as the motors of thetanks tuned up. Down through the black lines of waiting soldiers thegray monsters slowly made their way, passed through the gaps made in thedefences and led the way into the desolate stretch of No Man's Land. 

Even to the friendly eyes that watched them there was something weirdand frightful in their aspect. It was as though the huge brutes of theprehistoric world had taken form before them. Even those monsters hadnever carried within them such death-dealing power. 

As the sea closes in the wake of a ship, the troops fell in behind thetanks, and the silent procession took up the march toward the Germanlines. 

Hardly a sound beyond the labored breathing of the tanks broke thestillness. It might have been an army of ghosts. 

On they went, and with every step the conviction grew that the surprisewould be complete. No thunder broke from the enemy guns. No fierybarrage swept the dense ranks, exacting its toll of wounds and death. For once the Hun was asleep. 

Nearer and nearer. Then like so many thunderbolts at a hundred differentpoints they struck the German lines and the tanks went through!

CHAPTER XIII

CAUGHT NAPPING

Nothing could stand before the terrific impact of the war tanks. 

There was a grinding, tearing, screeching sound, as wire entanglementswere uprooted. These had been strengthened in every way that Germancunning could invent, but they bent like straws beneath the onslaught ofthe gray monsters. A cyclone could not have done the work morethoroughly. 

There was no need now for further secrecy, and with a wild yell theAllied troops swarmed through the gaps, sending a deadly volley beforethem, supplemented by thousands of grenades. 

At the same instant, the Allied artillery opened up and laid a heavybarrage fire over the heads of the onrushing troops. 

The blow came down on the Germans with crushing force. The surprise wascomplete. Every detail of the great drive had been mapped out with theprecision of clockwork, and so nicely had it been timed that on everypart of the long line the shock came like a thunderbolt. 

A horde of Germans rushed up from the trenches and poured in a greatstream into the open. The earth seemed to disgorge itself. They cameshouting and yelling in wild consternation, their eyes heavy with sleepand their faces pallid with fear. 

Fear not so much of the Allied troops rushing upon them. These they hadfaced in many battles, and though they knew the mettle of their foes, they were still men who could be faced on even terms. But their couragegave way when through the spectral mists they saw the wallowing monstersbearing down on them like so many Juggernauts, crushing, tearing, mowingthem down as though they were insects in the path of giants. 

The men fled helter-skelter in the wildest panic that had come upon themsince the outbreak of the war. In vain their officers shouted and cursedat them. The iron bonds of discipline snapped like threads. Soldiersrushed hither and thither like ants whose hill had been demolished by aruthless foot. 

Many fled back toward their second line, pursued by a withering blast ofrifle fire that reaped a terrible harvest of wounds and death. Othersrushed back into their trenches, crowding and treading upon one another. But even here they were not safe from the great tanks, which lumbereddown into the trenches and up on the other side, leaving devastation intheir wake, spitting out flame from the guns they carried, while theythemselves in their iron armor went on uninjured. 

Not only were they frightful engines of offense, but they served as wellfor defense of the troops that followed after them. 

For the first few minutes the slaughter was awful, and it looked asthough the whole German line would be forced to give way without puttingup any resistance worthy of the name. Prisoners were rounded up by thehundreds. There was no time then to send them to the rear. So they weregathered together in the open spaces, their suspenders were cut so thattheir trousers would slip down and entangle their legs if they tried toescape in the confusion, a small guard was put over them, and the tanksand the troops went thundering on toward the second line. 

But here the resistance began to stiffen. The first paralysis ofsurprise was past. The heavy guns of the enemy opened up, and fromscores of machine gun nests and pill boxes came a storm of bullets. TheGerman officers had got their troops under some semblance of control, and heavy reinforcements were rushed up from the rear. From now on theAllies had an awakened and powerful foe to reckon with. 

But despite the sterner opposition, the tanks were not to be denied. Onthey went, as resistless as fate. Their sides were reddened now, and thewake they left behind them was fearful to look upon. 

Through the second line entanglements they crashed as easily as throughthe first, although this time they met with losses. Some had overturnedand others had been struck by heavy shells and put out of action. Buteven though disabled, the guns on one side or the other were still ableto pour out their messengers of death and take savage toll of the enemy. 

Jumbo was leading, and close behind followed the boys of the oldThirty-seventh, with Frank and his chums in the van. They were fightinglike young Vikings, their rifles empty but their bayonets and handgrenades doing deadly work. Their arms were tired by their terrificefforts, but their hearts were on fire. They felt as though they weretreading on air, and the blood ran through their veins like quicksilver. Bunker Hill and Gettysburg spoke through them. The traditions of ahundred glorious battlefields on which Americans had fought was theirs. Now again Americans were fighting, fighting to avenge the murdered womenand babies of the Lusitania, fighting to crush the most barbaroustyranny the modern world has known, fighting the battle of freedom andcivilization. 

So they fought on like demons, smashing a pill box here, routing out amachine gun nest there, until the second line was carried. Then theconquerors paused for breath. 

On the whole German front in that region two lines deep the line hadbeen smashed. That crowded hour of stark fighting had cracked theboasted invincible line of Hindenburg and sent the foe flying inconfusion toward their third and most formidable line. Thousands ofprisoners and scores of guns were among the spoils of victory. 

And the most gratifying feature of the drive was the insignificant lossto the Allied forces. The resistance at first had been only slight, andeven in the second phase of the battle it had been so quickly overcomethat few of the attacking troops had fallen. Seldom had so great anadvance been made at so small a price. 

But modern warfare has its limits in the matter of time and speed. Thevery swiftness with which they had advanced had in itself an element ofdanger because it had brought them too far ahead of their supportingguns. These had to be brought up from the rear, and the capturedpositions had to be reorganized. The troops, too, had to be given abreathing spell, for they had reached the limit of human endurance. 

So a halt was called, and the wearied men took turns in resting andrefreshing themselves for the hard work that still lay ahead of them. 

"A mighty good morning's work, " panted Frank, as he threw himself downat the roots of a giant tree which had been utterly stripped of branchesand even of bark by the tempest of fire that had raged around it. 

"Ask a German and see if he'd agree with you, " said Billy with a grin. 

"We've got plenty to ask, " said Tom, as his eyes roved over the throngof prisoners. "We sure have taken a raft of them this morning. Andthere's a still bigger bunch that will never answer roll call again. "

There was food in plenty, but they did not have to avail themselves ofthe rations they carried in their kits. There were the camp kitchens ofthe enemy that in a twinkling were set to work, and soon the savoryodors of steaming stews and fragrant coffee filled the smoke-laden airand brought joy to the hearts of the victors. 

Frank, Bart, Billy and Tom were lucky enough to stumble on a meal thathad already been started for some German officers, and they weresurprised to find it so good and abundant. 

"The Germans may be starving, but there's no sign of it here, " remarkedFrank, as he threw himself down on the ground with a sigh of relief. 

"Trust the Huns to look after their soldiers, even if the civiliansstarve, " replied Bart. "The people don't count in Germany. Only themilitary are taken seriously. They take the middle of the sidewalk andothers are crowded to the wall. "

"Well, I'm not quarreling with them just now on that account, " grinnedBilly. "I'm just glad there's plenty of grub here this morning. "

"I'm not very partial to German cooking as a rule, " chuckled Tom, "butthis stew certainly smells good. How the Boche officers would grit theirteeth if they saw us wading into this. "

But his rejoicing was premature, for just at this moment a cannon shotfrom the German lines tore its way through the kettle and the scaldingbroth was spattered all over the group that were lying about. Luckily itdid no other damage, but the chagrin of the boys was comical to see. 

"I'd like to have hold of the gunner that fired that shot, " sputteredTom wrathfully, as he wiped from his face some of the stew that hadfallen to his share. 

"You ought to have knocked wood when you talked of the German officersseeing us wading into their chow, " growled Bart. "There's a perfectlygood stew gone to the dogs. "

"Nothing personal in that, I hope, " laughed Frank, "because most of itcame to us. "

"I like mine inside, " put in Billy, as he gingerly removed a piece ofmeat from his ear. "As an outside decoration I'm dead against stew. "

"Well, cheer up, fellows, " remarked Frank. "The stew's past praying for, but there's a lot of other things. And anyway we ought to be mightythankful that the shot didn't remove some of us from the landscape aswell as the kettle. "

"What's the big noise about?" asked a cheery voice, and they looked upto see Will Stone regarding them with a quizzical grin. 

CHAPTER XIV

IN CLOSE QUARTERS

The four Camport boys greeted Stone joyfully and gladly made room forhim. 

"It's another German atrocity, " grinned Billy. "They were sore at us forswiping their grub and they sent our kettle to smithereens. "

"I'm glad they don't know about it anyway, " said Tom. "I don't want anyBoche to have the laugh on me. "

"I guess they're not doing much laughing this morning, " remarked WillStone, as he dropped down on the ground beside them. "Or if they are, it's on the wrong side of their mouths. "

"We've certainly waxed them good and plenty, " said Bartenthusiastically. 

"Jumbo was all to the good this morning, " exulted Frank. "It did myheart good to see the way he ploughed along. There was nothing to itafter he got started. "

"He certainly scattered the Huns good and plenty, " chortled Billy. "Theyran like hares. "

"He does for 'em all right, " agreed Stone, glad to have his pride in hisgiant pet justified. "And the best of it is that, although the bulletscame against his hide like hail on a tin roof, he came throughpractically without a scratch. He sure is a tough old fellow. "

"The tanks are wonders, " chimed in Tom. "They've won this fight. It wasscrumptious the way they tore those entanglements up by the roots. Without 'em we'd have lost ten times as many men as we did. "

"So far we've gotten off pretty easily, " agreed Stone, "but the hardestpart of the fighting is coming. The Boches have got their second wind bythis time, and there can't be any more surprises. You fellows wouldbetter fill up now, for you'll have to have plenty to stand up on. "

"Trust us, " laughed Billy. "We may be slow in some things, but when itcomes to filling up, we're some pumpkins. But I certainly do feel soreabout that stew. "

"Billy'll never get over that, " laughed Bart. "He had his mouth allfixed for it. No other stew in all his life will ever taste so good tohim as this one that he didn't get. "

"It's always the biggest fish that gets away, " laughed Stone, as he fellto with the rest. 

While they were eating, there was a thunder of hoofs along the road. This had been such an unusual occurrence up to date that they sprang totheir feet with eager interest. 

Then the cavalry swept by. 

Fine fellows the cavalrymen were on splendid mounts, which they bestrodeas though they had never done anything else in all their lives. Formonths past they had chafed under restraint, for since the struggle hadsettled down to trench warfare they had seldom seen service except onfoot. But now their turn had come, for with the broken line of the enemyhad come a call for the cavalry to pursue and complete thedemoralization of the foe. 

"Some class to that bunch, " remarked Tom, as he watched the flyingcolumn with an appraising eye. 

"A little faster than your tanks, old scout?" remarked Bart, givingStone a nudge in the ribs. 

"They sure are, " admitted Stone. "But don't forget that though we may beslow we get there just the same. "

After a brief resting spell the lines were reformed and the fighting wasresumed. The space between the second and the third lines was a wideone, and the country was hilly, with numerous lanes and ravines. Thesewere being held in greater or less force by enemy troops posted inadvantageous positions supported by machine guns, while beyond themtheir big guns kept up a heavy fire to prevent the Allied advance. 

To clean these up and get ready for an attack upon the third line was awork of hours, as every foot of advance was bitterly contested by theGermans, who had now recovered from their surprise and foughtdesperately to stem the tide that had overwhelmed their first position. 

There were two or three villages in the fighting zone and one town ofconsiderable size. Not that it was a town now in any real sense of theword. What had once been houses were now mere pitiful heaps of wood andstone and mortar, and their inhabitants had long since been dispossessedor slain. It stood gaunt and desolate and forbidding in its mute protestagainst the pitiless storm of war to which it had fallen a victim. 

In cleaning out a particularly obnoxious nest of machine gun positionsFrank and his friends had been kept busy until nearly noon. But at lastthe guns were silenced and the crews wiped out or captured. 

