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diff --git a/39801.txt b/39801.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0aaffbc..0000000 --- a/39801.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7837 +0,0 @@ - FIGHTING WITH FRENCH - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: Fighting with French - A Tale of the New Army -Author: Herbert Strang -Release Date: June 01, 2013 [EBook #39801] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIGHTING WITH FRENCH *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - - -[Illustration: A FOUL BLOW (_See p_. 52.)] - - - - - FIGHTING - WITH FRENCH - - _A TALE OF THE NEW ARMY_ - - - BY - HERBERT STRANG - - - - _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOUR BY CYRUS CUNEO_ - - LONDON - HENRY FROWDE - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - - - - - _First published in_ 1915 - - - - - PREFACE - - -In these days one would rather fight than write; and those of us whom -inexorable Time has superannuated can but envy and admire. - -Seven years ago the father of two boys at Rugby asked me to write a -story on the German peril, and the necessity of closing our ranks -against a possible invasion. After some hesitation I decided to decline -the suggestion, anxious not to insinuate in young minds a suspicion of -Germany which might prove to be ill-founded. Two years later, when the -subject was again pressed upon me, I felt bound to attempt some little -service in the cause of national defence; but again I avoided any direct -implication of Germany, imagining an invasion of Australia by an -aggressive China. In two or three books I had poked a little fun at -German foibles, how harmlessly and inoffensively may be known by the -fact that one of these books was translated into German. The course of -events, the horrors of the present war, show how needless were my -scruples. Germany has come out in her true colours, and the mildest of -pacifists feels a stirring of the blood. - -In _A Hero of Liege_ I wove a little romance upon the early events of -the war, when we were still under the shock of surprise and information -was scanty. The present story has been written under more favourable -conditions. A good deal of it springs from personal knowledge of the -training of the New Army. The "Rutland Light Infantry" exists, under -another name, and one or two of the characters may perhaps be recognised -by their friends. But I should point out that a story is not a history. -The history of this great struggle must be sought elsewhere. The -romancer is satisfied if he is reasonably true to facts and -probabilities, and more than happy if his fictions, while amusing an -idle hour, have also anything of stimulus and encouragement. - -HERBERT STRANG. - - - - - CONTENTS - -CHAP. - -I A CHANCE MEETING -II SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE -III STONEWAY ENLISTS -IV THREE ROUNDS -V THE BACK OF THE FRONT -VI BAGGING A SNIPER -VII IN THE ENEMY'S LINES -VIII SKY HIGH -IX D.C.M. -X HOT WORK -XI THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GINGER -XII DOGGED -XIII THE FIGHT FOR THE VILLAGE -XIV THE HIKIOTOSHI -XV THE OBSERVATION POST -XVI EXCHANGE NO ROBBERY -XVII STRATEGY -XVIII USES OF A TRANSPORT LORRY -XIX SUSPICIONS -XX MONSIEUR OBERNAI'S ATTIC -XXI MARKED DOWN -XXII 'RECOMMENDED' - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - -A FOUL BLOW . . . . . . _Frontispiece_ (_see page_ 52) - -"HANDS UP!" - -A LONG WAY BACK - -THE INTRUDER IN KHAKI - - - - - CHAPTER I - - A CHANCE MEETING - - -Mr. Kishimaru smiled, and rubbed his long lean hands gently the one over -the other. - -"Yes, Mr. Amory, you make great progress," he said, in low smooth tones, -and with the careful enunciation of one speaking a foreign tongue. "You -will be an artist. Yes, I assure you: jujutsu is a fine art; more than -that, it is an application of pure science. I say that, and I know. -Compare it with boxing, that which your grandfathers called the noble -art. Rapidity of movement, yes; quickness of eye and judgment, yes; but -delicacy of touch--ah! jujutsu has it, boxing no. There is nothing -brutal about jujutsu." - -Kenneth Amory smiled back at the enthusiastic little Japanese, and -rubbed his left shoulder. - -"Nothing brutal, I agree," he said. "But it has been a dry summer, Mr. -Kishimaru." - -"A dry summer?" the Japanese repeated, still smiling, but with an air of -puzzlement. - -"Yes; the turf's uncommonly hard, and I came down a pretty good whack -that last time." - -"I am sorry. You have not quite recovered your strength yet, or you -would not have fallen so heavily. But you do well; it is good exercise, -for body and mind too. A little rest, and we will try another throw." - -Kenneth Amory was seated on a bench on the lawn where, in summer, Mr. -Kishimaru instructed his pupils in the fine art of jujutsu. He wore a -loose white belted tunic and shorts: head and legs were bare. Mr. -Kishimaru, a wiry little Japanese of about thirty-five, similarly clad, -walked up and down, expounding the principles of his art. - -A bell rang in the house. The garden door opened, and a tall young -fellow of some twenty years came with quick step on to the lawn. - -"Hullo, Kishimaru!" he cried. "How do? Have you got a minute?" He -glanced towards the figure on the bench, but did not wait for an answer. -"Just back from Canada--to enlist. Got to smash the Germans, you know. -But look here; just spare a minute to show me the Koshinage, will you? -I was in a lumber camp, you know, out west; lumbering's hard work; no -cricket or anything else; had to do something; taught 'em jujutsu, odd -times, you know. But the Koshinage--I fairly came to grief over that: -tried it on a big chap, and came a regular cropper. Made me look pretty -small; I'd been explaining that I'd throw any fellow, no matter how big. -Somehow it didn't come off: must have forgotten something, I suppose. -I've only got a few minutes; have to catch the 4.30 at St. Pancras; just -put me through it once or twice, there's a good chap." - -Mr. Kishimaru rubbed his hands all through this impetuous address. He -was always pleased to see an old pupil, and Harry Randall, voluble, -always in a hurry, had been one of his best pupils a year or two before. - -"I am delighted to see you, Mr. Randall," he said. "If you will -change----" - -"No time for that. I'll strip to my shirt, be ready in a winking." - -He threw off coat and waistcoat, wrenched off his collar, with some -peril to the stud, and knotting his braces about his waist, stood ready. -Meanwhile Mr. Kishimaru had stepped to the bench. - -"The Koshinage is the exercise we have been practising, Mr. Amory," he -said. "Perhaps you will be good enough to go through it with Mr. -Randall, an old pupil. I will watch, and criticise if necessary." - -Amory sprang up. In the newcomer he had at once recognised a -schoolfellow--Randy, they used to call him; a fellow everybody liked; -impulsive, generous, easy-going, always in scrapes, always ready to -argue with boys or masters. They had left school at the same time, and -had not seen each other since. - -Mr. Kishimaru explained to Randall that his pupil would practise the -exercise with him, and was about to introduce the two formally. But -Randall anticipated him. - -"Hullo, Amory!" he cried. "It's you. Didn't recognise you. Come on; no -time to spare." - -Without more ado they took up position for the exercise, holding each -other as though they were going to waltz. Then they made one or two -rapid steps, Mr. Kishimaru skipping round them, intently watching their -movements. With a sudden turning on his toes and bending of the knees, -Amory dragged Randall from behind on to his right hip. A jerk of the -left arm and the straightening of the knees lifted Randall's feet from -the ground, and in another moment he was hoisted over Amory's hip to his -left front and deposited on his back. - -"Excellent! Excellent!" cried Mr. Kishimaru. - -"Just what I tried to do with big Heneky, and came bash to the ground -with him on top of me," said Randall. "But it's knack, not strength. -I'm heavier than Amory. Show me the trick." - -Mr. Kishimaru placed them again in position, showed Randall how to get -advantage in the preliminary grip, and left them. In a few seconds Amory -was thrown. - -"You have it, Mr. Randall," said the Japanese, rubbing his hands with -pleasure. "It is like a problem in chess: white to play and mate in -three moves. It is inevitable, given the position; it is mathematics, -mechanics, applied to the muscular human frame..." - -"That's all right, old chap," interrupted Randall. "Knack, I call it. -Once more, Amory, then I must be off." - -But at the third attempt he failed, and he would not be satisfied until -he had performed the feat three times in succession. Then, looking at -his watch, he found that he was too late for his train. - -"Can't be helped," he said. "I'll go down to-morrow. Come along to my -hotel, Amory: haven't said how-de-do yet. We'll have some grub and a -talk. But you've got to change. Can't wait. I'll do some shopping and -wire home to the governor; you'll find me at the Arundel. Dinner seven -sharp: don't be late." - -"The same old Randy!" thought Amory, smiling as he went into the house -to change. - -At seven o'clock he found Randall walking restlessly up and down in -front of the hotel. - -"Here you are. I've bagged a table. It's jolly to see you again -after--how long is it? Remember Shovel? He's got a commission in the -Fusiliers. Give me your hat. Want a wash? I landed yesterday; come -6000 miles, by Jove!" - -And so, darting from one subject to another, he led the way to the -coffee-room. Before the soup arrived he started again. - -"Heard the news right away in the backwoods. Lot of Germans and -Austrians in the camp. They began to crow. I slipped away; had to -tramp ten days to the rail. Gave a hint to the police, and hope all -those aliens are now in gaol. Extraordinary enthusiasm in Canada, old -chap. They wanted me to join their contingent, but I'd already applied -for a commission at home. People here seem to take things very coolly. -It'll be a bigger thing than they realise. And this rot in the papers -about the Germans' funk--running away, crying their eyes out! Stupid -nonsense, believe me. Had a letter in New York from my governor. Jolly -exciting voyage, I can tell you. All lights out; wireless going -constantly; alarm one night: German cruiser fifty miles away. We all -crowded on deck. By and by lookout signalled a vessel. We held our -breath: turned out to be a British cruiser. Captain gave our skipper -instructions for the course. We took ten days instead of five. What'll -you drink?" - -Amory having intimated his modest choice Randall went on: - -"Things'll have to wake up here. My governor's men are a lot of -rotters. Wrote me that out of five hundred or so only about a dozen had -'listed. Disgraceful, I call it. I'd sack 'em, but I know the governor -won't; he's against compulsion. I'm going down to-morrow to stir 'em -up. Haven't come 6000 miles for nothing. By the way, what are you -doing? You were a sergeant in the O.T.C. Of course you'd get a -commission right away. I shall never forget your cheek. Nearly died of -laughing when you went up to the O.C. and asked him to make you a -corporal. 'What for?' says he. 'I've been a private long enough, sir,' -says you, as cool as you please. But I say, what are you doing?" - -"I've been rather seedy," said Amory, amused at his friend's chatter, -but not yet disposed to tell him that he had already seen service in -Belgium. - -"But you're fit now, eh? You'll apply?" - -"Yes, I suppose I shall." - -"Why, hang it all, man, why suppose? They're awfully slow at the War -Office. I applied at once; passed the doctor and all that. I shan't -wait much longer. There's a Public School Corps forming; I shall join -that. I daresay they'll give me a platoon. I say, why not join too? -We're sure to find a lot of our old fellows in it; we might make up a -company. I hate waiting about. What do you say?" - -"I'll think it over." - -"Oh, I say, man, what rot! I tell you I've come 6000 miles to join. -You used to be keen enough." A cloud of disappointment, almost of -affront, hovered upon his face. Then suddenly he flashed a look of -mingled horror and disgust at his friend. "You don't tell me you're a -professional footballer?" he muttered. - -"No, no," replied Amory with a laugh. "Don't be alarmed, Randy; I shan't -sit at home and read the papers." - -"That's all right, then. But do make up your mind, there's a good chap. -I tell you what, what's your address? I'll wire you to-morrow when I've -had a go at the governor's men. Twelve out of five hundred!--no wonder -the poor old governor is biffy. It's a disgrace. Well, I'll wire you; -let you know how I get on as a recruiting officer. Then we'll meet -somewhere. Find out the headquarters of the Public School Corps, will -you? and make up your mind to join that with me. It won't spoil your -chance of a commission--perhaps hurry it up. Anyway, it will be jolly to -be together.... Waiter, bring me some more of that souffle. You don't -get things like that in the backwoods, Amory." - - - - - CHAPTER II - - SHARE AND SHARE ALIKE - - -Kenneth on his way home looked in at the doctor's. An attack of -influenza after his return from Belgium had pulled him down, and he had -put off joining the army until assured of his complete recovery. As he -put it to the doctor: "A crock would be no use to K. of K." - -"You'll do," said the doctor after thoroughly overhauling him. "All you -want is a little hardening up. I'll give you a prescription. The -open-air life of the army will do you good. And I wish you luck." - -Thus fortified, as soon as he got home he posted an application for a -commission in the Flying Corps. - -Next day, soon after lunch, he received a telegram from Randall. - -"No go. Slackers. Mules. Governor mad. Come and lend a hand." - -He handed the telegram to his mother. - -"What does it mean?" she asked. "Your friend must be rather a curious -person." - -"Oh, it's just Randy," said Kenneth, who had told his mother of his -meeting with Randall on the previous day. "At school he always wanted -to lug everybody with him. I don't see what I can do. I'll wire him." - -He wrote on the reply-paid form: - -"Sorry. Not my line." - -Within a couple of hours came a second telegram. - -"Rotter. Writing." - -Next morning's post brought the letter. - -"You simply must come. What do you mean, not your line? How do you -know till you try? Here I've come 6000 miles--but I told you that -before. This is the situation. The governor is raving: never saw him -so biffy. He got a spouter down from London, who lectured the men in -the dinner-hour, waved a flag and all that. The men only jeered. -Governor says I'll only make them worse if I try; calls me a -scatter-brain; I assure you he's in a deuce of a wax. Used to be as -meek as Moses; wouldn't hear of compulsion; he's turned completely over, -talks of sacking the men, closing the works, conscription, and so on and -so forth. Something must be done. You were always a cool hand; come and -let's talk things over, at any rate: smooth the governor down; he won't -listen to a word from me, and in my opinion goes the wrong way to work. -I told him I was inviting you; best pal at school, cock of the House, -going to join with me: so on and so forth. He'll be glad to see you." - -"A very strange person," remarked Mrs. Amory when she had read the -letter. - -"Perhaps I had better go," said Kenneth. "Of course I can't do any good -with the men, but it will please Randy, and my being on the spot may -prevent him and his father from coming to loggerheads. They're both -peppery, evidently." - -Accordingly, Kenneth travelled by the 10.30 from St. Pancras, and -reached the small midland town in time for lunch. He saw at once that -Mr. Randall himself was at any rate partly responsible for this trouble. -A prosperous manufacturer, he was inclined to be dictatorial and was -certainly no diplomatist. Full of patriotic zeal himself, deploring the -fact that he was too old for active service, a special constable, an -energetic member of the local home defence corps, he had expected all -his able-bodied men to rush to the colours, promised to keep their -places for them, and to make up their pay for the sake of their -dependents. The paltry response filled him with fury. Without taking -the trouble to discover the cause of the general reluctance he poured -scorn upon the skulkers, talked of the white feather, tried to dragoon -them into volunteering, threatened to sack them or close the works, with -the result that the men stiffened their backs and defied him. Clearly -he did not know how to handle men in an emergency like the present. - -At lunch Kenneth tactfully listened to his host's outpourings, without -offering any criticism or suggestion. - -"Good man!" said Randall, when he and Kenneth were alone. "Let him blow -off! That's the way." - -"What have you done?" asked Kenneth. - -"Not much. I wanted to make a speech to the men, but the governor -wouldn't let me. Now, am I a scatter-brain? D'you think that's fair? -Anyway, I'm his son! But I spoke to old Griggs, our foreman; asked him -why the men won't enlist. ''Cos they're Englishmen,' says he. 'What's -the meaning of that?' says I. 'Won't be druv,' says he. 'Rather be led -by the nose,' says he." - -"What did he mean?" - -"Well, it appears that the fellows take their cue from two ringleaders. -One of them's a man named Stoneway, only been here about six months: I -don't know him. But I know the other chap--a carrot-headed fellow named -Murgatroyd; Yorkshire, I suppose: the men call him Ginger. He's been -with us years: came as a boy. A rough customer, I can tell you: a jolly -good workman, but a regular demon for mischief. All the same, you can't -help liking him. He's a sportsman, too: good at boxing, a first-class -forward, just the fellow you'd expect to be the first to go. Griggs -told me he didn't expect to see him back after his week's holiday in -August: but he turned up a day or two late, and backed up Stoneway -against the governor. He'll be sacked at the end of the week, sure as a -gun." - -"Those two are the men you must tackle, then," said Kenneth. "Bring -them round, and the rest will follow like sheep--or donkeys, 'led by the -nose,' as your Griggs says." - -"By the way, he told me the men are having a meeting in the yard at -tea-time to discuss the governor's threats. Shall we slip down and hear -what they have to say?" - -"Our appearance might shut them up." - -"Not if I know our men--free and independent, don't care a rap for -anyone: you know the sort. They'd take a huge delight in letting us -hear a few things about ourselves--idle rich, bloated capitalists and so -on: which reminds me that I've got about twopence halfpenny. We'll hear -them spout, and tackle Stoneway and Ginger quietly afterwards." - -Shortly after four o'clock the two friends strolled into the works yard. -Several hundreds of hands were there assembled, from engine boys and -apprentices to grey seasoned veterans. The most of them had tea cans, -some were smoking. At one end of the yard, standing on a tub, a stoutly -built man of about thirty, with close cropped hair and thick brown beard -and moustache, was haranguing the mob. - -Randall was recognised by some of the men, whose grins of greeting he -acknowledged with nods. A whisper ran round: "The young governor!" It -caught the ears of the man on the tub, who broke off his speech for a -moment and glanced sharply at the two tall figures on the outskirts of -the crowd. Then he resumed what was evidently a studied peroration. - -"Is this a free country, or is it not, mates?" he cried, with a sweeping -arm. "If a man wants to fight, let him; I won't say a word against it. -But when it comes to forcing him, then I say he's a slave, and all the -talk about Britons never will be slaves is blankety rot, and I say that -when an employer threatens to sack us or close the works because we -don't feel called on to turn ourselves into gun-fodder, I say he's a -nigger-driver and a tyrant. And what's it for? Are we invaded? I'd -defend my own home with any man. But what do we pay the navy for? -That's their job. What I say is, let the French and the Russians do -their own fighting. It's no business of ours." - -"What about Belgium?" cried one of the boys. - -"'What about Belgium?' says the nipper. What has Belgium done for us? -Perhaps the nipper will tell us. Speak up.... Not a word, and why? -Because Belgium has done nothing for us. Then I ask you in the name of -common sense why on earth we should do anything for Belgium? Belgium -has only herself to thank. The Germans have promised to leave Belgium -as soon as they have settled with the French, and even if they -don't----" - -"Way there!" shouted Randall, elbowing his way through the crowd. Cries -of "Way for the young governor!" drowned the speaker's voice. "Time's -up, Stoneway!" sang out the boy who had questioned him. Kenneth followed -his friend, hoping that he would be discreet. - -Stoneway descended from the tub, Randall mounted in his place. - -"Look here, men," he cried, "I came to listen, to get at your ideas, not -to speak, but I can't keep quiet when I hear such stuff. We're free men: -that's all right; but we're men of our word. An Englishman's word: you -know what people say about that. We've given our word to Belgium: if we -break it we're mean skunks, we're disgraced for ever. Besides, every -decent chap loathes a bully, and Germany's just a great hulking bully. -If you see a big chap hurting a little 'un, you want to knock him down. -My father tells me that only about a dozen of you have enlisted. What's -the reason of it? You'd feel jolly well insulted if I called you -cowards. Are all you hundreds going to skulk at home while your mates -do the fighting for you? What'll you feel like in ten years' time? You -won't be able to look 'em in the face. Here I've come 6000 miles to do -my bit; buck up and show what you're made of." - -Randall's words tumbled out in a boiling flood. There was some -cheering, mingled with cries of "Ginger!" which grew in volume until the -din was deafening. Presently there edged his way through the crowd a -thin lank fellow with lean clean-shaven cheeks, deeply furrowed, and a -touzled mop of reddish hair. A red scarf was knotted about his neck. -He slouched forward, hands in pockets, murmured "Afternoon, Mr. Harry," -as he passed Randall, mounted the tub, hitched up his breeches, drew the -back of his hand across his mouth, and looked round, with a grin, upon -his shouting fellow-workmen. The noise subsided, and the crowd gazed -expectantly up into their favourite's face. - -"We're all glad to see the young governor, mates," he said, in the broad -accents of a north-countryman. There was a volley of cheers. "But we -don't hold with him--and no offence. I hold with Stoneway--every word -of it." He thumped the air. "Who made this war? Not us: we wasn't -consulted. No: it was the nobs done it. Are we going to let 'em force -us into it?" (Shouts of "No!") "We won't be druv. It's all very well -for the officers: they get a comfortable billet and good pay. Tommy -gets the kicks and Percy gets the ha'pence." ("Go it, Ginger!") "Now, -Mr. Harry, you've come 6000 miles--what for, sir? an officer's job, I -take my oath." - -"That's true," said Randall. "I've applied. But----" - -"Hold on, sir. There you are! Just what I thought. Well, I ain't got -no personal objection to having a smack at the Germans; never seen a -German yet but what I'd give him one on the boko, and if Lord -Kitchener'd make me a lootenant or a capting in the Coldstream Guards, -with a sword and eppylets and ten bob a day--well, I don't say I -wouldn't consider it." ("Bravo, Ginger!") "But as it is, to be a -private on one bob a day, and dock threepence or more, they tell me, for -the missus and kids--I'm not having any." - -When the cheers that hailed his assertion had fallen away, Kenneth said -quietly: - -"You forget that thousands of men have thrown up good jobs and -sacrificed big incomes to join the ranks." - -"Not in these parts, governor. Down here they give their subscriptions -to this, that, and the other, and reduce their men's wages, if they -don't sack 'em. And if it comes to that, what have _you_ done?" - -A breathless silence settled upon the crowd. All eyes were fixed on the -young governor's friend, awaiting his reply to this poser. Kenneth had -an inspiration. - -"It doesn't matter what I've done," he said, quietly, but in a tone that -carried his words to the corners of the yard. "But I'll tell you what -I'll do, and if I know my friend Mr. Randall, he'll do the same. If you -men will enlist, we'll enlist with you, and share and share alike." - -The man was taken aback. He looked from Kenneth to Randall: his mates -watched him curiously. "One for you, Ginger!" cried the irrepressible -boy. - -"D'you mean that, sir?" asked the man. - -"Certainly," said Kenneth. - -"It's a firm offer, Ginger," added Randall. - -"Privates--no kid?" - -"A bob a day," said Kenneth. - -For a half-minute or so Ginger had the air of one who is caught out. He -looked round among his mates, grinning awkwardly, avoiding their eyes. -They were silent, watching him. All at once he burst into a guffaw, -wiped his mouth, and with frank good-humour cried: - -"Well, hanged if you ain't good sports. Come on, mates. Who's for -Kitchener's army and a smack at the Germans? I'm number one." - -The crowd was captured by the sporting spirit. Striking while the iron -was hot, Randall and Kenneth headed a procession to the recruiting -office. Mr. Randall, called to his window by the tramp of many feet and -the strains of "It's a long long way to Tipperary," was amazed to see -hundreds of his young workmen marching with linked arms behind the two -young fellows. He rang for Griggs. - -"What does this mean, Griggs?" he asked. - -"Gone to enlist, sir. We shall be very short-handed." - - - - - CHAPTER III - - STONEWAY ENLISTS - - -Mr. Randall pulled a wry face when he heard of Kenneth's impulsive -action. At the dinner-table he spoke his mind. - -"This won't do, you know. You are both certain to obtain commissions. -I don't object to your serving as Tommies for a week or two, for the -sake of example, you know; but I'm not going to allow you to let -yourself down permanently, Harry. Your friend, of course, can do as he -pleases." - -"I've promised, Father," said Harry. - -"Promised what, may I ask?" - -"To share and share alike with the men." - -"Fiddlesticks! It won't do. Good gracious, what are we coming to? The -whole social order will be destroyed. You'll succeed me at the head of -this business, when you've settled down and are a trifle less -scatter-brained than you are now. How in the world do you expect to -maintain the proper relation between employer and employed if you put -yourself on a level with the hands? Look at it logically. Take it that -I myself had been idiot enough to do as you've done, and put myself in -the position to be ordered about by some factory hand who happened to be -a sergeant, or some young whipper-snapper fresh from school who happened -to have got a commission: what would become of my authority, I should -like to know? How could I maintain control over my workmen? Do look at -it reasonably. It's preposterous." - -The idea of portly Mr. Randall as a Tommy was almost too much for the -boys' gravity. But Harry answered meekly: - -"Well, we've enlisted over a hundred men, and there'll be more -to-morrow. That's what you wanted, Dad, isn't it? You won't have to -close down now." - -"But I didn't want my son to consort with a lot of roughs--socialists, -too, to a man, by gad! You can't associate with such fellows without -getting coarsened, and besides, as I said before, it's the principle of -the thing--the principle of social order, caste, call it what you like. -Destroy caste, and you ruin old England. Come now, I'll see the -colonel, and he'll arrange to get you gazetted to the regiment. You'll -then be in a natural position of authority over my men, and I'll be -proud to think that my works has furnished a contingent to the New Army, -with my own son as one of the officers." - -"You ought to have lived in the middle ages, Dad," said Harry, -admiringly. "What a jolly old feudal chief you'd have been! But it -can't be done. Amory and I have thrown in our lot with the men, and -we'll stick it: we can't go back on our word." - -"I'll see that you have proper under-clothing, my dear," said Mrs. -Randall. "I'm told that some of the poor men have only one shirt." - -"Shirts!" cried Mr. Randall. "Oh, I'm out of all patience with you. Do -as you please, do as you please. I wash my hands of it. Don't expect -any sympathy from me if you are disgusted, horrified, in a week." - -As Harry had said, more than a hundred of the men had already given in -their names. Next day a still larger number volunteered, and when the -medical tests had been applied, it was found that the recruits from the -Randall works were enough to form a company. This accordingly was -scheduled as No. 3 Company in the 17th Service Battalion of a regiment -which, for reasons which will appear in the course of this narrative, we -shall know as the Rutland Light Infantry. - -Colonel Appleton, the officer commanding, sent for Harry and Kenneth in -the course of the day. - -"Look here, young fellows," he said, "you're both O.T.C. men, aren't -you?" - -They confessed that they were. - -"Well, I'm short of officers. They've sent me several boys without any -experience at all, who'll want a thundering lot of licking into shape. -I'll put you both down, glad to have somebody who knows something about -company drill." - -"Thank you, sir," said Harry, "but we only got the men to enlist by -promising to go in with them." - -"That's all very well, but nobody can object to promotion. The men will -think it the most natural thing in the world for you to officer them." - -The boys, however, persisted in their refusal. - -"Nonsense," said the colonel. "I'll give you twenty-four hours' leave -to think it over. There'll be nothing doing for a day or two. It's -chaos at present: no uniforms, no boots, no earthly thing. Come and see -me this time to-morrow, and tell me you've changed your mind." - -As they left, they saw Ginger and two or three other men on the opposite -side of the street, evidently on the watch for them. Ginger took his -hands out of his pockets, wiped his mouth, and came across the road. - -"Beg pardon, sir," he said to Harry, "but we only want to know where we -are. The question is, have we got to salute you, or ain't we?" - -"Of course not. That's a silly question. We're all Tommies together." - -"There you are, now, what did I say?" Ginger called to his mates. -"Unbelieving Jews they are," he added, addressing Harry. "Said it was -all kid, and you'd come out majors or lootenants or something. I knowed -better." - -"Make your minds easy on that score, Ginger. We've given our word." - -"That's a bob lost to Stoneway." - -"By the way, Stoneway hasn't enlisted, of course." - -"Not him! He bet you'd get yourselves turned into officers as soon as -you'd raked us in. That's a day's pay extra for me." - -"That fellow Stoneway is a bit of a riddle," said Kenneth as they passed -on. "Judging by his speech the other day, he's better educated than -most--a Scot perhaps; there's a sort of burr in his accent." - -"I daresay," replied his friend. "A fellow who likes the sound of his -own voice, I fancy. Cantankerous: always agin the Government; you know -the sort." - -"Well, old chap, as we've got twenty-four hours' leave I'll run up to -town and explain things to the mater, make a few business arrangements -and so on. I'll be back to lunch to-morrow." - -"All right. I suppose they'll put us in billets for the present, so -I'll arrange to have you billeted on the governor. He'll get seven bob -a day for the two of us; rather a rag, eh?" - -Kenneth was early at the station on his return journey next morning. -The platform was crowded, a good sprinkling of men in khaki mingling -with the civilian passengers always to be seen before the departure of a -north-going express. - -Standing at the bookstall, deliberating on a choice of something to -read, Kenneth heard behind him the accents of a voice which he had heard -so recently as to recognise it at once, though the few words he caught -were French. He glanced over his shoulder and was not surprised to see -Stoneway, the orator of Mr. Randall's yard. The man was walking up the -platform beside a companion somewhat older than himself, upon whose arm -he rested his hand as he spoke earnestly to him. - -"A French Socialist, I suppose," thought Kenneth. "One of the anti-war -people. Well, war is horrible, and I don't know I wouldn't agree with -them if they had the power to put a stop to it altogether. But they -haven't, and that French fellow had better realise that we've got to -lick the Germans first. I was evidently right about Stoneway: he's -better educated than most working men." - -He bought a magazine, and thought no more of the matter, seeing nothing -further of the two men. As he stepped into a first-class compartment he -smiled at the thought that it was probably the last time for many a long -day. Henceforth he was to be a "Tommy." - -Harry met him at the station. - -"Billets no go, old chap," was his greeting. "We're quartered in an old -factory--beastly hole. But I've told the colonel we're going to stick -it. Come along. They're going to serve out uniforms this afternoon; no -fitting required! You'll be rather difficult: average chest but extra -long arms. I suppose we might buy our own, but we'd better make shift -with the rest. And I say, who do you think we've got for one of our -officers?" - -"Who?" - -"You remember that squirt, Dick Kennedy?" - -"You don't say so!" - -"That's just what I do say. I was loafing about the barracks when he -came up to me, fresh as paint in his new uniform. 'What O, Randall!' -says he. 'You here, too? Ordered your kit, I suppose?' 'I believe -it's on order,' said I, and I saluted, just for the fun of the thing. -'Oh, I say, we don't do that to each other,' says he; 'we don't salute -anyone under a major, do we?' 'I don't want a dose of clink--already,' -said I. 'What on earth do you mean?' says he. Then I told him, and you -should have seen his face! He wouldn't believe me at first, and went as -red as a turkey-cock when I said I wouldn't mind earning half-a-crown -extra a week as his servant." - -"I always thought him a bit of an ass at school," said Kenneth, "but a -genial ass, you know. He wasn't in the O.T.C., and I expect we shall -have some sport with him." - -They went on to the large disused factory which had been turned into -barracks for the occasion. The quartermaster was superintending the -allocation of uniforms, and they were in due course fitted more or less -with khaki and boots. As yet there were no belts, bandoliers or rifles. - -The basement of the factory consisted of two large halls with bare brick -walls and concrete floors. One of them, to be used as a drill hall, was -empty. The other was fitted up with wooden frames to serve as sleeping -bunks. At one end was a platform on which stood a piano, and one of the -recruits was laboriously thumping out a rag-time. Another was playing a -different tune on a penny whistle. At one corner four men were absorbed -in halfpenny nap; elsewhere groups were amusing themselves in various -ways. - -Kenneth and his friend joined one of these. There was a little -stiffness at first. The workmen, ranging in years from nineteen to -thirty-five or so, were a little shy and subdued in the company of the -"young governor." But the ice was broken when Ginger came up, his -square mouth broadened in a grin. He was about to touch his cap to -Harry, but altered his mind when he remembered the situation, and wiped -his lips instead. - -"Bet you don't never guess," he said. - -"What's up, Ginger?" asked his mates in chorus. - -"Why, Stoneway--he's been and gone and done it." - -"What's he been and gone and done? Not done himself in?" - -"Course not! Think he's broke his heart 'cause of losing us, then? No -fear! He's 'listed, that's what he's done." - -"Garn!" - -"True as I'm standing here. He's 'listed right enough. He's got a -chest on him too; forty inches, doctor said. He's been and got shaved; -he'll be along here presently. His beard, that is. We can let our -moustaches grow now, if we like." He rubbed his upper lip. -"Hair-brush, that's what it is. Bet a penny it's as good as Stoneway's -under six weeks." - -"But what's he 'listed for, after all his jaw?" asked one of the men. - -"Converted, that's what he is," Ginger replied. "Seen the error of his -ways, or else he's so sweet on me he couldn't bear the parting. 'You -made me love you, I didn't want to do it,'" he hummed. "This here khaki -looks all right, mates, don't it? Matches my hair. Here, old -cockalorum," he shouted to the man at the piano, "we've had enough of -that there funeral march. Play more cheerful, or we'll all be swimming -in our tears." - -Ginger's high spirits were infectious, and the group of which Kenneth -and Harry formed a part chatted and laughed away the afternoon. - -Just before ten o'clock they were arranging their simple beds on the -frames when a chorus of yells, cat-calls, whistles, and other discordant -noises caused them to look around the hall. Stoneway had just made his -appearance. It was a different Stoneway. The brown beard was gone, the -long and flourishing moustache had been clipped to bristly stiffness, -revealing heavy lips and a full round chin. The man bore his uproarious -greeting with a defiant glare, and only looked annoyed when Ginger -shouted: - -"Smart, ain't he? Doesn't look so much like a blinky German, does he?" - -The bugle sounded the Last Post, the electric light was switched off, -and the five hundred men of the 17th Rutland Light Infantry clambered -into their bunks and sought repose. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - THREE ROUNDS - - -At six o'clock next morning sergeant-majors and corporals went round the -hall stirring up the sleepers. There were groans and grumbles, but the -men turned out, and there was a general dash for the washing basins--one -among twenty men--and a free fight for the razors. Our two friends had -brought their own safeties and pocket mirrors, and when they had -finished operating upon their downy cheeks there was a competition among -their new messmates for the loan of those indispensable articles. - -"Your bristles will ruin a blade in no time, Ginger," said Harry, as he -handed over the razor, somewhat ruefully. - -"Perseverance, that's all you want," replied Ginger, through the lather. -"Yours 'll be as hard as mine in time." - -At half-past six each man seized a mug and rushed off to the cook-house -across the yard for cocoa. They sat about the hall, swilling the -morning beverage, grumbling at the blankets, asking one another who'd be -a soldier; then they rubbed up their boots and made their beds, and were -ready for the seven o'clock parade. - -Dressed only in their shirts and slacks they formed up in the -drill-hall. There was a good deal of disorder, and the N.C.O.'s, in -early-morning temper, roared above the din. It happened that Dick -Kennedy was orderly officer for the week. When the men were at last -ranged in ranks, dressed, and numbered by the sergeants, he posted -himself in front and, with a nervous twitching of the lips, said -gently-- - -"Battalion, 'shun!" - -"Louder, louder!" whispered a fellow-officer who had come up behind him. -"This isn't a mothers' meeting." - -The second lieutenant tried again. - -"Battalion, 'shun! Advance in fours from the right. Form fours!" - -Some of the men knew what to do, but many of the new recruits looked -about them blankly. - -"You don't know the movements?" said the lieutenant. "Well, when I say -'form fours,' even numbers take one pace to the left with the left foot -and one pace to the right with the right. Now, form fours!" - -The result was disorder--jostling in the ranks, cries of "Who're you -a-shoving of!" - -"Sorry! My mistake!" said Kennedy, with a smile. "We'll try again. I -should have said, 'one pace to the rear with the left foot.' Now then, -form fours!" - -His cheerfulness won the men's sympathy, and the order being now -correctly carried out, one or two of them cheered. - -"Silence in the ranks!" roared Kennedy. "Right! Quick march!" and the -battalion marched off. - -The day's work began with a run for three-quarters of an hour, to the -bank of a river some two miles away. A "run" so called, for it -consisted of slow and quick march and doubling in turn. At eight -o'clock they were back in the hall for breakfast: tea, bread and bacon, -sausage or cheese. The provisions were good, the men had healthy -appetites, and at 9.15, when the battalion orders of the day were read, -they were contented and cheerful. - -Marching out to the parade ground, a field in the neighbourhood, they -spent an hour in physical drill under experienced N.C.O. instructors, -and then a couple of hours in company drill. Dismissed at 12.15, they -met again for dinner at 1, a plentiful meal of meat pie and vegetables. -Then came a route march and extended order drill, tea at 4.30, with jam -and tinned fruits, and at 5.30 company lectures. - -"It'll be rummy to hear Kennedy lecture," said Harry, sitting beside -Kenneth on the form. "I wonder what he'll spout about." - -"Poor chap!" said Kenneth. "I'm beginning to think the Tommies haven't -the worst of it. Keep a straight face whatever he says." - -Somewhat to his surprise, when Kennedy appeared the men were at once -silent. The habit of discipline was strong in those who had already -served in the Regulars or the Territorials; the recruits were interested -in the novel circumstances, and subdued by the indefinable influence of -constituted authority. - -"Now, men," began Kennedy, unfolding his notes and studiously avoiding -the eyes of his old school-fellows, "I'm going to say a few words to you -on Feet." - -"My poor tootsies!" murmured one of the men. - -"We have all got feet," Kennedy went on, "but do we all know how to use -them?" - -"Give us a ball and we'll show you, sir," cried a voice. - -"Well, I hope we'll have some footer by and by, but that's not the -present question. We have just done a ten-mile walk. Two or three of -you fell out, two or three were limping before we got back. Why was -that?" - -"'Cos we ain't used to it, sir," said one of the unlucky ones. - -"Ate too much pie and 'taters, sir," cried another. - -"Got a corn inside o' my toe," said a third. - -"Well, we'll leave out greediness for the present: that's a moral defect -which perhaps one of the senior officers will deal with. We'll confine -our attention to the proper care of the feet." - -And he went on to give some simple and practical advice as to bathing, -greasing, methods of hardening, until six o'clock struck, and the men -were dismissed until first post at 9.30. - -"Call that a lecture!" scoffed Stoneway, when the officer had gone. -"Does he take us for an infant school? Giving us pap like that!" - -"You shut your face!" said Ginger. "The young feller spoke downright -good common sense, much better 'n you'd expect from a chap as went to -one of them there public schools. He said a thing or two I didn't know, -nor you either, Stoneway. 