The boys started to regain their main force, but the country wasunfamiliar and they took a turning in the road which led toward theGerman lines instead of toward their own. 

"Gee!" remarked Tom as they trudged along, "maybe I'm not tired. My feetfeel as though they weighed a ton. "

"Perhaps they do, " gibed Billy unfeelingly. "Considering the size ofthem, I should say a ton was just about right. "

"I notice your hoofs are not so small, " retorted Tom. "But how muchlonger is this hike going to take?"

"Search me, " responded Frank. "To tell the truth, I'm twisted up aboutthe direction. Seems to me we ought to strike some of our troops soon. "

"It would be funny if we walked straight into the German lines, "observed Billy. 

"Funny!" snorted Tom. "Yes, as funny as a funeral. Some people have aqueer sense of humor. "

They were passing a hedge that walled off an orchard from the road whenFrank, who was ahead, saw before him a great wave of gray uniformscoming around a bend in the road. 

"Quick, fellows, " he whispered. "Over the hedge and down on the ground. "

Like a flash the boys were out of sight, and not one instant too soon, for a moment later they could see through the hedge what seemed to be anendless line of gray uniforms going past at the double quick. They wereevidently hurrying forward to reinforce their hard-pressed comradesfarther down the road. 

The boys lay still as death until the troops had passed, and then lookedat each other ruefully. 

"We're cut off, " ejaculated Frank. "Those fellows are between us and ourline. "

"Looks pretty bad, " said Bart. 

"This is a pretty kettle of fish, " grumbled Tom. "Let's cut across theorchard and see if we can find some of our boys. "

They acted on the suggestion, but found to their dismay that the Germanswere everywhere. In whatever direction they looked the only uniformsthey saw were the detested field gray. The Germans had rallied and theboys had been caught in the swirl of the returning tide. 

"We'll have to hide somewhere until our men drive back the Huns and getas far as this orchard, " said Billy. 

"We're up against it for fair, " growled Tom disconsolately. 

"It's easy enough to talk of hiding, but where shall we hide?" askedBart. "If we stay here above ground we're bound to be spotted beforelong. "

"Let's make our way toward the town, " suggested Frank. "There wasn't asoul in sight there a few minutes ago. It seemed to be wholly deserted. There must be plenty of hiding places in those heaps of stones, orperhaps we can stow ourselves away in a cellar. Let's get a hustle on, too, or we'll know sooner than we want to what a prison camp lookslike. "

As quickly as they dared they crept along, using every bit of cover thatoffered itself until they reached the outskirts of what had been thetown. As Frank had said, it appeared to be wholly deserted at themoment. It was clear that all available forces had been summoned away tostem the great drive. 

Having satisfied themselves that there was no one about they movedcautiously from one street to another seeking some place of refuge. Theprospect was not hopeful, for there was scarcely a room in a singlehouse that was not gaping wide open. Doors were gone and windows hadvanished. There was hardly a place where anything as large as a catcould be free from detection. 

"A mighty slim outlook, " grumbled Tom, as they crouched close to a pileof masonry near the corner of a street. 

"Stop grouching, " counseled Frank. "We may stumble across something atany minute. "

"Stumble is right, " said Bart, as he rubbed a barked shin. "I've beendoing nothing else since we got in among these rock piles. "

"That house over the way there seems in a little better condition thanthe rest of these heaps, " suggested Billy, pointing a little way downthe street. 

"We'll try our luck there, " said Frank, and again their cautious journeywas resumed. 

They reached the place and squeezed themselves in through a narrowopening on a side that had faced a tiny yard bordered by a wall abouteight feet in height. 

There had been three rooms on the ground floor of the house, but allthree had been knocked into one by the visitation of shells. The boyspicked their way over the uneven masses of plaster, and Frank gave anexclamation as he perceived an opening that seemed to lead down into acellar. 

"This way, fellows, " he said as he looked down into the darkness. "Idon't see any stairs here but we can take a chance and drop. It doesn'tseem very deep. One of you hold this gun of mine and I'll go first. "

There was a chance of spraining an ankle if nothing worse, but luckilyhe landed safely. 

"All serene, " he called up in a low tone. "Hand me down your guns andthen come along. "

They did so, and the four found themselves in a cluttered cellar that byfeeling around with their hands they found to be about thirty feet longby twenty in width. There was a furnace which had been broken into apile of junk and a little light filtering down showed where a pipe hadformerly gone through to the upper floor. There were a number of barrelsin one corner, but apart from these the cellar seemed to hold nothingbut rubbish. 

"It's as dark as Egypt down here, " grumbled Tom. 

"So much the better, " replied Bart. "There'll be that much less chanceof a Heinie seeing us if he takes the trouble to look down here. "

"So this is where we've got to hang out until our boys get here, "remarked Billy, grinning. "It reminds me of the Waldorf-Astoria--it's sodifferent. "

"Never mind, " said Frank cheerfully, "it's a thousand per cent. Betterthan a Hun prison camp, and don't you forget it!"

"You said a mouthful that time, " replied the irrepressible Billy, withmore force than elegance. 

CHAPTER XV

THE FOUR-FOOTED ENEMY

"The first thing to do is to make a barricade of these barrels, " saidFrank, when the four privates had made an inventory of what the cellarafforded in the way of defense. 

"They will help us in putting up a fight if the Huns discover us here, "agreed Bart. 

"Let's see if there's anything in them, " suggested Billy. 

"Swell chance, " commented Tom. "They smell as if they'd had wine or beerin them, and you can trust the Heinies to have drained them to the lastdrop. Not that I want any of the stuff, but if they were full they'dstop a bullet better than if they were empty. "

They tested the barrels by knocking against them with the butts of theirrifles and the hollow sound they gave back proved that Tom hadconjectured truly. 

"Dry as the Desert of Sahara, " pronounced Frank. 

"And that reminds me, " said Bart. "What are we going to do for water todrink? We've got grub enough in our kits to last us a couple of days ina pinch. But we can't hold out long without something to wash it downwith. "

"We won't worry about that yet, " said Frank. "I stepped into a puddleover in one corner while we were going round here. I suppose that camefrom the rain we had last night. It doesn't fit my idea of what drinkingwater ought to be, but it's a mighty sight better than dying of thirst. "

They got out their stock of food and decided that with careful rationingthey had enough for two days. 

"And that will be plenty, " prophesied Billy. "Our fellows will be herebefore long. Perhaps this very night we'll be with the old bunch again. "

"I wish I had your cheery disposition, " growled Tom. "When any one handsyou a lemon----"

"I make lemonade out of it, " came back Billy, and there was a generallaugh. 

"That's the way to talk, " said Frank. "The Huns haven't got us yet, andeven this hole is better than a German prison camp. "

"You bet!" responded Billy. "From all I hear those places are somethingfierce. A fellow had better die fighting than die of abuse orstarvation. "

"That's what, " agreed Bart. "And that's another thing that shows how lowthe Huns have stooped in this war. Look at the way we treat them when wetake them prisoners. They live on the fat of the land. Of course theGermans haven't as much food in their country as we have, and we don'texpect so much for our men in the matter of grub, although even at thatthey don't get enough to keep body and soul together. But it's sickeningto hear of the way they torture them. One of their favorite sports is toset dogs on 'em. If a man doesn't move quickly enough to suit 'em theystick a bayonet into him. It's low beastly tyranny that puts them on alevel with the Turks. It's no wonder that Germany is coming to be hatedand despised by the whole world. "

"Did you hear of the fire that happened in one of their camps?" queriedTom. "There was a hut in one corner of the camp with five men in it. Itcaught fire and the men, who couldn't get out of the door because it waslocked, tried to get out of the window. The sentry thrust his bayonetinto the first man, and threw him back into the flames. The poor fellowmade another attempt and again the sentry ran the bayonet into him. Andevery one of the five men burned to death, though every one of themcould have been saved. What do you think of that, fellows? Isn't it thelimit?"

"They'll get theirs, " said Frank bitterly. "They can't sow the windwithout reaping the whirlwind. They'll surely pay, soon or late, forevery bit of this brutality. 

"I hope it will be soon, " said Billy. "I'm getting impatient. "

"It won't be long if we can keep up the pace we set this morning, " saidBart. "Gee, how our tanks went through those wires as though they wererotten cord. "

"And our guns are keeping it up, " said Frank. "Just listen to that roar. What a shame it is we can't be out there doing our bit. It makes me feellike a slacker. "

"It's the fortune of war, " said Billy philosophically. "But it's mighthard luck just the same that we took the wrong direction after wecleared up that machine gun nest so neatly. But let's have a hack atthat grub, fellows. Oh, boy, if we only had some of that stew we lostthis morning!"

 "That stew still sticks in Billy's crop, " laughed Frank. 

"I only wish it did, " mourned Billy. "But it never got that far. "

"Well, just remember, fellows, that we're on rations now, " warned Frankas he doled out a little portion to each from the common stock they hadpooled together. "We've got to make this last as long as we can. If wefeel hungry when we get through we'll just have to tighten our belts andlet it go at that. "

They ate sparingly, but, although they were all thirsty, especiallyafter the heat and excitement of the fighting, it was a long time beforethey could bring themselves to drink from the pool in the corner of thecellar. They finally had to come to it, however, though they tried tomake it less repugnant by filtering it through the only cleanhandkerchief they could muster among them. 

The time dragged on interminably in their narrow quarters. They tried tosleep, but though they were very tired after their strenuous day, thenovelty and discomfort of their position kept them on edge. 

The daylight finally vanished from the little opening in the floor aboveand the darkness became absolute. They had matches in their kits, butthey feared to use them lest some prowling sentry might see the lightthrough some rift in the masonry. 

The roar of the heavy artillery had died down, though the guns stillgave out an occasional challenge. The fighting for the day was evidentlyat an end. But there had been no clash in the streets of the ruined townto betoken the arrival of the Allied forces. However they might havefared in other parts of the battlefield, the town itself had not beenwrested from the Germans. In all probability the boys were still in themidst of their enemies. 

"Another night as well as a day to stay in this shebang, " remarked Tomwhen the hope of immediate rescue had failed them. 

"Oh, well, to-morrow's a new day, " said Frank. "A lot may happen betweennow and to-morrow night. Our grub will hold out till then anyway, and ifnothing better turns up we'll make a dash and try to reach our lines. "

He had scarcely stopped speaking when there was a loud clattering in thestreet as though a cavalry troop were passing through. 

"Perhaps those are our men now!" exclaimed Billy jubilantly. 

"Perhaps, " assented Frank. "And they seem to be coming this way. "

The pace of the horses died down as they neared the house, and theyfinally stopped just before it. The boys could hear the troopersdismount and a moment later they heard footsteps on the floor above. 

They listened intently. Would the first words they heard be English orGerman? If the first it would mean a boisterous shout to the men aboveand a hasty and joyful scramble out of their prison. If the second, itwould mean that they were in imminent danger of capture or death. 

A light filtered down through the hole where the stovepipe had been. Somebody above had struck a match. But he had evidently burned hisfingers as he did so, for the light went out and there was an impatientexclamation. 

"_Donnerwetter_!"

Just one word, but it made the hearts of the listening boys go down intotheir boots. 

For it was a German who just then struck a second match and lighted acandle, and it was a German cavalry troop whose horses stood before thedoor. 

But for what purpose had they entered the house? Were they in search ofthe boys? Had any one seen them entering the house and giveninformation?

"Be ready, fellows, " whispered Frank. "It looks as if we were in for ascrap. "

They clutched their rifles firmly to be ready for whatever might happen. 

But it was not long before they realized that this sudden irruption hadnothing to do with them. What seemed to be a bench or a table wasdragged across the floor and one or more candles placed upon it. Thereseemed to be half a dozen or more officers in the room, and they weresoon engaged in an earnest conversation. 

"I never thought much of the German language, " whispered Bart to Billy, "but I'd give a farm to understand it now. "

"If Frank only knew German as well as he does French, " responded Billy, "we might pick up something that our officers would give a lot to know. "

For perhaps half an hour the raucous tones above continued. The debatewas at times an angry one and was punctuated by the sound of fistsbrought heavily down on a table. Just after one of these, the stovepipehole was dimmed by something that shut off the light from the roomabove. It floated down with a slight rustle and the boys could see thatit was a paper of some kind. 

In an instant Frank had crept across and grabbed the paper, thrusting itinto the bosom of his shirt. Then he moved swiftly back to the shelterof the barricade. 

"That was taking a chance, old boy, " whispered Bart, as his friendresumed his place among them. "If you'd knocked against anything and theHuns had heard you, they'd have been down here in a jiffy. "

"I suppose it was a little risky, " returned Frank, "but we've got totake risks sometimes, and it struck me that there might be something inthat paper that our officers would like to know. "

Just then Billy, in trying to get in a less cramped position, knockedagainst one of the rifles that had been stood in a corner. It fellagainst one of the barrels with a clatter that in the confined place andthe tense state of the boys' nerves sounded to them like thunder. 

Frank grabbed it before it could fall on the cellar floor, but it seemedas though the mischief must have been done, and their hearts were intheir mouths as they listened for anything that might indicate that thesound had been heard on the floor above. 

But the debate had reached a lively stage just at that moment, and theincident attracted no attention, so that after two minutes more ofstrained listening the boys were assured that they had come off scotfree from what might have been a disaster. 

"This is sure no place for a man with heart disease, " murmured Tom, andhis comrades unanimously agreed with him. 

The conference in the room above had come to an end, as was shown by theshuffling of feet as the men rose from the table. There was a sound asof a sheaf of papers being hastily gathered together. But there was nooutcry to indicate that any one of them was missing, and the boys drew along breath and relaxed their grasp on their rifles. There would be nosearch, and for the moment they were safe. 

The lights above were extinguished and the party went out. The horsesclattered away, and once more the house and the town were as still asthe grave. 

"So near and yet so far, " murmured Frank, when he was sure that the lastof the unwelcome visitors had departed. 

"That was what you might call too close for comfort, " grinned Billy. 

"They wouldn't have done a thing to us if they had nabbed us, " declaredBart. "We wouldn't have had a Chinaman's chance. No prison camp forours! They'd have shot us down like dogs! They'd have reasoned that wehad heard their military plans, and that would have been all the excusethey wanted. "

"Not that they would care whether they had the excuse or not, " saidBilly. "The mere fact that a German wants to do anything makes it allright to do it. "

"How they'd froth at the mouth if they knew Frank had that paper, "remarked Tom. "I wonder what it is. "

"It has a seal on it and it feels as if it were heavy and official, "replied Frank. "I don't want to strike a match now, but I'll take asquint at it when daylight comes. Probably it's in German, and if it isI can't read it. But they'll read it at headquarters all right, and itmay queer some of Heinie's plans. "

They conversed in whispers a little while longer, and then made ready togo to sleep. Their preparations were not extensive, and consistedchiefly in finding a place where no sharp edge of stone bored into thesmall of their backs. But they were too tired to be critical, and afterputting away the food in a corner and arranging to stand watch turn andturn about they soon forgot their troubles in sleep. 

When they awoke the light shining through the hole in the floor toldthem that it was day. 

"Time you fellows opened your eyes, " remarked Tom, who had been standingthe last watch. "If you hadn't I'd have booted you awake anyway, for youwere snoring loud enough to bring the whole German army down on you. "

"I'd hate to call you an out and out prevaricator, Tom, " remarked Billy, rubbing his eyes and running his hands through his tumbled hair, "soI'll simply say that you use the truth with great economy. Suppose youbring me my breakfast. I think I'll eat it in bed this morning. "

He dodged the shoe that Tom threw at his head and rose laughingly to hisfeet. 

"Mighty bad manners the people have at this hotel, " he remarked, "butsince you feel that way about it I'll take my grub any way I can get it. Haul it out from that corner, Bart, and let's have a hack at it. I'mhungry enough to eat nails this morning. "

Bart needed no second request, for he was quite as hungry as his mates. But when he picked up the canvas wrapper in which the food had beenstored he dropped it with a startled exclamation. 

"What's the matter?" cried Frank. 

"Matter enough, " replied Bart. "The bag's empty. There isn't a blessedthing in it. "

The others rushed him under the light that came from above and examinedthe wrapper with sinking hearts. What Bart had said was true. Not acrumb was left. 

There was no mystery about it. The gnawed and tattered holes in the bagtold their own story. It was summed up in the one word that came fromtheir lips simultaneously. "Rats!"

Their four-footed enemies had perhaps brought them nearer capture thantheir human enemies had been able to do. 

CHAPTER XVI

CHASED BY CAVALRY

The four Army boys looked at each other in dismay. 

Nothing much worse than this could have befallen them. It brought themclose to the edge of tragedy. They would have to change their plans. Instead of being free to choose their own time for their attempt toescape, they were forced to act quickly no matter how much greater therisk might be. For if they waited until they were weak from hunger theywould be in no condition to make a dash or put up a fight. 

Frank as usual was the first to recover his self-possession. 

"No use crying over spilt milk, fellows, " he said, trying to infusecheerfulness into his tone. "We've got to try Billy's recipe and makelemonade from the lemon that the rats have handed us. "

"It's a mighty big lemon, " said Tom, "and I don't see much sugar lyingaround. "

"How could the brutes have got at it without our hearing them, do yousuppose?" questioned Bart. 

"That doesn't matter much, " replied Billy. "And there's no use holdingpost-mortems. The thing is, what are we going to do?"

"We're going to get out of here to-night without fail, " said Frankdecidedly. "The moon won't come up till late and if the night is cloudyit won't show up at all. At any rate we can't stay here. There isn't achance on earth of there being anything left in these houses, or wemight take a chance on foraging. The Huns have seen to that. The longerwe stay here the weaker we'll get. We've just got to make a break andtrust our wits and our luck to get back to the lines. "

"I guess you're right, old man, " agreed Bart. "We'll just move our beltsup a hole and pretend we're not hungry. Tom here's getting too fatanyway, and it'll do him good to give his stomach a rest. And as forBilly, he can take a nap and dream of that stew he didn't get. "

"There's another thing, too, " remarked Frank. "Those rats are likely tocome back to-night for more, and they may have spread the news and bringa whole rat colony with them. No doubt they're famished since there'snothing left in the town to eat, and if there are enough of them theymight go for us. Of course we could beat them off, but we'd be apt tomake a lot of noise in doing it, and that might bring the Huns down onus. There's no use talking, we've got to skip. "

They all agreed to this, and they passed the rest of that day as bestthey could until the light faded from the hole in the floor and nightsettled down in a pall of velvet. They clambered out of their temporaryprison, their hearts beating with high determination. 

They ventured out at last into the darkness, slipping along from oneprojection of the ruined houses to another, moving as lightly andstealthily as cats. 

To one thing they had made up their minds. There would be no going backto their old hiding place. That meant either starvation or surrender. Besides, if they turned back on being discovered, the Germans would knowthat they were hiding somewhere in the ruined town and they would notleave one stone on another until they found them. But if they made abreak for the open country they would have their chance of escaping inthe darkness. On they went like so many spectres, until, on reaching ashattered doorway, they crept close together for a whispered parley. 

"So far so good, " murmured Frank. 

"Luck's been with us, " agreed Bert. 

"We can stand a whole lot of luck in this business, " whispered Tom. 

"It's a long, long way yet to our own lines, " said Billy. "We haven'tgot more than a couple of blocks away from our old hangout, and there'sno telling how much further it is before we strike the open country. "

Just then a stone toppled from a wall and fell with a crash only a fewfeet away. In their tense state of alertness the unexpected sound madethem jump. 

"Just as well we weren't under that, " remarked Frank, with a sigh ofrelief. 

"Let's hope it won't bring some German sentry along to see what's makingthe racket, " responded Bart. 

"Just what it is doing, " whispered Tom, as he heard a step approaching. "Quick, fellows, get further back and lie down flat. "

They almost ceased to breathe as a dim form passed by so close that theycould almost have reached out and touched him. But the dust still risingfrom the shattered stone convinced the visitor that nature and not manwas responsible for the disturbance, and, with a grunt of satisfactionthat it was nothing worse, the sentry returned to his former post. 

But the promptness with which he had appeared warned the fugitives thatthe town, desolate as it was, was still under guard, and they redoubledtheir precautions. However dangerous it might be, they must go on. Themoon would rise before long, and they must make the most of the pitchydarkness that still prevailed. 

Listening with all their ears and straining their eyes until they ached, they made their way through the littered streets until they realizedfrom their frequent encounters with bush and hedge that they weregetting into the open country. 

Huddled close in a thicket, they consulted the radio compass that Frankdrew from his pocket. That gave them the general direction in which theymust go. They knew that in general their course led toward the west, but, as they could not tell what changes had taken place in the positionof the armies as the result of the two days' fighting, they had no ideaof how long it might take them to reach the American lines. 

They got their bearings due west and set off. They were making fairprogress when they were startled by hearing the clatter of hoofs alittle ahead of them. 

"Listen!" hissed Bart. 

"It's a cavalry troop, " whispered Frank, as he flattened himself behinda bush, an example that was promptly followed by the others. 

"Troop!" growled Tom. "It sounds more like a brigade. "

"Uhlans, probably, " conjectured Billy. 

They peered through the bushes at the broad road not more than twentyfeet away. 

At that moment the moon showed a slender rim above the horizon andthreaded the darkness with a faint shimmer of light. 

Along the road came a force of cavalry. The guttural voices of theriders told the concealed watchers that they belonged to the enemy. Inthe dim light they could see the steam that rose from the horses'flanks. 

Those days had been the first for a long time that cavalry could be usedon the western front. Trench fighting had put that arm of the servicealmost wholly out of action. But the fact that the Allies had followedup their tank attack with cavalry had brought forth a German response ofthe same nature. 

There was no sign of elation among the riders, and the boys drewpleasure from that. A dejected air prevailed, as though the Uhlans hadhad the worst of it. 

"Guess they've had the hot end of the poker, " whispered Bart. 

"Looks like it, " replied Frank. 

Something just then frightened one of the horses, and he reared andplunged into the bushes at the side of the road. The boys had all theycould do to scramble out of reach of the iron-shod hoofs. The rider wasalmost unhorsed, but managed to retain his seat and quiet his tremblingmount. 

By the time he had done this, the troopers had almost passed. The boyswere rejoicing at this, but their exultation changed to uneasiness whenthe soldier who had had so much trouble rode up to an officer and beganto talk volubly, at the same time pointing toward the bushes. 

"Here's where I see trouble coming, " muttered Tom. 

"He's on to us, " agreed Bart. 

"He must have seen us when we got out of his way, " said Frank. "Let'sget out of here, quick. "

But this was not to be done so easily, for even as he spoke the officerrapped out a command and a group of twenty horsemen began to spread outand surround the place where the Army boys were crouching. 

To remain there would be fatal, for it was only a matter of a fewminutes before that ring would close upon them with a grip of iron. Atall hazards they must break through. 

"Stick together, fellows, " murmured Frank. "Get your rifles ready. Wecan't miss at this distance. When I say the word, give them a volley andmake a break for the road. It's our only chance, for they'd surely roundus up in these bushes. "

"We're with you, boy, " replied Bart, and the little party crouched lowerwith their fingers on trigger. 

Frank waited until the nearest horsemen were not more than ten feetaway. Then he sprang to his feet with a shout. 

"Fire!" he cried, and a stream of flame leaped from the bushes. 

Two of the riders threw up their hands and pitched from their saddles. Athird seized with his left hand the rein that dropped from his right. There was a moment of confusion, and Frank and his comrades took instantadvantage of it. 

With a rush they reached the road and tore down it for dear life, whilebehind them thundered the Uhlans in hot pursuit!