'Course he didn't go to the root of it; -dursn't cry stinking fish. What's the root? Why, boots. These 'ere -things they've gi'en us, they're no good. They're made to raise -blisters, they are, and they'll just mash when we get the rain." - -"They're only temporary, I believe," said Kenneth, "till the factories -can turn out army boots in sufficient quantities." - -"That's the English Government all over," said Stoneway, with a sneer. -"Nothing ready: no boots, no rifles----" - -"Oh, stow it!" cried Ginger. "What did you 'list for if you're going to -grouse all the time? The worst of it is, you can't resign: we shall -have to put up with you, I s'pose, unless you mutiny, or strike your -superior officer, or do something else to get dismissed the army. Come -on, boys; let's go and see the pictures. We'll be back in time to draw -some soup from the cook-house, 8.30 to 9." - -That is a fair sample of the day's work during the next two or three -months. It was monotonous, but, during the dry autumn, healthy. When -the rainy weather set in, hardship began to be felt. The men often got -drenched to the skin; their temporary boots, as Ginger had foretold, -became pulp. The factory was bleak and draughty, in spite of its gas -stoves. There was a certain amount of sickness, and an increase in the -number of offenders to be dealt with every morning by the colonel. But -the men were well fed, and cheered by presents of tobacco and cigarettes -from kindly townsfolk; and many wet, dull evenings were enlivened by -concerts and entertainments got up by friends of the officers. - -Kenneth and Harry steadfastly declined offers of promotion as N.C.O.'s, -but owing to their knowledge of drill they were made right and left -guides of their platoon. They bought a football, and got up -inter-company matches in which No. 3 Company distinguished itself. -Indeed, both in work and play No. 3 Company became the crack company of -the battalion. The captain, an old army man who had been retired some -years and was some little time picking up the details of the new drill, -was a good sportsman and a hard worker, and by the end of January the -company was thoroughly efficient and knit together by that esprit de -corps which is the soul of fighting men. - -Then came vaccination and inoculation. Stoneway was the ringleader of a -little group that declined the doctor's attentions, to the disgust of -Ginger and the majority. - -"You're a traitor, that's what you are," said Ginger to Stoneway when -the latter flatly declined to be poisoned, as he put it. "You'll go and -catch some rotten disease or other and give it to us." - -"This is a free country," retorted Stoneway. "And as to you, you're a -turncoat. Weren't you always spouting against the war? Didn't I back -you up? Who caved in as meek as a lamb?" - -"Well, you followed along with the other sheep, didn't you? What you -joined for goodness only knows. You're always grousing about something -or other. Bacon's too fat, then it's too lean; cheese is dry, then it's -damp; you pick out little bits of lead out of the pear gravy, and spread -'em round your plate and put on a face like a holy martyr. You sit at -lecture with a snigger on your ugly mug; the pianner's out of tune; -nobody can sing for nuts; _you_ take jolly good care you don't do -nothing to amuse the company. Nothing's right; you always know better -'n anyone else; lummy, I believe you think you ought to be capting, if -not commander-in-chief. What did you join for, that's what I want to -know. I tell you straight, we've had enough of your grousing. Why -don't you take your grumbles to the officers? 'Any complaints?' says -they when they come round inspecting; why don't you speak up like a man? -No fear; you ain't got a word to say. All you can do is to growl when -they ain't by, and try to make yourself big before all the dirty swipes -of the regiment. Why, look at the other night, when they gave the -alarm, and we was all confined to barricks: what did you do then? When -all those nice young ladies came with their fiddles and things and sang -and played to us proper, gave us fags all round, too, you must get up in -a corner with your dirty lot and make such a deuce of a row we couldn't -hear a word of 'Dolly Grey'--my favourite song, too! If I'd been -colonel I'd have given you a good dose of clink straight away, and so -now you know it." - -Ginger had fairly let himself go, and the applause that followed his -speech showed that he voiced the opinion of the majority. Stoneway made -no reply, but gradually edged away. - -This was the culmination of an estrangement which had been developing -between the two men ever since the company was formed. Whatever had -brought them together previously, their enlistment had sundered them -completely. Ginger, whose backing Stoneway had been wont to count on in -any attack on authority, was now the most orderly as well as the -cheeriest man in the company. He passed off with a jest every hardship -of that trying winter. "Think of those poor chaps in the trenches," he -would say, if someone complained of the cold or a wetting. Stoneway -clearly resented his change of spirit, though it was a puzzle to the -better disposed among the men why he could have expected a display of -insubordination from these enthusiastic recruits in the New Army. - -It must be admitted that Ginger took no pains to conciliate his old -companion. He did not launch out again into invective, but assumed the -still more irritating airs of a humorous observer. From time to time he -let fall a jesting word that had a sting, and took a delight in chaffing -Stoneway in the presence of other men. And since Stoneway himself -turned out to be no match for Ginger in these little bouts of wordy war, -and Ginger always managed to keep his temper, Stoneway became more and -more furious, and fell to meditating reprisals. - -One Saturday afternoon, after a more than usually smart exchange of -banter on the one hand and abuse on the other, Ginger was sent by the -quartermaster to a farm some two miles away to fetch the balance of a -quantity of butter which had not been completely delivered. - -"Just my luck!" said Ginger, in the hearing of a group that included -Kenneth and Harry. "It won't break my back, but I'd rather carry it two -yards than two miles. However!" - -"I'm off duty presently," said Kenneth, "and I'll come part of the way -to meet you and lend you a hand." - -"You're a white man," said Ginger. "Well, so long." - -Some little while afterwards Kenneth and Harry started together by a -footpath across fields to the farmhouse. They had not gone far when -they caught sight of a figure in khaki about half a mile ahead, going in -the same direction as themselves. It was soon lost to sight behind a -hedge. - -The path led over a hill that descended steeply on the farther side. On -reaching the top they saw two men in khaki at the foot of the slope -below them. One of them was Ginger, who had dropped his wicker basket -on the grass and stood with arms akimbo facing the other man, now -recognisable by his burly frame as Stoneway. Ginger, slim and wiry, -looked insignificant by comparison. - -Just as Kenneth and Harry caught sight of the men, Stoneway lifted his -fist and with a sudden swift blow that took Ginger unawares sent him -head over heels. Ginger was up in an instant, and after skipping about -on his short legs for a few moments, made a rush at his opponent. -Stoneway staggered, but recovered himself immediately, clinched, and -profiting by his superior height and weight threw Ginger heavily, and -not being able to disengage himself, fell with him. The two men heaved -and twisted in a fierce struggle on the ground. Then Stoneway dragged -himself away, rose, and Kenneth, now running down the hill, saw him -deliberately kick the prostrate body of his apparently senseless -comrade. - -"You cad!" shouted Kenneth, with Harry hard on his heels; "what do you -mean by that foul play?" - -Stoneway, too much preoccupied to be aware of the approach of observers, -growled something under his breath, and was making off sullenly. - -"No you don't!" cried Kenneth, seizing him. "Just have a look at -Ginger," he added to Harry. - -Ginger, pale and shaken, sat up and smiled feebly. - -"Time?" he said. "I'll have another round." - -"Not a bit of it," said Harry. "He kicked you on the ground. Didn't -you know? It was foul play. What was it all about?" - -"I didn't kick him," muttered Stoneway. - -"That's a lie. I saw you do it," said Kenneth. "What's the row, -Ginger?" - -"Well, what you may call a bit of a shindy," Ginger replied. "Just -between ourselves, like. I'm ready for another go." - -"No. Come, out with it, man." - -"Well, I was traipsing along with that there basket on my head when up -he comes and starts rounding on me for chipping him. 'I'm not having any -truck with grousers,' says I. Then we had a few words, and he got me -one afore I was ready, that I own. But I can't hardly believe he kicked -me when I was down, and a bit dazed like." - -"He did. You take a rest and recover: we'll settle with him." - -"What are you talking about?" Stoneway blustered. - -"Giving you a hiding. Off with your coat," said Kenneth. "You'll see -fair play, Harry." - -"I say, this is my job," said Harry. "You've been on the sick list." - -"I'm all right." - -"No, really." - -"Well, don't let's waste time. I'll toss you for it." - -And while Stoneway looked on in amazement, Kenneth spun a coin, won, -stripped off his tunic and rolled up his shirt sleeves. - -"Two to one against the big 'un," cried Ginger, with a grin of delight. - -Seeing there was no help for it, Stoneway slowly took off his tunic. - -"And mind you fight fair," Harry warned him, "or I promise you I'll take -a hand myself." - -The two men faced each other. They presented a striking contrast. -Stoneway was slightly the taller and much the heavier; his big chest -bulged under his shirt, and his biceps were thick. But Harry, scanning -him keenly, noting his fleshiness, decided that his muscles were rather -flabby than hard; and observing Kenneth's slighter but well-knit frame, -and remembering his promise as a boxer at school, felt pretty confident -of the result. - -After the first few exchanges he was more doubtful. Stoneway had a -longer reach, and was clearly accustomed to the use of his fists. At -the start he forced the fighting, trying to get a knock-out blow, and -Kenneth needed all his skill to meet his bull-like rushes and -sledge-hammer strokes. He managed to land one punishing body-blow that -would have shaken up a smaller man, but Stoneway recovered himself -quickly, and the first round ended with little damage on either side -except that Stoneway found himself somewhat winded. - -The combatants had now taken each other's measure. In the second round -Kenneth in his turn adopted forcing tactics, bewildering his opponent by -the whirlwind rapidity of his attack and his elusiveness in defence. -Stoneway began to realise that he had met more than his match. He -breathed heavily; his fat cheeks took on a yellowish tinge; and the end -of the round found him with a bigger nose and a bump over his right eye, -and greatly distressed in wind. - -"Next round finishes him," whispered Harry, as he wiped Kenneth's face. - -The third round was in fact conclusive. Stoneway made a desperate rush, -stopped by a neat upper cut, and before he could recover he was hurled -to the ground by a blow above the heart that might have finished a -professional pugilist. - -"Now you'll apologise to Ginger," said Kenneth, as Stoneway slowly -picked himself up. - -But Stoneway scowled out of his damaged brows, put on his tunic in -silence, and walked away without uttering a word. - -It was much to Ginger's credit that not a man in the battalion ever -discovered how Stoneway had come by his bruises. There was an end alike -to his grumbling and to Ginger's rough banter. But there was an end, -too, to all show of friendliness between them. They never spoke to each -other, and Stoneway was always careful to keep out of Kenneth's way. - - - - - CHAPTER V - - THE BACK OF THE FRONT - - -The slow wet winter dragged itself out. The training went on, fair -weather or foul. The 17th Rutland Light Infantry got their service boots -in due time, but other details of their equipment were slow to arrive. -Presently they received enough rifles and entrenching tools for half the -battalion, and the ordinary drill and physical exercises, which Kennedy -had privately confided to Amory "bored him stiff," was varied with -musketry practice and digging trenches. There were long marches, -semaphore practice, sham fights, night operations; day by day the men -gained new knowledge of their trade. More rifles came, this time with -bayonets; bayonet exercise and practice in attack gave further variety -to their work. At last, towards the end of February, the whole battalion -was fully equipped, and the men grew excited at the prospect of going to -the front. - -It was a great moment when the colonel gave them a few hours' notice of -entrainment. Lusty cheers broke from a thousand throats; the longed-for -day had come at last. Crowds of townsfolk assembled at the station to -see them off, but they were quiet, serious crowds, the women's faces -tense with anxiety, the children unwontedly subdued. It was no picnic -for which these sturdy Englishmen were setting out. Everybody was now -aware of the greatness of the struggle, the bravery and tenacity of the -enemy, the scientific skill and terrible thoroughness with which the -Germans had prepared through many years for this attempt to seize the -mastery of the world. Hearts were full as the men stepped blithely into -the long train; how many of them would return, and of these, how many -would be sound and strong? - -Their immediate destination was known to none except the commanding -officer. When, after a tiring journey, with much shunting and -side-tracking, the men were finally detrained at a small station in the -south of England, with no sign of sea or transports, there was a general -feeling of surprise and disappointment. They were marched to a wide -barren plain, peppered with tents and huts, and here, it became known by -and by, they were to spend a month or more in further training. - -Even Ginger for once became a grouser. - -"I've had about enough of this," he growled. "What's the good of it -all?" - -"Discipline, Ginger," said Kenneth. - -"Discipline! That's obedience, ain't it? Well, I ask you, don't we do -as we're told like a lot of school kids? I'm sure I'm as meek as Moses. -Never thought I could be so tame. I've quite lost my character, and if -ever I get back to the works I'll have to go a regular buster, or else -I'll be one of the downtrodden slaves of the capitalist." - -"I don't think so badly of you," said Kenneth, with a smile. "But -discipline is more than obedience. Between you and me, I think this -extra training is as much for the officers' sake as ours. The British -officer leads, you see. He knows we'll obey orders; he has to make sure -that he gives the right orders. If he didn't there'd be an unholy mess: -we should lose confidence in him, and the game would be up. We've got -to work together like a football team, every man trusting every other; -and that's what all this drilling and training is for." - -"I daresay you're in the right," said Ginger. "I wasn't thinking of -them young officers! They're a good lot, though, ain't they? I don't -know what it is, but there's something about 'em--why, Mr. Kennedy now, -he's ten years younger than me, and yet somehow or other he manages me -like as if I was a baby. And no bounce about it either; I wouldn't -stand bounce from any man, officer or not. But he don't bounce; he -speaks as quiet as a district visitor; but somehow--well, you feel -you've just _got_ to do what he says, and you'd be a skunk if you -didn't. I don't understand it, I tell you straight." - -Kenneth did not speak the thought that arose in his mind, but he warmed -to this testimonial from the British working-man to the British -public-school boy. - -There came a day, about the middle of March, when the battalion was once -more entrained. This time the men took it more quietly: the first -disappointment forbade them to set their hopes too high. It was dark -when the train reached its destination; the lights on the platform were -dim; but one of the men shouted, "A ship, boys!" as he got out of his -compartment, and a thrill of excitement ran through the crowd. - -They were in fact at the dock station at Southampton, and a big -transport vessel lay alongside. Many of the men had never been on the -sea before. Ginger looked a little careworn, and confessed to Kenneth -that he felt certain he was going to be sick. The night was nearly gone -when all the men were aboard. Some lay down in their overcoats; others -remained on deck, irked by the impossibility of satisfying their -curiosity about the vessel. - -At daybreak the ship cast off and steamed slowly through the fairway of -Southampton Water towards the open sea. It was a bright calm morning, -and the men watched with fascinated eyes the ripples glistening in the -sunlight, the various shipping, the shores receding behind them. And -presently, when they had rounded the north-east corner of the Isle of -Wight, and the course was headed southward across the Channel, they -burst into cheers when they caught sight of the low lean shapes of -destroyers on either side of them. - -"What price submarines to-day!" cried one of the men. - -"Ain't got an earthly," remarked another. - -"Don't believe there are none," said a third. "Our men in blue have -sunk 'em all long ago." - -"How are you getting on, Ginger?" asked Kenneth. - -Ginger was half lying on his back, gripping a stanchion, and looking -straight ahead with nervous anticipation. - -"Is it much farther?" he asked. - -"Nothing to speak of. The Channel's as calm as a millpond." - -"It may be, but the ship ain't. She's very lively. All of a shake, she -is. Takes a lurch for'ard, then backs a bit, seemingly, then another -lurch. It ain't what I'm used to. It worries the inside of me. I want -to say 'Whoa, steady!' like I do to the donkeys at fair time. And it -gives me the needle to see that there Stoneway sticking hisself out as -if he was driving the bally ship. It don't seem fair, a big chap like -him taking it so easy when he's got twice as much as me to lose." - -"Well, you won't lose much if you keep still," said Harry, laughing at -the man's woe-begone face. "It's quite certain you couldn't have a -calmer crossing." - -Ginger's alarms were needless. When the cliffs of France hove in sight -he got up and leant over the rail, eagerly watching the advancing -coast-line. - -"That's France, is it?" he remarked. "I don't see much difference. I -can't understand why the folks over there don't speak English, when they -live so close. I reckon we'll learn 'em afore we get back." - -The red and blue roofs of Boulogne became distinct. Presently the -vessel rounded the breakwater and manoeuvred herself alongside the quay. -There was scarcely anything to show that the men had actually arrived in -France. Khaki predominated on the quay; an English voice hailed the -skipper through a megaphone; a blue-grey motor omnibus with the windows -boarded up and the words "Kaiser's coffin" chalked on the sides stood on -the road. - -No time was lost in disembarkation. The men were marched across the -railway lines to a train in waiting. Ginger, with Kenneth, Harry, and -half a dozen more, got into a compartment labelled "Defense de fumer," -and started lighting up at once. - -"We'll defend it all right," said Ginger, "but the rest is spelt wrong." - -"It means you mustn't smoke," said Kenneth. - -"Well, that's a good 'un! What do they take us for? Any gentleman -object?" - -"No!" yelled in chorus. - -"I didn't half think so." - -The train rumbled away eastward, and the men scanned the bare country -from the windows, remarking on its dreary character, scarcely relieved -by the pollard willows that raised their naked boughs against the grey -sky. By and by they got out at a small station, and marched along a -straight road between rows of trees to a country village. They kept to -the right side; the other was busy with empty supply wagons, lorries of -familiar appearance, now and then a mud-caked motor car. - -Some officers had gone on ahead to arrange billets. Arriving at the -village, the majority of the men were accommodated in the barn and -outbuildings of a large farm, a few in separate cottages. Kenneth, with -Harry and Ginger and other men of their platoon found themselves -allotted to a labourer's cottage, where shake-downs of clean straw had -been laid on the floors of a couple of rooms. A road divided their -billet from the garden of a good-sized house, in which quarters had been -found for two or three of the officers. - -Apart from the traffic on the road there was as yet no sign of war. No -sound of guns broke the stillness of the spring afternoon. But it had -become known that the firing line was only a few miles ahead, and the -men were all agog with expectation of an early call to the trenches. - -It soon appeared, however, that they were not yet to enter upon the real -work of war. Rumour had it that Sir John French was waiting for further -reinforcements before pursuing the forward movement recently started at -Neuve Chapelle. Day after day passed in exercising, marching, -practising operations in the field. Word came of other regiments -pouring across the Channel and occupying other villages and towns behind -the firing line. All day long they heard the distant bark of guns, and -saw too frequently the swift passage of motor ambulances conveying their -sad burdens to the coast. When off duty they strolled about the village, -making friends of the hospitable villagers, romping with the children, -playing football, cheerful, light-hearted, scarcely alive to the -actualities of the desperate work in which they were so eager to engage. - -One day a trifling incident occupied Kenneth's attention for a moment. -He happened to have gone into a little shop to buy cakes for the -children of the good people upon whom he was billeted. Several of the -men were there making purchases, and one of them was vainly trying to -explain his wants to the shopkeeper. Stoneway was standing by. Kenneth -translated for his baffled comrade; then, suddenly remembering what he -had overheard on the platform at St. Pancras station, he said to him: - -"Why didn't you ask Stoneway to help you? He speaks French." - -Stoneway looked astonished and startled, but said at once: - -"Me! I know a word or two, but you can't call it speaking French. I -couldn't do it." - -Kenneth said no more, though his recollection of the energetic -conversation at the station was very clear, and he wondered why the man -had denied his accomplishment. - -There was only one opinion of the kindness and hospitality of the -villagers, and the men were particularly enthusiastic about the owner of -the house across the road. Far from limiting himself to the sumptuous -entertainment of the officers billeted on him, he went out of his way to -lavish attentions on the soldiers, making them presents of cigarettes, -and treating them to the wine of the country. The village had not -suffered from the ravages of war, though the Germans had occupied it for -a few days during their rush towards Calais; but it harboured many -refugees from towns and villages farther eastward, and these were -supported by the benevolent owner of the large house, who maintained a -sort of soup kitchen where the homeless people could obtain free -rations. - -One evening, when Kenneth and his comrades were at supper in their -host's capacious kitchen, the talk turned on Monsieur Obernai, "the -mounseer over the way," as Ginger called him, "one of the best." Jean -Bonnard, the cottager, and his wife took their meals with their guests, -and chatted freely to Kenneth and Harry, the only men who knew enough -French to understand them. Kenneth repeated in French what Ginger had -said. - -"Ah yes, monsieur," said Bonnard. "Monsieur Obernai is a good man. You -see, he is from Alsace, and has reason to hate the Germans." - -"All the same, I don't like him," said his wife, pressing her lips -together. - -"That is a point on which we don't agree," said Bonnard, with a smile. -"Just like a woman! She doesn't like him, but she can't say why." - -"You hear him!" said madame. "Just like a woman! As if a woman was not -always right!" - -"But you have a reason, madame?" said Harry. - -"Bah! I leave reasons to men; I have my feelings." - -Bonnard shrugged his shoulders. - -"Well, mon amie," he said, "I can put my reasons into words, see you. -Monsieur Obernai came here from Alsace five or six years ago. He could -not stand the Germans, so he sold his property and came and settled -here, and he has been a good friend to the village, that you cannot -deny. A very quiet man, too; he lives all alone with an old housekeeper -and a couple of servants, and makes himself very pleasant. When our two -boys went off to the war, didn't he give them warm vests and stuff their -haversacks with cigarettes?" - -"Yes, he was good to our poor boys," admitted the good woman grudgingly, -"but I don't like him all the same. I don't like his voice; it makes me -shrivel." - -"A man speaks with the voice God gave him," said her husband. "As for -me, I look at what a man does, and don't trouble myself about his voice. -And after all, it is not a bad voice." - -"Smooth as butter," rejoined the woman. "But there, we shall never -agree, mon ami. Get on with your soup." - -After supper, some of the men settled down to write home. The postal -regulations annoyed Ginger. - -"I'm a poor hand at writing," he said, "and I don't see why I shouldn't -send my love to my wife and kids on one of these here postcards. It -ain't enough for a letter; yet if I put it on the postcard they'd -destroy it, they say. What for, I'd like to know?" - -"It does seem hard lines," said Kenneth, "but I suppose it's to ease the -censors' work. They've an enormous number of cards to look over, and -they'd never get done if they had to read a lot of stuff." - -"'Love' 's a little word; that wouldn't hurt 'em. Still, rules is -rules, no doubt." - -He proceeded to cross out several sentences on the official postcard -provided, leaving only "I am quite well" and adding his signature and -the date. - -Presently the post corporal came to collect the letters and cards. - -"Captain wants you, Murgatroyd," he said. - -"Going to give you your stripe at last, Ginger," said Harry. - -"I shouldn't wonder," said Ginger, grinning as he went out. - -When he returned, twenty minutes later, the expression on his face -checked the congratulations that rose to his comrades' lips. His -features were grimly set, and he went to his place by the fire without -uttering a word. - -"No luck, Ginger?" said one of the men indiscreetly. - -"Shut up!" growled Ginger, lighting his pipe. - -Nothing would induce him to explain why he had been sent for, or the -reason of his annoyance. He was one of the best-behaved men in the -company, and it seemed unlikely that he had got into trouble without the -knowledge of the others. Wisely, they did not press him with questions, -expecting that he would tell them all in good time. - -Ginger's interview with Captain Adams had been a surprising one. - -"You know the post regulations, Murgatroyd?" said the captain. - -"Yes, sir." - -"Well, look at this postcard. Is that your signature?" - -"D. Murgatroyd; that's me, sir," said Ginger, after a glance at the -pencilled name. - -"What do you mean by writing the name of the place in invisible ink?" - -"Never did such a thing, sir. Don't know anything about invisible ink." - -"Well, how do you explain it, then? This card had the name written in -invisible ink. It was discovered by the Post Office in London, and -they've returned it for inquiries. What have you to say?" - -"What I said before, sir: I didn't do it." - -"You write to Henry Smith, 563 Pentonville Road?" - -"Never heard of him, sir." - -"What's the game, then? Go and fetch the post corporal," he said to his -servant. - -The man came in with a bundle of recently collected cards in his hand. - -"Look at this," said the captain, showing him the card in question. -"Did you get that from Murgatroyd?" - -"I couldn't say, sir; I get such a lot." - -"But you know his signature?" - -"I can't say I do, sir; but he has just written a card; perhaps you -would like to have a look at it." - -He searched his bundle, found the card and handed it to the captain, who -compared the two signatures. - -"This is very odd," he said. "They are very much alike, but there's a -slight difference in the shape of the y. It looks as though some one -were imitating your fist, Murgatroyd." - -"Yes, sir," said Ginger, stiffly. "I'd like to punch his head, sir," he -added, as the baseness of the trick struck him. - -"Well, we must find out who it is. Keep this to yourselves, men; he may -try it again and give us a chance to catch him. Not a word to anyone, -mind." - -Ginger saluted and returned to his billet, his indignation growing at -every step. - -The incident was discussed at the officers' mess that night. - -"Murgatroyd is straight enough," said Kennedy. "He's one of the best -men in my platoon. It's rather a mean trick." - -"And a senseless one," said the captain. "I'm inclined to think one of -the men must owe him a grudge, and want to get him into trouble." - -"What about the addressee?" asked another officer. "Who is Henry Smith, -of 563 Pentonville Road?" - -"The London people will keep him under observation, no doubt," said the -captain. "I told the post corporal to examine every batch carefully, and -see if there are any more addressed to the same person." - -Three days passed. No letters or cards addressed to Henry Smith were -discovered. On the third day a telegram from London was delivered to the -colonel. - -"Henry Smith gone, leaving no address. Report result of enquiry." - -After consulting Captain Adams the colonel telegraphed in reply that -Murgatroyd's signature appeared to have been forged, probably with the -intention of getting him into trouble, and that he was keeping a careful -watch on the correspondence. Ginger meanwhile had recovered his -spirits. He had been made a lance-corporal, and sewed the stripe on his -sleeve with ingenuous satisfaction. At the back of his mind was a -suspicion that Stoneway might have sought a mean revenge for his -thrashing by this use of invisible ink; but since the scheme had failed, -he resolved not to trouble his head about it. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - BAGGING A SNIPER - - -The village being within easy range of the German guns, its immunity -from bombardment struck the officers of the battalion as rather strange. -For a few days, it is true, the enemy might have been unaware that -British troops were in occupation; but a German aeroplane, a dove-winged -Taube, had been observed to fly over the place, and it could hardly be -doubted that information of their presence had been carried to -headquarters. All that the soldiers knew of warfare for two or three -weeks was the dull boom of distant guns, the passage of ambulances -occasionally and of supply wagons frequently, and the passing of railway -trains conveying new howitzers and field guns along the line a mile or -two away. - -The call to action came unexpectedly. One evening, just after supper, -the men were ordered to parade in full marching kit. They overflowed -from the little market square into the adjacent streets, and there they -were inspected by the colonel, who passed up and down the ranks with an -orderly carrying a lantern. - -When the inspection was finished, the colonel posted himself on a tub in -the middle of the square. It was a dark night, and the flickering light -of the lantern illuminated only the lower part of the colonel's body, -leaving his face in shade. - -"Now, men," he said, "we are going to take a spell in the trenches. We -have several miles to march; there must be no straggling, or you'll -pitch into Jack Johnson holes in the road. No talking, no smoking. I -know you'll give a good account of yourselves. We're a new battalion; -we've got to make our name; and by George, we'll do it!" - -The platoon commanders stifled an incipient cheer, and the battalion -marched off into the night. - -Along the dark straight road they tramped, between lines of tall poplars -that raised their skeleton shapes against the sky. For a mile or two -nothing impeded their progress; then the advance guard came upon a deep -cavity extending half across the road, and two men were told off to warn -the succeeding ranks of the danger. Presently they passed through a -hamlet which had been shattered by the German artillery. The sides of -the road were heaped with bricks and blackened rafters, behind which -were the jagged walls of roofless cottages. - -A little beyond this they were met by a staff officer, come to guide -them to the trenches. Then they had to ease off to one side to allow -the passage of the weary men they were relieving. At length they came -to a small clump of woodland, and learnt that the trenches were on the -further side of it. Section by section they passed into the shelter of -the trees, stepping across trunks felled and split by shells, and slid -noiselessly into the narrow zig-zag ditches where they were to eat and -sleep and spend weary days and nights. - -Kennedy and his platoon, among whom were Kenneth, Harry, Ginger, and -their pals, found themselves in a narrow passage about 4 ft. 6 in. deep, -with a loopholed parapet facing eastward, and here and there little -cabins dug out in the banks, boarded, strewn with straw, warm and -stuffy. In the darkness it was impossible to take complete stock of -their surroundings, but learning that in a dug-out it was safe to strike -a light, Kenneth lit a candle-end, and was amused to see that his -predecessor in the little cabin to which he had come had chalked up -"Ritz Hotel" on the boarding. - -The men were too much excited to think of sleeping. They had learnt on -the way up that the position they were to hold was rather a hot place. -The Germans in their front, only a few hundred yards away, were very -active and full of tricks. They watched the British trenches with lynx -eyes, and so sure as the top of a cap showed above the parapet it became -the mark for a dozen rifles. There were night snipers, too, somewhere in -the neighbourhood, constantly dropping bullets on their invisible -target. The men who had just left the trenches had been much worried by -these snipers, whom they had failed to locate; but they had reason to -believe that the pestilent marksmen were hidden somewhere behind the -lines. - -"You're safe enough so long as you keep your heads down," said the -officer who directed Kennedy to his position. "Except for the snipers -we have had little trouble lately; and I hope you'll have a good time." - -Kennedy told off his men to keep watch in turn through the night. While -off duty they sat in the dug-outs chatting quietly, listening for sounds -from the enemy's trenches, wondering what was in store for them when -daylight came. Fortunately the wet weather had ceased; the bottom of -the trench was still sticky, but the March winds were rapidly drying the -ground. The night was cold, but there was a brazier in each dug-out, -and the men, crouching over these in their great-coats, contrived to -keep warm and comfortable. - -They watched eagerly for daylight. At the first peep of dawn some of -the men were told off to the loopholes. About thirty yards in front -there stretched a wire entanglement, with small cans dangling from it -here and there. Two or three hundred yards beyond this they saw the -similar entanglement of the Germans. For about a hundred yards of the -line this wire was more remote, and the men learnt afterwards that a -pond of that breadth filled a declivity in the ground. Here and there, -all round the position at varying distances, stood isolated farmhouses, -trees, and patches of woodland. All was peaceful; no sound of war broke -the stillness of the fair March morning. - -They had their breakfast of cocoa and bread and jam. Towards noon two -men from each section were told off to go back to a farm house behind -the lines for the day's rations. They hurried along the trench in a -crouching posture, struck into a communicating trench leading to the -rear, and emerged on the outskirts of the wood. There was instantly the -crack of a rifle. A sniper had begun his day's work. The men waited -uneasily, clutching their rifles, wondering if any of their comrades had -been hit. Kennedy posted his men a yard apart along the trench, ready -to fire at the first sign of movement among the enemy. The zig-zag -formation of the trench prevented any man from seeing more than the men -of his own section, and there came upon them a feeling of loneliness and -almost individual responsibility. - -In about an hour's time Kenneth and his comrades were relieved to see -their food-carriers returning with steaming pails. These contained a -sort of hash mixed with beans and potatoes. The men poured this into -their billies, warmed them at the braziers, and acknowledged that their -dinner of Irish stew a la Francaise wasn't half bad. After that food was -carried up only at night. - -The day passed uneventfully. A rifle-shot was heard now and then; from -a distant part of the line came the continual rumble of artillery-fire; -once they caught sight of a British aeroplane far away to the -north-east, with little patches of white smoke following it, hugging it. -There was nothing to do except to keep a continual look-out. - -But at dusk the reality of their danger was brought home to them. -Cramped with the fatigue of maintaining a bending-posture one of the men -got up to stretch himself. "Keep down!" shouted Kennedy, but it was too -late. There was a slight whizz; the man fell headlong. Kenneth ran to -him, as the crack of the rifle was heard. Nothing could be done. The -bullet had pierced the man's brain. - -When it was dark Kenneth and Ginger carried their dead comrade through -the trenches to the wood, and buried him there among the trees. They -returned in silence to their post. - -"You'll write to his mother," said Ginger, as they got back. "She'll -like to know as how poor Dick has been put away decent." - -"Yes, I'll write," said Kenneth. "He felt no pain." - -"War's a cursed thing," Ginger broke out. "What call have these Kaisers -and people to murder young chaps like Dick, all for their own -selfishness?