CHAPTER XVII

THE BROKEN BRIDGE

The Army boys had no idea where the road led to. It might be to theAmerican lines or to the German lines. But they knew that certain deathwas behind them and possible life in front of them, and they ran asthough their feet had wings. 

But swift as they were, the horses were of course swifter, and beforelong they knew that their pursuers were gaining. 

"Throw away your rifles, " panted Frank. "We'll still have our knives andgrenades. "

They threw the heavy rifles aside, and, relieved of their weight, theybounded ahead with renewed speed. 

For a short time their desperate efforts held their pursuers even, butsoon the gap again began to close. 

At a turn of the road they halted, gasping for breath. 

"Give them the grenades, " ordered Frank, getting his own ready. "Theywon't be expecting them and it may upset them. Throw yours at the sametime I do mine. "

They waited until the horsemen were within fifty feet. Then fourstalwart arms hurled the grenades against the front ranks. 

There was a tremendous explosion as the shells all seemed to go off atthe same instant, and the first rank of horsemen went down in a heap. 

Those behind drew their beasts back on their haunches so as not tooverride their fellows, and in that moment another volley came amongthem with deadly effect. 

Without waiting any longer, the boys renewed their flight. They knewthat the Germans would be mad with rage at their check by so small aforce, and they were not foolish enough to believe for a moment that thechase would be abandoned. 

But a new exultation was in their hearts as they ran. They might bekilled, but they would at least have sold their lives dearly. Therewould be little that the Uhlans would have to boast of in their story ofthat night's work. 

Their breath came in short gasps and their laboring lungs felt as thoughthey were ready to burst. Frank, a little in the van, reached out awarning hand and they slowed up. 

"We'll make faster time if we give ourselves a minute's rest, " hepanted. "When we start in again we'll have our second wind. They haven'tgot out of that mix-up yet. Besides, they'll come on more cautiouslynow. They won't know how many grenades we have left. "

"I haven't any, " gasped Tom. 

Billy was too far gone to speak, but he drew his last grenade from hissack. Bart and Frank also were down to their last one, for the work onthe previous day had almost used up the stock with which they hadstarted out. They had a chance for one last throw, and then if it cameto a hand to hand fight they had nothing to rely on but their knives. 

They rested for a minute or two, and then again upon the wind came thesound of hurrying hoofs. 

Instinctively the boys reached out and grasped one another's hands. There was no need for words. They knew what it meant. To some of themthis might prove the last lap of the last race they would ever run. 

On came their pursuers, and the boys, summoning up every ounce ofstrength they possessed, set out at the pace of hunted deer. 

Not two minutes had elapsed before their feet struck the boards of abridge. Below they saw the gleam of the moon in the dark water that ranbeneath. 

They took heart at the sight and put on a new burst of speed. Who knewbut what the American troops were camped on the further side?

Twenty feet further they stopped abruptly. The bridge was broken. Theboards had been torn up, though the shattered timbers of the sidesprojected a few feet further over the current. But fully a hundred feetof black water stretched between them and the farther shore. 

They stopped, panting and perplexed. And just at that moment they heardthe hoofs of horses on the wood of the bridge. 

They were trapped. To turn back was certain captivity or death. Toplunge into that black current might also mean death. Their choice wasmade on the instant. 

"Over we go, boys!" shouted Frank, throwing off his coat. "But wemustn't waste those last grenades. Let them have them. "

They turned and threw, and without waiting to see the result divedheadforemost into the stream. The roar of the explosion was in theirears as they struck the water. 

They were all good swimmers, and when they came to the surface theyfound themselves within a few feet of each other. 

"To the other bank, fellows!" exclaimed Frank, as he shook the waterfrom his eyes. "And keep as low in the water as you can. They'll send avolley after us. "

They struck out lustily for the farther shore while, as Frank hadpredicted, bullets zipped around them. But in the darkness their foescould take no aim and they reached the shore unscathed. 

The bank was steep, with long reeds growing down to the water's edge. The fugitives grasped these and rested before they attempted to climbthe bank. 

"I'm all in, " gasped Tom. 

Frank reached out a supporting hand. 

"I guess we all are, " he replied. "It's lucky this river isn't wider. But we're safe now. "

"I don't know about that, " said Bart. "Listen!"

 There was a tramp of many feet upon the bank. 

"They've heard the shooting, " whispered Billy. "If it's our boys we'reall right. If it isn't----"

The sentence was never finished. Above the bank they saw a crowd ofhelmeted figures. A light was flashed into their faces, nearly blindingthem, and a hoarse voice cried:

"_Wer da!_"

A score of hands reached down and grasped them. Unarmed, dripping, utterly exhausted, they found themselves in the hands of the soldiers ofthe Kaiser!

CHAPTER XVIII

RESCUE FROM THE SKY

With a file of soldiers on either side of them, the four boys weremarched off to a dugout near at hand. Here a German outpost had beenstationed to watch the river bank. It was not a large command, and thelieutenant in charge, being unable to speak English and having nointerpreter at hand, after a few brusque attempts to question them gaveit up. Then, after having had them searched, he committed them to thecustody of a non-commissioned officer with directions that they were tobe fed and sent to headquarters in the morning. They ate ravenously, and, not being permitted to talk to each other, found solace in sorelyneeded sleep. 

When taken before the German officers, the friends were forced toundergo a strict and searching examination. Their questioners tried inevery way, with pleadings alternating with threats, to get them todivulge information that might be useful to them, but in vain. The fourAmericans were absolutely uncommunicative, and at last the German whohad been doing most of the questioning was forced to acknowledge defeat. 

"_Donnerwetter!_" he growled. "Yankee pigs! It must be that they are sostupid that they do not know anything to tell. What do you think, HerrLieutenant?" turning to one of his officers. 

"I think it more likely that they are just obstinate, sir, like thosecursed English, " replied the officer addressed. "But perhaps a fewmonths in a prison camp will incline them to answer more quickly when aGerman speaks to them. " This was accompanied by a cruel smile, whosesignificance was hot lost on the Americans. The captain glared at them, but as they did not seem to weaken perceptibly, even under his highdispleasure, he grumbled finally:

"Well, take them away, and we'll see how they act after a taste ofprison life. " As their guards were about to take them from the room, hecontinued, menacingly: "Remember, you Yankees, that the sooner you tellme what I want to know, the easier it will be for you. And in the endwe'll make you talk. It is not well to oppose Germany's will too far. "

But as the prisoners did not appear greatly frightened by these threats, the commander at last ordered the sergeant in charge to take theprisoners away, and turned again to his desk. 

In spite of the critical situation in which they found themselves, Bartcould not resist a surreptitious wink at his companions as they passedthrough the doorway, which was returned in kind by his gracelesscompanions. But, although they had had the satisfaction of balking theGerman officers, they were not long in appreciating the discomforts oftheir present situation. When they reached the temporary prison camp, they were herded into a large tent, already overcrowded with French, English, and a few American prisoners. Soon after their arrival food wasserved out, although it hardly seemed worthy of the name. Watery soup, made by boiling turnips in water, and a small chunk of some tastelesssubstance supposed to be bread, constituted the meal. The boys, freshfrom the wholesome and abundant food furnished by Uncle Sam, found itabsolutely uneatable, and gave away their portions to some of the otherprisoners, who appeared glad to get it. 

"Wait until you've been here a few days, " said one lanky Englishman, with a ghastly smile, "you'll get so thoroughly famished that you'll beable to go even that stuff, " and he made a wry face. 

"Perhaps so, if we can't find some way to get out, " said Frank. 

"Not as easy as it sounds, " said the Englishman. "Although it has beendone, of course. But a lot more have been shot trying it than have evergot away. "

"Might as well get shot as die of starvation, " remarked Tom. 

This opinion evidently appealed to Tom's comrades, who lookedsignificantly at him. From that look each knew that the others wereready to risk everything to gain their freedom. The Englishman, however, seemed unconvinced, and presently left them. 

As night came on, they cast about for some place to sleep, but met withlittle success. The only place to lie was on the ground, but by thattime the four friends were so tired that sleep, even under any hardship, was desirable. They finally settled down in a corner that appeared alittle less crowded than the rest. However, before going to sleep theytried to formulate some plan of escape, but with indifferent success. 

"About all we can do, " said Bart finally, "is to hold ourselves inreadiness to make use of the first chance of escape that comes along. And if these Germans are all as stupid as the ones we've seen so far, itoughtn't to be very difficult. "

"Well, when the chance comes, we won't let any grass grow under ourfeet, that's certain, " said Frank. "But now, I'm dog-tired, and I'mgoing to see if I can't get a little sleep. And what's more, I'd adviseyou fellows to do the same. "

"He who sleeps, dines, " quoted Tom, with a somewhat rueful grin. "I hopethere's more in that old saying than there is in most of them. "

"Right you are, " said Bart, "but something seems to tell me I'm going tobe hungry in the morning, just the same. "

Bart was right. After a restless night, the boys woke with ravenousappetites, and managed to eat most of the unpalatable fare that waspassed around. Not long after this they saw the sergeant who had hadcharge of them the previous day picking his way through the crowd, evidently looking for some particular object. At last he caught sight ofthe Americans, and immediately headed toward them. 

"Come, " he commanded, roughly, in his halting English. "Orders have comefor your removal. "

"Where to?" inquired Frank. "Silence! Do as you are told, and ask noquestions!" commanded the German. 

"For two cents I'd jump on him and choke the dog's life out of him!"muttered Tom, but his friends laid restraining hands on him. 

"Nothing doing, Tom, " warned Billy. "We'd be playing against stackedcards in a game like that. Take it easy now, and maybe our chance willcome later. "

Meanwhile the sergeant had started off, and the friends had no choicebut to follow him. He led them out of the tent, where a squad ofsoldiers was lined up. At a nod from the sergeant, these surrounded theboys, and at a curt word of command they all started off. 

They were soon outside the confines of the camp, and marching along whathad once been a perfect road, but was now badly broken up by thecombined effects of shellfire and heavy trucking. The soldiers talkedamong themselves in low gutturals, and the boys, by piecing togetherwords that they caught here and there, gathered that they were beingtaken to some higher official for further questioning. 

"You see, " said Billy, "they know we were inside their lines aconsiderable time before they caught us, and so they are payingparticular attention to us. I guess they think we may know more thanwe've told them so far. " This with a wink at his friends. 

"We sure have told them a lot, " put in Bart, grinning. "And, just to beperfectly fair, I suggest that we tell the next Boche who questions usjust as much as we told the last one. "

"Fair enough, " agreed Tom. "No favoritism has always been my motto. "

"No talking among the prisoners, " commanded the sergeant, threateningly, and the four friends, having said about all they wanted to say, anyway, relapsed into silence. 

For several miles the little group plodded along, often meetingdetachments of German infantry, who scowled sullenly at the Americans asthey passed. 

The boys were far from happy, in spite of the light-hearted attitudethey presented to their captors. They all knew that if they could noteffect an escape their chance for life was small, as, on account oftheir having been inside the German lines so long before being captured, the Huns would seize the opportunity of calling them spies, and mete outthe quick end that is accorded to such. They were walking along, eachone immersed in his own gloomy thoughts, when suddenly a sound fromabove caused them to look quickly up toward the blue sky. 

What they saw caused their hearts to beat faster and hope to spring upagain in their breasts. For, skilled as they were in such matters, theyrecognized the airplane up above, whose roaring exhaust had firstattracted their attention, as one of the Allied type. 

It was coming toward them at high speed, flying low, and as it rapidlyneared them the four friends, forgetting their German captors, wavedtheir hands wildly to the pilot, whom they could see, as the aeroplanecame closer, peering down over the side of the body. The Germans, ontheir part, were so terrified by the approach of this huge enemymachine, that they seemed to forget all about their prisoners, and infact about everything except their individual safety. With wild yells ofterror they scattered this way and that, all except the sergeant. He, seeing his men running in every direction, snarled out a curse, andwhipped out his automatic pistol. 