--that's what it comes to. It didn't ought to be, and 'pon -my soul, it beats me why us millions of working men don't put a stop to -it. We're in it now; I'll do my bit; but seems to me the world would be -all the better if they'd just string up a few of the emperors and such, -them as thinks war's such a mighty fine thing." - -Their first loss threw a cloud upon the spirits of the men. But it did -not lessen their resolution. Direct knowledge, slight though it was at -present, of the grim realities of war braced their courage. Already -they had a comrade's death to avenge. To the more thoughtful of them -the dead man represented a blow struck at their country, and they saw -more clearly than before that it was their country's service that had -called them here. - -Their spell in the trenches was to last two days. They were days of -inaction, discomfort, tedium. Apart from intermittent sniping the -Germans made no movement. The Rutlands kept incessant watch on them, -with no relaxation until the fall of night. Even then they were not at -ease. Sniping was kept up fitfully through the night, and they learnt -that even in the darkness there was peril is rising to stretch their -cramped limbs. At dusk on the first day a man was slightly wounded. -These sneaking tactics, as they considered them, on the part of an -unseen enemy worried and irritated the men. Whenever a shot was heard, -they tried to estimate its direction, but their guesses were so -contradictory that no definite opinion could be arrived at. On one -occasion Kenneth tried to calculate the distance of the marksman by -noting the interval that elapsed between the whistling sound of the -bullet and the subsequent report of the rifle; but neither his data nor -his watch were sufficiently accurate to give him much satisfaction. The -one thing that seemed certain was that the night sniping was done -somewhere behind the lines. - -When the battalion was relieved, and returned to billets for a couple of -days' rest, officers and men talked of little but the sniping. They -thought that nothing could be more demoralising, having as yet had no -experience of heavy gun-fire. The officers discussed the possibility of -getting hold of the snipers, and determined to take serious steps to -that end on their next turn of duty at the trenches. - -An opportunity seemed to offer itself on their second day back. There -had been a good deal of sniping overnight, and in the morning Kenneth -happened to notice what appeared to be a bullet-hole on the inner side -of the parapet. He at once called Captain Adams' attention to it. - -"That's proof positive," said the captain. "The sniper is behind us." - -"It seems odd that he should fire on the mere chance of hitting -somebody, for of course he can't take aim in the dark," said Kenneth. - -"He's got our range, of course, knows we've no rear parapet yet, and -guesses that we move about more freely after dark. But we ought to be -able to locate him now. Stick your bayonet carefully into the hole, -Amory; we'll get a hint of the direction of the bullet's flight." - -The bullet had penetrated some little distance into the earth. Kenneth -probed the hole with his bayonet, and it seemed pretty certain that the -shot had been fired from the left rear, and, judging by the angle of -incidence, from a considerable distance, probably not less than a mile. - -Captain Adams scanned the ground in that direction through his field -glasses. About a mile to the left rear stood a small copse. Slanting a -rifle towards it, and comparing the angle with that of the hole made by -the bullet, the captain decided that the copse was too far to the right, -and swept his glasses towards the left. The only other likely spot was -the ruins of a farm, but that seemed too far to the left. Between farm -and copse ran a low railway embankment, which appeared almost exactly to -meet the conditions. - -"The sniper is there or thereabouts," said the captain. "Are you game -to do a little scouting to-night, Amory?" - -"Anything you like, sir," Kenneth replied. - -"Well, creep out to-night and see if you can make anything of it. It -would be safer to go alone, perhaps, but on the other hand a little -support may be useful, so you had better take another man--Murgatroyd, -say: he's an active man, and not too tall. You must have your wits -about you." - -Ginger was delighted at the chance of doing something. The other men -envied him, and Harry looked a trifle sulky. - -"Cheer up, old man," said Kenneth. "Your turn will come some day." - -At dusk Kenneth and Ginger, the former carrying a revolver supplied by -the captain, the latter armed only with his bayonet, made their way -through the communication trenches to the second line of entrenchments -and thence to the road leading to the village. They waited until -complete darkness had fallen before stepping openly on to the road. The -Germans had the range of it, and knowing that it was used after dark by -British troops moving to and from the trenches, they might start -shelling at any moment. - -"We'll leave the road as soon as possible," said Kenneth, as they set -off, "and bear away to the left." - -"The right, you mean," said Ginger. - -"No, the left, and work our way round. We'll take a leaf out of the -Germans' book; they prefer flank attacks to front. We've plenty of -time." - -It was very dark. They struck off to the left across fields, and picked -their way as well as they could, stumbling now and then into holes and -over broken relics of former engagements. They could only guess -distance. Kenneth took the time by his luminous watch, and allowing for -the detour, when they had walked for twenty minutes he bore to the -right, crossed the deserted road, and peered through the darkness for -the ruined farm and the railway embankment. No trains had run beyond the -village for a considerable time, and it was known that the permanent way -had been cut up by German shells. - -Moving purely by guesswork they failed to find the farm, but after a -time came suddenly upon the embankment, and halted. - -"Right or left?" whispered Kenneth. - -"The farm?" returned Ginger. - -"Yes." - -"Right, I should say." - -At this moment a shell burst in the air some distance to their right, -whether from a British or a German gun they could not tell. It lit up -the country momentarily like a flash of lightning, and as the two men -instinctively flung themselves down, they caught sight of the ruins some -distance on their right hand. The illumination was over in a second, -leaving the sky blacker than before. - -They waited a little, wondering whether the shell was herald of a night -attack. But the shot was not repeated. The country was silent. - -"Just to let us know they ain't gone home yet," Ginger whispered. - -"We'll make for the farm," said Kenneth in equally low tones. "The -sniper hasn't begun work yet; I haven't heard any rifle shots about -here. We'll separate when we get to the place, and approach it from -opposite sides." - -Very cautiously they groped their way across the open field towards the -farm house, and when they caught sight of it, bent down under cover of a -hedge, and crept on almost by inches. Then, leaving Ginger near the -broken gate of the farmyard, Kenneth stole away to make a complete -circuit of the place. - -In ten minutes he returned. - -"It's a mere shell," he whispered. "The roof is gone, except in one -corner; there are heaps of rubble everywhere, rafters lying at all -angles, and furniture smashed to splinters." - -"Did you go inside?" - -"No, but I think we might risk it. Look out you don't get a sprained -ankle." - -They crept through the yard, over the rubbish, and into what had been -the house. Kenneth had an electric torch, but dared not use it. They -halted frequently to peer and listen, then went on again, doing their -utmost to avoid any disturbance of the broken masonry and woodwork. -Before they had completed their examination of the premises, the crack -of a rifle at no great distance away caused them to abandon the search -and hurry into the open again. - -Outside, they waited for a repetition of the shot to give them a clue. -It was some time before it came. At length there was a dull rumble of -distant artillery, and in the midst of it a sound like a muffled -rifle-shot from the direction of the railway. - -"He's a clever chap," whispered Kenneth. "I hadn't noticed it before, -but I think he waits for the sound of firing elsewhere before he fires -himself--a precaution against being spotted. Let us wait for the next." - -Presently there was the rattle of musketry from the trenches far to the -left. Before it had died away, a single rifle cracked much nearer at -hand. - -"From the railway, sure enough," said Ginger. "We'll cop him." - -They hurried across the field to the embankment, crawled up it, and when -their eyes reached the level of the track, they peered up and down the -line. They could see only a few yards, so dark was the night. There was -no glint even from the rails, which were rusty from disuse. After -listening a while, they crept up on to the track, and waited for another -shot to guide them. - -It was long in coming. To move before knowing the direction would be -useless and might be dangerous, so, curbing their impatience, they lay -on the slope of the embankment. - -At last they heard the whirr of an aeroplane. Having learnt to expect a -shot from the sniper when it was masked by some other sound, they sprang -up. The humming drew nearer; then came the single sharp rifle crack. - -"Behind us!" whispered Kenneth. - -With great caution the two men moved along the track, stepping over -sleepers and rails torn up, and skirting deep holes made by shells. -Every now and again they stopped to listen. Presently they were brought -to a sudden halt by the sound of a rifle-shot apparently almost beneath -them. Dropping to the ground, they peeped over the embankment. At this -spot there had been a landslip, evidently caused by a heavy shell. At -the foot of the embankment lay a pool of water, extending for some -twenty yards. Except for these nothing was to be seen. - -They felt rather uncomfortable. On this bare embankment, rising from an -equally bare plain, there seemed to be no cover of any kind. Yet it was -certain that a sniper was within a few yards of them, perhaps within a -few feet. They lay perfectly still, watching, waiting for another shot. -It did not come. Kenneth began to wonder whether the sniper had seen or -heard them, and stolen away. Or perhaps he was stalking them. At this -thought Kenneth gripped his revolver. - -What was to be done? To prowl about in the darkness on the chance of -discovering the marksman would be mere foolhardiness. He hoped on for -another shot, not daring even to whisper to Ginger. The minutes -lengthened into hours; the two men were cramped with cold; but as if by -mutual consent they lay where they were. Neither was willing to go back -and report failure. Now and again they caught slight sounds which they -were unable to identify or locate. They nibbled some biscuits they had -brought with them, determined at least to await the dawn. Conscious of -discomfort, they had no sense of fatigue or sleepiness. And when at -length the darkness began to yield, they fancied they saw shadowy -enemies on the misty plain. - -When it was light enough to see clearly, they looked to right and left, -to the front and the rear, and discovered no sign of life within a mile -of them. The air began to fill with the roll of artillery and the -rattle of rifle-shots. Here and there in the distance they saw columns -of black smoke. Two aeroplanes passed overhead towards the German -lines, and shrapnel shells strewed white puffs around and below them. -But on the embankment all was quiet. - -"He must have got away in the darkness," Kenneth ventured to whisper at -last. - -"Can't make it out," murmured Ginger in return. - -How the sniper could have escaped unseen was a mystery. Daylight -revealed the bareness of the plain. Only a few low hedges divided the -fields. One such, bordered by a narrow ditch, ran northward from the -railway within a few yards of them. But this could be of no use to a -sniper, for it was on the wrong side of the embankment, towards the -north. - -After a murmured consultation they rose to examine the embankment more -closely, in the hope of finding tracks of the sniper. As they did so, a -number of bullets whistled around them; their figures had been seen on -the skyline by the Germans. Dropping instantly to the ground, they -crawled along, skirting the hole made by the shell, and taking care not -to slide down in the loose earth that had been displaced. They covered -thus a hundred yards or so in each direction, up and down the line, -without discovering anything. - -"We must give it up," said Kenneth at last. "I don't like to, but I see -nothing else for it." - -"Our chaps are in billets to-day," said Ginger. "I'm game to stay till -to-night if you are." - -"All right. We've got our emergency rations. We may as well lie up in -the farm, and take turns to sleep." - -They crawled across the track to the British side of the embankment, -slid down the slope, and being now safe from German shots began to walk -erect along the bottom, following a slight curve in the direction of the -farm. The less of open field they had to cross, the better. - -They had taken only a few steps along the base of the embankment when -Ginger, a little in advance of Kenneth, stopped suddenly, and stooped. -Then he turned his head quickly, putting his finger to his lips. Kenneth -hurried up. Ginger pointed to a slight track in the grass, leading -round the low hedge before mentioned. Without hesitation they began to -follow it up, moving with infinite precaution, and bending under cover -of the hedge. - -Running straight for some distance, the track at last made a sharp bend -to the right, then skirting another hedge parallel with the embankment. -The two men were on the point of turning with it when Kenneth, in the -rear, happening to look behind him over the hedge, caught sight of a man -about half a mile away, coming apparently from the direction of the -village where the Rutlands were billeted. Ginger came back at a low -call from his companion, and they stood together at the hedge, watching -the stranger, careful to keep out of sight themselves. - -The man drew nearer. He was old and shabbily dressed. A small basket -was slung on his back. Every now and again he looked behind as if -fearful of being followed. They watched him eagerly, surprised, full of -curiosity and suspicion. His path ran along the hedge parallel with the -railway, and he was screened by it from the British lines. - -He came on until he had almost reached the hedge behind which the two -Englishmen were posted. At this point there was a wide gap in the hedge -that covered him, and he turned off sharply at right angles towards the -railway. Kenneth instantly guessed that he had done this to avoid -observation through the gap, that he would pass round the end of the -hedge near the embankment, and follow the track by which Ginger and he -had recently come. - -As the man turned, Ginger caught Kenneth by the sleeve. His eyes were -bright with excitement. He seemed about to speak, but Kenneth hastily -clapped a hand over his mouth. Watching the man until he was on the -point of turning the corner, Kenneth drew Ginger through a small gap in -the hedge parallel with the railway, and they waited there until the -stranger came up to it on the track they had just left, and began to -walk towards another hedge at right angles to it, which led back to the -embankment almost at the spot where they had watched through the night. - -They followed him quietly. He was on the inner side of the hedge, they -on the outer. They saw that he was wading along the ditch towards the -railway. At the end of the hedge they stooped and peeped through a gap, -to see what was going on within a few feet of them. They heard a low -whistle, and were just in time to catch sight of the man disappearing -into a culvert that carried the ditch under the embankment. - -Allowing him time to get through, they crawled through the hedge, up the -embankment, over the line, and approaching the culvert from above, -established themselves on top of the brickwork at the entrance. They -heard voices from below, within the culvert. Kenneth held his revolver -ready, Ginger gripped his bayonet. And there they waited for one or -other of the men inside to come out. - -They had not long to wait. The mumble of voices came nearer. Kenneth -listened intently, but could not distinguish the words until, just -beneath him, he heard "Auf Wiedersehen!" Immediately afterwards the man -they had followed waded out through the shallow water at the bottom of -the culvert, bending almost double to avoid the arch. His basket was -gone. Just as he was about to straighten himself, Kenneth called -sternly, "Hands up!" The man swung round, saw a revolver pointed at his -head, and instantly threw up his hands, at the same time glancing right -and left as if seeking some way of escape. - -[Illustration: "HANDS UP!"] - -What were they to do with him? Within a few feet of them, in the -culvert, was the sniper, a man of courage and daring, or he would not -have elected or been chosen for this particular means of serving his -country. Luckily Kenneth was a man of quick decision. - -"Collar that fellow while I keep an eye below," he said. "Take care you -don't show against the opening." - -Ginger sprang down the embankment, and approached the captive, whom -Kenneth covered with his revolver, at the same time keeping an eye on -the arch below. In a few seconds Ginger had made the man pull off his -coat and waistcoat, and unfasten his braces, and with these he tied him -hand and foot. - -"You'll be safe there for a bit," he said, laying the man at the foot of -the embankment. Then he rejoined his companion. - -Meanwhile Kenneth had been considering how to get the sniper out. There -had been no sound from the culvert, but the German must be well aware of -what had happened. That he had not attempted to escape by the other end -was probably explained by his ignorance of the number of men he had to -do with. Armed with his rifle, he might have thought himself pretty -safe in the narrow culvert, where he could take heavy toll of any -assailants who should attempt a direct attack. - -"We'll have to smoke him out," whispered Kenneth, as Ginger joined him. -"There's some straw in the farmhouse; cut back quickly and bring as much -as you can carry." - -In ten minutes Ginger returned with two large bundles which he had -himself trussed. He kindled one of the trusses, and placed it at the -rear end of the culvert, the quarter from which a slight breeze was -blowing. Kenneth meanwhile kept watch above the brick arch at the other -end. - -The straw was somewhat damp, and made as much smoke as they could have -wished. Carried by the breeze through the culvert, it floated out -beneath Kenneth, tickling his throat and causing his eyes to smart. -Every moment he expected the sniper to make a rush from his unendurable -position. When a minute or two had passed without any sign of the man he -was surprised: was insensibility to smoke one of the German -superiorities? - -"Any more straw, Ginger?" he asked. - -"Another bundle," Ginger replied, and returned to the farther end to -light it. - -He had only just disappeared over the edge of the embankment when -Kenneth, who had been straining his ears for sounds of movements below, -heard a slight displacement of ballast on the line above him. Glancing -up, he found himself looking straight at the barrel of a rifle, behind -which was a head surmounted by a German helmet. - -For half a second he was paralysed with astonishment. Then a click -galvanised him into activity. Realising that the rifle had missed fire, -forgetting--like an idiot, as he afterwards confessed--that he had a -revolver, he made a spring and with his left hand seized the muzzle a -few feet above him. The German held fast; there was a momentary tug of -war; then the German lost his footing on the slippery earth, fell -suddenly to a sitting posture, and slid down the embankment helplessly, -driving Kenneth under him into the shallow pool of water at the foot. - -Kenneth was a thought quicker than the German in recovering his wits. -Wriggling sideways, he flung his arm over the man, spluttering out a -mouthful of muddy water, and grappled him. For a few seconds they -heaved and writhed like grampuses. Then Ginger, drawn by the splash, -came running across the line, saw the struggling figures, sprang down -the embankment, and dashed his fist in the German's face. In another -moment he had dragged the man out of the water and a foot or two up the -embankment, and held him down until Kenneth had shaken himself and come -to his side. - -"This beats cockfighting," he said. "Where did the beggar come from?" - -"Don't know," said Kenneth. "We'll see presently. I'm nearly choked -with mud. We'll have to use his braces too." - -When they had tied the man securely, they got up to investigate. What -they discovered was a proof of the ingenuity which the Germans exhibit -in all their undertakings. The landslide, a little to the right of the -culvert, formed a sort of boss on the embankment. At the farther -extremity of this, out of sight from the spot where Kenneth had stood, -the German had forced his way up from a small chamber excavated in the -base of the embankment, where he had a folding chair, a rug, a tin plate -and mug, a supply of ammunition, and the basket which the visitor had -carried. It was full of food. There were two or three inconspicuous -openings for the admission of air, and, towards the British trenches, a -small tube, and an arrangement by which the rifle could be clamped. -Evidently the sniper took his sights in the daytime, and set the rifle -in such a position in the tube that he could fire directly on the -trenches with the certainty of having the correct aim. - -"Up to snuff, ain't they, not half," said Ginger, with unwilling -admiration. "But how did you come to be wallowing in that there -puddle?" - -Kenneth explained. - -"My word! a lucky missfire," said Ginger. - -"Lucky indeed!" replied Kenneth. "And we can't discover the cause of it; -the rifle's in the mud." - -"Never mind about the cause of it. We've bagged our first prisoners; -that's one to us and the Rutlands." - -But Kenneth was never satisfied to leave a problem unsolved. Thinking -over the matter constantly during the next few days, unwilling to -ascribe to luck something that must have a sufficient cause, he came to -the conclusion that the breech of the rifle had become clogged with -earth as the sniper forced his way up through the landslide. - -They marched their prisoners back to headquarters in the village, -keeping the embankment between them and the enemy as long as possible. - -"I've often seen this old rascal about the village," said Ginger, -referring to the civilian. "He's a spy, that's what he is. They'll -shoot him, won't they?" - -"The colonel will hold an enquiry, no doubt. By George! I shall be -glad to get back and dry my things and have a good feed." - -They received an enthusiastic welcome from their comrades, and Colonel -Appleton commended them for their successful work. The sniper was sent -to the rear as a prisoner of war. An investigation was held. It came -out that the civilian who supplied him with food was a supposed refugee, -and one of the pensioners of Monsieur Obernai. That gentleman was -summoned to the court of inquiry, and was overcome with horror on -learning that one of the men whom he had assisted was a spy. - -"It is heart-breaking," he said. "It is enough to make one hard. -Besides, it might throw suspicion on me. Still, it would not be just to -abandon my humble efforts to alleviate distress because one man has -deceived me. But in future I shall make the most careful inquiries -before I assist a stranger." - -The spy was shot, and thereafter there was no more trouble from night -snipers at that part of the lines. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - IN THE ENEMY'S LINES - - -It was during their next spell in the trenches that the Rutlands had -their first taste of artillery fire. They were not systematically -bombarded: there was no indication of infantry attack; but at irregular -intervals shells from field guns burst over or behind the trenches, -doing very little damage, but making the men nervous and irritable. -When the ominous tearing sound was heard as a shell flew through the -air, the men winced and cowered, and at the explosion they looked -fearfully around, sometimes through a shower of earth, wondering to find -themselves still alive. - -"You'll get used to it by and by," said Captain Adams to the men of his -company. "The bark is worse than the bite at present. It's really very -kind of the Bosches to let you get accustomed to them gradually." - -After a day or two the bombardment became heavier and more persistent. -Two or three batteries were located, either by officers in observation -posts or by British airmen, and the British gunners replied to them, not -without success. But presently the trenches were shelled at night by -heavier guns which it seemed impossible to place. The position of the -guns appeared to vary. Sometimes the reports came from the south-east, -sometimes from the east, sometimes from the north-east; and in general -they were louder than those of the guns which had been definitely -located, though this fact, in the opinion of some of the men, was due to -the stillness of the night air. They began to suspect that the Germans -were bringing up more guns to various parts of their line, with the idea -of discouraging any attempt to break through at this point. - -All this made the Rutlands eager to come to grips with the enemy, and -the prolonged inaction tried them sorely. To amuse them during the long -weary evenings in the trenches the colonel sent for a number of mouth -organs, and some of the officers read to them in the dug-outs by candle -light. One evening the men of Kennedy's platoon pricked up their ears -when they heard the plaintive notes of a flute from a short distance on -their left. - -"Who's playing?" they asked. - -Word was passed along the trench that it was Stoneway, who had bought a -flute in the village. - -"There's a chap for you!" said Ginger. "All the months we were training -the beggar never did a thing, playing or singing. Seems to me he can -play, too. But he didn't ought to play 'Home, sweet Home.' Gives you a -lump in your throat. Pass the word along for 'Dolly Grey,' will you, -mates?" - -Stoneway's unsuspected musical accomplishments raised him in the -estimation of his comrades. Every night there were calls for him. He -knew a great number of their favourite tunes, and was always ready to -play them. He would usually begin by running up and down the scale, and -practising tuneless exercises; and sometimes, when these preliminary -flourishes were rather prolonged, the men called to him to "cut it" and -come to the real thing. - -As time went on, the shelling became more frequent. It soon became -clear that the Germans were working from definite knowledge of what was -going on behind the British lines. The bombardment often took place -when parties were relieving one another in the trenches, though this was -always done in darkness. And one day, when the general commanding the -division came to the village to inspect the battalion, a particularly -brisk shelling caused a stampede of the people, who had come to regard -themselves as safe. Several cottages were damaged, several civilians as -well as soldiers were killed or wounded, and a heavy shell excavated a -deep hole in the garden of Monsieur Obernai's house. - -One morning the trenches were subjected for the first time to the fire -of a heavy howitzer. A peculiar low drone, rapidly increasing in -loudness, was heard. - -"'Ware Jack Johnson!" cried Captain Adams, and the men crouched in the -trenches, holding their breath. - -The first shell fell some distance behind the lines. They heard a -terrific crash, and saw a column of thick smoke. The second shell, -about a minute after the first, fell far too short, plunging into the -ground just in front of the German trenches, and bespattering them with -earth. The third exploded in the pond between the lines, and sent a -wave into the German trench at the side. During the next half hour the -ground in front of the pond between the opposing forces was pitted with -holes made by the heavy shells. - -"There's something wrong with the range-finding or the charges," -remarked Harry. - -"Lucky for us," said Kenneth, brushing from his coat some dust cast up -by one of the shells. "The smell is bad enough." - -After half an hour the shelling ceased, and the men wondered what -purpose the Germans could have had in such an apparently motiveless -bombardment. Captain Adams suspected that something was going on in the -German lines, and remembering the success of Kenneth and Ginger in -discovering the sniper, he decided to send them out that night as a -listening patrol. Harry begged to be allowed to go with them. - -"Very well," said the captain. "If you're successful we'll try a whole -section another time. It's a ticklish job, you understand. You'll -crawl over to the German trenches, and listen. You know German, Amory, -I believe. You'll do the listening, then; you others keep on the watch. -Don't lose your way. I'll take care that the men here don't fire on you -as you come back; but if you stray too far to right or left you may find -yourselves in hot water." - -"You've no special instructions, sir?" asked Kenneth. - -"No: you must work out the details yourselves. You're not puppets on -the end of a string." - -"Nor yet monkeys on a stick," Ginger murmured when the captain had gone. -"What did Capting mean by that?" - -"He meant that we're not machine made, as the Germans are, by all -accounts," replied Harry. "I say, I'm jolly glad he let me go too: I'm -getting quite fat with doing nothing." - -They talked over their plans together. Obviously the safest direction in -which to approach the enemy was towards the large pond. This was an -irregular oval in shape, and the Germans had not closely followed its -curve in cutting their trenches, for, if they had done so, it would have -exposed them to enfilading fire from the British. They had carried -their advanced trench close up to the border of the pond on each side, -then run communicating trenches at right angles from front to rear, and -there dug a straight trench along the breadth of the pond, about a -hundred yards in the rear of their first alignment. The wire -entanglements in front of the pond, facing the British, were not so -elaborate as on the rest of their line, from which the inference was -that the water was too deep to be waded. - -Just before midnight the three men crept stealthily out of their trench, -armed only with their bayonets, crawled under the barbed wire, and -wriggled forward towards the pond. It was slow and tiring work, for the -ground was much cut up by shell fire, and littered with fragments of -shells, empty tins, and other rubbish. There was a certain advantage in -the unevenness, in that it gave cover; but it also contained an element -of danger, because there was a risk of their displacing something as -they proceeded, and they knew that the slightest noise would provoke a -fusillade from the enemy. - -The moon was not up, but the sky was spangled with stars, by whose -feeble light they were able to distinguish objects on the ground within -ten or a dozen paces. They heard the Germans talking and laughing in -their trenches, and here and there a slight radiance marked the places -where they had candles or lamps. Foot by foot they crawled on, Kenneth -leading the way towards the angle of the trenches on the left. - -At last he came to a stop within a few feet of the parapet. The three -men lay flat on the ground. For some moments Kenneth was not able to -distinguish anything from the general murmur, but presently he realised -that one man was reading aloud to the rest from a German newspaper. -"The blockade of England. Great German success in the North Sea. An -English merchantman of 245 tons laden with bricks was torpedoed in the -North Sea yesterday, and seriously damaged. The starvation of England -proceeds satisfactorily." - -"What, do the English eat bricks?" asked one simple soul. - -There was a laugh. - -"They have good teeth! Look at this picture," said another. - -"If the English bricks are harder than our war bread I pity them," said -a third. "We needn't cry 'God punish England' any more." - -"Is there any news of sinking a grain ship?" asked a voice. - -"No," replied the reader. "Grain comes in big vessels; I expect the -Americans won't let their ships sail. We shall have America on our side -soon." - -"Anything to shorten the war," said a man. "I'm tired of it. I want to -get home to Anna and the children. The General said it would be all -over by Christmas." - -"So it will, by next Christmas. I want to get back to the Savoy: I made -L10 there the Christmas before last." - -"You won't make it again. The English won't have any money after this." - -Signing to the others to remain where they were, Kenneth crept still -farther forward until he came below the parapet. From the direction of -the voices he guessed that the trench was unoccupied at the angle; the -men who should be there were gathered around the man who had the paper. -Cautiously raising himself, he peeped first through a loophole, then -over the crown of the parapet. Here he was able to look along both the -main trench and the communicating trench at right angles to it. In the -former, about a dozen yards away, he saw a group of men at the entrance -of a dug-out, from which a glow shone forth. It was here, evidently, -that the man was reading. He discovered the reason why, apart from the -attraction of the newspaper, this part of the trench was empty. The -stars were reflected in water that lay along the bottom. There was -evidently a considerable leakage from the pond. On the right hand the -communication trench was quite dark. Apparently it was not manned at -all. - -Kenneth dropped down again, and remained for a short time listening. -The conversation had changed: instead of discussing the war, the Germans -were talking of domestic matters; the ex-waiter of the Savoy Hotel -described his little house and garden at Peckham, and told how he had -happened to meet in London a girl from his own village in Wurtemburg, -who was now his wife. Luckily he had saved enough money to keep her and -his children for a year or two. - -Finding that he was not likely to gain any important information, -Kenneth crawled back to his companions, and they made their wriggling -way to their trench without being discovered. Captain Adams was a -little disappointed at the meagre result of their reconnaissance. The -only valuable piece of news was that the communication trench was empty -and the angle flooded. - -Shortly after their return the mysterious gun again opened fire. -Several men were wounded by splinters of shells, one so seriously that, -in spite of the risk, he had to be carried at once to the rear. - -Next day Kenneth said to Harry: - -"Look here, last night's business has whetted my appetite. Why -shouldn't we get behind the German lines and see if we can locate that -gun? Every day we lose a man or two without being able to retaliate, -and it's quite time to put a stop to it." - -"Will the captain let us?" - -"Adams wouldn't object, I think; but I'm afraid we should have to get -the colonel's leave for this. I'll take the first opportunity of -speaking to the captain. It would be a pity not to make some use of the -little information we were able to pick up." - -Captain Adams, when the proposal was put to him, at once said, as -Kenneth had expected, that he must ask the colonel's permission. - -"It's a good deal more dangerous than last night's affair, you see. -You'll be shot out of hand if you're caught." - -"But it's worth trying, sir, if we can find that gun. Apart from our -losses, it's making the men jumpy." - -"That's all very well, but I don't want to lose two useful men. Still, -I'll see what the colonel says." - -Later in the day he sent for them. - -"I've seen the colonel," he said. "He was at first dead against it, but -I did my best for you. He agrees, provided you come back at once if you -find things too unhealthy: that is to say, you are not to go on if you -come up against any considerable body of the enemy. And keep the matter -to yourselves. You'll be supposed to be going out again as a listening -patrol. I shall tell only Mr. Kennedy and your sergeant. No one else -is to know what has become of you, and they will be on the look-out for -your return." - -He gave them a large-scale map of the district behind the German lines, -and recommended them to study it carefully during the day. The railway -seemed likely to be their best landmark. It ran almost due north-east. -About four miles away it passed over a canal running north and south. -With these two fixed lines and a pocket luminous compass they should not -wander far afield in ignorance of their general position. Much nearer -to the British trenches, and almost directly in their front, was a -ruined church, the spire of which, used by the Germans as an observation -post, had been shot away some time before the Rutlands arrived at the -front. - -Their diligence in conning the map aroused the curiosity of their -comrades, but they laughed off enquiries, and gave the map back to the -captain. - -They decided to start, carrying revolvers, soon after dark, at the time -when the Germans might be supposed to be taking their evening meal. -With some difficulty they managed to slip away unnoticed by the other -men. Moving with even more caution than on the previous night, they -crawled over the ground until they reached the angle of the trenches -abutting on the pond. It was quite dark; the moon, in its third -quarter, was, as they had learnt from the almanac, not due to rise for -some hours. - -Peering down into the firing trench, they neither saw nor heard any sign -of occupants in the space immediately below them; but they heard voices -from a traverse a few yards away. Then Harry caught sight of three or -four men coming down the communication trench, and from their gait -concluded that they were bringing food. The two dropped down below the -parapet and lay motionless: it was clear that they had started a little -too early. - -They waited until they heard the men pass back along the communication -trench; then, after a short interval, rose to carry out the plan -previously agreed upon for descending into the trench. The principal -danger was a fall of loose earth from the parapet or a splash in the -water at the bottom. Kenneth cautiously clambered up the earthwork, lay -flat on top of the parapet, then backed until his legs hung over inside. -To avoid slipping he held Harry's hands, and so lowered himself until he -stood on the banquette, which was an inch or two under water. Pressing -himself close against the earthen wall, he steadied Harry in his -descent: both stood in the trench. They were panting with excitement. - -From their left came the sounds of conversation; the speakers were -invisible. They were just about to start down the communication trench -when they heard footsteps approaching from the farther end. Flattening -themselves into the angle they waited breathlessly. The corner was so -dark that they hoped to escape detection; but their hearts leapt to -their mouths when they saw the flash of an electric torch some distance -away in the communication trench. Escape was impossible. If the light -was shown as the men approached the corner discovery was certain. - -"Don't waste the light," Kenneth heard one of the men say. "We are -running short of batteries. You can see the turn by looking up. Watch -the stars." - -The light was switched off. Holding their breath the Englishmen waited. -Two Germans drew nearer, splashed through the water, and turned into the -firing trench. As soon as they had disappeared, Kenneth and Harry -started to go down the communication trench, stepping very slowly -through the water, and halting every now and again to listen. Presently -they were startled by hearing voices behind them. The Germans -apparently were returning. To retreat now was impossible. Whatever -danger might lie ahead, they must go on. - -By this time they had quitted the water. Seemingly they had passed -beyond the pond. But the bottom of the trench was sticky with mud; -walking was difficult. And the men behind were gaining on them. -Suddenly they came to a trench at right angles--no doubt the trench at -the rear of the pond. Scarcely daring to look along it, they went -straight on. - -"Anything doing?" asked a voice close by. - -"All's quiet," replied Kenneth in German. - -Another hundred yards brought them to a third trench. It appeared to be -unoccupied. After listening intently for a few moments they decided to -trust their luck down this trench rather than continue along the -communication trench, in which they could still hear the footsteps and -voices of the men following them. Others might be coming towards them. -Striking to the left, they went along the trench for a few yards; then, -coming upon another communication trench at right angles, they stopped -to consult in murmurs. They decided that the trenches were more -dangerous than the open ground. Retracing their steps for some little -distance, they waited a moment or two. All was silent. Cautiously they -clambered up and lay, breathing hard, upon the grass. - -A little ahead of them was the ruined church standing black and gaunt in -the starlight. - -"We go past that," whispered Kenneth, "then strike off to the -north-east. We'll try that direction first, at any rate. Most of the -shots appear to come from there." - -"About how far away?" - -"Two or three miles, I think." - -"I say----" - -"Well?" - -"Oh nothing!--only I feel sort of empty inside." - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - SKY HIGH - - -Harry's feeling of emptiness simply meant that he was only now beginning -to realise the difficulty of the task undertaken so lightheartedly by -himself and his friend. They had come only about a fourth of the -distance they expected to cover, and it was the easiest portion, for -after all there was much less chance of meeting enemies in the quiet -communication trenches than behind the lines, where movement was -unconstrained, and a German might lurk behind every tree. - -They lay for a few minutes, peering into the darkness, listening, -thinking out their course. Somewhere to the left they heard the rumble -of carts, the clatter of motor cars, the voices of men. Similar sounds, -but fainter, came from the right. On either hand there was a road to -avoid. No doubt there was a path running from the church to one or -other of these roads. Their best plan seemed to be to creep along by -the churchyard wall and strike across the fields, taking what cover the -hedges, ditches, and isolated trees afforded. There was no definite -clue to their direction. The gun they had come to seek had not yet -begun its nightly work. - -Assuring themselves that there were no sounds in their immediate -neighbourhood, they got up and stole towards the tree-lined wall of the -churchyard. The wall was broken in many places; trees had been split -and felled and tombstones shattered by gunfire. They moved very -cautiously along the wall towards the open fields. Suddenly they both -halted and crouched. High up in the ruined tower a light had flashed for -a moment. From the same place came faint sounds which they soon -recognised as the murmur of voices. The light again shone forth, and -again disappeared. It came and went at intervals, now long, now short, -and in a few minutes they realised that the men in the tower were -signalling. - -The light showed in the direction of the trenches. They had never -noticed it in their night watches there; presumably the signallers were -at work for the first time, or perhaps the direct rays were masked, and -the light was visible only at a higher elevation. Beyond doubt the -signallers were Germans; no British soldiers, or natives in collusion -with them, would have chosen a spot within the German lines, and so near -the trenches--a spot where the glow of the lamp could be so clearly -distinguished. - -But it was puzzling. Why should the Germans signal towards their own -trenches? Was it possible that they were communicating with somebody -behind the British lines? - -The two Englishmen crouched below the wall. - -"Shall we take a look-in at the tower?" asked Harry in a whisper. - -"It's not our present job," returned Kenneth. "We're out to find the -gun. Perhaps afterwards--at any rate we'll report it. The men up there -have got a good view over the fields; we shall be lucky to get away -without being discovered." - -Bent double, they hurried along the wall, and when it came to an end, -crept on under cover of a hedge across a field. Descending into a -shallow hollow, they sprang across a brook, and made for a small clump -of trees on rising ground in front of them. The ground was rough and -stubbly; walking was difficult and fatiguing. They passed through the -skirt of the wood, crossed more fields, taking to the ditches where the -ground rose, and quickening their pace through the depressions. Kenneth -frequently consulted his compass and watch, the dials of which were -faintly luminous. - -At length he announced that they must have come about three miles from -the trenches. - -"It's no good going farther at present," he said. "All we can do is to -wait until we hear the discharge of the gun, perhaps see its flash. And -it will be just our luck if they don't fire it to-night." - -"How long shall we wait?" - -"That's the problem! If we wait too long we shan't get back to-night, -and that means hiding up all to-morrow. We can't possibly return in -daylight. But it's no good talking. Let's make ourselves as -comfortable as we can in the shade of this hedge. And for goodness' -sake don't let me fall asleep." - -"Not much chance of that if you feel like me. I couldn't sleep a wink, -though I'm tired enough." - -They sat down, took some chocolate from their tins, and prepared for -their vigil. All was silent around them. There were no longer sounds -of traffic; the roads had apparently diverged. The whole countryside -lay peaceful under the silent stars. - -Time went on. The air was cold. Now and then they got up and tramped -to and fro to stir their chilled blood. Ten o'clock: eleven: no sound. -Kenneth looked at his watch at ever shorter intervals. He was becoming -restless. Had they adventured on a vain quest? The moon crept above -the horizon, dimly illuminating the landscape, showing here a dark -rounded mass that must be a wooded hill, there the white walls of a -solitary farmhouse. - -"There's no getting back to-night," thought Kenneth, as the light -increased. - -It was just past midnight. They were sitting side by side, silent, -disappointed, depressed. - -"Hark!" said Harry suddenly. - -There was a low continuous rumble in the distance. It grew louder. -They rose to their feet, and looked across the fields eastward. The -ground stretched away in undulations, alternate dark and light bands in -the moonshine. They could see nothing to explain the sound. It came -from their right, increasing in volume as it approached, then -diminishing as it passed away to the left, finally ceasing. - -"Sounded like a railway truck," said Harry. - -"There's no line there," replied Kenneth. "The only line shown on the -map is the one running through the village almost due east; it turns to -the north-east after cutting the German lines. It must be a good three -or four miles from here. That sound went right across our front, from -south to north, and couldn't have been more than half a mile away." - -"Well, it's stopped now. We needn't bother about it. Quite certainly -it wasn't made by the guns, and that's the only riddle we're called on -to solve. I'm fed up with this, Ken." - -"So am I. The idea of a whole day here is sickening. Still, it can't -be helped." - -They sat down again, each thinking his own thoughts. - -Suddenly there was a momentary flash, instantly followed by a terrific -roar. - -"The gun!" exclaimed Kenneth, springing up. - -"And jolly close, too," said Harry, looking across the fields. "Which -side of us?" - -"I don't know. We must wait for the next. This is getting exciting." - -Within a minute or two they saw the flash again, lighting up the sky -behind a low ridge on their left front. The noise of the discharge -reverberated and died away. - -"Come on!" whispered Kenneth. - -They crept along the hedge in the direction of the ridge. A third -report rent the air; then, after a minute's silence, they were surprised -to hear a renewed rumbling, which passed across their front nearer than -they had heard it before, and receded towards the south. - -"'Pon my word, it seems to have some connection with the gun after all," -murmured Kenneth. - -They went on, as fast as they could with caution. Crawling up the -ridge, they peered over. Nothing was to be seen in either direction. -They crawled down the other slope, and came to what appeared to be a -sunken grass road. It was shadowed by the ridge. Looking to right and -left, and discovering nothing, they got up and began to walk across the -road. Suddenly Harry stumbled, and uttered a low exclamation. - -"A whack on the toe," he murmured. - -"By George!" whispered Kenneth behind him. He had stooped to look at -the obstruction. - -Harry turned. The obstacle was a rail. There was no glint from it; -apparently it was rusty. But it was sticky to the touch. Kenneth held -his fingers to his nose. They smelt of tar. - -Beside the rail there was a layer of loose grass, twigs, rubbish of all -sorts, and beyond this, five feet away, a parallel rail. - -"We have come on a single-track railway," said Kenneth. "It's not -marked on the map; must have been recently laid. Let us go on a little, -and examine it." - -In a few minutes their discovery was confirmed. The seeming grass road -was a roughly laid track. But the rails had been painted over with tar, -and the sleepers and permanent way were hidden under low heaps of -litter. - -"They're clever beasts," said Kenneth. "D'you see the trick? No airman -would ever guess this to be a railway. The rails are quite dark." - -"But what's it for?" - -At this moment came the report of the gun, some distance to the south. - -"That's