"I'll do for you Yankees, anyway, he hissed, " and leveled the pistol atthem. But even as his finger trembled on the trigger, Frank's fist, withthe force of a sledgehammer, came with a crashing impact against thepoint of the German's jaw, and the Hun went down, his pistol explodingharmlessly toward the sky. Frank, with the light of battle in his eye, seized the fallen man's weapon and looked around for the other Germans. But by this time they had all gotten out of effective pistol range, andafter emptying the weapon in the direction of the fleeing figures, Frankand the others turned their attention to the aeroplane, which by now wasmanoeuvring for a landing. 

The airship came down in great spirals, and finally took the ground withhardly a jar, running along a hundred feet or so and then coming to ahalt. 

As the boys started running toward it, Tom ejaculated: "Say, fellows, myeyes may be playing me tricks, but if that isn't Dick Lever at the wheelyou can call me a German!"

"I think it is Dick, myself, " agreed Frank. "And if this isn't a case ofthe 'friend in need, ' I miss my guess. "

It was indeed as they thought. The pilot was an old friend of theirs, but one whom they had not seen for some time. Now, as they raced towardthe airplane, he in turn recognized them, and raised a delirious shoutof joy. 

"Tumble into this bus just as fast as you can, fellows, " he cried, "we've got to get out of this mighty quick. You can explain the mysteryof your being here after we get started. "

"But can you carry the whole bunch of us?" asked Billy. 

"Easily, " replied one of the two observers, who had not spoken up tonow. "We've just dropped our load of bombs on a few German supplydepots, and now we're running back light. "

"All right, then, " said Billy, "in we go!" And, suiting the action tothe word, the four friends swarmed into the airplane, filling thecramped passenger carrying space to overflowing. Meantime, the Germans, having found cover, had opened up a brisk rifle fire against theaeroplane, and bullets began to sing through the framework. One of theobservers leaped to the ground, gave the propeller a vigorous twist, andas the motor began to roar clambered aboard as the big plane startedover the rough ground, bumping and jolting, but rapidly gaining speed. The Germans broke from their shelter in pursuit, firing wildly as theyran, but although some of their shots came close, none came near enoughto do any real damage. In a few seconds, in answer to a quick movementfrom Dick Lever, the big bombing machine left the ground, and amid aparting rain of bullets from the Germans, started to ascend in long, sweeping spirals. 

The friends were about to congratulate themselves on their safe escape, when suddenly one of the observers, who had been scanning the horizonclosely, pointed behind them, and exclaimed:

"Just as I thought! Those two Boche planes that we saw getting ready tocome after us just after we dropped our last bomb are coming up fast. Look!"

All twisted about, and saw that it was as the observer had said. High upin the sky two swift, darting objects were coming in pursuit. TheAmerican machine was built more for carrying capacity than for speed, and in addition was heavily loaded. Every advantage was with the swiftGerman machines. Their pilots no doubt realized this, for now theyheaded directly for the Americans, descending in a long slant that gavethem tremendous speed. 

"All right, " said Lever, coolly, "if they're going to come down, it maybe a good idea for us to go up, " and, suiting the action to the word, heelevated the nose of the big plane skyward, and they started to climbsteeply. The American machine was equipped with a tremendously powerfulmotor, and this, combined with its great wing spread, enabled it toclimb with great rapidity, in spite of the heavy load it was carrying. The Germans had not counted on this, and the result was that theymiscalculated their distances, passing beneath the American flyerinstead of above it, as they had intended. They both turned quickly andstarted to climb, but by this time the American aviators had trainedtheir two machine guns on the Germans, and opened fire. 

At first this seemed to have little effect, and the Germans ascendedrapidly, while their machine gun operators, although as yet unable touse their deadly weapons, sent a hail of revolver bullets whistlingthrough the wings and rigging of the American machine. But now theconcentrated fire from the American machine was beginning to haveeffect. One of the German planes hesitated, quivered, and suddenly itsright wing, with its wire stays severed by the machine gun bullets, crumpled up. The crippled aeroplane staggered wildly, suddenly turned onits right side, and pitched steeply downward. 

The boys in the American airplane gazed at each other with white faces, but they had little time to devote to thoughts of the fallen, for by nowthe remaining German machine was on a level with them, and its machinegunner opened fire. The Americans, crouching low to avoid the murderousstream of bullets, returned the fire from both their machine guns, witha deadliness of purpose and aim for which the German was no match. Suddenly a tiny flame appeared in the body of the German machine, grewwith lightning rapidity, and in a few seconds one side of the machinewas enveloped in leaping yellow flames. 

"Punctured the gas tank!" exulted Lever. "They're done for now. "

And he was right. The machine gun fire from both fighting planes diedout, and the boys could see the Germans vainly trying to beat out thehungry flames. Their efforts were useless, however, and in a few secondsthe German machine, a roaring mass of flame and black smoke, droppeddownward as swiftly as a stone. As it went, the boys saw two figureshurl themselves out into space, and then everything was hidden in a hazeof billowy smoke. 

"That's awful!" exclaimed Tom, drawing in his breath with a great sigh, while all relaxed from the terrible tension they had been under. 

"Awful, yes, " said Dick Lever. "But it's only what they would have doneto us if they had been able. Instead of 'live and let live, ' it's 'killor get killed' in this game. "

Frank nodded his head gloomily, but none of the boys felt like talkingthen, and sat silent as their pilot got his bearings and thenstraightened out swiftly in the direction of the American lines. 

With the roar of the motor in their ears and the rush of wind past theirfaces, much of the horror of the deadly air battle was swept from theirminds, and they began to enjoy the exhilaration of their first flight. The distant earth streamed rapidly by, like a swiftly flowing river, anda wonderful panorama was spread out below them. It was an exceptionallyclear day, and they could see for many miles in every direction. Belowthem, groups of gray clad figures, after a glance in the direction ofthe soaring monster overhead, broke for cover, or, shaking impotentfists, trudged stolidly onward, contemptuous of one more danger amongthe many that daily surrounded them. 

"No prison camp for us this time, " exulted Frank, as he looked down athis enemies. 

"We wouldn't have been in a prison camp long, " declared Tom. "Thosefellows had picked us out for a firing squad. They were going to get allthey could out of us, and then about six feet of earth would have beenour size. "

"I'll bet that sergeant's jaw aches yet from the clip that Frank handedhim, " chuckled Billy happily. 

"I skinned my knuckles, " said Frank, looking at them ruefully. 

"Never mind, " laughed Bart. "You never hurt them in a better cause. "

"We can't be far from the lines now, " shouted Frank, in Dick's ear. 

"Pretty close, " responded the aviator. "We ought to be down fifteenminutes from now. "

And his estimate proved very nearly correct. Soon the boys of the oldThirty-seventh could recognize the familiar landmarks of their ownencampment, and, with one impulse, they gave three rousing cheers. 

CHAPTER XIX

PUTTING ONE OVER

It was a beautiful landing that Dick Lever made at the aviation camp, his great machine sailing down like a swan and landing so lightly thatit would scarcely have broken a pane of glass. 

"Dick, you're a wonder!" exclaimed Frank, as he stepped out of themachine. 

"The way you put it all over the Boche planes shows that, " chimed inBart with equal enthusiasm. 

"I don't wonder they say you're an 'ace, '" added Billy. 

"If all aviators had your class, the Hun flyers wouldn't have a chanceon earth--I mean in the sky, " said Tom. 

"Oh, it's all a matter of practice, " said Dick modestly, although it wasplain to be seen that their heartfelt appreciation pleased him. "It's aseasy as running an automobile when you know how. Well, so long, fellows. I've got to make my report, " and with a gay wave of the hand he leftthem and made his way to aviation headquarters. 

"Say, how does it feel to be a free man once more?" cried Frankjubilantly, as they sought out their regiment. 

"I can't believe yet that it's anything but a dream. " replied Bart withdeep feeling, as he looked around at the friendly faces and familiarsurroundings that he had feared for a time he would never see again. 

"And look at that flag!" cried Billy as he saw Old Glory flying from oneof the officers' pavilions. Like a flash their hats came off and theysaluted the glorious flag that meant to them everything in life. 

They passed the tanks, and Will Stone, who was "grooming his pet, "looked at them for a moment as though he could not believe his eyes. Then he rushed toward them and nearly shook their hands off. 

"By all that is lucky!" he cried. "I was afraid I was never going to seeyou fellows again. Where did you drop from?"

"From the sky, " laughed Frank. 

"Some little angels, you see, " chuckled Billy. Then seeing Stone'spuzzled look he added: "The Huns had got their hooks on us when DickLever came along in his plane, gave them a few little leaden missives, picked us up and landed us here, right side up with care. "

Stone's eyes kindled as he heard their story, and his enthusiasm overLever's feat was as great as their own. 

"But how did we make out in the big drive?" asked Frank. "We kept hopingall the time that you fellows would be along and nab us before theBoches did. "

"We've had a big victory, " explained Stone. "We put the Hindenburg lineon the blink by that smash at his center, and he's had to draw in hiswings on both sides. It's one of the biggest things that's been done onthe western front, and the Heinies will have a hard time explaining itin Berlin. "

"That's bully!" exclaimed Frank. 

"That town you fellows were hiding in didn't come into our generalplan, " went on Stone, "and that's the reason you had to fight your wayout all by your lonesome. "

"It was some little fight, all right, " remarked Tom. 

"And we certainly gave those Uhlans a run for their money, " laughedBilly. 

"Lucky they didn't get hold of you, " said Stone. "It would have beencurtains for the whole bunch. They must have been wild at the lacing youhanded them. "

"I guess they were rather peeved, " grinned Bart. 

"I'm sorry I had to throw away my rifle, though, " mourned Tom. 

"Tom would find something to grouch about if he were in heaven, " laughedFrank. 

They talked for a few minutes longer and then went on, as they wereeager to be once more with their comrades of the old Thirty-seventh. 

And what a greeting they had when they walked into their old command!They were pounded and mauled in wild enthusiasm, for they were primefavorites in the regiment and had been sadly given up as dead orcaptured. 

They had to tell again and again the story of their adventures, and itwas only by main force that they tore themselves away from theirrejoicing mates long enough to report themselves to their officers aspresent for duty. 

Their captain was as delighted as his men at their safe return, althoughhis satisfaction was expressed in less boisterous fashion. He commendedwarmly the gallant fight they had put up with the Uhlans, and he wasvisibly startled as his eye glanced over the German report that had beencaptured by Frank when it fluttered down into the cellar. 

"This must go to headquarters at once!" he exclaimed. "It is a matter ofthe utmost importance. You men have deserved the thanks of the army, " hecontinued, "and I am proud that you are members of my command. "

They made their way back to their company with their leader's praiseringing in their ears and warming their hearts. But they had scarcelygot out of the captain's presence before his chums pounced upon Frankwith the liveliest curiosity. 

"How did you keep that paper when the Germans searched you?" asked Tom. 

"Where did you hide it?" demanded Billy. 

"I never knew you were a sleight of hand performer, " added Bart. 

"Easy there, fellows, " laughed Frank, enjoying their mystification. "Itwas the simplest thing in the world. While you fellows were sleeping inthe cellar I just loosened the sole of my shoe and slipped the paper inbetween the sole and the upper and nailed the sole up again. The Heiniesdidn't get next to it, and that's where I had luck. I'm mighty glad theydidn't, for the cap seems to think there's something in it that's worthwhile. "

"Foxy stunt, " approved Tom. 

"Some wise boy!" exclaimed Billy, giving his chum a slap on the shoulderthat made him wince. 

"You're all there when it comes to the gray matter, old man, " was Bart'stribute. 

A day later, part of their reward came in a week's furlough that wasgranted them for "specially gallant conduct, " as the order of the dayexpressed it. The rest was welcome, for it was the first they had hadsince they had landed on French soil, and they had been under a strainof hard work and harder fighting that had taxed even their strongvitality to the utmost. 

And that week stood out forever in their memory like an oasis in adesert. They spent it in a little French town miles away from the firingline and even beyond the sound of the guns. They fished and swam andloafed and slept as though there was no such thing as war in the world. No reveille to wake them in the morning, no taps to send them to theirbeds at night. For the first time in months they were their own masters, and they enjoyed their brief liberty to the full. 

Yet even here in this "little bit of heaven" as Tom expressed it, theycould not be wholly free from war's reminder. 

They were sprawling one day outside their cottage when an officer camealong, gorgeous in epaulets and gold lace. 

"See who's coming!" exclaimed Tom peevishly. "Now we'll have to get upand salute. "

"I suppose so, " said Billy reluctantly. 

"Can't we pretend, we don't see him?" yawned Bart sleepily, clutching ata straw of hope. 

"Not a chance in the world, " declared Frank. "He's looking right at us. "

They stood up as the officer approached and saluted respectfully. Hereturned the salute snappishly and glared at them sternly. 

"Get in line there, " he commanded. "Smart now. Eyes ahead. "

They resented his tone, but obeyed with military promptness. 

"Present arms. "

They hesitated and looked at each other. 

"Present arms, " I said. 

"If you please, sir, " said Bart, "we have no guns. "

"I know it, " snapped the officer. "Go through the motions. "

So without a word they did as directed. 

"Shoulder arms. "

They did so. 

"Forward! March!"

He set off in front with a military stride and they followed. 

"I feel like a fool, " whispered Bart to Frank. 

"Same here, " was the reply. "What does he mean by it?"

"Wants to show his authority, I reckon, " muttered Bart. 

Tom and Billy said nothing, but there were scowls on their faces thatspoke for them. 

They had marched for perhaps half a mile, when at a cross roads two menappeared who were evidently looking for some one. Their eyes lighted upwhen they saw the officer and they came straight toward him. He saw themcoming, and throwing his dignity to the wind started to run, but theywere quicker than he and grasped him by the collar. 

"Come back to the asylum, " one of them growled. "We've had lots oftrouble to find you. "

The boys stood rooted to the spot. 

"You see, " explained one of the men, touching his foreheadsignificantly, "he's a grocer that's got the military bug. He thinkshe's Napoleon. Come along, Napoleon. "

And "Napoleon" meekly obeyed. 

CHAPTER XX

SUSPICION

To paint the emotions that chased themselves over the features of thefour boys would have taxed the ability of an artist. For a moment no oneof them cared to look into the eyes of the others. 

Tom was the first to act. He grabbed his cap in his hands, kneaded itinto a ball, threw it on the ground and jumped up and down on it. 

The others looked at his scowling face and the sight was too much forthem. They threw themselves on the ground in convulsions of laughter. They howled. They roared. They rolled over and over, until Tom himselfcaught the contagion and joined in with the rest. It was a long timebefore any one of them was able to speak. 

"Stung!" choked Bart, while tears of merriment rolled down his cheeks. 

"Forward! March!" gurgled Billy. "Pound me on the back, you fellows, orI'll have a fit. "

"A grocer! Napoleon!" roared Frank. "Shades of Austerlitz and Waterloo!"

"And we fell for it!" yelled Tom. "Think of it, fellows! By the greathorn spoon! We fell for it!"

They got themselves under control at last, though not without manyinterruptions, for again and again one of them would start to speak andgo off into a peal of laughter. 

"I'm as weak as a rag, " gulped Billy. "I haven't laughed like this inall my life. "

"It would make a hit in vaudeville, " chuckled Bart. "Think of us silliesstalking along and going through shadow motions for a nut like that. We're squirrel food, all right. "

"Well, after all what could we do?" defended Frank. "We're not mindreaders. "

"Not even of a scrambled mind like that, " interposed Billy. 

"And we couldn't tell that he wasn't an officer, " went on Frank, notheeding the interruption. "His uniform seemed to be all right, althougha bit gaudy. "

"That gives us a way out, " said Bart. "We can say that we followed theuniform, not the man, and let it go at that. But, oh, boy! if thefellows of our regiment had seen us trotting along behind that lunatic, maybe they wouldn't make our life a burden. "

"We'd never have heard the last of it, " agreed Tom. "But what they don'tknow won't hurt them, and it's a safe bet that none of us will ever letout a squeak. "

"It's lucky there wasn't any moving picture man handy, " laughed Frank. "He'd have had a film that would put all the rest out of business. Butnow let's get back to the cottage after this unfortunate hike of ours. "

"Say, " put in Bart, as a new thought struck him, "do you think thosekeepers could have caught on?"

"I don't think they tumbled, " Billy reassured them. "They were toointent on catching Napoleon to think of anything else. "

"Poor Napoleon, " chuckled Frank. "I suppose he's back on St. Helena bythis time. "

"Well, there's one comfort, anyway, " declared Tom. "He doesn't know thathe put anything over on us. If he hasn't forgotten us altogether hethinks we're part of the Old Guard. "

"They say a philosopher is one who can grin when the laugh is onhimself, " laughed Billy. "If that's so we're dandy philosophers. "

All too soon that pleasant week was over, and the boys, refreshed andrested, went away, though with many a backward glance, to the stern workwhere they had already won their spurs and made their mark. 

They started in on their work again with renewed zest and with quickenedenergy, for a battle was impending and they were anxious to take theirpart in driving back the Hun. 

They saw Rabig frequently, and though they all disliked him heartily, hewas still a soldier like themselves in the service of Uncle Sam, andthey strove to disguise their feeling for the good of the common cause. 

"He's a bad egg, all right, " declared Tom, who stuck obstinately to hisbelief that Rabig had had some part in the escape of the Germancorporal, "but as long as we can't prove it, we'll have to give him alittle more rope. But sooner or later he'll come to the end of thatrope, and don't you forget it!"

Nick had come out of the court-martial that investigated the escape, notwith flying colors, but with bedraggled feathers. The cut on his headhad proved so slight as to arouse suspicion that it might have beenself-inflicted. Still the motive for this did not seem adequate, and theupshot of the inquiry was that Rabig was confined a few days in theguardhouse and then restored to duty. But in the private books of theofficers there was a black mark against him, and all of them would havebeen better pleased not to have had him in the regiment. 

"Oh, well, don't let's talk about him, " Frank summed up a discussionabout the bully. "The whole subject leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Ionly hope he's the only rotten apple in the barrel. "

"That's just the trouble', " replied Tom. "If that rotten apple isn'ttaken out of the barrel a good many more may be spoiled in less than notime. "

"Sure enough, " agreed Bart. "But I guess there isn't much danger in thiscase. If Nick had lots of friends that he might influence it might bedifferent, but you notice that the fellows leave him to flock byhimself. "

"He's about as popular as the hives in summertime for a fact, " commentedTom. "He'd be a mighty sight more at home if he were in the trenches onthe other side. "

"Maybe so, " admitted Frank. 

"What are you fellows chinning about?" broke in a familiar voice, andthey turned to see Dick Lever regarding them with a friendly grin. 

"Hello, Dick, " came from them all at once in a roar of welcome, for itwas the first time they had seen him since he had rescued them fromtheir German captors, and their feelings toward him were of the warmestnature. 

"Where have you been keeping yourself?" asked Frank. "We've been lookingfor you to drop in and see us for a long time past. "

"As a matter of fact, I did get down this way about a week ago, " repliedDick, as he tried to shake hands with all four at once, "but the wholebunch of you were off on furlough. "

"Sorry we missed you, " said Frank. "Yes, we did get a few days off, andit didn't do us a bit of harm. We've all come back feeling the bestever. "

"Ready to take another crack at the Huns, eh?" grinned Dick. "Somefellows never know when they have enough. "

"You needn't talk, " laughed Bart. "I'll bet you've been popping away atthem every day since we saw you last. "

"Oh, they've kept me pretty busy, " said Dick carelessly. "The Hun flyersare getting pretty sassy just now, and we have to keep working hard todrive them back. "

"I've noticed more of them flying over our lines than usual in the lastday or two, " remarked Billy. 

"Say, " broke in Tom, "this is sure our lucky day. Here comes WillStone. "

"We sure are lucky when two of the best fellows in the world drop in onus at the same time, " said Frank, as he and his mates greeted thebronzed tank operator. "I don't know whether you two fellows know eachother, but if you don't you've both lost something. "

"Oh, we're not altogether strangers, " smiled Stone, as he and Dick shookhands heartily. "Many a time I've seen his plane flying overhead, andit's made me feel rather comfortable to know that he was on the job, andthat no Boche flyer would have a chance to drop something that would putJumbo out of commission. "

"It would have to be some bomb that would make junk of that big car ofyours, " said Dick. "I was flying pretty low the day we smashed the Bochelines and I saw the way Jumbo snapped those wires as though they were somany threads. That tank's a wonder and no mistake. "

They were having such a good time and the time flew so rapidly that theywere startled when the bugle blew and they were compelled to go to theirrespective quarters. 

A few nights after his return Frank was assigned to sentry duty on animportant post on the front trenches. His beat terminated at a pointwhere he could see a little shack that stood on the side of a hill. 

Standing as it did in the battle zone; it had become little more than aruin. Most of the thatched roof had been shot away, one side had gonealtogether, and the other three sides leaned crazily toward each other. 

It was a little after midnight when Frank thought he saw a gleam oflight either in the cabin or close by it. It was very faint, scarcelymore than the glimmer of a firefly, and it vanished instantly. 

Still, it had been there. Cautiously, avoiding every twig with thestealth of an Indian, Frank crept toward the hut. 

CHAPTER XXI

A FAMILIAR VOICE

As Frank neared the cabin he redoubled his precautions, and it was herethat his scout training stood him in good stead. 

When he was within twenty feet he went down flat on the earth and wormedhis way to one of the sides that had been left standing. He placed hisear against a board and listened intently. 

But not a sound rewarded him. The deepest silence reigned. 

For a moment he was tempted to believe that his eyes had played a trickon him. But they had seldom done this and he had learned to trust them. 

The light could not have come from a firefly, for it was too late in theseason for them. What then had caused it?

He worked his way around to the shattered doorway and inch by inchlifted his head until his eyes were on a level with the floor. Quicklythey swept the room, which was so small that the faint light that camefrom the stars enabled him to see that it was empty. 

When he was fully assured of this, he crept into the room and with hisfingers explored every inch of the floor. The apartment was so smallthat this was not much of a task, and before long his hand came incontact with a match. It had been lighted and the softness of thecharred end told him that this had been done recently. 

This then was the "firefly"!

He continued his search with renewed caution and soon found a cartridge. He knew from the feel of it that it was of the kind used in the rifleswith which the American troops were equipped. It was still warm, asthough it had been recently in a belt close to a man's body. 

But what was a man doing in that lonely spot at that hour of the night?

Was he a prowling spy from the German camp who had made a daringincursion into the American lines?

He must solve the mystery. With every faculty at its highest pitch, hemoved out into the open. 

A slight rustling in the forest near by fell on his ears. It might havebeen made by some woodland creature, but to his strained senses everysound, however slight, suggested a possible clue. 

He listened intently and heard it again, but this time it was a triflelouder than before. 

He rose to his feet and with catlike tread moved in the direction of thesound. As he drew hearer he heard it more plainly. And now his patiencewas rewarded, for he distinctly heard the low tone of a human voice. 

And if it was a human voice it must of necessity be an enemy voice, forno friend of his or of Uncle Sam's could be in that place at that houron a legitimate errand. 

A moment later he detected another voice in a different key yet pitchedhardly above a whisper. So it was a conference! A conference of whom andabout what?

He crept still farther forward. 

Right before him stretched a little glade full of small trees andundergrowth with a scarcely visible path leading downward. 

To press too far between the bushes would have inevitably betrayed him. He halted with his rifle ready for action and listened. 

The conversation seemed to be an earnest one and in their earnestnessthe conferees at times forgot caution, for, as one of the men raised hisvoice in expostulation, Frank could note that he was talking German. Butit was not that which made him start suddenly and clutch his rifle moretightly. 

He had heard that voice before. 

Where and when?

He cudgeled his brain and then it came to him. 

It was Nick Rabig's voice!

That is, he thought it was. But at that distance he could not beperfectly sure. At any rate it was time to act. 

With a bound he leaped forward. 