what we are going to find out," said Kenneth. - -They made their way stealthily along the track between the rails in the -direction of the sound. Presently, at a gentle curve, they came to a -white post with a small square platform in front of it, abutting on the -railway. Wondering what it was for, they went on, and in a few moments -heard the rumble of an approaching train. They scrambled up the ridge -on their right, threw themselves flat on the ground and watched. - -In a few minutes an engine and two trucks glided into view, making -extraordinarily little noise. They passed slowly below the watchers. -There was no smoke from the engine; perhaps it was electric. The first -truck carried a heavy gun; the other, containing men, was like an -ordinary railway wagon, but apparently better sprung, for it moved with -only the low rumble which the watchers had already heard. The effect of -the train gliding past, dark, almost without sound, was mysteriously -strange. - -When the train had passed, they hastened after it, walking just below -the crest of the ridge. They had scarcely started when they heard a low -screeching of brakes. Stealing on a few steps, and peering over, they -saw that the train had stopped opposite the small platform. The men had -got out of their truck, and were moving noiselessly but quickly about -the truck containing the gun. Orders were given in a low voice. There -was a slight grating of machinery and creaking of timber. The recoil -cradle of the gun, which still remained on the truck, was being placed -on the platform; the gun itself was being loaded. Its muzzle pointed -over the railway line towards the trenches. - -Stuffing up their ears, Kenneth and Harry waited. The gun was fired. -They heard the heavy projectile whizz over their heads. Three times the -gun spoke; then it was swung round on the truck, and the train moved on -to the north-east. - -Dazed and deafened by the tremendous noise, the watchers followed it -along the line. Here was a discovery indeed. It was no wonder that the -gun had never been located. But what they had already learnt made them -eager to learn more. Where was the gun kept when not in use? Where was -the headquarters of the men? If they could find out this, they would -have information of real value to carry back with them. - -They went cautiously along the line, on the look-out for sentries. But -the line was not guarded. Its existence was probably known only to the -German staff, and it was evidently used only for the gun train. - -About half a mile beyond the platform, the train came to rest at -another. Again the gun was fired: then the train rumbled back. The two -men hid until it had passed, then continued along the line in the -opposite direction. During its absence they would seize the opportunity -to survey this part of the line. - -Some ten minutes after the train had passed they caught sight of low -buildings ahead on the east side of the track, and a dim light. In case -there might be Germans on the spot, they left the rails, walked across a -field under cover of the hedge, and approached the buildings from the -east. These, they found, were three low wooden sheds, near the opening -of a large quarry, which Kenneth remembered having seen marked on the -map. The sheds were in ill repair: there were many chinks and gaps in -their boarded walls. Apparently the quarry and its appurtenances had -been for some time disused. The light which they had seen from the -railway line proceeded from one of the sheds, from the interior of which -they now heard guttural voices. Peeping through a chink in its wall, -they saw four Germans smoking, drinking, and playing cards by the light -of oil lamps. There were narrow beds ranged along the opposite wall, -some of which were occupied. Helmets and tunics hung from pegs. In one -corner rifles were piled. In another stood a cooking stove, its iron -chimney passing out through the roof. It was evident that the shed was -continuously occupied. At the end nearest the line the door was open, -and a sentry paced to and fro. - -While the Englishmen were taking stock of all this, they heard the drone -of an aeroplane approaching. The four men at the table sprang up, -turned down the lamps, seized their rifles and ran to the door. Kenneth -stole a few yards along the wall until he came within earshot of them. -He was on the shaded side of the shed; there was nothing but -miscellaneous litter on the ground, so that it seemed unlikely that the -Germans would come in this direction. - -"Is it one of ours?" asked one of the men, as the drone grew louder. - -"I can't see," replied another. "It sounds like an English machine." - -"Well, they won't spot us. They haven't done it by daylight, so they -won't now." - -"They're flying rather low. We could easily hit them." - -"But that would be to give ourselves away. They have gone past. It's -all right." - -The aeroplane disappeared. But the men had no sooner re-entered the -shed than its drone was heard again. They hastened out. - -"It's coming round in a circle," said a voice. "The cursed Englishmen -seem suspicious." - -"They're hunting for the gun, of course. But it has been quiet lately. -The captain heard the sound in time. And there's nothing bright about -the gun. The English are dished." - -"They're no good, the stupid English. They've no chance against German -brains." - -The aeroplane finally vanished, and the men returned to their cards, -turning up the lamps again. Some ten minutes later the report of the -gun was heard. It was fired at intervals for an hour, at varying -distances; then the low rumble of the train approached. The watchers -heard the door of the second shed creak. In a few minutes the train -glided up, and entered the shed, into which, it being the middle one of -the three, the Englishmen could not see from their present position. -After a while the door was closed, and the gun crew joined their -comrades. They were not accompanied by their officer, who had no doubt -gone to more select and comfortable quarters elsewhere. After -exchanging a few words with the cardplayers, the newcomers threw off -their clothes and got into bed. - -"I should like to have a look into the other sheds," whispered Harry. -"But the moon lights up the other side; and the----" - -"Don't talk here," said Kenneth. "Come round to the back." - -Taking care not to displace loose stones, they crept along the wall and -some distance into the quarry. - -"They can't hear us here," said Kenneth, still, however, speaking in -whispers. "I think we've found out enough. The place is marked on the -map. Our gunners can shell it by map measurement." - -"Yes, but let's have a look at the other sheds before we go. It won't -be safe to go into the moonlight, perhaps; but couldn't we take a peep -from the rear?" - -"The sheds are built right against the quarry wall. But we'll go and -see." - -They stole across the litter until they came to the back of the sheds. -There they found that there was some chance of achieving their purpose. -The wall of the quarry was very uneven, just as it had been hewn out. -Consequently the back walls of the sheds did not fit flush against it; -there was a space of varying width, but at its narrowest part wide -enough to admit a man. Into this they crept. - -They discovered that this end of the sheds was in worse repair than the -side they had already seen. Protected from the weather by the wall of -the quarry, the timber had not been renewed. There were many gaps, and -when they touched the wood, its crumbling gave signs of dry rot. But -the interiors of the second and third sheds were quite dark: it was -impossible to distinguish anything within. - -Harry broke off several fragments of the dry wood without making any -sound. - -"We can get in," he whispered. - -Kenneth hesitated. They had learnt enough for their purpose; it would -be a pity to risk the failure of the whole enterprise. But youth is -adventurous and confident. The voices of the men in the first shed -would smother any slight sounds they might make; the sentry was at least -a hundred and fifty feet away. - -"All right," he murmured. - -With their clasp knives they cautiously attacked the boards in the wall -of the third shed, stopping every now and again to listen. After a -while they were able to remove two of the boards, leaving an opening -large enough to admit them. Very carefully they climbed in. Dark as -the interior had appeared from the outside, they found when they were -inside that there was just light enough, filtering through cracks in the -wall, to reveal the contents of the shed. The whole interior, except for -narrow gangways, was packed with shells and cases of high explosives. -Near the door there were shells for field guns and howitzers, and a -certain quantity of small arms ammunition. It was clear that the shed -was an ammunition depot. - -Creeping carefully back, they replaced the boards, and went to the -middle shed, which they managed to enter in the same way, after the -exercise of greater patience, owing to the more constricted space -between the shed and the wall of the quarry. Here they found the gun -train, and a number of petrol tins: evidently the engine was petrol -driven. While Kenneth examined the engine as well as he could in the -still dimmer light, wishing he dared to use his electric torch, Harry -stole to the front of the shed, and watched the sentry through a crack -in the badly fitting folding doors. Kenneth followed him. - -"Let me know when the sentry's back is turned," he whispered. "I'll use -my torch then." - -Harry gave the sign by a scarcely audible hiss. Kenneth made the best -use of the few seconds afforded him at intervals. His experience of -motor engines had taught him exactly what to look for. And he was -prompted, not by mere curiosity, but by a sudden idea which had occurred -to him, but which he had not yet mentioned to his companion. The engine -was still warm. He knew that it ran very smoothly; it was provided with -a very efficient silencer, or he would not have mistaken it for an -electric engine. With their customary thoroughness, the Germans had -ensured that the movements of their gun train should lack nothing in -secrecy. - -The mechanism was simple, similar to that of an ordinary touring car, -except that there were only two speeds and reverse. - -"Well," he thought, "why not run off with the train, gun and all?" - -The train had backed into the shed trucks first. They were still -coupled to the engine. The load was very heavy; the question was -whether he could get up speed in time to escape. Some of the Germans -were awake: the sentry was at the door; the feat seemed impossible, and -Kenneth dismissed the idea, feeling glad that he had not suggested it to -Harry. But before leaving the engine he looked into the tank, and saw -that it was half full of petrol. - -A hiss called him to the door. The sentry was being changed. The new -man was grumbling at having had to leave his bed. The voices in the -further shed had ceased. - -"All gone to bed?" asked the sentry who was being relieved. - -"Yes," replied the other, yawning. - -"Schneider won five marks of me this afternoon. He said he'd give me my -revenge. Well, I'll beat him to-morrow." - -He went into the shed: there was a rustling for a few moments: then all -was silent, except for the heavy tramp of the sentry as he paced slowly -up and down. - -The two Englishmen went back to the quarry wall, and were replacing the -boards. - -"I say!" whispered Harry. - -"What is it?" - -"It's mad, perhaps; but I wondered if we couldn't run off with the -train." - -"Absurd!" replied Kenneth. - -"But----" - -"Hush! we'll talk presently." - -They returned to their former position across the quarry. - -"I daresay you are right," said Harry, "but I wish we could collar that -gun." - -"It's impossible," said Kenneth, arguing against his own inclination. -"We couldn't open the door without being seen." - -"But it's so ramshackle that it would burst at a touch." - -"Then we'd make a row starting the engine, and before we had any speed -on they'd be at us." - -"I don't know. They've got to wake up, and dress----" - -"Why waste time dressing?" - -"Well, is a German a soldier without his uniform? Anyhow, they would be -too sleepy for a few seconds to understand what was going on. It might -just give us time to get off." - -"I don't mind telling you that the idea occurred to me, but I gave it -up." - -"Oh, do let us try it. It's a sporting chance. They feel perfectly -secure; that's so much in our favour. They'll be struck all of a heap, -and you know what confusion there is when fellows are taken by -surprise." - -"You've the tongue of the old Serpent, Harry. With a little luck--ah! -while we're about it, oughtn't we to blow up the ammunition?" - -"That means blowing up the men too." - -"Well? We can't take 'em prisoners. And when you remember that every -shell in the shed may kill or maim a lot more Englishmen or Frenchmen -than there are Germans in the shed, you'll see that it's our duty. -War's war, more's the pity. There are some fuses near the door." - -"Come on, then." - -They stole back. Kenneth crept into the ammunition shed, and started a -time fuse while Harry removed the boards from the wall of the engine -shed. Just as Kenneth, returning, had almost reached the opening, in -his haste he displaced a shell that was standing insecurely. It toppled -over with a heavy thud. He sprang through the gap. - -"Touch and go now!" he panted. "We haven't a second to lose." - -There was no time to replace the boards. They slipped into the engine -shed, hearing the sentry call to his comrades and run towards the -ammunition shed. In a few moments he would discover the gap in the -wall, and the Germans would be scouring the place. - -The Englishmen ran to the engine. - -"Jump in!" gasped Kenneth. - -He stooped down to find the starting handle, in the agitation of the -moment forgetting that, when examining the engine, he had noticed the -push that indicated a self-starter. There was no crank, but only the -shaft on which it should fit. For the moment his brain ceased to work; -he was conscious only of the noise of shouts and hurrying footsteps -dinning in his ears. Then recollection came in a flash. He raised -himself, sprang into the cab of the engine, and simultaneously released -the brake and pressed the button of the starting mechanism. Beneath his -feet there was a welcome whirr; he threw the engine into gear, and the -heavy machine, with the heavier trucks behind, lurched forward. - -The folding door was only eight or nine feet away--little enough space -to allow for momentum. It was neck or nothing. At the first movement -Kenneth threw out the clutch, racing the engine; then he let it in, and -the train jerked itself forward in a way that alarmed him for the -couplings. The manoeuvre succeeded. The engine crashed into the crazy -door; it was shattered and partly wrenched off the hinges; and the train -glided out, rounded the curve, and ran with increasing speed into the -straight towards the south. - -All this had occupied only a few moments. Meanwhile, what of the -Germans? At the thud of the falling shell the sentry was at the farther -end of his beat. He hastened towards the ammunition shed, calling to -his comrades as he passed their door. Some sprang up, others only -turned in their beds. The former, as Harry had foretold, began to throw -on their uniforms. There was no sound from outside to alarm them. But -a second cry from the sentry caused them to seize their rifles and rush -out as they were. They followed him into the ammunition shed, where he -showed them, by the light of an electric torch, the hole in the wall. -They poked their heads through, and seeing nothing, were beginning to -ask each other what they had better do when they heard through the shed -wall the whirr of the starting engine. Shouting, they hurried back, -overturning shells and bruising their toes, heard the crash of the door, -and reached the entrance in time to see the train lumbering round the -curve to their left. - -One or two rifle shots rang out. Kenneth and Harry heard for a minute -or two, above the purring of the engine, shouts as if the Germans were -pursuing them on foot. And then there was a terrific roar; the sky was -lit up by a flash that blinded the pale moon, and fragments of metal -fell in a thick shower upon the train, inflicting sharp blows upon the -Englishmen, of which their hands and faces bore signs for several days. - -"What double asses we were!" gasped Kenneth. "The row will bring the -Bosches swarming about us." - -"They'll make for the sheds. By George! what a blaze! Lucky we're -running in a hollow. Where does the line lead to?" - -"Don't know. Be ready to jump. We're going nearly thirty miles an hour -now; I'll slow down in a minute or two. We must get away from the line -and hide up." - -In a few minutes he slackened speed to about five miles. - -"Drop off!" he said. - -Harry leapt out. Kenneth opened the throttle to the utmost, put the -engine into top, and jumped clear as it gathered way. By the time he had -picked himself up the train had disappeared. Clambering up the western -bank, the two men, bending low, raced as fast as they could towards a -small clump of trees that stood up dark in the moonlight. They were but -halfway across the field when there was a tremendous crash somewhere to -their left rear, a sound of tearing and rending, then silence. - -"It's run off the line or something," Kenneth panted. "Hope the old gun -is smashed." - -It was weeks before they knew what had happened. Then, passing over the -ground in the course of a general advance of the British forces, they -saw the debris of the train, engine, gun, and trucks, lying amid -shattered masonry in and beside a shallow brook. The engine had failed -to take a sharp curve and dashed into and through the parapet of the -bridge. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - D.C.M. - - -The two men had almost reached the clump of trees when they heard the -thud of horses' hoofs approaching them from the front. They instantly -dropped flat into one of the furrows of the stubble field. Two horsemen -galloped round the corner of the clump, and rode down towards the -railway, passing within twenty yards of the fugitives. - -Waiting breathlessly until the horsemen had gone out of hearing, the two -got up, and, still bending low, hurried over the few yards between them -and the clump and plunged among the trees. - -"We shall have to get back to-night, by hook or crook," whispered -Kenneth. "They'll track us down as soon as it is light.... Listen!" - -From beyond the clump came the steady tramp of a considerable body of -men. Was it possible that the Germans were on their track already? For -a few moments they were unable to decide in what direction the men were -going. The sounds became gradually fainter, receding towards the -railway. Apparently a detachment had been dispatched towards the scene -of the conflagration. - -They stole towards the western side of the clump, and, standing within -the shadow of the trees, looked out across the country. The moon was -still up, obscured at moments by drifting clouds. Far ahead, a little -to their left, they could just distinguish the tower of the ruined -church. Still farther to the left the moonbeams revealed the roofs of -the small village which the church served, and in which, no doubt, -German soldiers were billeted. Lying on the eastern slope of a low -hill, it was invisible from the British lines, but Kenneth remembered -having seen its position marked on the map. - -"It's past two o'clock," said Kenneth, glancing at his watch. "The moon -won't go down for hours, and it will be light by six. We simply must get -back before sunrise. All we can do is to creep along the shady side of -the hedges and take our chance." - -After a good look round, they left the trees and hurried to the shelter -of the nearest hedge. Being now on lower ground, they could no longer -see the church: but they judged their general direction by the compass, -and made their best speed. Once they found themselves in a field -completely surrounded by a hedge. Forcing their way through at the cost -of many scratches, they fell some five feet into a ditch that the hedge -concealed, and sank over their ankles in slimy mud. They scrambled up -the other side, the brambles tearing their skin and clothes, and tramped -on again. - -It was nearly an hour before they came once more in sight of the church, -farther to the left than they had expected. Their best course seemed to -be to try to find the communication trench by which they had come. -Keeping always on the shady side of the hedges, they paused only to -glance towards the tower, to see if the light was still showing, then -turned their backs on it and hurried on. - -They came to a stretch of open ground on which there was no cover of any -kind, and knew that they were now near the trenches. The most -nerve-racking portion of their journey was before them. They dared not -go erect, in the moonlight. If they should stumble unawares upon an -occupied trench it was all up with them. Throwing themselves on the -ground, they crawled forward by painful inches, stopping every few -seconds to listen. Once the scurry of some wild creature across their -front tightened their hearts and sent a cold thrill along their spines. -Presently they heard the murmur of voices on their right, and instantly -edged to the left, only to be brought to a check after a few minutes by -voices in that direction also. Had the rearmost trenches been manned -during their absence? - -Aching in every limb, they crawled still more slowly over the ground. -At last they encountered a ridge of broken earth, and stopped, holding -their breath. There was no sound near them; faint murmurs came from a -distance. Harry cautiously raised his head, crept forward a few inches, -and whispered-- - -"A trench!" - -They peered over. The trench was empty. Sliding into it, they ran along -to the left, and presently struck a trench at right angles. This too -was empty. They halted at the corner to listen, then hurried along -until they had almost reached the second trench. A man, by his figure -an officer, turned from it into the communication trench, and walked -rapidly towards the firing line. They pressed themselves against the -wall. - -"Making his rounds," whispered Kenneth. "Our best chance is to follow -him." - -"We've come right," said Harry. "There's the water." - -A bank of cloud veiled the moon. They hoped it would not pass for the -few minutes during which darkness would be so precious a boon. They -heard the officer splashing through the water at the further end of the -trench, and crept after him as rapidly as they dared. He turned into -the firing trench. Voices were heard. There was great risk in crossing -the trench, and it occurred to Harry that it would be less dangerous to -clamber over the embankment on their left and wade through a few yards -of the pond, which could not be very deep thereabout. If the moon -remained in cloud, they would not be seen from the trench behind the -pond. Accordingly, two or three yards from the angle of the trenches, -they swarmed up the bank, and began to let themselves down on the other -side, clinging to the earth so that they should not drop heavily. - -Then fortune deserted them. The earth crumbled in Kenneth's grasp, and -he fell into the water with a great splash. Harry at once flung himself -face downwards, and the two crawled through several inches of water -towards the dry land. The light was increasing as the thinner end of -the cloud moved slowly across the moon. Crushing their inclination to -jump to their feet and sprint over the ground towards their trench, they -scampered along on all fours. And then the unveiled moon flooded the -scene with light. - -Shouts came from behind them. Shots rang out, and pattered around them. -A bullet carried off the heel of Harry's boot. Still they wriggled on. -They were conscious of sounds in front. The trench was alive. A hand -grenade fell just behind them, bespattering them with earth. Yard by -yard they dragged themselves over the ground; here was the wire -entanglement. As they drew themselves under it, a bullet struck one of -the tin cans suspended from the top. There were only a few yards now. -From right and left a hail of bullets flew from the British trench. -They reached the parapet. - -[Illustration: A LONG WAY BACK] - -"Steady!" whispered Kennedy. "Keep flat for a moment." - -But the caution was vain. After coming a hundred yards under fire they -thought of nothing but the safety of the trench. They crawled on, over -into friendly arms. Bullets sang around them. - -"Pipped!" exclaimed Kenneth, as something stung his shoulder. - -But next moment they were safe, dropping exhausted on to the banquette. -And then the air was rent by a storm of cheers hurled defiantly at the -Germans. - -"Good men!" said Kennedy, as he helped Kenneth to pull off his coat. -"You're a lucky fellow, by George! It's little more than a graze. I -didn't expect to see you back. Ah! here's the captain." - -Captain Adams came up. - -"Amory hurt? A mere scratch, I see. It was a tight moment. You seemed -an age crawling up. But come now, have you anything to report?" - -"Ammunition depot blown up, sir." - -"That was the row we heard, then," the captain interrupted. "We thought -it must have been an accident, as no firing was going on at the time." - -"And to the best of our knowledge and belief, the gun is done for." - -"You don't say so! Talk, man; a round unvarnished tale deliver. Oh, -but this is good!" - -The captain was evidently excited. Kenneth and Harry between them -related the whole sequence of their adventures, to an audience of the -captain, two lieutenants, and as many men of the platoon as could come -within earshot. When the story was finished, another roar of cheers -burst forth, which was taken up along the trench far on both sides, -though the most of the shouting men could not have known as yet what -they were cheering for. - -"A dashed fine piece of work," said the captain, warmly. "It's a -feather in the cap of No. 3 Company, and certain promotion for you two -men. You'll have to see the colonel to-morrow, when we get back to -billets. Go into the Savoy and sleep; you deserve a day's rest, and you -shall have it." - -When they reappeared among their comrades next day a broad grin welcomed -them. - -"You do look uncommon pretty," said Ginger. "I never see anyone like -you except once, and that was when a chap I knew got drunk at the fair, -had a fight with another chap, tumbled into a blackberry bush on the way -home, and was found by a copper in the ditch after it had been raining -all night. Your best gals would fair scream at the sight of you. 'Oh -George, dear, where did you get them scratches? You've been a-fighting, -you horrid creature, you!' 'No, Sally, I've had a little bit of -misfortune.' 'Rats! You won't get over me. I'd be ashamed to be seen -along of you, with a face like that. I'll walk out with Bill next -Sunday, so there!' And off she goes, and on Monday morning you get hold -of Bill and spoil his beauty for him, and then there's a pair of you." - -Everybody laughed, and the two dirty and disfigured objects concerned -understood that that was Ginger's way of paying a compliment. - -On returning to the village at the close of the day, they had only just -washed and got rid of some of the mud from their clothes when the -colonel sent for them. They had to repeat their story. - -"I don't happen to have any Iron Crosses," said the colonel, "but I'm -going to recommend you for commissions. Officers are badly wanted -still, and you've got over that nonsense of a few months back?" - -"Not at all, sir," said Kenneth. "We're bound by our promise." - -"Ridiculous! I don't mean that you are ridiculous to keep your word, -but to give such a promise was a piece of confounded stupidity. Why, -goodness alive! after what you've done the men would follow you -anywhere." - -"It's very good of you, sir," Kenneth replied, "but really we must stick -to what we said." - -"Not that I want to lose you from my regiment. Well, I shall have to -get Captain Adams to give you your stripes. You won't object to that?" - -"I'm afraid we must, sir. You see, anything that gave us a lift over -the other men would be a breach of the understanding." - -"Well, you're a couple of young jackasses. I hope I'm a man of my word, -but---- Oh well, have it your own way! Virtue shall be its own reward. -You've relieved the whole battalion of a great worry and danger, and I'm -uncommonly obliged to you." - -It was not until some weeks later that the two friends learnt that their -names had appeared in the _Gazette_ among a list of men recommended for -the distinguished conduct medal. Their refusal of promotion had become -known to their comrades, and it was observed that Ginger and some of his -friends often had their heads together, and appeared to be conducting -delicate negotiations with the men of the other platoons. - - - - - CHAPTER X - - HOT WORK - - -Kenneth had not omitted to report the signalling from the church tower. -The light had not been seen from the trenches of his own battalion, and -it was guessed that the receiver of the messages was at some other point -behind the long British front. But on the first night of their return -to billets it occurred to Harry that the light might possibly be visible -from some post of equal height with the tower in which it shone, and he -suggested to Kenneth that they should go up into the belfry of the -church in their village. In order to give no excuse for a German -bombardment the colonel had refrained from making use of this as an -observation post, which some of his officers regarded as an excess of -scrupulousness. It would be necessary to get permission now before -Harry's suggestion could be acted upon. - -Harry put the question to Captain Adams. He saw the colonel, who in view -of the fact that the Germans were certainly using a church tower a few -miles away gave his consent. Finding, therefore, the sacristan, Harry -and Kenneth got him to take them up the belfry at about the same hour as -they had seen the Germans' lamp. - -Furnished with Captain Adams' field-glasses, they scanned the country in -turns. For a long time they had no reward, and they were indeed on the -point of quitting the spot when Kenneth caught sight of a twinkle far -away to the south-east. It vanished and reappeared at irregular -intervals, just as the light from the tower had done. - -"We are not getting the full rays here," said Kenneth, after Harry had -taken a look. "But it is clear that they are signalling to someone in -this direction, more or less." - -"Let us go half way down the tower, and see if the light is visible -there," suggested Harry. - -But they found that only at the foot of the belfry itself could they -catch sight of the twinkling light. - -"It's very cleverly arranged," Harry remarked. "They are not signalling -to this village, that's clear. There's certainly no observer but -ourselves here, and no other place is high enough to catch the rays." - -"Except Obernai's house," said Kenneth, looking round over the village. -Most of the roofs were considerably lower than the spot on which they -stood. Only the attics of the Alsatian philanthropist's house rose -above that level. That large building in its extensive grounds was -about sixty yards to their left. There was a light in one of the lower -rooms, where Captain Adams and several other officers were billeted: the -rest was dark. - -"It's not very likely, after that spy business, that any of Obernai's -servants is in German pay," Kenneth continued. "Still I'll tell the -captain what we have seen." - -He made his report to Captain Adams next morning. Later in the day the -captain said to him: - -"There's nothing in that matter, Amory. I asked Monsieur Obernai whether -his servants were trustworthy, and he assured me that he had had them -for years, and could answer for them all. I didn't tell him why I had -made the enquiry; it's best to keep these things as quiet as possible; -we don't want to make people uneasy. I've no doubt the signals are -directed to some place farther away on our left, and the colonel is -sending word along the front, asking them to keep a look-out." - -Nothing more was heard of the signalling for a long time. - -When they returned to the trenches, their position was somewhat altered. -The Rutlands were moved a little to the right, and Kennedy's platoon -occupied a portion of the trench which had formerly been held by another -platoon. - -Kenneth was making himself comfortable in a dug-out with Harry and -Ginger when he picked up, among the various articles left by its former -occupants, a piece of ruled music paper dotted with notes. - -"A relic of your friend Stoneway, Ginger," he said with a laugh. "He's -the only musician in the company." - -"Is he, by George!" cried Harry. "You forget I was in the school choir, -old chap." - -"So you were! I remember how the mothers used to admire your pretty -little cherub face when you let off your songs on the platform. 'Isn't -he sweet, mother?' I heard a girl say once. You remember how we rotted -you." - -"Yes, confound it! I was jolly glad when my voice broke, and I got out -of all that. I haven't sung a note since; if I try, my voice is like a -nutmeg grater." - -"You've lost your cherubic mug too, old man. But look here; whistle -over this tune; let's hear what it is." - -Harry took the paper, scanned it for a moment or two, then said: - -"It's no tune at all. The notes go up and down all anyhow." - -He whistled a few notes. - -"Oh, for any sake stop it!" implored Ginger. "It's Stoneway's -exercises, by the sound of it. Call that music! It's enough to make a -cat ill." - -"I'll give it back to Stoneway next time I see him," said Harry. - -"Tear it up," said Ginger. "If he hasn't got it, perhaps he can't----" - -A shout interrupted him. - -"Stand to! Here they come!" - -They seized their rifles and rushed out into the trench, Harry stuffing -the paper into his pocket. The men were posting themselves a yard apart -on the banquette, looking excitedly through the loopholes. Across the -open ground in front the Germans were advancing in a serried mass. It -was a surprise attack, not heralded, in the customary way, by a -bombardment. The testing moment had come for the Rutlands at last. - -They stood at their posts, tense, quiet with excitement. Ginger's -features twitched; Harry's lips were parted. With their fingers at the -triggers they awaited breathlessly the order to fire. On came the dense -grey lines. The Germans did not fire; with fixed bayonets they swarmed -forward rapidly. They came to the wire entanglement; with clock-work -precision every man in the first rank plied his nippers, and then, in -the trench, Kennedy cried in a hoarse whisper: - -"Three rounds, rapid!" - -All along the line sounded the crackle of rifles. On the right a -machine-gun rattled; on the left another. Three times the rifles spoke. -Men were shouting, they knew not what. Other sounds mingled with the -din: yells, groans, guttural orders from the German officers; and at the -wire entanglement lay a long swathe of fallen men. - -But behind them another multitude was dashing on. They leapt over their -stricken comrades, only to drop in their turn before the withering -volley from their unseen enemy in the trench. Through the gaps poured -an unending torrent; the grey-clad men were drawing nearer to the -trench. The rifle-fire was now continuous, but it was of no avail to -repel this close-packed horde. There was no longer question of taking -cover. The Rutlands leapt up to meet the charge. They fired as fast as -they could, until their rifles were hot. In spite of their losses the -Germans pressed on until sheer weight of numbers carried them to the -edge of the trench. - -It is not for us to describe the scene of carnage there--the hideous -work of the bayonets, the cries of the wounded, the hoarse shouts of -defenders and assailants. The Germans fell back. Kennedy's clear voice -shouted the order for volley-firing. And now came a fierce reply from -the German ranks. Then they fell on their knees and crawled forward -again. Again they were driven back. They began to retreat. And then -Kennedy leapt on the parapet and gave the command to charge. The men -responded with alacrity. Up they scrambled, over the fallen men, and -dashed forward with exultant shouts. There was a whizz and boom -overhead. The British artillery behind was coming into play. From the -front came deafening crashes; columns of earth and smoke rose into the -air. The Rutlands lay on the ground until the guns had ceased fire; -then dashed on. They plunged into the reek about the German trench; -they sprang over the parapet and drove the Germans out; and a storm of -cheers acclaimed their victory. - -They were preparing to hold the ground they had won when word was -brought that strong reinforcements were hurrying up to the Germans from -the east. They had no reserve strong enough to hold the new line in -face of a superior force. The colonel ordered them to evacuate the -trench, after doing as much damage as was possible in the short time -available. - -The men set to work with their own trenching tools and with those -abandoned by the Germans to hack down the walls of the trench. Kenneth -caught up a pick, and remembering the pond at the right of the -communicating trench, he began to cut a hole through the three or four -feet of intervening earth. Ginger joined him. In a few minutes the -water burst through in spate, flooding the trenches, and driving the -Englishmen out pell-mell. - -Laughing, singing, throwing jokes one to another, they returned to their -own trenches. They picked up swords, rifles, helmets, and other articles -of equipment that were scattered over the ground, threaded their way -among the fallen men, stopping here and there to assist wounded -comrades. Meanwhile the British artillery was pounding the German lines -to discourage a renewed attack, and the Red Cross men moved swiftly and -silently over the field. - -Kenneth had not seen Harry for some time, and was anxious about him. -But the friends met at the edge of their trench. Each ran his eyes -rapidly over the other; their set faces cleared when they recognised -that neither was hurt. - -Settled down once more in their dug-out, the three men talked over their -experiences. - -"I felt my blood run cold," said Harry, "but I hadn't time to be afraid. -I feel worse now. Look at my hand shaking." - -Ginger, very pale, was mechanically cleaning his rifle. He flung it -down with a curse. - -"What have they done to me?" he cried. "What have they done to me? I -killed an officer, a nice young chap as might have been your brother. -What for? What about his mother? And all those poor chaps yonder: why -can't them as make wars let us alone? Men ain't made to kill each other. -What's the good of it all? When the war's over, millions dead, millions -crippled, millions miserable. It didn't ought to be." - -"We're serving our country, Ginger," said Kenneth. "It's not a question -of just the present moment. We've got to think of the future. What -would life be worth to our people at home if the Germans had their way? -You can get nothing good without paying the price, and it will be good -if we can teach the Germans and the world that force isn't everything, -that people have a right to live their own lives without being bullied. -For every man that dies, whether English or German, perhaps thousands -may have a better time in days to come. That's worth fighting for, and -dying for, if need be. We've all got our little part to play. It's not -a thing you can argue about: you feel it. Look at what Sir Edward Grey -said: he'd rather cut the old country altogether than be obliged to give -up our good English ways and to put up with German tyranny. Don't you -feel like that too? Well, that's why we are fighting; we're fighting to -call our souls our own, and, please God, we'll win." - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - THE DISAPPEARANCE OF GINGER - - -It was when the battalion next returned to billets that the meaning of -Ginger's confabulations with the men of other platoons came out. - -One evening after supper Kenneth and Harry were smoking in the Bonnards' -kitchen. They were alone. Ginger and the other members of their billet -had left them some little while before, and the men's faces had worn the -sly, conscious look of those who are meditating a secret design. - -"If I didn't know Ginger, I should think they were up to some mischief," -Harry had said. - -Presently the door opened, and Ginger reappeared, at the head of eight -or ten men from other platoons of No. 3 Company. They all looked a -little sheepish and uncomfortable as they filed into the room. Some -hung back and were pushed forward by their mates. Ginger moved to the -rear, and was instantly seized by several hands and expostulated with in -fierce whispers. - -"Keep your wool on; I'm only going to shut the door," said Ginger. - -"What's in the wind, you fellows?" said Kenneth. "Why are you hanging -about the door? Come round the fire and light up: we'll have a smoking -concert or something." - -There were mutterings among the group. Some words reached the ears of -the two men at the fire-place. - -"It's your job: you're a sergeant." - -"No fear; you don't catch me..." - -"Ginger's the man..." - -"Spouts like a M.P...." - -At last Ginger was pushed through to the front. He grinned, half turned -to protest, was swung round again; then he drew his hand across his -mouth. - -"Mr. Harry, and Mr. Amory," he began. - -"Oh, come now, no misters here," Harry broke in. - -"Not in the ordinary way, of course," said Ginger, "but this ain't an -ordinary occasion. The fact is, we're a deputation, that's what we are; -a deputation from No. 3 Company, and the other chaps have made me -foreman of the jury. Not as I want to push myself; not me. I consider -it's a job for a three-stripe man; but Sergeant Colpus here is a very -bashful and retiring man, though you'd never think it to look at him." - -"Dry up!" growled the sergeant, turning fiery red as the other men -sniggered. - -"Well, you _would_ put it on to me," Ginger went on, "and I must do it -my own way, always respecting my superior officer, of course. Being -foreman of the jury, I speak for 'em all, got to give the verdict, as -you may say. The fact of it is, we men of No. 3 Company, what you may -call the Randall Company, ain't easy in our minds at the idea of being -dogs in the manger like. We know as the colonel wants to make you -officers, and we think it ain't fair to you or the army to keep you in -the ranks 'cause of us. A promise is all right, and we take it very -kind that you've stuck to your guns, in a manner of putting it, all -these months. Speaking for myself, I didn't expect nothing else. But -we think it 'ud be a dirty shame if we held you to your promise now, -specially when every man of us knows you ought to be officers, and -there's not a man of us but would be proud to follow your lead anywhere. -And so we've come to say that the promise is off, and we don't stand in -the way of your getting your rights." - -There was a chorus of approval as Ginger wiped his mouth again and -stepped back among his comrades. - -"It's very good of you, Ginger," said Harry, "but I'm sure neither Amory -nor myself want to leave the ranks." - -"Not at all," said Kenneth: "thanks all the same." - -"But it ain't right," said Ginger, coming forward again. "We've learnt -a thing or two since we started being soldiers, and we've lost a lot of -the bally nonsense that used to fill our heads, about all men being -equal and such like. Mind you, I'm a Socialist, as strong as ever I -was. I say now, as I've said afore, that there's no call for a man to -stick himself up and think himself mighty superior 'cos he's got a quid -for every penny I've got. And I don't say but what, if we'd had your -eddication and chances and all that, we wouldn't be as good as you. But -that ain't the point. We've got to look at things as they are, and be -honest about it, and what I say is that you've had the training that -makes officers and we haven't; and besides, you were born one way and we -were born another, and it's no good trying to make out that chalk's as -good as cheese. And there's another thing. When we've got a tough job -afore us like licking the Germans we're bound to consider what's best -for the company and the regiment, and if a man is cut out for an officer -it's simply silly to keep him a private: he ain't in his right place, -doing his right job. So we think it's only right for us and the army -that you should do what the colonel wants, and that's the size of it." - -"Is that what you all think?" asked Kenneth. - -"Well, I can't say that; all but one or two, and they're a disgrace to -the company. There's----" - -"I don't want to know who they are," said Kenneth, interrupting. "We're -both immensely obliged to you for your good-will, but we enlisted on -certain terms, and I feel for my part that we can't break our contract -without the unanimous consent of the company." - -"I agree," said Harry. "The men enlisted on the faith of our promise, -and it wouldn't be fair to break it without the consent of all. So -we'll drop it, Ginger, and go on as before." - -"It's for you to say, sir," said Ginger. "There! 