"Halt!" he cried. "Halt or I fire. "

There were startled exclamations from both men, and then a prodigiousscrambling in the bushes as they tried to escape. 

Bang! went Frank's rifle, and there was a scream followed by a heavyfall. 

Frank rushed forward, but caught his foot in a tangled root and fell. His gun flew from his hand and his head came in contact with a stump. The jagged edges cut a gash in his forehead, and for a moment he wasutterly dazed. 

He strove desperately to retain his senses and in a minute or two hisbrain ceased to whirl. He staggered drunkenly to his rifle and picked itup. And at this moment there was a sound of hurrying feet, and Wilson, the corporal of the guard, came running up, accompanied by Fred Andersonwho had been on duty near by. 

"What is it, Sheldon?" asked the corporal "What were you shooting at?"

Frank tried to speak, but his tongue was thick and the words would notcome. "

"He's wounded!" exclaimed Anderson, as he saw with alarm the bloodflowing freely from Frank's forehead. 

They deftly bound up his head, and by this time Frank had found hisvoice. 

"It's nothing, " he managed to say. "I fell and cut my head. It's only ascratch. I heard two men talking German here in the bushes and I startedin to get them. They wouldn't stop when I ordered them to, and I fired, I don't know whether I got them or not. "

"We'll see, " said the corporal, and led the way into the bushes whileFrank and Fred followed close on his heels. 

From one side to the other the corporal flashed his light, and beforelong he uttered an exclamation. 

"You got one of them anyway, " he said, as the light fell on the deadbody of a German whose uniform showed that he belonged to the EighthBavarian Regiment, which they knew was stationed opposite them at thatpart of the line. 

The corporal blew his whistle and other men of his squad came running inanswer to the call. He ordered them to carry the body into camp where itcould be searched for papers. Then he turned to Frank. 

"You've done well, Sheldon, " he said, "and I'm sorry that you were hurt. You're relieved from duty for the rest of your watch. I'll put anotherman in your place. You'd better see the surgeons and have them wash outthat cut of yours and bind it up again. Then tumble in and go to sleep. I hope you'll be all right in the morning. "

Frank did as he was directed, and after the surgeon had dressed hiswound and pronounced it not serious made his way to his bunk. He had topass Rabig's bunk in reaching his own and he stopped there for a moment. 

The place was dark, but he could see that the bunk was occupied, andfrom the snoring that arose from it the inmate seemed to be sleepingsoundly. 

Had he been mistaken?

CHAPTER XXII

THE SHADOW OF TREASON

When the soldiers jumped from their bunks the next morning at the callof the bugle Frank's comrades saw his bandaged head and they surroundedhim at once with expressions of solicitude and alarm. 

"What's the matter, old man?" asked Bart anxiously. 

"Don't say you're badly hurt!" exclaimed Tom. 

"You look all in, " said Billy. "You're as pale as a ghost. "

"I'm a long way from being a ghost yet, " smiled Frank, as he drew on hisclothes. "Wait till you see me tuck away the grub at breakfast. I buttedmy head against a stump last night to find out which was the harder, andthe stump won. "

"Stop your kidding and tell us about it, " commanded Bart. 

Frank told them the main features of his encounter of the night before, but it was only after mess when he had them by themselves that he voicedhis suspicions of Rabig. 

Tom gave a long whistle. 

"That fellow will queer this whole outfit yet, " he blurted out. "He's asneak and a traitor. If he had his deserts he'd be up against the firingsquad within twenty-four hours. "

"Easy there, Tom, " counseled Frank, looking around him, for in hisexcitement Tom had raised his voice. "Remember I'm not dead sure. Iwouldn't swear to it in a court of law. "

"Here comes Nick himself, " remarked Bart. 

"The Old Nick, " growled Tom. 

"Hello, Rabig, " said Frank, as the former Camport bully came along. 

Rabig grunted a surly "Hello" in reply, and was passing on when Billyhailed him. 

"Sleep well, last night, Rabig?" he asked carelessly. 

Rabig's face flushed and a frightened look came into his eyes. 

"Sure I did, " he snapped. "Why shouldn't I?"

"No reason in the world, " replied Billy. 

"These cool nights are fine for sleeping, " remarked Tom. "A little toocool to be out in the woods, but just right for the trench. "

Rabig seemed to be trying to think up a reply, but nothing came to himand he simply stood still and glowered at them. He appeared to bespeculating. What significance was there in these apparently carelessquestions? Why should they be asked at all? How much did these cordiallyhated acquaintances of his really know?

"I hear that one of the Germans was killed close to our lines lastnight, " said Billy, shifting the attack. 

"Right inside our lines, " corrected Tom. "And here's the fellow who shothim, " pointing to Frank. 

"Frank has nerve, " drawled Billy. 

Rabig shot a glare of hate that was not lost by the onlookers, who kepttheir eyes steadily on his face. 

"He nearly got another one, too, " observed Bart. "And the funny thingabout it was that he thought he knew the fellow's voice. "

This was coming too near for Rabig to pretend that he did not know whatthey were driving at. He turned upon them in desperation. 

"Look here, " he snarled viciously. "What do you fellows mean? If youmean that I'm mixed up in this thing you lie. Now don't you speak to meagain or I'll make you sorry for it. "

Without waiting for a reply he hurried off, and the four Camport chumslooked after him with speculation in their eyes until he was lost toview at a turn of the trench. 

"He's guilty all right, " declared Tom with conviction. 

"If ever guilt looked out of a man's eyes they looked out of his, "agreed Bart. 

"It seems so, " admitted Frank with reluctance, "and yet he was in hisbunk when I went through last night. " "How do you know it was Rabig?"Tom retorted. "Are you such a cute detective that you can tell one man'ssnore from another?"

"Who else could it have been?" asked Frank. "If it was some one else, that some one else must have been in cahoots with Rabig and agreed tomake him seem to be in his bunk. I'd hate to think that there was morethan one traitor in the regiment. 

"One's more than enough, " agreed Bart. 

"What do you think we ought to do about it?" asked Billy. 

"I don't know, " replied Frank, with a worried look on his face. "Itwould be a terrible thing to accuse a man wrongfully of such a thing astreason. Rabig would simply deny it and put it up to us to prove it. Then, too, every one knows that there's no love lost between us andNick, and they might think we were too ready to believe evil of himwithout real proof. "

"On the other hand, " replied Tom, "if we let him go on, we may wake upsome time to find that Rabig has done the regiment more harm than aGerman battery could do. "

"We'll simply have to keep our eyes peeled, " was Billy's solution of theproblem, "and watch that fellow like hawks. But if he makes one more badbreak I don't think we ought to keep silent any longer. Let's hope thatnext time, if there is any next time, we'll have the goods on him sothat there can't be any denying it. "

But pleasanter thoughts diverted their attention just then, for the camppostman came into view and the boys rose with a whoop and pounced upontheir letters. And all their spare time that morning was spent inreading and rereading the precious missives from their friends so manythousand miles away. 

Frank was poring over a letter from his mother for the tenth time whenhe heard his name spoken and looked up to see Colonel Pavet, who waspassing along in the company of another officer. 

He had only a moment to spare, but that moment was given to Frank, whohad risen and greeted him with a welcome as warm as his own. 

"Ah, Monsieur Sheldon, letters from home, I see, " he remarked. "I hopeyour mother is well. "

"Very well, thank you, " responded Frank. "And very grateful to you, Colonel Pavet, for the interest you have taken in her behalf and mine. "

The colonel courteously waved the thanks aside. 

He replied. "But you can tell Madame Sheldon that her affairs areprogressing finely, though not as rapidly as they would if it were notfor the distracted state of France. For instance, my brother André hasbeen trying to get a furlough for a man who was formerly a butler in theDe Latour family, and whose evidence he thinks will be most important inestablishing your mother's right. It is only with the greatestdifficulty that I have been able to bring this about, but I havesucceeded at last, and the man will go to Auvergne next week to give histestimony. Let us hope that it will be as valuable as André thinks. "

Again Frank expressed his thanks, and after a few more words theyparted. 

_"Vive la France!"_ exclaimed Frank, as he saluted. 

_"Vive l'Amerique!"_ returned the colonel. 

CHAPTER XXIII

A HAIL OF LEAD

"It's coming, " declared Tom a few days later, as the boys were gettingready to go to mess. 

"Listen to the oracle, " mocked Bart. 

"What's coming? Christmas?" inquired Billy. 

"The big fight, " replied Tom. 

"Hear the general, " gibed Bart. 

"I've understood that Tom was General Pershing's right bower, " put inBilly. 

"They say he doesn't do a thing without him, " said Bart. 

"It's a pity that Tom didn't live in Napoleon's time, " laughed Frank. "He'd have been a marshal sure. "

"Napoleon, " repeated Billy, with a faraway look in his eyes. "Where haveI heard that name before?"

The four friends laughed as the comical scene in the little Frenchvillage rose up before them. 

But with all their jesting they felt as sure as Tom that a big battlewas impending. One did not have to be an officer to know that. The rankand file could tell it just as unerringly as their superiors. 

For many days past all arms of the service had been working at topspeed. Regiments and divisions had been reorganized and brought up totheir full strength. Reserves had been brought from distant portions ofthe line and were massed heavily in the rear of the positions. 

Raiding parties were active on both sides, as each was eager to getprisoners and information, and scarcely a night passed without heavyskirmishes between patrols that in former days would have risen to thedignity of battles. 

Overhead the sky was dotted with the planes of the rival forces and thehum of the motors of the giant birds of prey was continuous. They foughtnot only in single combat but in sauacfrons, and the sight of one ormore whirling down in flames was so common that it scarcely attractedattention. 

And most ominous of all, the medical service was organizing giganticunits close to the front, in anticipation of the harvest of blood andwounds that was so close at hand. 

Yes, a battle was coming. The grim reaper was sharpening his scythe andthe watching world was waiting for the outcome in an agony ofexpectation. 

The forces as far as known were evenly balanced, though it was rumoredthat the Germans were drawing large reserves temporarily from theeastern front, and color was lent to this by the fact that the Swissfrontier had been closed for a month to conceal the movement of troops. 

It was not yet certain which side would make the first move. Each armywas drawn up in a strong natural position with ranges of hills behind inthe event of having to fall back. 

"I hope we get in the first blow, " remarked Frank, as he discussed thequestion with his chums. 

"So do I, " agreed Bart. "You know then where you're going to strike. This matter of fighting behind entanglements doesn't make a hit with meat all. "

"There's more of a swing and rush to it when you attack, " commentedBilly. "Do you remember how it was, fellows, in that last big scrap whenwe were sprinting over No Man's Land? You're so eager to get at the Hunsthat you don't have time to think of danger. "

But one foggy morning not long after, the German leaders settled thematter for the Camport strategists and struck with tremendous force atthe Allied lines. 

Two hours before dawn the German guns opened up with a roar that shookthe earth. The air was full of flying shells; tear shells to blind theeyes of the Allied gunners so that they could not see to serve theirpieces; mustard shells that bit into the lungs like a consuming fire;chlorine gas shells, with a deadly poison, to cause such agony that evensurgeons, hardened in the exercise of their profession, turned awaytheir faces from the writhings of the victims. Then, following these, astorm of leaden hail, withering, searing, blasting, before which itseemed no living thing could stand. 

Crouched low in their trenches, massed line behind line, the Alliedforces bent their heads to the storm, and waited in grim fury for theinfantry attack that they knew would surely follow. 

And it was not long in coming. The fog had risen by this time, and overthe fields, rank upon rank, marching at the double quick, came masses ofgray figures that seemed as endless as the waves of the sea. 

The Allied artillery tore wide gaps in the dense masses, but they closedup instantly and continued their advance. Machine guns poured thousandsof bullets into the living target, and the gunners served their piecesagain and again until they were so hot that they burned the hand. 

But true to their theory of warfare, the German leaders fed their meninto the jaws of Moloch with cynical indifference. They had counted onpaying a certain price, and they were willing to pay it. 

But flesh and blood has its limitations, and before that murderous firethe ranks at last faltered. 

Then from the trenches poured the Allied hosts in a fierce counterattack, and before their resistless charge the enemy wavered and at lastbroke. The gray lines melted away, and the ground, strewn with theirdead and dying, was held by the Allied forces, which swiftly organizedfor the second attack, that they knew would not be long in coming. 

CHAPTER XXIV

A DEED OF DARING

"We got them!" cried Bart, exultingly, as the boys worked feverishly atthe preparations to meet the new attack. 

"Right between the eyes, " cried Billy. 

"We drew first blood, all right, " agreed Frank, "but they'll come againfor more. "

The prophecy was speedily realized, for again the enemy came forward, with undiminished ardor, protected this time by a deadly barrage firebehind which they marched with confidence. It was evident that this timethe enemy, having tested the Allied mettle and found it excellent, haddetermined to place its chief reliance upon their big gun fire. And fora time it seemed as though their confidence was justified. The barragefire swept the ground so completely that the Allies were forced toabandon their hastily seized positions in the open and retreat once moreto the shelter of their trenches. But all the attacks of the Germanhordes, repeated again and again, were not able to get possession ofthose first line trenches, to which the Allies held with the fury ofdesperation. They were manned chiefly by the American troops, althoughcertain units of French and English held either end of the line. Againand again the storm broke, and again and again it was beaten back. TheGermans had massed at that portion of the line numbers many timesgreater than those possessed by the defenders. By all the theories ofwar they ought to have been successful, but, like the old guard atWaterloo, the Americans might die, but would not surrender. 

Yet after a while the very stubbornness of this resistance proved initself a danger. On the right and the left the line, though not broken, was bent back. In this way the American position formed a salient in theGerman line, and was subjected to attack not only in front, but on theflanks. It became imperative that the line should draw back so that itmight be in keeping with the position now held by the wings. 

So, after hours of sanguinary fighting, the orders came to fall back, and the Americans, who had been standing like the army of Thomas atChickamauga, fifty years previous, reluctantly obeyed, and fell slowlyback to new positions, their faces always toward the foe. 

"What kind of a fool stunt is this?" growled Tom, who, with hiscomrades, had been in the thick of the fight. "We had it all over thosefellows, even if they were two or three times as many, and here we areretreating, when we ought to go ahead and lick the tar out of them. ""Don't growl and complain, Tom, " soothed Frank, whose left hand wasbleeding where a bullet had zipped its way across it. "They'll get thelicking all right when the time comes. "

"It's good dope to give back a little sometimes, " added Bart. "It's likeboxing. When a blow comes straight at your stomach you bend back andthat takes half the force away from the blow. Don't worry the leastlittle bit about this fight. We may be bending a little, but we're notbreaking, and before many hours we'll be standing the Heinies on theirheads. "

But the promise was not fulfilled that day, and when, night came afterhours of tremendous struggle, the Allied forces had not regained theirlost ground. 

As darkness fell the combat lessened, and finally ceased altogether, asfar as infantry attacks were concerned, although all through the nightthe artillery kept up a fire of greater or less intensity. 

The boys of the regiment to which the Camport boys belonged were inrather a sober mood when they gathered around their field kitchens thatnight and partook of the food that was served out to them. They had notlost a gun, but they had yielded ground, and a great many of theircomrades would never again answer the roll call. But their fightingspirit was at as high a pitch as ever, and they could scarcely wait tillthe morrow to get their revenge. 

Frank and his chums had come through the day unscathed, except for theinjury to Frank's hand and a mark across Billy's temple where a bullethad ridged the skin. Perhaps it was due to the fortune that is said toattend the brave, for they had borne themselves like heroes and had beenstationed at one of the most fiercely battered portions of the line. 

"I suppose they're gloating over this in Berlin to-night, " said Tomgloomily, as they sat at the roots of a great tree whose bark andbranches had been stripped from it by a storm of shells. 

"And groaning over it in New York, " added Billy. 

"He laughs best who laughs last, " said Bart. "To-morrow's a new day. Just watch our smoke. "

"We'll eat 'em alive, " prophesied Frank confidently, as he nursed hiswounded hand. "Like John Paul Jones, we've just begun to fight. "

"Do you fellows remember what General Corse said one time when Shermanasked him if he could hold out?" asked Bart. 

"What was it?" asked Billy. 

"He said: 'I've lost one eye and a piece of an ear, but I can lick abrigade or two yet, '" answered Bart. 

"Good old scout, " approved Billy, while the boys laughed. 

"Well, we're not as badly off as that yet, " said Frank, "although thishand of mine is smarting to beat the band. "

"And my head is aching ready to split, " added Billy. "One inch to theleft and it would have been all up with your uncle Billy. "

The fighting was resumed at dawn, and again it was the Germans whoattacked. They had counted on their advantage of the day before to breakthe morale of their enemies and hoped by pressure to turn the withdrawalinto a rout. 

But like so many German calculations since the beginning of the war, they had figured badly. The Allies, stung by their discomfiture of theday before, fought like tigers. They beat the Germans back and took theoffensive in their own hands. 

The Germans retreated, though staunchly contesting every foot of ground. In the front of Frank's company the enemy had established a machine gunnest that was particularly effective. Again and again the Americanssought to clean them out, but were met with such a galling fire thatthey lost heavily, and at last the captain decided that the guns werenot worth the price he was paying to get possession of them. Yet theposition would be of so much advantage, if captured, that he hesitatedat changing his course and choosing another line of advance. 

In the litter and wreck of the field, Frank's keen eye had caught sightof two big barrels filled with clothing for the troops. The barrels hadbeen dropped from a wrecked motor lorry of a supply train. Like a flashan inspiration came to him. 

He consulted a moment with Bart, whose eye lighted up as he noddedassent. Then he stepped up to his captain and saluted. 

CHAPTER XXV

STORMING THE RIDGE

"What is it, Sheldon?"

"I think I can silence those guns, sir, " Frank said. 

A light came into the captain's eyes. 

"How?" he asked. 

In a few brief words Frank described his plan. 

"But it's suicide, " protested the captain. "There isn't one chance in athousand that you'll come out alive. "

"I know, " said Frank. "But Raymond and I are willing to risk it if yougive the word. "

The captain pondered for a moment. It was a forlorn hope, but forlornhopes sometimes won out. 

"Go ahead, " he said. 

Frank nodded to Bart, and in a twinkling they had turned the big barrelsover on their sides. 

Then each lay on the ground behind his barrel and began to push ittoward the enemy. 

The men of their company had watched them wonderingly while they madetheir preparations, and when they realized what the boys had in mindthey raised a thundering cheer that rose above the din of battle. 

The crews of the two enemy machine guns looked with stupefaction at thebig barrels coming toward them. Then they woke from their trance and astorm of bullets beat upon the barrels. 

If they had been empty the bullets would have gone through and killedthe boys behind them. But they were filled with woolen clothing, whichwhile light enough to enable the boys to push the barrels withcomparative ease was just the thing to stop the bullets. The whizzingmissiles thudded into the clothing and there they stopped. It was on thesame basis as the sandbag which stops a cannon ball that would gothrough an iron plate. 

Steadily the boys kept on, pushing the barrels before them. They did notgo on hands and knees, for then they would be exposed to the enemybullets. It was a caterpillar motion, drawing their bodies along theground, and was a tremendous tax on their muscles, for they could get nopurchase. 

One thing in their favor was that the ground sloped a trifle toward theenemy position and this made the barrels roll more easily. 

By this time the enemy was growing frantic at this novel method ofattack. They could not see their enemy, and they could not kill him. Andthe sight of those barrels coming toward them, as inexorably as fate, got on their nerves, already tense with the fury of the combat. 

Nearer and nearer came the barrels to the guns until they were not morethan twenty feet away. Then they stopped. 

The German gunners drew fresh hope from this. Had their bullets foundtheir mark in the bodies of their daring enemies?

But there were two very live boys behind those motionless barrels. 

Frank and Bart had drawn a handful of grenades from their sacks. At agiven signal they drew back their arms and hurled them over the barrelsin quick succession. 

They fell right in the midst of the machine guns. There was a tremendousexplosion that killed some of the gunners and threw the rest into wildconfusion. 

"Now!" shouted Frank, and he and Bart leaped to their feet and rushedtoward the guns. 

There was a wild mêlée for a moment, and then the surviving Germansturned and ran in panic down the slope. 

The boys slued the captured guns around and sent a stream of bulletsafter their wildly fleeing enemies. 

The rout was complete, and the next minute the whole company, that hadcharged the instant the grenades were thrown, came tearing up, and therewas a scene of hilarity and enthusiasm that passed description. 

"The finest thing I ever saw!" declared the captain. "You boys are thestuff of which heroes are made. "

But there was no time then to dwell on the exploit. The enemy was on therun and they must keep him going. 

And they did, so well and so thoroughly, that when the day was over theyhad swept the whole ridge that had been their objective in the fight andplanted Old Glory on its highest crest. And their victory was shared bythe rest of the Allied line, who not only regained all the losses of theday before, but swept the Germans out of their first and second lines ona five-mile front, inflicting on them a defeat which they were long toremember. 

And how the lesson that the Germans learned that day was repeated lateron will be told in the next book of this series, entitled: "Army Boys onthe Firing Line; Or, Holding Back the German Drive. "

Not but what the victory had cost the Americans dearly. Every regimentengaged had its own long list of killed and wounded. 

"Poor old Fred, " said Frank, referring to Anderson. "His right arm wasbadly shattered and I'm afraid he may lose it. "

"Fred is playing in hard luck, " returned Bart. "That's twice he's beenwounded. Remember the night down at the old mill when the bomb got hisleg?"

"He's having more than his share, " agreed Billy. 

"There's Wilson, too, " said Bart. "He's been in the thick of it all day, but he went down with a bullet in his shoulder just as we got to the topof the ridge. "

"The corp certainly fought like a tiger, " said Tom. "But he's worth adozen dead men yet. A month in the hospital will fix him up all right, Ihope. "

"There's one good thing anyway, " pat in Billy. "The Huns haven't takenmany of our boys prisoners. "

"And we've got more of their men than we know what to do with, " exultedFrank. 

"I know what I'd do with them, " said Tom. "I'd send them to America tobe imprisoned there and I'd put a bunch of them on every transport thatsailed to the other side. "

"That wouldn't be a bad stunt, " agreed Bart. "Then if a submarine sankthe ship it would carry a lot of their own people down to Davy Jones. "

Among the missing was one whose loss did not greatly grieve the boys ofthe old Thirty-seventh. Nick Rabig did not answer to his name when theroll was called. They did not find his body on the field, nor was heamong the wounded that were brought in and tenderly cared for in thehospitals. 

"I see Nick is missing, " remarked Frank to Bart later in the evening, asthey were resting and rejoicing over the victory. 

"Missing but not missed, " put in the implacable Tom. 

"If the Huns have got him, he'll feel more at home than he ever feltwith us, " remarked Bart. 

"Maybe he was captured against his will, " said Tom, "and then again_maybe_--"

"What do you suppose they'll say in Camport when they hear of this day'swork, fellows?" asked Billy. 

"Oh, " answered Frank with a laugh, "they'll only say: 'It's nothing morethan we expected. '"

"They know us, don't they?"

"Of course they do, " broke in Tom. "We came to France to do our duty asAmerican citizens, as well as soldiers. "

"I wonder how long it will be before this war is over and we start forhome?" came from Frank. 

"Not tired of the game yet, are you?" quizzed Billy, quickly. 

"Do I look as if I was tired of it?" was the counter-question. 

"We are all going to stay over here until the Huns are licked good andproper!" burst cut Bart. "There is no use in stopping while the job isonly half finished. "

"Just you wait until Uncle Sam has a lot of men over here, " put inBilly. "Then we'll show those Huns what's what and don't you forget it!We'll wallop them so thoroughly they'll be getting down on their kneesyelling for mercy. "

"Now you've said something!" came in a chorus from the others. 

And here let us say good-bye to the Army Boys.