'Sir,' says I. A slip -of the tongue, mates; you can't get out of bad habits all of a sudden. -Well, I'll say for No. 3 Company that we'd be sorry to lose such good -pals, and as there's no chance that St---- that the pigheaded members of -the jury will come round to the opinion of the sensible ones, we may -reckon it as certain that the defendants will be condemned to serve as -Tommies for three years or the duration of the war." - -"And now we'll discharge the jury," said Kenneth, "and have a sing-song -until 'lights out.' Come on, Ginger; start off with 'Dolly Grey.'" - -Next afternoon Kenneth was summoned to the captain. - -"I've a little job for you, Amory. You know how to drive a motor; do -you know anything about the mechanism?" - -"Not much; but Ginger--that is, Murgatroyd, sir--is a bit of a mechanic. -Of course I'll have a shot at whatever is required." - -"Add Randall, and we have the Three Musketeers complete. You didn't -know that's our name for you, I suppose? Well, it's this. A motor -cyclist came in just now with a despatch for the colonel, and reported -that on the way he had passed a man who'd had an accident of some sort -with a motor lorry, and wanted help. Just go and see what you can do, -the three of you. I don't know whether the load is for us; if it is, so -much the better. Take my map; the breakdown is thereabouts"--he pointed -to a spot some three miles away--"and be as quick as you can." - -The three men set out, Ginger carrying a bag of tools he had borrowed -from the village smith. The place where the accident had happened was -apparently on a by-road about halfway between the village and the -headquarters of the next regiment on the left of the Rutlands. They -followed footpaths across the fields, some of which had been sown by the -inhabitants. The air was very misty, and but for the map they could -hardly have found their way. But presently they caught sight of a man -in khaki sitting on the grass at the corner of the main road and -by-road. The man bore the badge of the Army Service Corps on his -sleeve. - -"What's wrong?" asked Kenneth, going up to him. - -"Are you the Wessex?" said the man. - -"No, the Rutlands. You've had a spill by the look of you." - -"You're right," said the driver with an oath. "And I owe that there -parson one. It's his fault. Did that cyclist send you along?" - -"No, but the capting did," said Ginger. "Where's your lorry? We'll have -a go at it." - -"Well, if you two chaps 'll be a pair of crutches I'll take you to it. -I'm bruised all over, and my ankle's got a twist so that I can't hardly -walk. It's about a mile away." - -Supported by Kenneth on one side and Harry on the other, the man led -them slowly along the by-road. - -"I only came out a week ago, a Carter Paterson man I am," he said. "I -was driving up a load of grub for the Wessexes, and somehow took the -wrong turning away back there. I'd drive over London blindfold, but I'm -new to this job, see. It came over misty, and I got a sort of notion I -was on the wrong road, and there was nobody about to ask the way of, -even supposing I could have made 'em understand me. However, at last I -happened to catch sight of a fat parson in a long cloak just ahead of -me. I pulled up, and pointed to the name of the village on my map, for -twist my tongue to it I couldn't. 'All right, my man,' says he, -speaking English like a countryman. 'You take the first turning on the -right': that's this road we're on now. That seemed about the right -direction. 'Good road?' says I: 'not too soft for a heavy load?' -'Capital road,' says he. 'Go as fast as you like, straight through to -the road you've left.' - -"Well, it seemed all right. Wasn't a bad road for a bit, and I put on -speed to make up for lost time. Then, just as I was going through an -avenue of trees, and what with the mist and the shade couldn't see more -than a few yards ahead, the road took a sharp dip, and I throttled down -and screwed on the brakes; but the road made a sudden bend, and before I -knew where I was, I was chucked in the ditch by the roadside. I was -dazed for a bit, and when I come to, there was the lorry in the field. -I crawled to it; it was stuck fast, and even it if hadn't been I -couldn't have driven it in the mashed state I was in. A pretty fix to -be in, in a strange country, with no garage handy. I didn't know what -to do. When I'd recovered a bit, I crawled back to see if I could find -that parson. It was all his fault, not warning me, and he ought to get -me out of the mess. But I couldn't find him, so all I could do was to -crawl to the main road, on the chance of seeing some of our chaps. It -was hours before any one came along; just my luck; another time the road -would very likely have been crowded. But presently that cyclist came up -at forty miles an hour. He would have gone past if I hadn't bellowed -like a bull. He wouldn't get off his machine to take a look at the -lorry, but he said he'd send help if he could. And all I want is to get -hold of that parson; I'd know him again in a minute by his size and the -wart on his nose. Why, a German couldn't have served me a dirtier -trick; and he said he knew the road.... There's the lorry; I doubt -whether you'll get it up; and the Wessexes howling for their grub, I -expect." - -The lorry was tilted over to one side, with the near front wheel -embedded nearly up to the axle in the soft earth of the field. - -"Got a jack?" asked Ginger. - -"You'll find it under the seat." - -Ginger fetched it, and with his companions tried to jack the wheel up; -but the tool sank into the earth. - -"Let's unload and then see," suggested Kenneth. - -It took them half an hour to unload the car, working so hard that they -were all bathed in perspiration. Again they plied the jack, but in -vain. - -"The only chance is to get something solid to put under it," said -Ginger. "There's nothing handy hereabouts. Any houses about here?" he -asked the driver. - -"Hanged if I know. It was too misty to see when I came along. The -parson lives somewhere, I suppose." - -"I'll run up the hill and take a look round," said Harry. - -"Take your rifle, man," Kenneth called, as Harry was starting without -it. - -"All right; but we're miles away from the German front. You might have -a look at the engine while I'm gone." - -All this time there had been sounds of firing in the distance eastward, -with reports of British guns at intervals nearer at hand. But they were -now so familiar with such sounds that they scarcely heeded them. Guns -and gunners were alike out of sight. There were few signs of war -immediately around them; but for the absence of human activity on the -fields the country might have been at peace. - -Harry went up the hill and for some distance along the road before he -discovered anything that promised assistance. A slight breeze was -dispersing the mist; but the sun was already far down in the western -sky; in an hour or two it would be dark. At length, on his right he -noticed a rough cart track leading to a small farm building half hidden -in a hollow about half a mile away. He hurried towards it across the -fields, soon regretting that he had not gone by the beaten track, for -the soil was soft and heavy. - -Approaching the building at an angle, he saw a man pottering about in -the yard. While he was still at some distance the man happened to glance -towards him, then went into the house. Harry quickened his pace, and -entering the yard, was met at the house door by a burly individual who -gave a somewhat surly response to his salutation. In his best French -Harry explained the circumstances, and asked for the loan of a stout -board. - -"You'll find one in the shed yonder," said the man. "You'll bring it -back?" - -"Oh yes," Harry replied, thinking that the farmer might at least have -offered to help. "By the way, could you lend us a horse to pull the -lorry on to the roadway when we get it up?" - -"I haven't got one; all my horses are requisitioned." - -"That's hard luck. I hope we'll soon clear the country, and there'll be -better times. Many thanks: I'll return the board presently." - -Reflecting on the hardships war inflicted on honest country people, -Harry trudged back with the plank, this time taking the cart track. - -"Good man!" said Kenneth. "Where did you get it?" - -"At a small farm. The farmer's rather a bear, but I suppose the war has -pretty well ruined him. Now, Ginger, let's see what we can do." - -Placing the plank by the embedded wheel, they set the jack on it and -screwed up the axle until they finally succeeded in releasing the wheel. - -"The lorry isn't damaged, luckily," said Kenneth. "We'll get the wheel -on to the plank, then I'll start the engine and we'll back on to the -road. You fellows shove." - -In a few more minutes the lorry stood on the road, facing towards its -original destination. - -"Now for loading up," said Harry. "This is back-aching work; I -shouldn't care to be a docker." - -The three men started to carry the boxes and baskets from the field to -the lorry, the driver sitting on the grass by the roadside. They were -about halfway through the work when they heard the hum of an aeroplane. -Like the reports of artillery it was so common a sound that they paid -little attention to it. But Kenneth, glancing up as the sound grew -louder, exclaimed: - -"It's a Taube, about 5000 feet up. I fancy. There'll be a pretty chase -presently. By Jove! it's dropping. Something must have gone wrong with -the engine. I'll try a pot shot at it if you fellows will go on -loading." - -Seizing his rifle, he stood watching the aeroplane as it circled above -them, gradually coming lower. - -"Look out!" he cried suddenly. - -Almost as soon as he had spoken there was a terrific crash on the road -about thirty yards away, and a shower of earth and stones bespattered -the lorry and the men. Kenneth fired as the Taube made another sweep -round, still lower. - -"Here's another!" he called. "Down with you." - -They all threw themselves flat on their faces. The second bomb exploded -farther away than the first, doing no damage. They sprang to their feet, -and all three fired at the aeroplane, which was now making a vol plane, -and would come to earth apparently about half a mile away. - -"We'll nab them," cried Ginger. "Come on." - -They ran up the hill. The aeroplane was descending on the far side of -the farm, near a clump of trees. They rushed across the fields, and -were just in time to see a man leap from the aeroplane and dive into the -copse. The farmer joined them as they ran past. They came to the -aeroplane. The pilot was _in extremis_. After the shot had struck him -he had managed to control the machine until it reached earth; he would -never fly again. - -"We must catch the other fellow," said Kenneth. - -All three ran into the copse, the farmer following them. Separating, -they scoured the plantation in all directions without finding the -fugitive. After about half an hour Kenneth called the others together. - -"He seems to have got away," he said. "We must give it up. It'll soon -be dark, and we've got to get the lorry home. Ginger, will you mount -guard over the aeroplane? Our fellows are sure to have seen it, and will -no doubt be coming up shortly. We'll motor back if we can borrow a -car." - -"Right you are," said Ginger. "I'll wait for you, in any case." - -The others left him, returned to the lorry, and lifting the driver on to -it, drove off rapidly towards its destination. There they told their -story, and the colonel at once sent off a motor omnibus with a number of -men to secure the aeroplane. When they approached the spot where they -had left it the machine was gone. - -"Somebody must have fetched it already," said Kenneth. "It's a pity you -fellows are too late." - -They drew up at the rear of the farm. Kenneth and Harry sprang out, -surprised that Ginger was not awaiting them. - -"He's inside, perhaps," said Harry. "He makes friends of most people; -perhaps he has got over the farmer's surliness." - -They went through the yard to the house door. The farmer met them on -the threshold. - -"Ah, messieurs," he said, "this is lamentable." - -"What do you mean?" asked Harry. - -"Your comrade, messieurs, he is gone. I fear he is a prisoner. He made -signs that he was thirsty, and I left him there at the aeroplane while I -returned here to fetch him some little refreshment. Ma foi! I was just -uncorking the bottle when I heard a whirr. I rushed out with the bottle -in one hand and the corkscrew in the other, and voila! there was the -aeroplane already in the air." - -"But how?--what..." - -"I do not know," said the farmer, with a shrug. "I only guess. The man -who ran away must have hidden until your backs were turned, then come -back and overpowered your comrade and flown away with him." - -"That's very rummy," said Kenneth to Harry. "Ginger isn't a man to be -caught napping easily. What do you make of it, sir?" he asked the -lieutenant in charge of the omnibus party, who had followed them. - -Kenneth repeated the farmer's story. - -"Very curious," said the officer quietly. "The man wasn't himself a -flier, I suppose?" - -"No." - -"Well, I think we'll run your farmer back to headquarters. It looks -rather fishy: there are spies all over the place. You speak French? I -don't, more's the pity. Just tell this fellow he's to come with me." - -The farmer protested volubly, but the officer was inexorable. The -omnibus party returned with their prisoner, and Kenneth and Harry -tramped back in the twilight to their village. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - DOGGED - - -There was great indignation among the men of No. 3 Company when Ginger's -capture was reported. Latterly the German airmen had rarely appeared -behind the British lines; their experiences had usually been -unfortunate. "Like their cheek!" grumbled one of the men. "And to -carry off Ginger, too, after a lucky shot had brought 'em down. That -farmer chap must have been a spy, and I hope they'll give him what he -deserves over yonder." - -The loss of the most popular man in the battalion was a blow to the -Rutlands. And to be a prisoner they counted the worst of luck. Death -they were ready for; to be wounded was all in the day's work; there was -not a man of them but preferred death or wounds to captivity, to be the -mock and sport of a misguided populace, and the victim of brutal and -barbarous guards. - -"And we can't do nothing," growled a sergeant. "Lor bless you, when I -think of the stories I read as a nipper in the boys' papers, daring -rescues, hairbreadth escapes and all that--what a peck of rubbish I used -to swallow! And believe it all too, mind you. It all looked so easy. -There was the prison, and the jailer's pretty daughter, perhaps a file -to cut away the bars, or a knife to dig a tunnel underground, or a note -carried to a wonderful clever pal outside, or the prisoner dressing up -in the gal's clothes: gummy, how excited I used to get. Them chaps that -write the blood-curdlers don't know nothing about the real thing, that's -certain." - -Kenneth laughed. - -"The real thing tops anything ever invented, after all," he said. -"You've heard of how Latude escaped from the Bastille; and how Lord -Nithsdale escaped from the Tower; and how an English prisoner--I forget -his name--a hundred years ago made a most wonderful escape from the -French fortress of St. Malo; and only the other day, a German prisoner -in Dorchester had himself screwed into a box and nearly got away." - -"Nearly ain't quite, though. But I never heard of those other Johnnies; -you might tell us about them--if they're true, that is; I don't want no -fairy tales." - -And Kenneth beguiled an evening or two by relating all the historical -escapes he could remember. - -Ginger's case, they agreed, was hopeless. The papers, it was true, had -recorded the escape of Major Vandeleur from Crefeld, without giving any -of the particulars which the men were hungry for. That a British -lance-corporal could ever escape from a German concentration camp was -beyond the bounds of possibility, and they had to resign themselves to -the hope of one day, when the war was over, seeing Ginger again, perhaps -half-starved, ill, wretched, a speaking monument of German "culture." - -The Rutlands were sent into the trenches again, where they again endured -the tedium of watchful inactivity. - -One evening, Captain Adams sent Kenneth to the village with a message. -The telephone between the village and the trenches had suddenly failed. -Kenneth found the place busier than he had ever known it. A new -regiment had arrived. Officers of all ranks were present; despatch -riders were coming in. He was asked to wait for a return message to the -firing line. While waiting he became aware of a considerable movement -some distance in the rear of the British lines. There were sounds of -heavy vehicles in motion in several directions. Something was clearly in -the air. - -It was about three hours before he was sent for and received a written -message from a staff-officer. - -"What's your name?" he was asked. - -"Amory, sir." - -"Oh! You had a hand in destroying that German gun the other day?" - -"Yes, sir," replied Kenneth, rather taken aback to find that his name -had become known. - -"A capital bit of work! Get on with this despatch as quickly as you -can. It's important. And if you have heard anything out there"--he -pointed to the rear--"you needn't say anything about it. There are -spies everywhere. The telephone wire has been repaired, by the way; it -was cut near the village; but we've a reason for not using it just at -present. Tell Colonel Appleton that, will you?" - -The night was very dark, but by this time Kenneth knew every inch of the -road to the trenches. There was desultory firing, both artillery and -rifle, for a considerable distance along the lines ahead. As he left -the village the sounds from the rear grew fainter, drowned by the firing -and by a moderate wind blowing from the direction of the enemy's lines. - -The road was quite deserted. All coming and going between the trenches -and the billets had ceased for the night. But when he had walked for -about a quarter of a mile he was conscious of that strange, often -unaccountable feeling that sometimes steals upon a solitary pedestrian -on a lonely road at night--the feeling that he was not alone. He had -heard neither footfall nor whisper; the wind sighed through the still -almost bare branches of the trees. His feeling, he thought, was -probably due to mere nervousness caused by the knowledge that he was -carrying an important despatch. But it became so strong that he sat -down by the roadside and slipped off his boots, slinging them round his -neck, and walked on heedfully in his stockings, keeping a look-out for -holes in the road, and stretching his ears for the slightest unusual -sound. - -In a moment or two he came to the end of the avenue of poplars; those -which had formerly lined the rest of the road had been felled, partly to -provide wood for the trenches, partly for the sake of the gunners. On -the left, a few yards from the road, was a small plantation. It had -been sadly damaged by German shells, but many trees still remained. -Just as he came opposite to the plantation his ears caught a sound -which, though indistinguishable in the wind, was different from the -rustling of branches or foliage. It appeared to come from behind him. -He slipped from the road towards the clump of trees; then, as it -suddenly occurred to him that some other person might be making for the -same place, he reached for a branch just above his head, and swung -himself up with the "upstart" of the gymnasium. It was a frail support, -but he sat astride the branch near the trunk, and there, among the -burgeoning twigs, he waited. - -His senses had not deceived him. Three vague shapes moved out of the -blackness, and passed almost beneath him. His ears scarcely caught the -sound of their movements; yet sound there was, a dull muffled tread as -though their feet were blanketed. Who were these nocturnal prowlers? -What were they about? Kenneth wished there were no despatch buttoned up -in his pocket, so that he were free to follow these stealthy figures. -He had not been able to determine whether they wore uniforms. If they -were villagers, they had no right to be hereabouts at night. - -Peering through the foliage, he was just able to discern that the three -men had halted at the edge of the plantation. For a moment or two there -was complete silence. He guessed they had stopped to listen. Then they -spoke in whispers. A few words were carried on the wind to Kenneth's -attentive ears: "Soeben gehoert ... ganz nahe ... ja." - -"They're after me!" thought Kenneth. He had no doubt that it was he whom -they had referred to as "just heard ... quite near." Spies were -everywhere, as the staff-officer had said. These men must have learnt -in the village that he was carrying a despatch. He wished that he could -stalk the stalkers, but he dared do nothing that would endanger his -errand. One man he might have tackled; with three the odds were too -heavy against him. And while he was still debating the matter with -himself the three dark shapes had disappeared as silently as they had -come. - -He waited a minute or two. They had apparently gone along the road -which he himself was to follow. They might suspect that they had -outstripped him, and ambush him before he reached the trenches. He must -dodge them by making a detour. Dropping lightly to the ground he skirted -the northern side of the plantation and struck across the ploughed land -at what seemed a safe distance from the road. The soil was sticky; his -progress was slow; and he stopped every now and again to listen. For -some time he heard nothing but the wind and the crack of distant rifles -or the boom of guns. Presently, as he drew nearer to the trenches, -there fell faintly on his ear the customary sounds of conversation, -laughter, singing. At one moment he believed he heard the tootle of -Stoneway's flute. As these sounds increased in loudness, he despaired -of recognising the stealthy movements of the spies. He unslung his -rifle, resolving, if he caught sight of them, to fire. The shot, even -if it failed to dispose of any of them, would probably bring men from -the trenches in sufficient numbers to deal with them. - -He had to guess his course across the fields, pushing here through a -hedge, there descending into a slimy ditch and crawling up the further -side. At last he caught sight of a landmark: a ruined shed which stood -about two hundred yards in rear of the trenches. To reach the trench in -which Colonel Appleton had his quarters he must strike across to the -right, and pass between the shed and the road. - -There was no sign of the three spies. The fields were quite bare; the -shed was the only thing that afforded cover. Instinctively he gave it a -wide berth, and was leaving it some paces on his left when he heard a -sudden guttural exclamation, and two figures rushed from the shed -towards him. There was no time to fire. Uttering a shout he thrust his -bayonet towards the assailants. The stock of his rifle was seized from -behind. And now, at this critical moment, the years of training on the -football field, in the gymnasium, on Mr. Kishimaru's practice lawn, bore -fruit in instantaneous decision and rapid action. Releasing his rifle -suddenly, the man behind him fell backward to the ground. At the same -moment Kenneth stooped, tackled the nearest of the other men, and -brought him down. The second man toppled over them. Freeing himself -instantly, Kenneth sprang up and sprinted towards the road, hearing in a -moment the thud of heavy footsteps behind him. - -But there were sounds also in front. His shout had been heard in the -trenches, and some of the Rutlands were running to meet him. A word -from him sent them at a rush towards the shed. Leaving them to hunt for -the spies, he hurried on and delivered his despatch to the colonel, to -whom he related his adventure. - -It was some time before the men returned. - -"They got away," said one of them. "It was no good hunting any longer -in the dark. But we've brought these." - -He handed over Kenneth's rifle and a cap bearing the badge of a -Territorial regiment. It was clear that the spies had disguised -themselves in British uniforms. The colonel telephoned particulars to -the village, asking that a thorough search should be made; but other -matters were then engaging attention. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - THE FIGHT FOR THE VILLAGE - - -In the darkest hours before the dawn the trenches were buzzing with -excitement. Word had been passed along that next morning the Rutlands -were to attack. The long, trying period of inaction was over. Sir John -French had ordered the capture of the village within the German lines. -The hill on which it stood commanded a wide stretch of open country, and -its possession was an essential preliminary to the general advance which -would take place when the weather improved and the reserves of -ammunition were completed. - -During these last hours of the night sleepy men trudged along the road -and across the sodden fields towards the firing line. Fresh troops, some -of whom had never been under continuous fire, crowded into the trenches. -Some of the men tried to prepare breakfast in the constricted space; the -most of them were too much excited to feel any inclination to eat. The -bustle which Kenneth had noticed in the village was explained. Batteries -of heavy artillery had been brought up and placed all along the rear of -the British lines. The men listened eagerly for the boom that would -announce the great doings of the day, and they gazed up into the inky -sky, longing for the dawn. - -Sitting, sprawling, packed tight in the trenches, they waited. Would -morning never come? The darkness thinned; the blackness gradually was -transformed into ashen grey, streaked here and there with silvery light. -A gun boomed miles in the rear. The men stifled a cheer. Rifle fire -burst from the German trenches. Bullets pinged across the breastworks, -and some of the newcomers involuntarily ducked. Captain Adams passed -along the simple orders of the day. "The battalion will advance in line -of platoons at 7 o'clock." Another hour to wait! - -The men took off their equipment and stowed their coats in their packs. -Some munched sticks of chocolate, others lighted cigarettes but forgot -to smoke them. Boom, boom! The British guns were in full play. The -German guns were answering. Shells screamed across the trenches in both -directions. The din increased moment by moment. The air quivered with -the thunderous crashes, and sang with the perpetual _phwit, phwit_ of -bullets. Not a man dared to lift his head. Clouds of earth rose into -the air before and behind, showering pellets upon the waiting soldiers. - -Boom and roar and crash! Presently the stream of shells from the -Germans diminished. It almost ceased. - -"Platoons, get ready!" - -"Fix bayonets!" - -The men began to swarm up the parapet. There was no enemy to be seen. -The wire stretched across their front had been battered down in many -places. - -All at once there was a great stillness. The artillery had finished its -work. - -"Now, men!" shouted Kennedy, commander of the leading platoon. - -With a cheer the men rushed forward, Kenneth on the right, Harry on the -left. On either side other regiments had already deployed and were -advancing. They came to the first of the German trenches--empty, except -for prone and huddled forms in grey, and a litter of rifles, helmets, -water-bottles, mess-tins, equipment of all kinds. Kenneth sprang into -the communication trench beside the pond, and splashed through the water -at the bottom, the rest of the platoon after him. Where were the -Germans? - -They came to the second line of trenches, floundered through what seemed -an endless series of mysterious zigzag passages, waded through two or -three feet of greenish water, scrambled up the embankment beyond, and -raced across the open field, as fast as men could race with packs on -their backs, full haversacks, and rifle and bayonet, over ground pitted -with holes, heaped with earth and stones, scattered with the bodies of -men, strands of barbed wire, fragments of shells and all the dreadful -apparatus of warfare. Still there were no Germans to be seen, but -bullets spat and sang among the advancing men; here a man fell with a -groan, there one tumbled upon his face without even a murmur, scarcely -noticed by his comrades pressing on and on with shouts and cheers. - -Kennedy's platoon reached the ruined church which Kenneth and Harry had -passed on their memorable night expedition. With shaking limbs and -panting lungs they flung themselves down behind the wall of the -churchyard for a brief rest. The next rush towards the village would be -across two hundred and fifty yards of open ground, bare of cover until -they came to the gardens at the back of the cottages. - -The modern battle makes greater demands on individual effort and -resource than the old-time battles on less extensive fields, where all -the operations were conducted under the eye of the commander-in-chief. -Kennedy's men knew nothing of what was going on on their left and right. -They heard the insistent crackle of rifles, the rapid clack-clack of -machine guns, the whistling of shrapnel. They saw the white and yellow -puffs, with now and then a burst of inky blackness, in the sky. Boom -and crash, rattle and crack; pale flashes of fire; the ground trembling -as with an earthquake; all the work of deadly destructive machines, -operated by some unseen agency. And in a momentary lull there came -raining down from somewhere in the blue the liquid notes of a lark's -song. - -"Now, men," cried Kennedy, "the last rush. No good stopping or lying -down. On to the village. Stick it, Rutlands!" - -The men sprang through the gaps in the wall, rushed across the -churchyard and into the open fields. From the houses a little above -them on the hillside broke a withering fire. They pressed on doggedly, -stumbling in holes and shell pits, scrambling up and moving on again, -bullets spattering and whistling among them, their ears deafened by the -merciless scream and boom. On, ever on, the gaps in their extended -order widening as the fatal missiles found their mark. There was no -faltering. A mist seemed to hide the houses from view, but they were -drawing nearer moment by moment. Suddenly there was a tremendous -detonation in their front; a vast column of smoke, earth and brick dust -rose in the air, and where cottages had been there were now only heaps -of ruins. "I hope our own gunners won't shell us," thought Kenneth on -the extreme right, as he dashed towards the side street in which the -explosion had taken place. - -And now at last the enemy were seen, some on the ground, some fleeing -helter skelter from the ravaged spot. The Rutlands yelled. From the -further end of the village came answering British cheers. Working round -the shoulder of the hill another company had forced the defences, and -the village was won. - -With scarcely a moment's delay the men set to work to prepare for the -inevitable counter-attack. Lieutenant Kennedy was not to be seen. -Sergeant Colpus took command of his platoon, diminished by nearly a -half. Kenneth and Harry, bearing no marks of the fight except dirt, had -time for only a word of mutual congratulation before they rushed off to -place machine guns at the salient angles of the village. Others threw -up new entrenchments and barricades, utilising the debris of houses and -furniture. And meanwhile, on the shell-scarred field behind, the -ambulances and Red Cross men were busy. - -The village consisted of one principal street, with a few streets -springing from it on either side; crooked and irregular, following the -contour of the hill. For a couple of hours the men toiled to strengthen -the position they had carried; then warning of the impending attack was -given by a shell from a German battery miles away to the east. It burst -some fifty yards in front of the village. A minute or two later four -shells plunged among the houses almost at the same instant. The warning -had given the Rutlands just time enough to evacuate the houses and take -what shelter was possible. An aeroplane soared high over the position -towards the German lines. Shrapnel burst around it, but it sailed on -unperturbed for several minutes, then swept round and returned. No -visible signal had been observed, but almost immediately shells began to -scream over the village: the British artillery had been given the range -and had opened fire. For half an hour the German bombardment continued, -gradually slackening as gun after gun was put out of action by the -British shells from far away. Finally the German batteries were -silenced, but the enemy had not relinquished his design of a -counter-attack. In the distance, over a wide front, column after column -of grey-clad infantry was seen advancing in the dense formation that had -cost countless lives in the early months of the war, but which had -succeeded many times in crushing the defence, even though temporarily, -by sheer weight of numbers. - -The Rutlands manned the houses, the ruins, the garden fences, the -breastworks hastily thrown up. Other battalions occupied the German -reserve trenches running close beside the church in the rear. The -advancing Germans were met with rapid fire from rifles and machine guns. -Great gaps were cut in their ranks, but they were instantly filled up. -Time after time they were brought to a halt and showed signs of -wavering; but in a few minutes their lines were steadied and they came -on again with indomitable courage. It was soon apparent that the German -commander was hurling immense masses forward with the intention of -recapturing the village at all costs. As they approached they spread -out to right and left, attacking the village on three sides. The -Rutlands and the one company from another regiment which held it could -look for no support, for the men in the trenches also were hard beset -and unable to leave their positions because of the enfilading fire of -the numerous German machine guns. - -Kenneth and Harry, with the other survivors of their platoon, occupied -two or three small houses on the southern slope of the hill. A dozen -men held a detached cottage some forty yards beyond. It was on this -cottage that the huge German wave first broke. Two or three times it -was swept back; then Captain Adams, recognising the hopelessness of -attempting to retain this isolated outpost, ran into one of the nearest -houses and called for a volunteer to carry the order for its evacuation. -Harry sprang forward among the group that instantly responded. - -"Good, Randall!" said the captain. "Bring them back at once. Look out -for cover." - -Harry left the house, ran along for a few yards sheltered by a brick -wall, then with lowered head sprinted along the open road towards the -cottage. He entered it from the back. Of the dozen men who held it, -only four or five were now in action. Two were dead; the rest, among -whom was Stoneway, were wounded. On receiving the captain's order, the -men who were unhurt carried out those of their comrades who were -incapable of movement, and began to withdraw. The moment they left -their loopholes the Germans they had held at bay swarmed up the slope. -Laden as they were, they could hardly escape without assistance. - -"Come on, boys!" shouted Kenneth. - -Followed by several of his companions he dashed out of the house. At -the wall they stopped to fire one volley, then with a ringing cheer -charged with the bayonet. At the sight of cold steel the Germans -recoiled, and their pause, short as it was, gave Harry time to bring the -retiring men under cover of the wall. Then the Germans came on again in -such numbers that Kenneth and his party had to fall back, firing as they -went, and rejoin the men in the house. - -For ten minutes more they held their position, hurling the grey mass -back by the rapidity of their fire. Their rifles were hot to the touch. -Still the Germans pressed forward, some of them flinging hand grenades, -which set fire to the houses. To remain longer was to court certain -destruction. Dashing out at the back, the men rushed from garden to -garden towards the main street, only to find that the enemy had already -forced their way into that, and were pressing hard upon the remnants of -two platoons that were falling back, disputing every yard. - -Kenneth glanced round among the men who had accompanied him from the -houses. Neither Sergeant Colpus nor any other non-commissioned officer -was with them. - -"We'll give them a charge, boys," he cried. - -Several files of Germans had already passed the end of the lane that ran -along the rear of the gardens into the main street. Forming his little -party in fours, Kenneth led them along the lane. They swept upon the -flank of the enemy, their sudden onset cutting the column in two. The -eastern portion recoiled: the western, caught between these new -assailants and the Rutlands stubbornly retreating up the street, were -cut to pieces. - -"Well done!" cried Captain Adams, rushing up at the head of the men upon -whom the pressure had been relieved, "Dash down those walls there." - -He pointed to a house that was already tottering through the effects of -the bombardment. Taking advantage of the enemy's confusion, the -Rutlands completed the demolition of the walls, hurling bricks, plaster, -rafters, furniture across the street, and hastily raising a barricade. -When the Germans returned to the charge, they found themselves faced by -a formidable breastwork, from behind which the Rutlands met their rush -with rifles and machine guns. They were thrown back again and again, and -during every interval the defenders ripped up the pave and worked -energetically at sinking a trench across the whole breadth of the -street. - -"They are checked for the moment," said the captain. "But they'll bring -up field guns, and splinter the barricade. We'll hold the houses on -each side. I've already sent word to the colonel; if we can manage to -hold our ground for the rest of the day we shall get support to-morrow." - -It was clear that the attack had been checked all along the line. The -Germans immediately in front of the village established themselves at -the foot of the hill facing the street, no doubt with the intention of -renewing the attack after another bombardment. During the day the -Rutlands were not further molested. Early next morning the village was -heavily shelled by the German batteries, but British artillery had been -moved up in anticipation of this onslaught, and after a hot duel that -lasted for nearly an hour the Germans were again silenced. Their -infantry was observed to be entrenching themselves in the fields half a -mile away, and a certain amount of spasmodic rifle fire and sniping went -on between the two forces. - -The Rutlands were worn out with fatigue and hunger. It had been -impossible to bring up supplies, and they had only their emergency -rations and what food they could find in the village. But in the -evening two fresh battalions came up to relieve them, and they were -ordered back to their original billets. There the brigadier himself -complimented them on their success, and promised them a well-earned -rest. - -When the roll was called, it was found that the success had been won at -a heavy cost. Half the officers and thirty per cent. of the men were -killed or wounded. Colonel Appleton was slightly injured by a splinter, -Lieutenant Kennedy had narrowly escaped death: a bullet had shattered -the wire-nippers in his breast pocket, causing lacerations of the flesh. -Stoneway's wound turned out to be very slight; and some of the men who -had been with him in the cottage were rather aggrieved that he had -withdrawn from the firing line though not incapacitated. Captain Adams, -Kenneth and Harry were among those who had come through unscathed. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE HIKIOTOSHI - - -The village appeared to be full of wounded. Some were being attended to -by doctors on the spot, others were sent to the rear in motor ambulances -as fast as these could be brought up. The Rutlands learnt that their -attack on the village had been only one incident in operations that had -extended for several miles along the front, and which had resulted in a -certain gain of ground. The German trenches had been stormed, and the -enemy thrown back for a considerable distance. - -During the morning a motor despatch rider came in with a message from -the general of division. An immediate answer was required, which -Colonel Appleton at once proceeded to write, while Captain Adams -questioned the cyclist on what he had seen in the course of his ride. -The divisional headquarters was at a village some fifteen miles to the -north-east as the crow flies, but the route taken by the cyclist, well -behind the British lines, was almost twice that distance. He had been -instructed to return the same way. It occurred to Captain Adams, -however, that much time would be saved if a more direct route were -followed, and he suggested that the colonel should take advantage of the -change in position resulting from the forward movement and the confusion -in the German lines, to send his message along a road that ran from the -captured village in the rear of what had been the enemy's trenches. - -"That's all very well," said the colonel, "but in the first place this -man is ordered to go back the same way, and in the next we have no other -cycles or cyclists." - -"We have a couple of cycles," said the captain. "Don't you remember, -sir, we sent a requisition to the base for a couple of new machine guns -and by some blunder or other they sent us two motor cycles instead?" - -"And we still have them?" - -"Oh yes! We shall have to keep them until someone discovers that they -are missing and ultimately finds out their whereabouts. And I've no -doubt we've several men who can ride." - -"There's a further consideration. The road you mention is now between -our firing line and the enemy's. It will be decidedly unhealthy." - -"A little risky, no doubt; but by all accounts the Germans have been -thrown back some distance, and they'll be too busy consolidating their -new position to be very dangerous to-day. I daresay there'll be snipers -here and there, but they're not very successful at running targets. I'd -suggest that you triplicate your despatch: send one copy by this man the -long way, and two at short intervals by the direct road. You'd make -sure of it thus." - -"Well, I'll 'phone to the front and discover how the land lies. In the -meantime see if you can find riders. If it appears reasonably safe I'll -adopt your suggestion: it will save half an hour or more." - -The captain at once hurried to the Bonnards' cottage. "Amory's a likely -man," he thought. - -The upshot was that when the official despatch rider was returning to -headquarters by the long way round, Kenneth and Harry were speeding -along the road north-eastward. Harry was the first to start; Kenneth -followed at a minute's interval, just keeping his friend in sight. Their -orders were to let nothing interfere with or delay the delivery of the -despatch. If any accident happened, if either of them was hit by a -sniper's bullet, there must be no question of helping the other. - -Before starting they had attentively studied a large-scale map of the -district. The colonel's information had shown the impossibility of -attempting to reach headquarters without leaving the direct road. This -lay, for about half the distance, between the new fronts of the opposing -forces, but it then crossed the new position which the Germans were -believed to be entrenching, and ran for several miles behind it. There -was, however, a by-road forking to the left just before the halfway -point was reached, and this opened into a bridle track leading in the -right direction. By making this slight detour they would lose a mile or -two, but they might hope to incur no more danger than they were bound to -risk in the early part of the journey. - -"Barring accidents, we shall save a good deal more time than the colonel -thinks," said Kenneth, as he folded the map. "The way the other fellow -has gone is sure to be congested with traffic: this will be clear." - -"I hope so," replied Harry, "but don't forget there's been an action. -The road is probably half pits. Well, I go first then; if I come a -cropper, take warning and scoot." - -At the outset the road was not so bad as he had expected, and he was -able to run the machine at a pace of nearly forty miles an hour without -much risk. There were few marks of gun fire, no doubt because the road -followed the bottom of an indentation over which the shells had passed. -But after a time it rose, and the ground fell away on each side, and -Harry was warned of the necessity of reducing speed by a sudden jolt -that made him bite his tongue. From that moment he had to watch every -yard of the road. Sometimes on the left, sometimes in the centre, -sometimes on the right, yawned a shell pit deep enough to bury a wagon. -Presently he had to pick his way through a litter of broken rifles, -helmets, haversacks, all sorts of articles of equipment, evidently -dropped or thrown aside by the Germans in their disordered flight the -day before. Time was so important that, even now, he rode at a speed -that would have seemed lunacy to a motorist with a proper respect for -springs and bearings, avoiding only dangerous holes, and riding over -most of the obstacles. His progress was a succession of jolts and jerks -that threatened to dislocate the machine, and he afterwards wondered -that it had not broken down under the strain. - -He came into the by-road. This, being at a lower level than the road he -had left, had not suffered so much from shells; on the other hand, it -was scored with ruts and soft with mud, into which the wheels now and -then sank several inches. He was beset now by a constant fear of -skidding, and annoyed by splashes of mud on his face. - -"It might be worse," he thought. "Lucky they are not bullets." - -So far, it was clear, he had not been seen by the snipers whom Captain -Adams had mentioned as the greatest risk of the journey. The ground on -either side rolled away in gentle undulations. There was neither house -nor living creature in sight. Guns were booming in the far distance, -but though he knew that there were thousands of invisible soldiers on -each side of him, nothing on the face of the country indicated a state -of war. - -Topping a rise, he came to a ruined hamlet in which not a single cottage -was whole. Beyond this branched the bridle track that led to his -destination. It was a lane no more than four feet wide, between hedges, -and thick with slimy mud. It wound and twisted in an erratic and -seemingly purposeless manner, and but for the evidence of the map he had -conned Harry would have had no confidence in its general direction. - -Suddenly he heard the characteristic scream of a shell not far ahead. -Immediately afterwards the deep boom of a heavy gun came from his right. -The German gunners had started work. In a few seconds there was rolling -thunder on each side of him; it was evident that a violent artillery -duel was in progress. The hedges prevented him from seeing anything; -but reflecting that the gunners were aiming at each other's positions he -was not disturbed about his own safety. - -He had just turned an awkward corner, narrowly avoiding a sideslip, and -was congratulating himself on a few yards of straight track and a -widening that gave hope of reaching an open road, when, amid the sound -of guns, he caught another sound, which at first he mistook for the -whirr of an aeroplane. In a moment, however, he recognised his error. -It was the purring of a motor bicycle, and in front, approaching him. -Almost as soon as he knew this, the machine came in sight at the far -corner, perhaps a hundred yards away, running at no great speed. At the -first glance he saw that the rider was a German; at the second that the -German was not unprepared to meet him. He realised afterwards that, the -wind being with him, the noise of his own swiftly running engine must -have been heard first. - -Each had only a few moments to decide what to do. The German, the -instant he recognised the approaching rider as a British soldier, -screwed on his brakes, turned the bicycle across the lane, sprang off -and drew a revolver, no doubt expecting that the Englishman would swerve -at the obstacle, be forced into the hedge, and present an easy target. -His reasoning, if such it was, would have been sound enough had it not -proceeded from a faulty estimate of the English mind--an error into -which the Germans have been betrayed many times since the Kaiser made -his initial blunder in the same kind. The German is a master of the -obvious, and imagines that what he would do is the best thing to be -done, and that an Englishman will do it badly. - -Harry, however, was not committed by training or habit to either of the -obvious courses: to allow himself to be forced into the hedge, or to -stop dead and fight the German on foot. It seemed to him, in those few -seconds that he had for deciding, better to clear the way for Kenneth, -who, no doubt, was not far behind. A spill would at any rate not hurt -his feelings, as it might a German's. Accordingly, instead of applying -the brakes, he opened the throttle, and bracing himself for the shock, -drove his machine at ever-increasing speed straight for the enemy. - -This, of course, from the German point of view, was English madness. -Still, it was unexpected, and when the German fired, at the distance of -twenty paces, his aim was flurried by his natural surprise, and by the -sudden realisation that his machine would certainly be smashed. -Dropping his revolver, and shouting something that was far from -complimentary, he tried to pull his bicycle clear; but his action was -not only too late; like so many well-meant efforts to prevent mischief, -it furthered it. His movement of a few inches caused Harry's bicycle to -strike the hub of the driving wheel instead of the middle of the -machine, for which he was steering. Harry was flung over the -handle-bars into the hedge, a few feet in advance of the bicycles, which -lay mangled together, and not quite so far from the German, who had very -luckily escaped being crushed beneath them. - -The two men staggered to their feet almost at the same moment, bruised -and shaken, but equally unconscious of their hurts. The German, with -his cultivated instinct, fumbled for his revolver, remembered it was on -the ground out of reach, and was drawing his sword-bayonet when Harry, -in the British way, flung himself upon him. And when Kenneth, half a -minute later, drawn up at speed by the sound of the crash, came upon the -scene, he beheld with mingled amazement and concern two military -figures, begrimed with mud, struggling on the ground. The figure in -grey was undermost. - -"Go on!" shouted Harry. "I've got the Hikiotoshi on him." - -Kenneth had slowed down, but remembering the captain's injunction, and -seeing that his friend was well able to take care of himself, he opened -out and in a few seconds was pushing along at as high a speed as the -greasy lane permitted. He could not help smiling at the recollection of -his own bewilderment and naive indignation when, in one of his early -lessons in jujutsu from Mr. Kishimaru, he had found both legs suddenly -swept from under him, and heard the Japanese, beaming down upon him, -gently remark: - -"That, my dear sir, is the Hikiotoshi." - -Kenneth's experiences along the road had been identical with Harry's. -But a few seconds after he had left the scene of the collision he had -reason to wonder, for the first time, whether he would ever reach his -destination. The bridle track opened into a road that intersected a -stretch of plain. It had suffered hardly at all from shells; being on a -higher level than the bridle track it was fairly dry and gave a better -surface for riding; but it was fully exposed on either hand, without -protection of hedge or dyke; and anyone passing along it must be in full -view for a considerable distance left and right. And Kenneth found that -he had run into the very centre of the artillery duel the sounds of -which he had heard for some minutes. Shells whizzed over his head in -both directions. Bang to the left of him, boom to the right of him, and -above him shriek and moan in various tones. And in the midst of the -broken sounds came the continuous hum of an aeroplane somewhere in the -neighbourhood. - -Neither the German nor the British batteries were visible. Kenneth -indeed did not look round for their flashes or the smoke from the -bursting shells. Bending forward over the handle-bars he raced on, -congratulating himself that, his course being probably midway between -the distant batteries, the gunners on each side were too intent on -searching the hostile position to concern themselves about a solitary -cyclist careering across their front at a shorter range. But he knew -that between him and the guns infantry were watching in their trenches, -perhaps awaiting the order to advance, and at any moment he might find -himself caught between two fires. - -He was not long left in doubt whether he had been seen. From the right -a bullet sang across the road. It was a single shot, from the rifle of -some sniper concealed somewhere in advance of the German lines. At a -speed of fifty miles an hour he must be a difficult target even for the -most expert of marksmen, and he hoped that speed would save him. -Another shot whistled by his ear; that was a narrow escape, he thought; -but there had been no volley from the German trenches: apparently he had -not been seen except by the sniper, and it was only a stream of shot -from rifles or machine guns that he had to fear. - -Presently, however, he was startled by a loud explosion near at hand on -his left; glancing round, he saw a column of earth and smoke rise from -the ground. "That's a shell from a field-gun," he thought. "The -Germans have spotted me, and are trying their hand." Another shell -burst on his right, close enough to bespatter him with earth. A few -seconds afterwards there was a shattering explosion on the same side, of -such force that the concussion of the air alone was sufficient to hurl -his machine sideways. Uncontrollably it mounted a low bank on the left, -jumped a ditch, tore a furrow through the heavy soil, then stopped -slowly and turned over. - -Kenneth picked himself up, covered with dirt but unharmed. He looked at -the fallen machine. Both wheels were buckled; from one the tyre had -been ripped off; the bicycle was damaged beyond repair. A shell -bursting within a hundred yards sent him scrambling into a ditch, where -he rested for a few moments to collect himself. The German gunners were -apparently satisfied; the firing ceased. - -"Scuppered, and with only a few miles to go," he thought. "Both of us! -The long way will prove to be the shortest after all." - -After a little consideration he came to the conclusion that there was -still a chance of arriving first at headquarters by making his way along -the ditch parallel with the road. In any case he must attempt it, for -the third rider might have met with an accident: his clear duty was to -go on and deliver the despatch. He was farther from his destination -than he supposed, and it would probably have taken him an hour to reach -it on foot. But he set off along the bottom of the ditch, sinking -sometimes over his ankles in slime and water. - -Some twenty minutes afterwards he was surprised to hear another series -of explosions on the road behind him. A little later the wind carried -towards him the purr of a motor bicycle. It was rapidly approaching; -the crash of bursting shells came nearer and nearer. Was the rider a -friend or an enemy? It could not be either Harry or the German he had -met, for he had seen at a glance as he passed by that their machines -were crippled. He was bound to be discovered; the ditch, while deep -enough to conceal him from the gunners in the distance, would not hide -him from anyone passing along the road, even if he lay flat in the -filthy ooze. He drew the revolver which Captain Adams had lent him, -resolving to get his shot in first. - -Only a few seconds elapsed between his hearing the sound and the -appearance of the bicycle round a curve in the road behind. The rider -was in khaki; he was flat over the handle-bars; the machine seemed to -leap along the road. It flashed by, and Kenneth, crouching over the -ditch, was amazed to see that the rider was Harry. Whether his friend -had recognised him he could not tell. Quite oblivious of the shells -that were still bursting on and near the road, he watched the bicycle's -breakneck career until it passed under a bank that protected it from the -German guns, turned a corner, and disappeared. Next moment there was a -crash behind him; he was conscious for the fraction of a second of sharp -blows on every part of his body; then he knew no more. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE OBSERVATION POST - - -Harry reached the divisional headquarters without further mishap, and -delivered his despatch. The rider who had come by the long way had not -arrived. It was more than half an hour later when he at last rode in, -and explained that he had been delayed at several points by congestion -of traffic. - -Meanwhile Harry had obtained leave to ride back and bring in his -companion, whom he expected to meet within a mile or two. Evening was -coming on; heavy clouds were heaping themselves in the western sky, -hastening the dark. Harry had only the vaguest idea of the locality of -the spot where he had caught a momentary glimpse of Kenneth, and after -riding for some distance, untroubled by attentions from the German -gunners, without meeting him, he began to feel uneasy. The sight of the -abandoned motor bicycle increased his misgiving. Turning at the bridle -path he rode back very slowly, closely scanning both sides of the road. -At length he descried, in the failing light, a body lying half in, half -out of the ditch. He jumped off his machine and hastened to the -prostrate form, dreading to find that his friend was killed. But a -moment's examination sufficed to reassure him. The heart was still -beating. A few drops from his flask revived Kenneth, who sat up, a -deplorable object, caked with mud from head to foot. - -"How do you feel, old man?" asked Harry anxiously. - -"Ugh!" grunted Kenneth. "Is my collar-bone broken?" - -"Not a bit of it, or you couldn't move your neck like that. Can you get -up?" - -"Give me a hand." - -He rose slowly to his feet. - -"Is my skull cracked?" he asked. "Where's my cap?" - -Harry picked it up, and put it on his head after feeling all over the -skull. - -"Just pinch me up and down the legs, will you?" said Kenneth. - -"I don't think there's anything wrong," said Harry after pressing all -the joints and muscles. - -"Then I've cost the Germans a good few pounds for nothing. I'm horribly -dizzy; feel as if a whole rugger team had been over me. You got through -to headquarters?" - -"Yes. But look here, I'll tell you about it presently. D'you think you -could stick on the carrier? The sooner we get out of this the better." - -"Let me walk a little first. I'm rather top-heavy at present. You got -there first?" - -"Yes." - -"Good man! 'Fraid we'd both muff it.... Is my face as dirty as my -hands?" - -"My dear child, your face is all right. If you talk like that I shall be -certain you are cracked." - -"All right, old man; only I was thinking of your face, you know. I -don't mind so long as we are both pretty much alike." - -"Well now, hop on, and I'll go fairly slowly. If you feel inclined to -tumble off, sing out and I'll catch you before you fall." - -Kenneth, however, managed to maintain his seat on the carrier, and the -two rode into headquarters just before absolute dark. They were given a -billet for the night, and told to return to their regiment as best they -could next day. Luckily able to get a bath, they were then provided -with supper, and Harry had an opportunity of telling at his ease how he -had managed to save the situation. - -"You see, after I had put him down with the Hikiotoshi----" - -"I nearly rolled off with laughing when you sang that out," Kenneth -interrupted. "How delighted old Kishimaru would be! I must write and -tell him about it. Go on." - -"Well, I had to lay him out, which wasn't very difficult, and for -safety's sake I tied him up in his own straps. Then I had a look at my -machine. The front wheel was hopelessly buckled. What about the -German's, I thought. I found that the engine was mere scrap iron; it -had got the full force of the collision. But the back wheel wasn't hurt -a bit. By good luck it was exactly the same size as mine, and as the -tool bag was there all complete, I set about exchanging the wheels--and -also more or less pleasant remarks with the German, who showed a -wonderful command of English bargee idiom when he recovered his senses. -I had pulled my old Rover to pieces so often at home that I had no -trouble, though it took me a long time. When I had finished, I wondered -whether I could bring in the German as a prisoner, but I couldn't very -well fix him on the carrier without help. And besides, the front forks -had been so strained and twisted that I was afraid the whole concern -might come to grief. So I went over and bade him a polite good-bye, -eased his lashings so that he could wriggle free with a little exertion, -and then set off at full speed. By the way, I had taken the liberty of -examining his pockets, left him a photograph and a few trifles, and took -a letter and a despatch which I handed to the general. On the whole I -think we've done a good day's work." - -"I rather think we have. Pity you didn't leave the German tied up: we -might have got him to-morrow on our way back." - -"No thank you! Once running the gauntlet of German shells is enough for -me. We'll go back the long way. And as we shall have only the one -machine between us I'll take it to the repairing shop and have it looked -over. There's not much wrong with it, and we'll take turn and turn -about on the carrier." - -They set off in a fine spring dawn, taking their midday meal with them. -It was slow going on this outer circle. The road, lying well behind the -British lines, was encumbered with military traffic. The pave was for -long stretches occupied by motor omnibuses and lorries, carrying men, -provisions, and ammunition. Here was a lorry loaded with bacon, there -one packed with loaves of bread from the baking ovens, there another -heaped with parcels sent out from home, another with new uniforms, boots -and equipment. Time after time the cyclists had to hop off, leave the -pave for the muddy unpaved border of the road, and stand ankle deep in -mud until the heavy vehicles had passed, exchanging pleasantries with -the cheerful drivers. - -"I say, this is a nuisance," said Harry, at one of these stoppages. "If -I'm not mistaken, the map showed a cross-road about halfway, leading -into the road we travelled yesterday. It comes out by that hamlet we -passed. I vote we take that and chance it. There's no firing at -present, and the road is less exposed at that end. Of course there's no -hurry, but this constant hopping off and on is too monotonous for -anything." - -"We'll have a look at the cross-road when we come to it. It may be too -bad for riding." - -On reaching the cross-road, they found that there was no traffic on it, -though there were marks of the recent passage of heavy vehicles. It -looked fairly easy, so they struck into it, and bowled along for a mile -or two without interruption. In spite of bruises due to their spills on -the previous day they felt very fit, and the rapid movement through the -fresh morning air had its usual exhilarating effect. - -"This is better than the trenches--heaps better than hanging about in -billets," said Kenneth. "I'd rather like despatch riding." - -"So would I," replied Harry. "But I don't regret anything. All I'm -sorry for is that poor old Ginger is collared. I'm afraid he's having a -rotten time of it." - -The road was winding and hilly, running through country for the most -part bare, but dotted with clumps of woodland. Presently they passed a -train of artillery transport. Shortly afterwards they came in sight of a -low hill from the further side of which they expected to see the ruined -hamlet. As they rode up the hill they suddenly noticed, just below the -crown on their left, a battery of British field-guns getting into -position. The gunners were masking it from aerial observation by means -of branches of trees and shrubs on which the foliage was well advanced. -Then a bend of the road brought them in sight of a battalion of -infantry, evidently in support of the guns. - -"Halt there!" cried a man, coming towards them. - -They slipped off, left the bicycle by the side of the road, and -accompanied the man to the colonel. - -"Where are you going?" he asked. - -Kenneth mentioned the name of their village. - -"You can't go this way," said the colonel. "The enemy isn't far on the -other side of the road this leads to, and I don't want anything to -attract his attention to this quarter. Ride back, and go along the main -road." - -"We can't get along very well for the traffic, sir," said Kenneth. "We -rode the other way yesterday, and know it quite well. It's much -shorter, and a good deal of it is in a hollow, so that we are not very -likely to be seen. Besides, sir, we might possibly do a little scouting -on the way." - -"You're not in a signal company?" - -"Not officially, sir, though we carried an emergency despatch -yesterday." - -"Well, I'll let you through on condition that you come back at once if -you see anything worth reporting. You're a public school man, aren't -you?" - -"Yes, sir. Haileybury." - -"O.T.C.?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Couldn't wait for a commission, I suppose? Well, remember your work on -field days. I can trust you to use your intelligence." - -"Thank you, sir." - -"By the way, I must tell you that a field telephone has gone ahead. -Look alive; the gunners are in a hurry." - -They remounted and rode on, passing a screen of scouts lying over a wide -front below the crest of the hill. As they were nearing the foot of the -farther slope they saw the telephone wagon coming towards them. On -meeting it they stopped and asked the driver what was going on. - -"Nothing yet. We've laid the wire to a cottage you'll see in the -distance when you get beyond those trees. There's a lieutenant and four -men in charge. You'd better hurry up." - -"What, are there any Germans in sight?" asked Harry. - -"No; but there's been a bit of sniping. I don't think they could have -seen us going into the cottage, but they must have caught sight of us on -the road. I heard the smack of a bullet on the back of the wagon, and -was thankful when I got under the trees." - -They went on. Beyond the trees the road ran straight up a long gradual -incline. To the left, on the crest, stood a small cottage, enclosed, -with its garden, within a brick wall. They had ridden only a few yards -up the ascent when they heard the crackle of rifle fire ahead. - -"The Germans must have seen or guessed that the men went to the -cottage," said Kenneth. "We had better leave the machine and go up -across the field. The cottage and garden wall will give us cover. It -will be just as well to learn what's going on." - -They left the road and ran up the grassy hill towards the cottage. On -nearing the crest they became aware that the firing they had heard was -being directed from the front of the cottage. There was no answering -fire, but it was clear that the little party in the cottage was -expecting an attack. Being an observation party, to whose success -secrecy was essential, it was equally clear that they would not have -fired except from urgent necessity. - -"Ride back and tell the colonel," said Kenneth. "I'll go on and lend a -hand." - -At another moment it would have been Harry's way to dispute his friend's -right to the dangerous part, and to settle the matter by the spin of a -coin. It might have occurred to him, too, that the call for support -would reach the colonel by telephone more quickly than he could convey -it on the bicycle. But guessing that the position was critical, he -turned his back at once, ran down the hill, mounted the machine, and -rode back at his utmost speed. Kenneth meanwhile had vaulted the garden -wall, and dashed into the cottage through the open door at the back. - -During the next ten or fifteen minutes events crowded one upon another -more rapidly than can be related, and we must pause for a little to make -the position clear. The cottage stood on a spur projecting slightly -eastward from the general line of the ridge. Below it the ground sloped -gently down to the road which Kenneth and Harry had travelled on the -previous day. Beyond that the country undulated for several miles. -About a mile away was a young plantation. The road ran right and left, -with considerable windings, and a mile and a half away, on the right, -was the ruined hamlet through which the motor riders had passed. A -little below the cottage a stone wall of no great height stretched -across the ground, ultimately meeting the road. On the eastern side of -it--that is, in the direction of the German lines--was a ditch, shallow -and empty. During the night a full regiment of Germans, reorganised -after their recent repulse, had occupied the wood and the hamlet, the -advance guard of a large body whose purpose was to carry their line -forward just as the British on their side were doing. The British -engineer party had not completed the installation of the telephone in -the cottage when the lieutenant saw the Germans debouching from the wood -towards the hamlet, and considerable movement in the hamlet itself. -Ordering his men to cut loopholes in the wall of the front room on the -upper storey, and to fire if the enemy appeared to be advancing on the -cottage, he worked at the telephone, and had almost finished when the -German scouts were seen creeping up the hill about half a mile away. -Below them was a company in extended order; below them again a second -company in support. They were coming straight towards the cottage, and -the men, in obedience to their officer's orders, had fired. - -Kenneth dashed into the cottage. The lower floor was empty. He rushed -up the stairs into the only room above. Four men were posted at the -loopholes; the lieutenant was screwing on the receiver of the telephone. -He looked up as Kenneth entered. - -"Are they coming on already?" he asked. - -"No; but a pal of mine has ridden back to tell the colonel." - -"That's good. It will be a minute or two before this wretched thing is -in working order." - -Just then there was a burst of rifle fire from the enemy. The windows -were shattered. One of the men dropped his rifle and shouted. - -"Get out and back to our lines," called the officer, seeing that he was -_hors de combat_. "Take his rifle, will you?" he added to Kenneth. "For -goodness' sake don't go near the window." - -Kenneth picked up the rifle and hurried to a loophole. From the volume -of the enemy's fire it was clear that the assailants were a very -numerous body, and it struck him as madness for five men to attempt to -hold the place. He ventured to say so. - -"Done at last!" said the lieutenant. "What was that you said? ... All -right" (he spoke through the telephone). "Infantry advancing. No sign -of battery.... Hold it! Of course we must. If they get here they can -see our battery from the roof. Besides, if we can hold them off until -the battalion comes up we couldn't have a better defensive position than -the wall and ditch in front.... Gad! that's bad." - -A shell had burst on the slope between the cottage and the road, clear -of the infantry advancing farther to the right. - -"Take my glasses," continued the lieutenant, "go well to the left, and -see if you can spot the direction when the next shell comes." In low -distinct tones he spoke into the bell of the receiver: "Enemy firing -line about 700 yards below crest, range say 5200." - -Another shell burst about a hundred yards to the left of the cottage. - -"See the flash?" asked the officer, with the receiver at his ear. - -"No." - -"They're firing at long range.... Yes: all right.... They've had to -change their position--our battery, I mean. Want another five minutes." -He looked at his wrist watch. "By that time the Germans will be upon -us, even if a lucky shot from one of their big guns don't tumble the -place about our ears. However!" - -Kenneth admired the young officer's coolness as, laying down the -receiver, he took up a rifle and posted himself at a loophole. The -Germans had stopped firing: bending low they were creeping up yard by -yard towards the wall. - -"Are you a good shot?" asked the officer. - -"Fair," replied Kenneth. - -"Then pick off the men on the flank. If they get across that dyke -they'll work round to our rear and have cover until they are close upon -us." - -Kenneth, sighting for 500 yards, took aim at the man highest up on the -enemy's extreme left flank. The man dropped. Then he fired at the next -man, and missed. A second shot found its mark. Meanwhile the officer -and his three men methodically fired, each through his own loophole. -And for four crowded minutes they poured their bullets into the line of -scouts, which thinned away until not one was visible on the hillside. - -But the company behind was pushing steadily on, and now opened fire. A -hail of bullets struck the walls of the cottage and whistled through the -broken windows. The officer, creeping across the floor to the telephone -receiver, was smothered with splinters of wood. One of the men uttered -an oath and drew his hand across his cheek. - -"A free shave, Tom," said the next man with a grin. "Whiskers won't -grow there no more." - -Meanwhile, every twenty or thirty seconds a shell burst in the -neighbourhood of the cottage, every time nearer. The noise was -terrific. - -"Long time getting the range," said the lieutenant, holding the receiver -to his ear. "Our boys are just going to start.... Yes; still coming on; -range 5000: 400 less will smash _me_, so be careful." ... - -Almost immediately afterwards a British shell burst in front of the -cottage. - -"Where did it fall?" asked the officer. - -"Behind their supports, sir," replied one of the men. - -"Make it 4800," said the lieutenant through the telephone. - -The words had scarcely left his lips when there was a terrific crash. -For a few seconds Kenneth was so dazed as almost to be unconscious. -When he regained his wits he found himself lying in darkness on the -floor. An acrid smell teased his nostrils. Wondering where he was, and -why he was alive, he tried to rise, and knocking his head, discovered -that he was under a bed. He crawled out, over a heap of rubbish, and -wriggled to a gap in the back wall, and into the garden. And there, -emerging from the framework of what had been a window, was the -lieutenant, his face streaming with blood. But he still held the -telephone receiver, which, by one of the freaks of such explosions, had -remained undamaged. - -"Cottage bashed to bits," he reported coolly through the telephone.... -"No answer. The line's broken somewhere. Wonder whether it was a German -shell or one of ours. Hunt about for a rifle. By their howls they're -coming on. We'll creep round into the ditch. I've got my revolver: -come after me if you can find a rifle." - -But Kenneth was diverted from his search for a rifle by groans from -beneath a heap of debris. Removing it as quickly as possible, he -released one of the privates, whose face was cut and bruised and his arm -broken. He was wondering whether to look for the other men or for a -rifle when he saw a khaki figure running along by the garden wall -towards the ditch. Another followed, then another, then groups, all -hastening quietly in the direction of the firing. The battalion had -come up at last. Kenneth continued his search for the men. One was -dead; the third badly wounded. - -Meanwhile the British soldiers, puffing hard with the run up the hill, -were filing into the ditch, opening fire on the Germans the moment they -arrived. The enemy's artillery was silent, no doubt for fear of hitting -their own men. But British shells were falling almost incessantly on -the German columns down the hill. Still the enemy advanced, losing more -and more heavily as the ditch filled up. And presently, unable to -endure the terrible fire from the British vantage position above them, -they recoiled and were soon in full retreat, with still heavier losses, -for by the time they reached the road the whole of the British battalion -was extended along the firing line. - -The British at once set to work to deepen the ditch for a regular -trench. Before long the German artillery again began to play, the fire -becoming more and more accurate as the gunners found the range. The Red -Cross men were kept busy in tending the wounded under cover of the -ruined cottage. In a short time the British position on the ridge was -consolidated, and preparations were made for a line of trenches, -somewhat farther back and less exposed, which would become the permanent -trenches if the Germans were in sufficient force to return to the -attack. - -By force of circumstances Kenneth had taken no part in the fight after -the collapse of the cottage. But the engineer lieutenant, who had -retired from the firing line as soon as the ditch was manned, and -imperturbably rummaged among the ruins for the broken wire, thanked him -for his help. - -Kenneth wondered why Harry had not returned. As soon as he had an -opportunity he enquired about him, and learnt that the colonel had sent -him to the village with a message. The road by which Kenneth had -intended to return being closed, he could only regain his billet by -tramping back until he reached the main road. But Harry on the bicycle -met him halfway, and they reached their quarters in time for dinner. And -there they learnt that a portion of the village which they had captured -two days before had been won back by the Germans. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - EXCHANGE NO ROBBERY - - -In a small room in one of the houses at the foot of the hill village, -bending over a table spread with papers, sat Lieutenant Axel von -Schwank, an officer of a crack Prussian regiment, and a scion of an -ancient and exalted family. - -He had had an excellent dinner, without sparing the wine: what need was -there to do so when so many cases had been obtained gratis in Champagne? -He would have liked to remain with his brother officers, convivially -employed in the room on the other side of the passage; but his colonel -had given him some work to do. That was the penalty of being a musician. - -For Lieutenant Axel von Schwank was accomplished in music. His -rendering of the Waldstein sonata was wonderful for an amateur and a -Prussian; he sang "The Two Grenadiers" with _eclat_, as his friends used -to say before the authorities ordered the French language to be -abolished; and he was renowned for his ability to read the most -difficult score at sight. With all that he was full of martial spirit: -his cheeks were seamed with no fewer than three scars, proud memorials -of his student days. - -But it was for his musical skill that the colonel had selected him for -the piece of work on which he was now engaged. It was very elementary -work for a man who could play the Waldstein sonata and read a score by -Strauss; any school girl could have done it; but even the greatest -philosopher has at times to perform the simple operation of washing his -face, and the lieutenant need not have felt that he was demeaning -himself by a task so much below his powers. For what Lieutenant Axel -von Schwank was doing was simply to transcribe into musical notation, on -a sheet of ruled music paper, the two lines of German with which the -colonel had supplied him. - -Surely that is difficult, you say? He has only seven letters, A to G, -to employ, representing the seven notes of the scale, and the German -alphabet has twenty-six. What about the v's, and w's, and z's in which -the German language is so much superior to the French? But in the first -place, remember that the German musician calls H the note which the less -accomplished Englishman calls B, and in the second place that the range -of most instruments, including the German flute, extends beyond a single -octave. - -So that if the lieutenant writes this - -[Illustration: [musical note]] - -for A, there is nothing to prevent him writing - -[Illustration: [musical note]] - -for I, and by means of the sharps and flats he can even arrive at Z, -without exceeding the compass of that dulcet instrument. - -He was busy with his transcription when he heard a scuffling of feet and -the clank of swords in the opposite room. His fellow officers were -hurrying to the street door. The colonel put his head in. - -"We are called to the trenches," he said. "Go on with that, and follow -us when you have done." - -The lieutenant had sprung up, turned round and saluted. When his -superior was gone, he sat down and set to work again. After all, he -probably reflected, music has charms: it would preserve him for a few -minutes more from the bullets of those hateful pigs the English. - -The house was in silence. - -A little while after the officers had departed, a strange, unshaven, -unkempt face peered round the edge of the door, which the colonel had -left open. It was a lined and somewhat careworn face; the eyes were -bright and wild; the hair, very rough and tangled, was red. The face -moved slowly forward; inch by inch a dirty, tattered khaki uniform -showed itself; and the rays of the lamp on the table glinted on the -blade of a long carving knife, held in the man's right hand. He wore no -boots, and his stockings made no sound as he tiptoed across the room. - -[Illustration: THE INTRUDER IN KHAKI] - -Lieutenant Axel, bending over the table with his back to the door, was -absorbed in his occupation. But just as the intruder reached his chair -he seemed to become aware that he was not alone. He turned suddenly, -his right hand holding the fountain pen, his left, by some instinct, -crushing the papers into his pocket, and found a determined face glaring -at him, and a carving knife pointed at his breast. Before he could -collect himself a sinewy hand clutched him by the throat, and a voice -said in a hoarse whisper: - -"Make a sound and you're a dead 'un." - -Whether a knowledge of English was one of Lieutenant Axel's -accomplishments or not, there was no mistaking the hand, the knife, the -purport of the words. He turned pale; his eyes searched the room for a -chance of escape; he was discreetly silent; and at a significant -movement of the offensive blade he raised his hands above his head. A -drop of ink fell on his nose. - -The captor, in whose expression there was eagerness, anxiety, an air of -listening, loosed his grip on the officer's throat. - -"Take off your uniform and 'coutrements," he said, with a jerk of the -knife. - -Lieutenant Axel hesitated for a moment only. The Englishman's face was -not pleasant. Hurriedly he stripped off tunic, trousers, belt and -boots. - -"That'll do," said Ginger, in whose eyes the look which the German had -mistaken for fury really indicated that he was at his wits' end to know -how to effect the change of clothes without putting down the knife and -giving his captive an opportunity to dash for the door. - -An idea flashed upon him. Still pointing the knife at the officer, he -took up the lamp with his left hand, placed it on the chimney piece -close by, and stripped the cloth from the table. - -"Put it over your head," he whispered fiercely. - -Again a movement of the knife abridged the lieutenant's hesitation. The -shrouding table-cloth eclipsed the concentrated fury of his eyes. -Ginger wasted not a second. He shoved the officer into a corner of the -room, pulled a sofa across to bar him in, cut a bell-pull with the -knife, and drawing the cord over his head, began to tighten it. The -German began to struggle; for the first time he spoke. - -"You shtrangle me!" came the muffled words. - -"Shut up!" growled Ginger, with a premonitory dig of the knife. "I -won't graze your skin if you don't make a fuss. But----" - -Lieutenant Axel may have wondered: this hateful pig was certainly not -expert in frightfulness; he was very soft, like all the English. But -the struggles ceased; the officer was quiet while Ginger knotted the -cord about his neck. And he stood there in the corner, a statue in -table-cloth and pants, as Ginger, with a quickness learnt on raw -mornings in the barracks at home, endued himself with the well-tailored -habiliments of a Prussian officer. The boots were a trifle large for -him. - -He listened. All was quiet. He threw a dubious look at the rigid -officer. - -"Not safe," he muttered. - -Hastening to the German, he loosed the cord, pulled off the table-cloth, -and looking into the hot face said: - -"You've got to be tied up. Make a row and you know what. Join your -hands behind you." - -While Ginger was tying his hands, and his feet to a leg of the sofa, -Lieutenant Axel von Schwank cursed him in undertones in both English and -German. Ginger made no reply. But as soon as this part of his work was -finished, he caught up some papers from the mantelpiece--they were -copies of the Hymn of Hate--twisted them together, and with a sudden -movement thrust them into the German's mouth. - -"There! Bite them," he muttered. "Such shocking language!" - -He once more threw the table-cloth over the helpless man's head, put the -pickel-haube on his own, and quietly left the room. Passing the open -door opposite he hesitated for the fraction of a second, then went in, -gulped a glass of wine, caught up the frame of a chicken from the table, -and digging his teeth into it ravenously, hurried back, along the -passage, down a dark flight of steps, and out through the back door into -the garden. He drew quick breaths as he leant against the wall, gnawing -the carcase. From somewhere on his right came low sounds he had learnt -to recognise as signs of Germans in their trenches. On the left there -was silence. In the distance guns boomed. After a few minutes he threw -the chicken bones upon a neglected garden plot, sighed, drew his hand -across his lips, and murmured: - -"Blowed if I know!" - -The village was a mile or more from his old trench; he knew that. It -was, he supposed, wholly in possession of the Germans. He would have to -go through it up the hill, or round it, and pass the enemy's trenches -before he could reach his regiment. And at any moment the German -officer might be discovered! - -"I must skip," he said to himself. - -The assuagement of his terrible hunger had seemed a necessity beyond all -others. Now he realised his peril. Choosing the direction that was -silent, he stole from garden to garden, scaling the fences, and -presently found himself in a lane. It was uphill to the right: that was -his way. The lane ended in a street. There he turned to the left, but -had taken only a few steps when the tread of feet and the sound of -guttural voices coming towards him sent him back hastily in the opposite -direction. To his dismay, in a few seconds he heard other men -approaching. There was no escape. On one side he was blocked by a high -wall, on the other a house dimly lighted. The night was dark; he wore a -German uniform; unless accosted by a real officer he might pass safely. -With shrinking heart but an assured gait he walked boldly on, close to -the wall. - -Dark though it was, the soldiers returning from the trenches recognised -the officer's uniform and went by stiffly at the salute. Ginger was -bringing his hand up smartly when he remembered that he was an officer, -eased the movement, and dropped his hand again, quaking lest some -terrible blunder in the mode of his return salute should have betrayed -him. But in the darkness it passed muster. No doubt the men were tired. -They went on. Ginger, perspiring and limp, leant against the wall for a -moment or two. - -"Oh crumbs!" he murmured as he braced himself and set off again. - -A few steps brought him to a lane that broke the line of houses on his -left. It was quiet. He turned into it. The ground rose somewhat -steeply. - -"Must be going right," he thought. - -Soon the houses were left behind. The lane became a track across even -ground, with a few trees at the borders. Suddenly the silence was -broken by the sharp crackle of rifle fire from the upper part of the -hill. Ginger threw himself down and crouched behind a stout trunk. -There was no reply from the German trenches, which must be somewhere -below him, he thought. He waited patiently until the firing died away, -then rose and crept forward. - -His heart sank into his boots when he came unawares upon a trench and -heard the murmur of guttural voices. Before he had time to retreat, a -sentinel addressed him in German. - -"Sssh!" Ginger hissed, sliding into the trench a few feet from the dark -figure. Further down the trench there were dim lights. It was neck or -nothing now. Stepping on to the banquette he began to clamber up to the -parapet. The sentry, no doubt believing that the officer was engaged on -some special scouting duty, came towards him, whispering, "Erlauben Sie, -Herr Leutnant," and gave him a leg-up. - -Ginger scrambled over, fell on hands and knees, and crawled over the -ground. How far ahead were the British trenches he knew not; the night -was too dark for him to be seen, but at the least noise he would -certainly be taken for a German and become the invisible target for a -dozen rifles. - -While he was slowly wriggling forward he heard a commotion far in his -rear--shouts, the sound of many men on the move. Probably the muffled -lieutenant had been discovered; the men in the trenches would be advised -of the outrage, and the no man's land between the hostile forces might -be swept by a fusillade. Crushing himself flat he dragged himself on. - -Now there were sounds in front of him. He stopped, panting, listening. -Yes, they were British voices; were they those of his own comrades? -What should he do? If he called, he might be riddled with shot. So many -Germans could speak English. The Rutlands would know his voice, but what -if the men in the trenches were not the Rutlands? - -For a few moments he lay inert with hopelessness. Then an idea occurred -to him. On again, inch by inch, feeling out for barbed wire. There was -none; the position must have been hurriedly occupied. The voices were -more distinct; his straining cars caught individual words. - -"English, I surrender!" he called in a low tone. - -The voices were hushed. - -"Who goes there?" said a voice. - -"Murgatroyd, of the Rutlands," he replied. - -"Keep still." - -There was a momentary flash of light. - -"Don't fire!" called Ginger, instantly realising that his uniform must -have been seen. "I surrender." - -"Hands up and come on." - -Ginger was just rising when bullets sang over his head from behind. He -dropped down again; his last chance was gone; they would believe he was -tricking them. But he heard an officer give an order. There was no -answering fire from the trench in front, no repetition of the volley -from the rear. He crawled on, dimly seeing the parapet a few yards away. - -"I surrender," he repeated, and crawled on, over the sandbags, was -seized by rough hands, hauled headlong into the trench, and held firmly -by the neck. - -"Got him, sir," said a voice. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - STRATEGY - - -"Don't throttle me," Ginger murmured, scarcely able to speak from -physical exhaustion and the reaction from mental strain. "Are you the -Rutlands?" - -"No, we ain't. Got a special fancy for the Rutlands, 'eemingly." - -"I'm Murgatroyd, No. 939, 17th battalion, 3rd company, 1st platoon," -said Ginger feebly. - -"Oh, we know all about that. You German blighters all speak English, -but you don't come it over us." - -"Silence, Barnet; bring him along," said the officer. - -"Yes, sir. Says he's a Rutland, sir." - -Ginger was taken along the dark trench to a dug-out lit by a -candle-lamp. The lieutenant looked at him. The uniform was German, -from helmet to boots: the Iron Cross was on his breast; but the dirty, -lined, unshaven face was not that of a German officer. - -"Who do you say you are?" said the lieutenant, puzzled. - -"Murgatroyd, lance-corporal in the 17th Rutlands, sir: called Ginger, -sir: look at my hair." - -He removed the helmet. The lieutenant laughed. - -"The name suits you," he said. "But what have you been up to?" - -"Taking French leave and German toggery, sir," said Ginger. "Beg -pardon; could you give me a drink? My mouth's that parched. I'm all of -a shake." - -Refreshed by a cup of tea, Ginger told his story. - -"A regular romance," said the lieutenant. "You're as plucky as you are -lucky. By George! I should like to have seen the German taking off his -uniform. He must have been very mad." - -"He had a very swanky shirt, sir, but I couldn't stop to take that. Can -I get back to my billet, sir?" - -"Certainly. I'll send a man with you out of the trenches. You go round -by the church, you know." - -"I'll find my way, sir, never fear. If you'd give me a cigarette or -two...." - -"But you'll never get through in that uniform. I can't give you a -change. Stay, I'll write you a note; don't wear the helmet." - -"No, sir: I'll send it home to the kids, along with the Iron Cross." - -"You've deserved that, at any rate. Well, good luck to you. I wish you -were one of my men." - -"Thank you, sir." - - -Somewhere about midnight, Ginger, after certain amusing adventures with -the sentries, knocked at the door of Bonnard's cottage. There was some -delay: then Bonnard opened the door, lifting a lighted candle. - -"Bong swar, m'sew," said Ginger. "What O!" - -"Ma foi!" ejaculated the Frenchman, throwing up his hands. "C'est -Monsieur Ginjaire!" - -"Ah, wee, wee! Large as life! Give me some grub, m'sew: la soupe; more -so; anything; haven't had a good feed since I saw your jolly face last." - -"Oll raight! Mais c'est merveilleux, epatant! Entrez donc, m'sieur -Ginjaire; 'ow d'you do! Shake 'and!" - -"Got the Iron Cross, m'sew," said Ginger with a grin, flicking the -decoration with his finger-nail. - -"Par exemple!" cried Bonnard. "Ah! vous avez fait un prisonnier; vous -avez pris un officier prussien, n'est-ce pas? Bravo! 'ip, 'ip, 'ooray!" - -There were growls through the closed door of the bedroom adjoining. - -"Messieurs, messieurs," shouted the Frenchman excitedly, "c'est que -m'sieur Ginjaire est revenu, avec la croix de fer. Eveillez-vous, -messieurs, pour le voir." - -"Shut up; taisez-vous!" called Harry, sleepily. - -"Let 'em wait till morning," said Ginger. "Give me some grub. Don't -want nothing else in all this wide world. I've got a fang, as you call -it. J'ai fang, comprenny?" - -"Ah oui! Vous allez manger tout votre soul." - -"Cheese'll do for me ... What O!" - -The door had opened, and Harry appeared, blinking. - -"What's all this? ... Great Scot! Where on earth ... I say, Ken, it's -Ginger!" - -"Shut up and go to sleep." - -"It's Ginger, I tell you. Wake up, man. In a German uniform!" - -"Ginger, did you say?" cried Kenneth, joining him. "Well, I'm -jiggered!" - -Ginger, a spoon in one hand, a hunk of bread in the other, grinned as -they rushed to him, clapped him on the back, shook each an arm. - -"Don't choke me, mates," he spluttered. "Let me finish this soup, and -I'll tell you a story as beats cock-fighting." - -"Tuck in. They starved you, I suppose--the brutes!" said Harry. "Let's -get our coats, Ken: it's chilly. Bonnard will make up the fire." - -Presently, sitting around the fire, they listened to Ginger's story. - -"I was sitting on the wing of that aeroplane, thinking of the missus and -kids, when all of a sudden I was knocked head over tip from behind. -When I came to myself, there was I strapped in the aeroplane, going -through the sky like an express train. We came down in the village over -yonder, and they lugged me to a colonel, and he asked me a heap of -questions, and of course I wouldn't answer, and then they hauled me to a -room, took away my belt and bay'net and boots, and locked me in. Here's -the end of my milingtary career, thinks I, and only a lance-corporal! - -"They gave me some black bread, like gingerbread without the ginger, and -some slops they called coffee; I called it dishwater. I wondered how -long I'd last on fare like that. But just before morning I was woke by -a touch on my face, thought it was a mouse, slapped my hand up, and -heard a little voice say 'Oh!' If I could only speak French like you! -It was the woman of the house. She let me out and took me down to the -cellar, and said something which I took to mean she'd give me the tip -when to get away, but it might have been something else for all I know. -Anyway, she didn't come back." - -"A very unsafe place, I should think, with Germans," said Kenneth. - -"There you're wrong. For why? 'Cos there was no wine there. The -cellar was empty. Hadn't been used for an age, I should think. It was -almost pitch dark; just a little air through some holes at the top of -the wall. Well, there I was. The woman had given me some pang and -fromarge, and a so of o--rummy lingo the French, ain't it?--and for I -don't know how long I waited, thinking she'd come back and tell me the -coast was clear. But she didn't, and knowing the Germans were all over -the village I didn't dare to stir of my own accord. Besides, when -you're expecting something, you don't trouble for a time. I was so sure -the woman would come when she could. - -"Down there in the dark, of course, I'd no notion of how time was going. -I heard guns booming every now and again, and sounds in the house above, -and being pretty easy in my mind, as I say, I dropped off to sleep. -When I woke I finished off my grub, waiting as patient as a monument for -the word to clear. Whether it was night or day I couldn't tell: there -seemed to be someone moving about the house all the time. At last I got -hungry and mortal sick of being alone in the dark, and began to wonder -what I'd do if she didn't come back. Thought I'd try and have a look -round. I felt my way to the door, and came to the bottom of the -staircase. It was light up above, and I heard the Germans talking -overhead, and didn't dare go up. I decided to wait till night and try -again. I went to that staircase a dozen times, I should think, before -night; the day seemed extra long; and even when night came I was dished, -for a lamp was burning, and there were more voices than ever, and I -heard someone playing a flute. I guessed they'd sacked the woman for -letting me go, and smiled to myself at their hunting like mad for me all -over the place. - -"But it was no smiling matter there, I can tell you. I didn't sleep a -wink that night, but kept on going to the staircase on the chance they -were napping above. Not they! And I was getting hungrier and hungrier, -and thirsty!--I never knew before what thirst was. I felt seedy, and a -banging in my head, and couldn't keep still, going round and round that -cellar till I was nearly mad." - -"Why didn't you break out when we stormed the village?" asked Kenneth. - -"How was I to know about that?" - -"There must have been a terrific row," said Harry. "Close by, too." - -"If I'd known I'd have been out like a shot, you bet. But I guess how -it was. I must have got fair worn out with traipsing round and round, -and fallen asleep at last, and when you go to sleep like that, nothing -on earth 'ud wake you. 'Specially being used to the sound of guns in -the trenches. Anyway, when I woke up, I was so mad for food that I said -to myself I'd get out somehow and chance it. I went to the staircase; -there was a light above, so I knew it was night, and I began to crawl -up. But there was a footstep on the passage, and down I went again, but -not into the cellar; that gave me the horrors. I sat in the dark at the -foot of the staircase, in the hope there'd be quiet above in time. - -"Well, I waited hours, it seemed. I heard laughing and talking, and -knives and forks going, and that made me mad. I was just going to make -a dash for it when I heard the Germans going along to the door. I -didn't hardly dare to hope they'd all clear out, but I waited a bit, and -all was quite still, and I crawled up on hands and knees so the stairs -shouldn't creak. What I was afraid was that the servants were in the -kitchen, but there wasn't a sound; and I crept along the passage. - -"There was two doors, one on each side, open. On the right was the room -where the officers had been dining. The sight of that table was too -much for me, famished as I was. I must eat if I died for it. I was -just a-going to begin when a little sound almost made me jump out of my -skin. I snatched up a carving knife and whipped round, and there, -across the passage, in the room opposite, was an officer writing at a -table, with his back to me. Quick as lightning I thought if I could -only get into his uniform I'd have a chance of getting through their -lines in the dark. I listened: the house was quiet as a graveyard: and -with the carving knife in my hand I stole across the passage." - -He described his brief operations with the German lieutenant and his -subsequent proceedings. - -"And all I want now," he concluded, "is a photo of that Frenchwoman to -send to the missus, and I hope she've come to no harm." - -"You're a trump, Ginger," cried Harry, clapping him on the back. -"You've certainly won that Iron Cross." - -"It'll do for the kids to play with," remarked Ginger. "Myself, I -wouldn't wear the thing the Kaiser gives away by the ton. Ah! I said I -only wanted one thing, but there's another." - -"What's that?" - -"Why, to find that farmer that helped the German chap to strap me to the -aeroplane. And he pretended to help us hunt for him. He's a spy, -that's what he is." - -"He was taken into our lines. I don't know what became of him," said -Kenneth. "You must tell the captain to-morrow all about it, and he'll -make enquiries. You must be fagged; get to bed. Our men will be jolly -glad to have you back again." - -Ginger's feat made him the hero of the battalion. The colonel promoted -him full corporal, and sent a messenger at once to the Wessex regiment -to enquire what had become of the farmer. The reply was that the French -authorities had nothing against the man, who had lived in the -neighbourhood for years, and he had been allowed to return to his farm. -Colonel Appleton at once resolved to arrest him. - -"We had better do everything in order," he said, to Captain Adams. -"We're in France, and the authorities might feel hurt if we dispensed -with them. I'll get the police commissaire of the district to take the -matter up as there are no French military officers within thirty miles: -it will save time. Tell the Three Musketeers to be ready to go with him -to identify the man." - -Later in the day the summons came. The three men found Captain Adams in -the company of a stout little spectacled functionary, resplendent in a -tri-colour sash, and two red-trousered gendarmes. The police commissary -not being on the spot, the maire of the neighbouring town had undertaken -the task. He had been a sergeant in the army of 1870, and was full of -zeal. A motor-car was in waiting. Into this the party crowded. -Ginger, clad in a new uniform with the double stripe on his sleeve, -fraternised with the gendarmes at once, and conversed with them on the -back seat in a wonderful jargon. Kenneth and Harry, as more -accomplished in French, sat with the maire in front. - -He was a fussy little man, proud of his antiquated military experience. -Inclined to dilate on the details of his service under Mac Mahon, he was -adroitly led by Kenneth to the business in hand. Then he was full of -tactics and strategy. - -"We must proceed by surprise, messieurs," he said. "That is a sound -principle. I know the place well. We will stop at some distance from -the farm house, and advance through the wood in skirmishing order, -myself in the centre, the gendarmes supporting me, and you English -gentlemen on the flanks. Thus we will converge upon the rear of the -farm house, taking care to arrive simultaneously, and carry the place by -a coup de main." - -It occurred to Kenneth that there were defects in this plan, and that -their object was to arrest a spy, not to carry a fortress. But he deemed -it best to say nothing. The maire evidently liked the sound of his own -voice, and was bursting with elation at having the conduct, after forty -years, of what he regarded as a military operation. - -"By this means," he went on, "we shall cut off the enemy from his line -of retreat, which would afford him good cover if he could reach it. -That I take to be sound tactics, messieurs." - -About a mile from the farm house, on a hillside above the wood behind -it, they came upon a shepherd tending two or three sheep. He looked up -as the car ran up the hill, called out, "Bon soir, monsieur le maire!" -and watched the car as it descended on the other side. It stopped at -the foot, the six men got out, and set off across the field towards the -wood. The shepherd, a big man with a wart on his nose, instantly took -to his heels, and running downhill on the near slope, out of sight of -the maire's party, made at full speed for the wood, about a quarter of a -mile from the spot where the maire would enter it. - -Meanwhile the maire had halted, and was impressively declaring his final -instructions. - -"You will advance cautiously through the wood, with the silence of -foxes. Take cover, but preserve a good line: that is a sound principle. -When you hear my whistle, advance at the double, converging on the -centre--that is myself. It is well understood?" - -Kenneth explained all this to Ginger, who rubbed his mouth and said: - -"He don't happen to be General Joffre, I suppose! I reckon we three 'ud -do better without him." - -"We're under orders," replied Kenneth. "We must look out for our chance. -Of course he ought to have sent some of us to the other side." - -"He ought to have stayed at home to mind the baby," growled Ginger. -"However!" - -They extended, crept through the wood, and at the given signal dashed -out upon the farm house. The maire was left far behind. The doors were -open, back and front. Ginger was first in at the front, Harry at the -back. The house was deserted. In the kitchen the table was laid for a -meal; there was hot coffee in a pot: one of the cups was half full. The -occupants had evidently left in haste: the surprise had failed. - -The Englishmen rushed out, and Ginger collided with the maire, who was -puffing and blowing, partly from haste, partly from fury at having been -outstripped. - -"My fault, m'sew," said Ginger, picking him up. "They've bunked." - -Kenneth translated, soothingly. - -"They must have escaped by the front while we approached from the rear," -he said. - -"My plan was sound. It would have succeeded if they had waited," said -the maire. "And we gave them no warning: it is incomprehensible." - -Meanwhile Harry, Ginger, and the gendarmes were scanning the -neighbourhood, hastening to various points of vantage. Suddenly Ginger -gave a shout. Far to the right, along the road by which the motor lorry -had been driven, three cyclists were pedalling at full speed away from -the farm. The rearmost was a big man, like the shepherd whom the party -had passed on the hill. As soon as Harry saw them, he squared his elbows -and ran towards the motor-car, nearly a mile away, shouting to Ginger to -inform the others. By the time he drove back in the car, the maire had -decided on pursuit, and was making calculations of speed. In a few -moments the car was flashing along the road. But the cyclists had had -eight or nine minutes' start. There was no sign of them. They had -evidently quitted the road and made off by one or other of the by-paths -on each side, along which, even had their tracks been discovered, the -car could not follow them. - -"We're done, all through him!" growled Ginger, in high indignation, with -a jerk of his head towards the maire. - -That little man was explaining to Kenneth that the soundest principles -sometimes fail in practice through unforeseen contingencies. - -"But they will not dare to return to the farm house," he said, "so that -we have accomplished something." - -They returned to the village. Kenneth gave the colonel a faithful -report of the expedition. Colonel Appleton let out a hot word or two. - -"Next time we have an arrest to make we'll do it first and consult the -police afterwards," he said. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - USES OF A TRANSPORT LORRY - - -The Rutlands had a somewhat longer spell in billets than usual. They -were awaiting a draft from the base to make good their losses. The -officers and kind friends at home had provided books and games as a -relief from the constant mental strain to which modern warfare subjects -a man, and with these and impromptu smoking concerts they beguiled the -tedium of inaction. - -Monsieur Obernai was very active in effort on their behalf. Speaking -English with only a trace of foreign accent, he went freely about among -the men, conversing with them about their experiences, retailing -reminiscences of Alsace, making liberal presents of cigarettes. He was -very affable with the officers billeted in his house, and sometimes -joined them in their mess-room. On one of these occasions he remarked -with a smile that but for the incessant booming of the guns he would -hardly have known that war was going on, so little did they talk about -it. - -"Anything but that, monsieur," replied Captain Adams. "'Deeds, not -words,' is our motto. The whole thing is so frightful that we try to -forget all about it at off times." - -"It is so different in our army," said Monsieur Obernai. "Our officers -are not capable of such detachment." - -"'A still tongue makes a wise head,' monsieur," said the captain. - -Monsieur Obernai looked puzzled, but smiled amiably. He had a pleasant -smile. - -One day the battalion was suddenly paraded. A few minutes afterwards a -motor car drove up, and the men recognised with a thrill that the -commander-in-chief had come to inspect them. Sir John French passed up -and down the lines, addressing a man here and there, then made a little -speech to the battalion as a whole, complimenting them on the work they -had done and promising them stiff work in the future and ultimate -victory. After visiting a few slightly injured men who remained in the -village, the field-marshal drove away amid ringing cheers. - -The battalion had only just been dismissed when the whirr of an -aeroplane was heard, and a few seconds later a Taube flew over the -place. - -"Look out!" cried somebody. - -Some of the men scuttled for cover, others looked up nonchalantly into -the sky. The aeroplane was out of range. Suddenly there was a terrific -explosion. A column of earth and smoke shot up from a field a few -hundred yards west of the village. The Taube was seen flying back, -chased by a couple of English aeroplanes. - -"It almost looks as if they knew the chief was to be here," remarked -Colonel Appleton, watching the chase among his officers. - -"And we only knew it ourselves twenty minutes before he arrived," said -Captain Adams. - -"Well, I knew it last night, but I kept it to myself. Got word by -telephone. They may have tapped the wire. The spies aren't all -scotched yet, Adams." - -"The deuce!" exclaimed the captain. "I'd like to catch some of them." - -"The Germans have very little for their money, though. Look! our -fellows have brought the Taube down." - -Behind the German lines the aeroplane was whirling in precipitous -descent from an immense height. - -"Two more good men lost!" said the colonel. "And the spies will go on -spying." - -Next night the Rutlands were ordered back to the hill village. The -enemy was to be turned out at all costs. Regiments were coming up in -support, and as soon as a sufficient reserve was collected the attack -was to be driven home. The men were fired with grim resolution. News -had just come in of the employment of poisonous gas at Ypres, miles away -to the north, and as they cleaned their bayonets they vowed to avenge -their fallen comrades from Canada. - -The upper part of the hill had been held against repeated assaults by -the Germans. The opposing lines crossed the main street, about ninety -yards apart. Between them the houses had been demolished by one side or -the other. The houses above the British trenches, and those below the -German, were occupied by snipers. The British snipers had an advantage -in being above the enemy; on the other hand they were more exposed to -artillery fire, and their positions had been a good deal knocked about. -To protect themselves from the fire of these snipers the Germans had -made the parapets of their trenches unusually high. This handicapped -them to some extent in replying to rifle fire; but they had compensated -themselves by installing a large number of machine guns, which were -certain to take a heavy toll of the attackers when they charged down the -hill. - -Soon after the Rutlands reached their position at the top of the hill, -in the dusk, a lorry came up from the rear with supplies for the next -day. Owing to the rearward slope the vehicle could be brought to within -a few yards of the trenches without being seen by the enemy, and since -horses were employed as less noisy than a motor engine, supplies had -been regularly brought up in this way without the knowledge of the -Germans. - -Kenneth and Ginger, with other men, were unloading the lorry when a -second lorry appeared near the foot of the hill on the British side. It -was heavily laden, and the slope proved to be too much for the two -horses drawing it. - -"Old cab horses, they are," said the driver of the lorry that was being -unloaded. "Not fit for this job. I'll have to go down and lend a hand." - -Placing a brick under one of the wheels, he unharnessed his horses and -led them down the hill. Kenneth and Ginger were carrying a box between -them to the communication trench running downwards from the crest when a -shell came whizzing over from the German side and exploded near the -lorry they had just left, bespattering them with earth, felling one or -two of their comrades, and sending the rest scampering into the trench. -The shock of the explosion caused Kenneth to drop his end of the box: -both he and Ginger were dazed for a few seconds. When they looked round, -they were aghast to see the lorry moving backward down the hill. Only -half its load had been removed, and though its motion was at present -slow, it would gather speed and, unless it could be checked, would crash -into the second lorry to which the driver was now yoking his horses. -For a moment they were paralysed by realisation of the frightful danger. -Men, horses, stores would all be hurled and crushed in hideous wreck. -The heavy vehicle was already rolling on more quickly when with mutual -decision they left the box and sprinted after it. The case was -desperate. Neither of them had any idea how the catastrophe could be -averted. It would scarcely be possible to loose the skid and throw it -into position while the lorry was running, faster every moment. - -More fleet of foot than Ginger, Kenneth rushed ahead, overtook the -lorry, and, a thought striking him, seized the pole, and exerting all -the force of which he was capable while running at speed, twisted it to -the left. The lorry swerved, appeared to hesitate, then ran into a -shallow ditch at the side of the road and turned over. The pole, -striking against a tree, snapped off, flinging Kenneth to the ground. - -"Whew!" gasped Ginger, running down. "That was a near thing." - -"Twenty yards," said Kenneth, rising and rubbing his elbow. - -"George! that was a near 'un!" panted the driver, who had hastened up. -His face was very pale. "I owe you one, mate. Nothing else would have -saved us. Hope you ain't hurt." - -"Nothing to speak of. The lorry has come off the worst." - -"George! you're right! It's what you may call snookered. Done for, -that's what it is. We'll have to shove it out of the way before I can -bring my horses up, and leave it. What you say, Bill?" - -"Can't do nothing with it," said the driver of the second lorry. - -"Take my tip, and put the skid on when you get yourn up, mate. George! -it give me a fright and no mistake." - -They drove the second lorry to the summit, leaving Kenneth and Ginger to -carry up the spilled load. - -"The lorry isn't so badly damaged as he thinks," said Kenneth. "The -brake is bent, and a good deal of wood is chipped off, but the thing -will run all right." - -He so informed the driver when he met him. - -"All the same, you don't catch me driving it back to-night," said the -man. "It's nearly dark, the road's bad enough when you're too complay, -as the Frenchies say. I'll leave it to the morning at any rate." - -It was dark when Kenneth and Ginger had finished their task. They took -their places with their platoon in the firing trench. - -"Think they'll have any gas for us to-morrow?" said Ginger. - -"It's not very likely," said Kenneth. "The gas the Germans have been -using lies low; it would be more useful to us." - -"Well, why shouldn't we use it too? What's the odds whether you're -killed with gas or shrapnel? Gas don't hurt, I expect, and it's a deal -cleaner." - -"Upon my word I don't know," Kenneth replied. "There's no logic in it. -But somehow it goes against the grain. You poison dogs with gas, not -men." - -"Besides, it's taking an unfair advantage," said Harry. "It depends on -the wind--and there's no crossing over at half-time." - -The notes of a flute came along the trench from the left. - -"Stoneway's at it again," said Ginger. - -"The fellow can play," remarked Harry. "Good stuff, too. He doesn't -confine himself to the trumpery tunes of the musical comedies. That's a -bit of Mozart." - -"I've heard that tune somewhere," said Ginger reflectively. "I haven't -got much of an ear for music, but I know them twiddles. Why, hang me, I -heard 'em when I was in that cellar. Somebody was playing 'em -upstairs." - -"It's a concerto every flautist knows," said Harry. "The Germans -certainly lick us in music." - -"A pity they're not satisfied with that," said Kenneth. - -They listened in silence till the conclusion of the piece, and joined in -the general applause. After a short interval the performer began again, -now, however, playing detached notes that had neither time nor tune. - -"Those exercises, again!" said Ginger. "That's the worst of music. My -little Sally is learning the pianner, and she makes me mad sometimes -with what she calls the five-finger exercises. 'For mercy's sake play -us a tune,' says I. 'I've got to practise this, Dad,' says she. -'What's the good of it?' says I. 'Teacher says it's to get my fingers -in order,' says she. Anybody'd think her fingers weren't the same as -other people's; they're all right; a very pretty hand she's got.... -He's stopped, thank goodness! Pass up the word for 'Dolly Grey,' mates." - -Silence presently reigned. The men reclined, dozing. - -"I say, Harry," said Kenneth. - -"What is it?" replied Harry sleepily. - -"I've been thinking. We might make good use of that lorry." - -"How?" - -"Let it loose on the Germans." - -"Send it down-hill, you mean?" - -"Yes." - -"What's the good? They'd hear it coming and clear out of the way. It -might break their wire and a bit of the parapet--hardly enough damage to -be worth the fag." - -Kenneth was silent for a little. Then he roused Harry again. There -ensued a long conversation between them, at the conclusion of which -Kenneth crept along the trench to find Captain Adams. It was some time -before he returned. - -"The colonel agrees," he said in some excitement. "There's no time to -lose. We've got to attack at four o'clock. Wake up, Ginger." - -Ginger having been informed of what was intended, he and Kenneth stole -from the trench, up the communication trench, and set off at a trot -towards their billets. Two hours later they returned in a motor car, -which halted at the eastern foot of the hill. They carried up a large -rectangular object, and at a second journey a number of bolts and a -heavy hammer. Soon the men in the trenches heard the clank of -hammering, and Harry suggested that the lorry was being repaired. - -His comrades were in fact at work on the lorry. The object which they -had brought up consisted of several sheets of corrugated zinc which -Ginger, a skilled mechanic, had bolted together in the village. This he -was now fixing upright over the rear axle of the lorry, so that it -overlapped the body of the vehicle on each side. With the assistance of -Kenneth and the driver of the car he was turning the lorry into an -armoured car, of unusual form, it is true, but likely, they thought, to -serve its purpose. When the zinc was in position, they filled up the -space between the sheets with sand, and so completed a bullet-proof -screen about nine feet wide. Then, going into one of the half-ruined -houses, they brought out a number of planks and carried them to the -centre of the firing trench. There, over a space of about ten feet, the -parapet was quickly demolished, and the planks were laid across side by -side, forming a bridge. The men of the platoon had meanwhile been taken -into their confidence, and when Captain Adams called for volunteers to -cut the wire immediately in front, several men crawled out and did the -work without being detected. - -These preparations having been completed, half a dozen men quickly -pushed the lorry over the crest of the hill to within a few yards of the -trench. Favoured by pitch darkness, and moving with the utmost -quietness, they had everything in readiness by three o'clock, without -the knowledge of the Germans, and even of the more distant platoons of -their own battalion. - -The orders of the day were already known along the British line. They -were to attack just before dawn. The hill was to be cleared of Germans. -It was a task for rifles, bayonets, and hand grenades. They could -expect no help from artillery, so narrow was the space dividing the -lines. - -At the appointed moment, twenty men of the 1st platoon formed up in file -behind the lorry, each carrying a hand grenade in addition to his rifle. -The word was given. They pushed the lorry off; on each side the other -men scrambled out of the trenches; some crawled forward and cut the wire -on either side. Then, without uttering a sound, they charged down the -hill. - -The lorry rumbled slowly over the plank bridge, on to the road, and -gathered way as it bumped and jolted down towards the German trenches, -the twenty men running behind it. When it had covered a dozen yards it -was greeted with rapid rifle fire from the German sentries. There were -shouts from below, but before the enemy realised the manoeuvre, a shower -of hand grenades fell among them, the lorry crashed through the wire -entanglement, broke through the parapet, and turned a somersault over -the trench. - -Then a yell burst from the throats of the Rutlands, and the air was rent -by the crackle of rifles all along the line except at the spot where the -lorry had fallen. There Kenneth and his companions sprang into the -trench, and pushing along to right and left, cleared it with the -bayonet, the panic-stricken Germans fleeing before them or flinging up -their hands in token of surrender. Confusion spread along the whole -line. The British arrangements had been thoroughly made. While the -Rutlands charged down the main street, other regiments were sweeping -through the streets and alleys on either side, raking them with fire -from machine guns, flinging bombs into the occupied houses, chasing the -Germans at the point of the bayonet. Here and there were furious hand -to hand encounters; at one point a mass of the enemy's reserves surged -forward and gained ground, only to be borne back in turn by the -irresistible dash of British supports. In half an hour the streets were -cleared, and while some of the British blocked up the captured trenches -against counter-attack, others rushed the houses to which the enemy -still clung, and stormed them one after another. - -All this had happened in the grey chill dawn. By the time the sun's rim -appeared over the distant horizon the position was completely won, at -comparatively slight cost. More than two hundred prisoners remained in -British hands, and among them Ginger, who had escaped with a few -bruises, recognised the lieutenant to whom he had been indebted for a -uniform. - -When the roll was called, it was found that of the twenty men who had -followed the lorry only one had been wounded. - -"A capital idea of yours, Amory," said Captain Adams. "It's a pity we -can't always be going down-hill behind screens. There's a fortune -awaiting the man who invents a bullet-proof protection for infantry in -the field." - -"Wouldn't that result in stale-mate, sir?" - -"Well, if it put an end to warfare by machinery it would give us a -chance for our fists! Men will fight, I suppose, to the crack of doom. -It would be much healthier if we could fight out our quarrels without -killing one another." - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - SUSPICIONS - - -Next day fresh regiments were moved up, and the Rutlands, who had twice -borne the brunt of the struggle for the hill, were sent into reserve and -promised a long rest. They went back to their old quarters, now a good -deal farther behind the firing line. - -One night, when Kenneth was returning alone to his billet, he heard the -thin squeak of a bat, and glanced up, though it was so dark that he -could scarcely expect to see the animal. To his surprise, he caught a -momentary glimpse of it as it flew across the lane. It was as though a -moonbeam had flashed upon the wings for the fraction of a second. But -the moon was not up. The sky was clouded; only one or two stars were -visible; and the rays of a star were too feeble to light up the -flittering wings. - -Kenneth was puzzled. He stood still, looking up, waiting for the bat to -reappear. It was circling somewhere above him; he could still hear it -faintly squeaking; but it did not again come within view, and after a -while the sound ceased. - -"Extraordinary!" thought Kenneth. - -He was about to move on when he heard the grating of a key in a lock, so -slight that it might have passed unnoticed had he not been listening -intently for the bat. In this quiet lane, with trees on one side and a -garden wall on the other, the sound challenged curiosity. The villagers -were forbidden to leave their cottages after dark; Kenneth himself had -only chosen this route as a short cut to his billet; he could not help -suspecting that one of the inhabitants was breaking rules and entering -his house by a back way to avoid detection. - -It was no part of his duty to play the policeman, and he would have gone -on his way if he had not at this moment heard a light, hasty footfall, -as of one walking quickly but cautiously. Instinctively he remained -still, keeping close to a tree trunk. A man passed him, moving very -quietly, almost touching him. He appeared to be in uniform. A second -later he heard the key again. Then all was silent. - -He was now interested, suspicious. The man was going in the direction -from which he had come. Who was he? What was he doing at this late -hour? For a moment he thought of following him; but he was averse to -getting a man into trouble for what was perhaps a harmless escapade, and -he decided to proceed. - -A few steps brought him to a door in the wall. The man must have been -silently let out, and must have left without a word, the door being then -as quietly closed and locked behind him. The wall, as Kenneth knew, -bounded the gardens of two or three of the larger houses. It might -perhaps be worth while to find out from which house this nocturnal -visitor had departed so stealthily. It was too dark to see; Last Post -would be sounded in a few minutes; all that he could do was to put a -mark upon the door which he could identify next day. He scratched a -cross with his pocket-knife on the right side of the door, on a level -with the keyhole, which was on the left, and went on, treading lightly -by instinct. - -So soon as he could get off next day, he returned to the lane. The door -he had scratched was one of three. Two were close together. The wall -was too high for him to look over; he could only discover the house to -which his door belonged by going to the end of the lane, and round to -the front of the houses. The gardens were large; it meant a walk of -some considerable distance. His most certain course was to number his -paces along the lane, and take an equal number along the street which -the houses faced. He went along with even stride, and in the lane -counted 239 steps. In the street the 237th pace brought him to the front -gate of Monsieur Obernai. This must be the house. His paces had -probably differed a little, or the street and the lane were not quite -parallel. - -"It's all right," he thought. "The man was one of the officers' -servants, perhaps, sent out on some late errand." - -But as he went away, this explanation did not appear quite convincing. -A servant sent on an errand by one of the officers quartered in Monsieur -Obernai's house would not have been let out stealthily, and locked out. -Furtiveness implied an uneasy conscience. Upon this thought came a -sudden recollection of Madame Bonnard's dislike of the Alsatian. He had -seldom himself come into contact with the village philanthropist; it -seemed to him now that he had even avoided him. "It never struck me -before," he thought, "but I haven't felt the least inclination to meet -him. Yet some of the men are quite keen on him." - -On the previous night he had not mentioned the incident to his comrades. -It was not in Kenneth's nature to be expansive. He had told them about -the sudden appearance and disappearance of the bat, which, however, -they, not having seen it, had not regarded as extraordinary. But now, a -little uneasy, he decided to tell them everything. He felt the need of -talking it over. - -"Capting wants you," said Ginger, meeting him at the door of Bonnard's -cottage. - -"What's it about?" he asked. - -"That uniform I borrowed; they found some papers in the pockets, in -German, seemingly, and Capting wants you to read 'em." - -Kenneth went back to Monsieur Obernai's house, was admitted, and found -Captain Adams with other officers in the mess-room. - -"Ah, Amory, we want you," said the captain. "You know German. What do -you make of that?" - -He handed him a scrap of paper, straightened out after having been -crumpled, on which were written two lines in German. - -"Tell our friend it is now due east," Kenneth translated. - -"That's what I told you, Adams," said one of the lieutenants. "There's -nothing in it." - -"Well, look at these, Amory." - -He handed to him the contents of Lieutenant Axel von Schwank's -pocket-book. Kenneth looked them over: a copy of the Hymn of Hate, a -cutting from the _Cologne Gazette_ announcing the blowing up of Woolwich -Arsenal, some letters from members of the Schwank family, one or two -memoranda of no importance. He translated them aloud one by one. - -"Nothing of any value to us," said the captain. "I think we might give -the letters back to the prisoner. His people idolise him, evidently. -Well, the only thing left is this." He took up a crumpled piece of -music paper. "Schwank seems to write music in his spare time--a setting -of the Hymn of Hate perhaps. Our find is no use. Very good, Amory, -that's all." - -But Kenneth, rendered suspicious of everything by his recent -discoveries, remembered that he had found a similar piece of music paper -in the trench some weeks before. - -"Before you tear that up, sir," he said, "I think I'd let Randall have a -look at it. We found a paper like it in our trench." - -"You think there may be something in it?" - -"I'm rather suspicious, sir, but I'd rather say no more until Randall -has seen it." - -The captain sent a man to find Harry. When he arrived, Kenneth asked him -whether he still had the piece of music paper he had found. After -rummaging in his pocket Harry drew the paper out. The two pieces were -laid side by side. - -"Well?" said the captain, when Harry had examined them for a few -moments. The other officers crowded round in an interested group. - -"They are not alike except in one particular," said Harry: "that neither -is a recognisable tune." - -He whistled the notes. - -"Very ugly, certainly," said the captain. "Any further suggestion, -Amory?" - -"What do you call that note in music?" Kenneth asked Harry, pointing to -the first note on Stoneway's paper. - -"B flat," said Harry. - -"And the next?" - -"E, then D, then E again; the next is A sharp above the stave." - -"What are you driving at, Amory?" asked the captain. - -"I was wondering if I could make a word out of it, but _bedea_ doesn't -begin any word either in English or German that I know of. Try the other -paper." - -"F sharp, A, G, E," said Harry. - -"It's the sharps and flats that bother me," said Kenneth. "Do they ever -call them anything else?" - -"No ... Wait a bit. The Germans call B flat B, and B natural H. I -remember toiling away at a fugue on the name BACH years ago. I say, -give me a minute. I've got a notion." - -He sat down at the table, took out pencil and began to write the names -of the notes on the lines and spaces, beginning with A on the second -leger line below the stave. Having written H on the third line, instead -of writing A on the second space he wrote I, and on the third space J. -Then he paused, looking reflectively at the notes originally written. -Except in the case of B flat, all the accidentals were sharps. - -"We'll try this," he said. - -On the third space he wrote C sharp, and called it K, and so proceeding, -completed the alphabet by writing two notes, the second sharpened, on -each line and space. Z fell on the third space above the stave. - -"Now try again," he said to Kenneth. - -Kenneth took up von Schwank's paper, and read off the names of the notes -in this new notation. The first four letters were _Sage_. - -"That's good German," he said. - -"Go on," said the captain. "This is very interesting." - -Kenneth wrote down the letters as he read them. - -"By George!" he cried. "In English it reads: 'Tell our friend it is now -due east.'" - -"What's due east?" Captain Adams exclaimed. "Try the other paper." - -"The first word is _bedeutend_, 'considerable,'" said Kenneth, writing. -"The English of it all is, 'Considerable movement in the rear.'" - -The officers glanced at one another. - -"We've had a spy among us, then," said the captain quietly. "Where did -you get this, Randall?" - -Harry explained, without however naming the man whom, in common with -Kenneth, he now suspected. But his reticence was unnecessary. - -"It's that fellow Stoneway, without a doubt," said one of the -lieutenants. "He makes the most weird sounds on his flute. You'll -arrest him, Adams?" - -"Wait a little. There's a deep-laid scheme here. There's more than one -man involved. Who is 'our friend'?" - -"I must tell you what I saw last night, sir," said Kenneth. - -He described the stealthy exit from the gate in the lane, and the -discovery that it led from Monsieur Obernai's garden--behind the house -in which they were then assembled. Captain Adams whistled under his -breath. - -"Rather serious for our polite Alsatian host," he said. "We must get to -the bottom of this. It won't do to act too hastily. We must catch the -fellow at it." - -"But hang it all, we can't stop here under the roof of a spy," said a -lieutenant. - -"If I may suggest, sir," said Kenneth, "do nothing yet. Nobody knows -about this except ourselves. If you leave the house or show any sign of -suspicion, those who are involved will smell a rat, and we shall perhaps -fail to learn all there is to be learnt. Wouldn't it be better if you -go on as usual, and let Randall and me, and perhaps Murgatroyd, keep a -watch on the lane?" - -"But Obernai won't appear in the lane," said the captain. - -"Very likely not, sir. I believe his work is done in the house. You -remember the lamp signalling we saw in the church tower." - -"That's in our hands now." - -"Yes, and the light now comes from due east." - -"You think that's it? Have you seen a light?" - -"No, sir; but last night I caught a sudden glimpse of a bat flying above -my head in the lane; it was for only the tenth of a second, just as if -the bat had crossed a pencil of light. But I was puzzled, because there -was no light visible. I can't help thinking that it has some connection -with this discovery, and if you'll give us leave to keep a look-out at -night, we may make sure of it and give you positive grounds for taking -action." - -"What about Stoneway? Hadn't we better keep him under observation?" - -"Leave him to us, sir. I'd give him plenty of rope." - -"And keep enough to hang him afterwards," said the lieutenant of his -platoon. - -"Very well, Amory," said the captain. "You'll of course say nothing to -any one else. We'll do our best to keep up appearances before Obernai, -though upon my word it will tax our histrionic powers. If you make any -discovery, don't come to the house; report to me elsewhere." - -"If we can collar the men, sir?" - -"Oh, in that case do so, and put them under lock and key. But don't -attempt too much: it's of great importance to get hold of the whole -gang, for I imagine that we've been unawares in a wasps' nest all this -time. We must scotch them all." - -"One thing, sir, before we go: will you tell us the arrangement of the -house?" - -"So far as I know it. Our billets are all in the front. Obernai and -his servants live at the back. On this floor there's a long passage -between us. Upstairs there's no communication between back and front: -the doors are blocked up, to secure our privacy, Obernai said." - -"There's a back staircase, then?" - -"No doubt." - -"How many servants are there, sir?" - -"Two men, whom Obernai brought with him from Alsace, he says. I've -caught a glimpse of an old woman, too, but she rarely leaves the back -premises." - -With this information Kenneth and Harry left the house, and returned to -their billet to consult Ginger. - - - - - CHAPTER XX - - MONSIEUR OBERNAI's ATTIC - - -"I can't hardly believe it," said Ginger, when Kenneth recounted the -facts and his inferences. "Never thought Stoneway had the pluck." - -"A man without pluck is no good as a spy," Harry remarked. - -"True. He must have had an awful time of it, always wondering if he'd -be found out, or copped by a German bullet." - -"What strikes me most forcibly is the thoroughness of the German -organisation," said Kenneth. "You'll always find individuals ready to -take their lives in their hands, for patriotism or pay; but you won't -always find things so perfectly organised. If we're right, Stoneway -must have been employed first as an anti-recruiting agent, with orders -to enlist and act as spy within our ranks if that seemed feasible." - -"I see through that post-card business now," said Ginger. "He gave our -address to some pal in London so that the Germans should know where he -was, and make use of him. And then to put it on to me!--a dirty trick. -But what can you expect when the Kaiser lets his men do dirty tricks and -gives 'em Iron Crosses for it? Whatever he is, Bill is no gentleman." - -"Stoneway is a German, I suppose?" said Harry. - -"Steinweg--not an uncommon German name," replied Kenneth. "But now, how -are we going to set about our job?" - -"What was that you said about a bat?" said Harry. "I didn't pay much -heed." - -Kenneth again described the curious phenomenon, adding: - -"That's why I want to do something more than watch the lane. If the man -I saw was Stoneway, we might catch him again, but give time for Obernai -to clear away anything suspicious. It seems to me that what we have to -do is to get into the house, and have a look at the back premises." - -"That means we should have to get in at the back secretly?" - -"Yes; if we went to the front openly we shouldn't get farther than the -lobby." - -"Suppose it turns out that we are quite wrong, wouldn't it be rather a -serious matter to break into a French house? Obernai is popular: it -might not be easy to persuade the French authorities that we were not -burglars." - -"Let's chance that," said Ginger. "For any sake don't let the police -know beforehand, or the whole thing will be messed up like it was with -that maire. Besides, if it comes to that, we've got the capting behind -us." - -"I quite agree," said Kenneth. "We'll risk it. Well now, judging by -the length of the side garden wall, the house is about sixty yards from -the lane. With these mysterious comings and goings the back gate will -very likely be watched; at any rate there'll be somebody about to let -visitors in and out. I vote we get into the next garden, and clamber -over the wall into Obernai's. We shall have to wait until the people in -the next house are asleep--say eleven o'clock to-night." - -About half-past ten, when the village was dark and silent, the three men -left their billet and, to avoid detection, took a round-about route to -the lane. The air was rather chill, and a light mist hung low over the -ground. Each of the three carried a revolver, and they had agreed not -to speak except in case of necessity, and then only in whispers. - -Creeping along softly under cover of the trees that lined one side of -the lane, they passed Obernai's door, and halted opposite the door of -the next house, a few yards beyond. Here they waited, listening. All -was silent. Then Kenneth tiptoed across the lane and quietly tried the -door of Obernai's garden. It was bolted. The next door opened to his -touch. Joined by his companions, he entered and found himself in a -garden much overgrown with weeds. They stole along by the side wall, and -halted under it about fifty feet from the house. - -"Give me a leg-up," Kenneth whispered. - -In a few seconds he was down again. The top of the wall was spiked with -glass. Stripping off his overcoat, he mounted again, laid the coat over -the glass, and dropped lightly to the ground, after listening awhile to -make sure that nobody was about. The others followed him in turn. - -The back of the house was quite dark. There was no sound within or -without. Through the mist they could just distinguish the path leading -to the back door. Kenneth crossed the grass to it, stole along, and -cautiously turned the door handle. The door resisted his slight -pressure: it was locked or bolted. He looked up the wall. The windows -were out of reach. It seemed that the house could only be entered -forcibly. - -He was returning to consult his companions when he suddenly heard behind -him a sound like the ringing of a muffled electric bell inside the -house. Hurrying on, he crouched with the other two at the foot of the -wall and waited. In a few moments they heard a bolt drawn. They could -see nothing, but apparently the door was being opened. Then from the -doorway came a low whisper: "Geben Sie Acht," followed, as by an -instantaneous after-thought, by the French words, "Prenez garde." There -was no reply, but a slight rustle approached, and the three watchers, -peering over the bushes, saw a woman passing in almost absolute silence -down the path to the back wall. - -Had she left the door open? Kenneth was thinking of stealing up to it -to find out when it occurred to him that the woman had perhaps gone to -let in a visitor. It would be well to wait a little. Very soon he was -justified. The figure of the woman, scarcely distinguishable in the -gloom, reappeared. At her heels was a man. They passed along the path -within twenty feet of the lurking watchers; neither spoke a word. -Presently came the sound of a bolt gently shot, then all was silent -again. - -It was pretty clear that the bell had been rung from an electric push in -the garden door. Kenneth had seen none; it was probably concealed. - -"Shall I find it, and get the door opened?" he whispered to his -companions. - -"That would give the whole show away," said Harry. "We don't want to -raise an alarm." - -"Then I don't see that we can do anything. The only thing is to tell the -captain to-morrow, and he'll arrest the lot." - -"Why not?" said Ginger. "If they're innocent, they won't mind--not -much." - -"But we shan't catch them at it. You may be sure there's nothing -suspicious to be found in the daytime. We've got very artful men to -deal with." - -They were still discussing their course of action when they heard the -bolt drawn again. Next moment there was a perpendicular streak of dim -light, which widened rapidly. The door was open; the room or lobby -behind was now lit by a small oil lamp, turned very low. Through the -illuminated rectangle of the doorway came a man and a woman. The man -was in a British uniform. They stepped down to the path. - -"Stoneway!" whispered Ginger. - -Pressing themselves almost flat on the ground they watched the two -figures walking down the path, the end of which, towards the garden -wall, was scarcely reached by the feeble rays from the doorway. - -"Now!" murmured Kenneth. - -Bending double, they hastened across the grass, and slipped in through -the doorway. They were in a lobby. At the further end of it was a -closed door. There were doors on both sides, one of them slightly open. -In the corner on the right was the staircase leading to the upper floor, -and on the square-topped newel-post stood the small oil lamp. - -Taking in all this at a glance, Kenneth peered through the open door on -the left. The room was dark and untenanted. He beckoned to his -companions. They followed him into the room. In less than a minute the -woman returned from the garden, closed and bolted the door, and was -moving along the lobby when the stairs creaked slightly, and an old man -came tottering down. - -"Bier, noch Bier," he said in low tones to the woman. - -The woman muttered something, took the lamp from its place, and -accompanied by the old man went into one of the rooms off the lobby on -the opposite side from the three watchers. They were heard clumping -down wooden steps, no doubt leading to the cellars. - -"Now's our chance," Kenneth whispered. - -The three stole out of the room into the dark lobby, and crept on hands -and knees up the staircase. The landing above was equally dark, except -in the far corner on the right, where light came through a door slightly -ajar. The three men tiptoed to it. Kenneth peeped in. The room was -apparently Obernai's bedroom. No one was in it; the bed had not been -disturbed. A candle was burning on the dressing-table. Pieces of heavy -French furniture afforded means of concealment. - -"You stay here," whispered Kenneth. "I'll go on." - -He slipped off his boots, blew out the candle, and crept out. There was -no sound from below. On the opposite side of the landing was a narrow -staircase, leading, he presumed, to the attics. Up this he groped his -way. At the top there was a passage, at the end of which, on the right, -was a streak of light on the floor. Feeling his way along, he felt two -other doors, the handles of which he turned in succession, hoping to -slip into a dark room as he had done below. Both doors were locked. At -this moment, hearing the footsteps of the old man coming slowly up the -bottom flight of stairs, he slipped back to the dark end of the passage -and stood watching there. - -The old man mounted the upper flight. A can clinked against the post as -he turned to the right towards the door beneath which the light shone. -He tapped on the door; it was opened; the man passed in. Kenneth heard -a guttural voice say: "Zwei Batterien heute morgen----" The remainder -of the sentence was cut off by the closing of the door. In a few -moments it opened again; the old man came out, closed it behind him, and -sat down on a stool at the end of the passage, either as sentry, or to -be at hand if more beer was required. - -Kenneth scarcely dared to breathe. What was going on in that room? -What could he do? After several uncomfortable minutes the door suddenly -opened--too wide for his comfort--and a voice said: - -"Frisch auf! Die Lampe ist beinahe erloescht." - -The door was shut. The old man rose wearily and hobbled downstairs, no -doubt to fetch oil or whatever was used for the lamp. - -Kenneth felt that the time had come for action. The mention of the lamp -left no doubt in his mind of the work on which the occupants of the room -were engaged. Waiting until the old man had reached the foot of the -lower staircase, he stole down to the room where he had left his -companions and told them in a few whispered words what he had -discovered. They removed their boots and stood behind the door, -prepared to follow the man when he came up again. - -In a few minutes he returned. They waited until he had ascended the -upper staircase, then followed him noiselessly, saw him enter the room, -and crept along to the door, drawing their revolvers. From within the -room came the smell of acetylene gas. Standing back against the wall, -they waited for the reopening of the door. As soon as the old man -reappeared, they started forward, pointing their revolvers at him, -pushed him before them and entered the room. - -There was an exclamation, a moment of confusion. - -"Hands up, or I fire!" cried Kenneth in German. - -There were four men in the room, three seated at a table drinking beer, -the fourth occupied with a steel lever operating a disc that worked from -side to side in front of a bright bull's-eye lamp. Kenneth's warning -had checked a movement on the part of two of the seated men towards -their coat pockets. The man at the lamp, who had faced round at the -sudden intrusion, was quicker than his companions, and drew his revolver -at the moment of turning. But as he was raising his hand Harry fired. -His revolver fell to the floor with a crash, and with a curse he clasped -his broken wrist with the other hand. - -The three others had fallen back into their chairs. A stream of beer -from an overturned mug trickled from the table to the floor, for one -tense moment the only sound in the room. The men's faces were pale and -contorted with fear. They sat, limp, with no spirit for resistance, -recognizing that the game was up. - -Kenneth and Harry glowed with a quiet satisfaction. Ginger was more -demonstrative. - -"Blest if I haven't got him at last!" he exclaimed, smiling triumphantly -at one of the prisoners. "It's the chap that downed me when I was -sitting on that aeroplane." - -"Monsieur Obernai is unfortunate in his friends," said Kenneth. - -Obernai glared at him; it was not the expression of a bland -philanthropist. One of his companions, a big man with a wart on his -nose, did not wear the look of pious resignation that might have been -expected from a man dressed in a cure's soutane. The features of the -fourth man seemed familiar to Kenneth, though at the moment he could not -recall the time or place of his seeing him before. - -"We'll just hand these men over to the captain," said Kenneth. "Then -we'll deal with Stoneway." - -After ordering the men to empty their pockets, they marched them -downstairs, and through the door connecting the back part of the house -with the officers' billets. Captain Adams, like the others, had gone to -bed. He came to the door of his room in his pyjamas. - -"We've caught Obernai and three others signalling with a lamp, sir," -said Kenneth. - -"You don't say so! What have you done with them?" - -"They are below, sir." - -"Take them off to the provost-marshal: I don't want to see them." - -"Stoneway is in it, sir, I am sorry to say." - -"Arrest him, as quickly as you can. Then come back and tell me all about -it." - -The spies were marched off to prison. Then Ginger with a corporal's -guard went to the cottage where Stoneway was billeted. Stoneway was not -there. Enquiry and search were alike fruitless. It was not until an -hour later that Ginger hit on a possible explanation of his absence. - -"By jinks!" he exclaimed, with a gesture of vexation. "I forgot the old -woman." - -He hastened back to Obernai's house. The old woman had disappeared. - -On returning to the house some time before, Kenneth and Harry found the -officers, all in their night attire, examining the signalling apparatus -in the upper room. - -"They are all safely locked up, sir," Kenneth reported. - -"That's well. How did you catch them?" - -Kenneth gave an account of the night's work. - -"You did very well, Amory," said the captain. "The battalion is lucky -in having the Three Musketeers. And the whole brigade is indebted to -you. This is a fiendishly ingenious arrangement." - -He explained the working of the apparatus. The acetylene lamp faced one -end of a long tube, which pierced the outer wall of the house. By means -of a delicate mechanism the position of the tube could be altered by -millimetres. The length of the tube prevented the rays from converging -like the rays of a searchlight, so that the light, directed eastward, -was not likely to be seen except by a person at an equal height. - -"I have no doubt at all," said the captain, "that some miles away in the -German lines there is an operator with a similar lamp, at the same -height and in the same straight line with this. We have kept a look-out -but seen nothing; no doubt the cessation of the flashing gave them -warning. To them the light would appear like a star on the horizon, and -the alternate exposure and dousing of it by means of the disc made the -signals. No wonder we've got it unexpectedly hot sometimes." - -Here Ginger came in. - -"Stoneway's got away, sir," he reported. "I guess the old woman gave him -the tip." - -"Poor wretch! He can't get far. I'll circulate the news at once and -he'll be hunted down. Now get to your billets, men; I shall want your -evidence in the morning." - -As they were returning through the silent streets, talking over the -exciting incidents of the night, Kenneth suddenly exclaimed: - -"By George! I remember now. That fellow was the man I saw talking -French to Stoneway at St. Pancras station." - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - - MARKED DOWN - - -About four o'clock on the following afternoon, an old French peasant was -walking along a road some fifteen miles to the west of the village in -and around which the Rutlands were billeted. His lean form was bent, -wisps of white hair straggled from beneath his broad soft hat, his legs -dragged themselves along. There was no one else upon the road, which -was remote from the main highways that had been for nine months streams -of traffic; but the old man glanced continually right and left, before -and behind, as if searching for something with his shrewd bright eyes. - -He came to a wood abutting on the road, and, after another look round, -disappeared among the trees. A few minutes later he halted, then took a -few slow careful steps forward, and stopped again, looking down with a -curious eagerness. There, stretched on the fresh springing grass of a -glade spangled with bright spots of sunlight, lay a man asleep. He was -clad in the uniform of a British soldier, without a belt. His cap had -fallen off, his arms were thrown out, his face was half turned to the -ground. Perhaps the Frenchman noticed that the regimental badge was -missing from his cap, the regimental letters from his shoulders. - -After standing for a few moments contemplating the prostrate form, he -bent down and touched the man's shoulder. The soldier started up -instantly; the expression of his eyes might have betokened anxiety or -fear; but it changed when he saw that his disturber was just a simple -old Frenchman, with mildness written all over his brown ruddy face, -withered like an apple long laid by. - -"Bon soir, monsieur," said the Frenchman. "It is a hot sun, to be sure, -but monsieur l'Anglais will catch a chill if he remains here asleep." - -"Ah yes, I must be going," said the soldier, in French surprisingly good -for an English private. "I have lost my regiment. I fell lame and -dropped behind. Can you get me anything to eat?" - -"Why yes, if you will be content with simple fare. These are hard -times, monsieur. But who would not suffer for France? Come to my -cottage hard by; I can at least give you a crust and a mouthful of wine. -We French and you English are comrades, to be sure." - -"Is your cottage far?" - -"A few steps only; it is quite by itself. You would get better food in -the village, but that is two miles away." - -"I'll get a good meal when I rejoin my regiment. All I want now is a -little to help me on my way." - -"Yes, yes, I understand. Come then; it is only a few steps." - -He set off through the wood, the soldier limping by his side, crossed -the road, and came within a few minutes to a little timber cabin. There -the soldier, sitting on a low stool, ate ravenously the bread and strong -cheese given him, and drank deep draughts of the thin red wine. The old -man watched him benignantly, thinking perhaps that he ate as though -seeing no near prospect of a full meal. - -"You haven't seen my regiment, I suppose?" said the soldier. - -"How can I tell?" replied the Frenchman, lifting his hands. "I have -seen many regiments; whether yours was among them I do not know." - -The soldier noticed a glance towards his shoulders. - -"I gave my badges away to the French girls," he said lightly. "They -clamoured for souvenirs.... There's no chance of my running into the -Germans?" - -"God forbid!" said the old man. "They are a little nearer, it is said; -they are using poisonous gas against our brave men. But we do not lose -heart. They will never beat us, never. When I look at the mists on -yonder hills every evening----" - -"Mists, are there?" - -"Why yes: they creep over the hills at sunset; one can hardly see a -dozen metres ahead. They say the Germans crept up a night or two ago in -the mist, and took an English trench." - -"Ah! well now, my regiment was marching to Violaines; you can put me in -the way? I must find them before night." - -"To be sure." - -He went with him to the door, and pointed out the direction. The -soldier offered to pay for his food, but the old man, with many -gestures, refused to accept a sou. He bade his guest good-bye, returned -to his cabin and shut the door. In his eyes was a look of satisfaction -mingled with a strange eagerness. He hurried to the little window facing -the road, and looked out from behind the curtain. The soldier was -limping along in the direction his host had indicated. But presently he -stopped and threw a furtive glance backward towards the cabin, another -up and down the road, then walked on again. His lameness had been -suddenly cured; his gait was even and agile. And instead of continuing -in the way shown him, he turned off abruptly and re-entered the wood. -Beyond it lay those hills which night clothed with mist. - -The old man waited a little, then issued from his cabin, trotted to the -road, and, he also, re-entered the wood. In a few minutes he was back -again, and set off at the best speed of his aged legs for the village -two miles away. Arriving there, he went straight to the mairie, and -peered through the wire frame on the door, within which a notice in -large handwriting was posted. It was headed in big letters, - - SOLDAT ANGLAIS, - -and beneath was a methodical description, in numbered sentences, of the -deserter for whose discovery a reward was offered. The old man ticked -off the details one by one; then, his bright little eyes gleaming, he -knocked at the door. - -It was a small and unimportant village. The maire was of scarcely higher -social standing than his visitor. He had no gendarmes at his disposal: -all the able-bodied men were in the ranks. - -"He is a big man, Jacquou?" he said. - -"He! Big, brawny, a regular beef-eater." - -"Then we will telegraph. The English must arrest him. For us it would -be dangerous. But what if they delay, and he escapes? There would go -that fine reward, Jacquou, like the maid's chickens." - -"Ah! Trust me for that, monsieur le maire, trust me for that," said the -old man as he hobbled away. - -Something less than two hours later the soldier emerged from his -hiding-place in the wood, at a point at some little distance from the -road. He came out slowly, nervously, glancing around and behind him. -There was in his eyes that look of anxiety and fear which had appeared -in them at the moment of his being roused by the old man. It was like -the look of a hunted animal. He gazed towards the hills. Their ridges -were sharp and clear against the sky. He looked up, and behind. Shafts -of sunlight were still piercing the foliage. He glanced at the watch on -his wrist, appeared to make a mental comparison between the time -indicated and the position of the sun, made restless movements, then -went a few steps back among the trees. From his pocket he took a map, -and spreading it on a trunk, in a sunbeam, he studied it anxiously. - -Just as he was folding it up, he heard a low throbbing hum far away to -the south. Hurriedly replacing the map in his pocket, he went to the -edge of the wood, and peered into the southern sky. The sound was -faint; no speck dotted the cloudless blue. But the hum was drawing -nearer. He dropped his eyes, and scanned as much of the road as he -could see. Nothing was in sight. His mouth worked; a furrow between -his eyes deepened; he rubbed his hand across his brow, and shuddered to -see how damp it was. Again he looked along the road. That humming made -him impatient: was it really growing louder, or were his nerves -redoubling the sound in his ears? - -At length, with the suddenness of one tired of waiting, he turned his -back on the sound, and plunged into the depths of the wood northward. -He had gone but a hundred yards when he stopped with a start, chilled to -the marrow. Somebody was there, close by. He stared; his breath came -and went in pants; but after a moment he went on with a smothered laugh -that was like a groan. It was only a peasant boy whittling a stick. -The boy looked up as he passed, idly, vacantly. The solitary British -soldier apparently did not interest him. He dropped his eyes again, -fell again to his whittling, and softly hummed the air of "Au clair de -la lune." - -The soldier went on among the trees. He was not startled when he caught -sight of another boy collecting twigs blown down by the gales of early -spring. He had even so far recovered as to throw a pleasant "Bon soir!" -to the boy as he passed. The boy looked up; he gave no response, not so -much as a smile. Were the boys hereabouts deaf, or silly, or what? The -man looked back; the boy, on one knee, an arm stretched out as with -arrested movement, was watching him. - -On again. Insensibly his pace was quickening. At the sight of a third -boy away to his left, apparently doing nothing, he felt unreasonably -angry. Was the wood full of boys? Why had he not seen them before? Why -were they so quiet? Himmel! Was he being watched? He would soon stop -that. He turned about, glowering, to scare away these disturbers of his -peace of mind. They had vanished. Relieved, almost amused at his -nervousness, he strode on, glancing up at the waning sunlight through -the trees to make sure of his direction. - -Suddenly, a little ahead on his right, he saw the flicker of a boy's -white blouse amid the undergrowth. With a muttered execration he -slanted towards it, but was checked by a slight rustle on his left. -Swinging round, he caught a glimpse of a small figure flitting among the -trees. He stopped. His limbs were shaking; streams of perspiration -trickled down his face. Now at last he knew the meaning of these -stealthy movements, this sinister silence. The boys had been set to dog -him. The certainty appeared to paralyse him. He stood swaying on his -feet, glancing around for a means of escape from the toils that he felt -closing about him. Mechanically he raised his hand and dashed from his -face the rolling beads. - -The spell was broken by the sound of a motor cycle and shouts behind. -As though galvanised, he made a sudden break at full speed ahead, in a -line between the two boys he had last seen. Looking neither to right -nor to left he pounded on until he was breathless. Then he paused to -listen. Had he shaken off the trackers? The whirr had ceased, the -shouts were fainter; he was beginning to think that he had gained a few -minutes when a small figure scurried through the undergrowth in front of -him. He started again, bearing to the left. A glint of white amid the -green intensified his terror. He lost command of himself. No longer -did he take the dying sunlight as his guide. Blindly, desperately he -struggled on, every moment changing his course. The sounds had ceased; -there was not even a rustle to warn him. - -Presently he stopped, aghast. Before him was the patch of grass which -his weight had flattened. He had been moving in a circle. Then a gleam -of hope lit the darkness of his despair. He was now near the road; -perhaps his pursuers had penetrated far into the wood. He pushed on, -staggering, came to a sunken track, and, supporting himself against a -tree trunk, looked fearfully around. There, to the left, at the side of -the track, were two motor bicycles. The old Frenchman was keeping -guard. No one else was in sight. Gathering his strength, he rushed -headlong towards his last hope. - -The old man heard his footsteps, looked up, and raised his feeble voice -in a quavering shout. There was no time for a second. The soldier -hurled himself upon the aged peasant, felled him with one blow, sprang -to one of the bicycles, started the engine, ran the machine a few yards -and leapt into the saddle. With every jolt as the bicycle gained speed -on the rough track his heart grew more elate. Whither the track led he -neither knew nor cared; his whole soul was in the present. - -Right and left of him were the trees. He had ridden perhaps thirty -yards when, from the right, a khaki-clad figure dashed into the track -just ahead. The fugitive increased his speed and rode straight on. If -the man stood in his way, so much the worse for him. Then, in a moment, -Atropos cut the thread. As the bicycle was whizzing by, the man flung -himself bodily upon it. There was a crash, a thud, then silence. - -A few minutes later, Kenneth and Harry came hurrying to the scene. - -"Is he killed?" asked the latter, as Kenneth stooped over the body lying -on the machine. - -"No, he's alive," replied Kenneth, after thrusting his hand into the -man's tunic. - -He unscrewed the stopper of his flask, and poured weak spirit into the -unconscious man's mouth. Not until Ginger had recovered consciousness -did they turn their attention to the other man, whose case, indeed, they -had recognised at the first glance as hopeless. When he was hurled from -the machine, his head had struck a tree trunk on the opposite side of -the track. Stoneway was dead. - -Yet he had survived his partners. Perhaps half-an-hour before, Obernai -and the rest of the gang, after a drumhead court-martial, had paid the -last penalty. Spying, at the best, is ignoble work; and when it is -accompanied, as in Obernai's case, with the treacherous abuse of -hospitality and the betrayal of trusting folk, the spy's doom awakens no -sympathy. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - - "RECOMMENDED" - - -"A fig for reasons!" exclaimed Madame Bonnard. "We women can do without -them. Monsieur Amory will bear me witness; I said that wretch Obernai -was a villain." - -"Pardon, mon amie," said her good man, mildly: "you said you did not -like his voice." - -"Well, was not that enough? I did not like his voice: therefore he was -a villain. It is plain." - -"The Kaiser is said to have a very pleasant voice," remarked Kenneth, -slily. - -He was sitting in the Bonnards' kitchen, awaiting the return of his -comrades for supper. - -"I should like to ask his wife what she thinks of it," said Madame -Bonnard. "Poor woman! what a terrible thing it will be for her when she -goes with him into banishment, and she has to listen to him all day -long!" - -"Think you they will banish him, monsieur?" asked Bonnard. - -"Who can tell?" Kenneth replied. "We have got to catch him first." - -"Ah!" sighed Madame. "It is terrible. The end is so far off. Every day -I dread to hear bad news of my poor boys. And to think that there are -millions of poor women whose hearts are bleeding through that wicked -man! What punishment is great enough for him? I should like to think -of him worn and hungry, roaming the world like the Wandering Jew, with -no rest for his feet, always seeing with his mind's eye the burning -cottages, the maimed children, the weeping mothers, the poor lads he has -massacred." - -"Is it fair to put it all down to the Kaiser?" said Kenneth. - -"Yes, it is fair," cried the good woman, vehemently. "Poor people copy -their betters. His soldiers do what they know will please him. Has he -said one word of blame for all the dreadful things they have done? Like -master, like man." - -"I say, old man, here's the post," shouted Harry, bursting in at the -door. "Two letters and a thumping parcel for you; nothing but a -newspaper for me.... Good heavens!" - -"What is it?" - -"The curs have sunk the Lusitania.... Oh! this is too awful. That gas -they are using--the poor fellows die in agony. It is sheer murder." - -Kenneth read the paragraphs Harry indicated. The Bonnards had left the -room. - -"We must just stick it," said Kenneth, handing the paper back. "Nothing -but a thorough thrashing will bring them to their senses. And there are -silly stay-at-home people who talk of not humiliating them! The Germans -are doing their best to show that the world would gain if the whole race -were wiped out." - -"Are there no decent people among them at all?" - -"Of course there are, and they'll be horrified when they learn the -truth. There's my partner, Finkelstein, as good-hearted a man as ever -breathed. He'd never believe the brutes capable of the crimes they are -committing. But the people are being fed with lies. I can't but think -a lot of them will sicken with disgust by and by." - -"I only wish we could hurry it up.... Hullo, here's Ginger! I didn't -expect to see you, old man." - -"I'm going home, boys!" cried Ginger, with a smiling face. His arm was -in a sling. "Doctor says I'll be no good for three months. Shoulder -dislocated! My word! he did give me beans when he jerked it into place. -But I'm going home, home! Fancy how the missus and kids will jump! Not -but what I'm sorry to leave you." - -"I don't grudge you a rest, old chap," said Harry, "but we shall want -you back again. Listen to this." - -He read parts of the newspaper paragraphs. Ginger swore. - -"I tell you what," he cried. "I'm not going home to do nothing. I'm -going recruiting. That's what I am. I've spouted a lot of rot in my -time; they'll hear some hard sense now. By George! and if I don't have -at least a score of recruities to my name, call me a Dutchman. But I've -got some news for you--better than those horrible things in the paper." - -"What's that?" asked Kenneth. - -"Well, you see, Colonel sent for me, and we had a talk, man to man; -Colonel's a white man, that's what he is. As a matter of fact, I've -done a bit of spouting this evening. But the chaps didn't want much -talking to; they're all right. Verdict unanimous this time. To cut it -short, that promise of yours is off. The chaps say they're quite -satisfied with their job. Not one of 'em wants to go back to the works -until they've seen the Kaiser get his deserts. And Colonel is writing -home to say he wants commissions for you in the Rutlands." - -"You mean it, Ginger?" - -"That's just what I do mean. When I come back, you'll be officers. -There's just one thing. If I should happen at first to forget to -salute----" - -"Oh, rot, man!" cried Harry. "You're a good sort." - -"You'll thank them all for us?" said Kenneth. "I'm afraid we shan't be -allowed to stay with the Rutlands, though. Army rules are against it. -But we'll see. Now, come and have some supper. Bonnard will give us -something to celebrate the occasion." - -"Can't," said Ginger. "I'm under orders to start in half an hour. -Going back with a batch of crocks. It's good-bye. But I hope I'll see -you again." - -He shook hands with them warmly. They were all moved. Each felt that -in the chances of war they might never meet again. But, in the British -way, they hid their feelings. Only as Ginger went out he turned in the -doorway and said: - -"Mind you keep your heads down in the trenches." - -Kenneth and Harry were silent for a while as they ate their supper. - -"Well, old boy?" said Harry presently. - -"Yes. It's good, isn't it?" - -"The governor will be happy.... I say, Ken!" - -"Well!" - -"I can't make you out. You remember when I met you at Kishimaru's. -Well, you seemed jolly casual--not a bit keen. Yet it was you who set -the ball rolling at the works, and you've been keen enough since." - -"Oh well!" was Kenneth's indefinite response. - -"Really, I couldn't help thinking you were hanging back. It was because -you'd been seedy, I suppose." - -"Perhaps." - -"What was wrong with you? German measles?" - -"Not so unpatriotic, my son. A trifle run down, that's all." - -"Wanted a holiday, I suppose. The war scrapped holidays for most -people." - -"I daresay." - -"Hang it all! What's the mystery? What do you mean by 'daresay' and -'perhaps' and so on and so forth? What had you been doing?" - -"You're a persistent wretch, Randy. Well, I don't mind telling you now. -I was in Cologne when war was declared, and I had a pretty strenuous -time for a fortnight." - -And he proceeded to outline the adventures which the present writer has -related elsewhere. - -"Well I'm jiggered!" exclaimed Harry. "Why on earth didn't you tell me?" - -"Well, you see, you as good as told me I was slacking." - -"What's that to do with it? All the more reason to open up." - -"Give me a cigarette, old chap; it's all right now." - -A bugle called them to their feet. They flung on their equipment and -hurried out. The battalion was assembling in the market place. - -"The trenches again?" asked Kenneth of a sergeant. - -"No. We're ordered north." - -"Advancing at last?" - -"Let's hope so. Fall in!" - - - - - THE END - - - - - PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY - RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED, - BRUNSWICK ST., STAMFORD ST., S.E., - AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - HERBERT STRANG'S WAR STORIES - - -A HERO OF LIEGE: A STORY OF THE GREAT WAR. - -SULTAN JIM: A STORY OF GERMAN AGGRESSION. - -THE AIR SCOUT: A STORY OF HOME DEFENCE. - -THE AIR PATROL: A STORY OF THE NORTH-WEST FRONTIER. - -ROB THE RANGER: A STORY OF THE GREAT FIGHT FOR CANADA. - -ONE OF CLIVE'S HEROES: A STORY OF THE GREAT FIGHT FOR INDIA. - -BARCLAY OF THE GUIDES: A STORY OF THE INDIAN MUTINY. - -THE ADVENTURES OF HARRY ROCHESTER: A STORY OF MARLBOROUGH'S CAMPAIGNS. - -BOYS OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE: A STORY OF THE PENINSULAR WAR. - -KOBO: A STORY OF THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR. - -BROWN OF MOUKDEN: A STORY OF THE RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR. - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FIGHTING WITH FRENCH *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39801 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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