Clair W. Hayes

“ Hastily the Germans fell to work throwing up earthworks facing the second French line. Under experienced hands the breastworks sprang up as if by magic. They entrenched calmly under the rifles of the French infantry and the heavy guns of the French batteries, though men fell upon all hands.
Far away, but coming closer, the German batteries now opened fire on the second French trenches, firing above the heads of the victorious German infantry. The infantry action subsided. The duel of big guns was resumed. ”

“ Taken by surprise, the lad was unable to get out of the way and the top of Stubbs' head rammed him squarely in the stomach. Chester doubled up and fell to the ground with a cry of pain.
Stubbs turned and started to run; but before he had taken half a dozen steps, Hal had reached him and taken him by the arm. In vain the little man struggled to shake off the lad's grasp.
"Hey, Stubbs!" cried Hal, laughing at the predicament in which Chester found himself, "what's the matter that you've turned so pugnacious all of a sudden? Getting to be a regular fighter, aren't you?" ”

“ The sleeping French camp sprang suddenly to life. Men, half dressed, sprang from their cots—they had not disrobed entirely the night before—and hurried to their positions, adjusting their clothing as they did so. Regiments formed hurriedly in the darkness that is always more intense just before dawn. Officers shouted and swore; horses whinnied from the distance, indicating that the French cavalry, as well as the infantry was forming. ”

“ Terrible as it was, it was an awe-inspiring sight that Hal and Chester, far back with General Petain and staff, witnessed through their glasses that late afternoon.
In dense masses the French hurled themselves against the German trenches; and in great masses they were hurled back again—those of them who did not lie upon the ground. Time after time the French charged what appeared to be impregnable trenches. Then, on their fifth effort, they reached their goal and surged into the trenches.
Immediately all was confusion there. An unguarded moment meant a man's death. ”

“ Do you realize what is in store for you?"
"Perfectly," replied Chester. "The firing squad."
"No; you are wrong," was the Crown Prince's answer. "The firing squad is too good for spies. You have been captured within our lines in disguise; therefore, there can be no doubt that you are a spy. You shall be hanged."
Chester took a step backward. He had realized what his fate would be should he fall into the hands of the enemy, but this was more than he had bargained for. And at that moment there seemed little possibility that Hal would find and be able to rescue him. ”

“ Hal shook his head.
"They are likely to attack at any moment," he replied slowly. "Besides, if we do succeed in beating them off once more, there is nothing to assure us that we will be relieved then."
"Nothing sir," returned Francois, "except Captain Leroux's word that we have only to hold this house two hours, sir."
"True," said Hal, brightening visibly. "I shouldn't have spoken as I did. We must trust to the others, and if they fail, why, we'll know it is not their fault."
"Right, sir," said Francois. "If they fail, it will not be their fault." ”

“ The Germans raced across the open ground under a veritable hail of lead. They fell by hundreds and thousands, but what few survived hurled themselves against the barbed wire entanglements of the French or into the trenches, there to die upon the points of the foes' bayonets, or to be shot down as they tumbled over the breastworks.
The German general staff drew heavily from its forces on the east front and added these new legions to the already large army occupied before Verdun ”

“ In spite of the urging of their officers, the Germans wavered. The lines behind the first surged forward, however, pushing the men in front closer to the deadly fire of the French. Those in front pushed back and for a moment there was wild confusion without.
In vain German officers rushed in among the troops, trying to rally them. It was too late. The Germans had become demoralized. A moment and they broke and fled. It was every man for himself.
The French within the farmhouse raised a wild cheer and poured volley after volley into the fleeing Germans. Men tumbled right and left. ”

“ Outside Hal and Chester were accosted again by Jules Clemenceau.
"And what do you think of General Pombrey?" asked the young Frenchman, his face shining.
For a moment Hal considered what was best to say. Should he try and convince Jules that his present course was wrong; that there was to be considered the honor of his country rather than the opinion of General Pombrey? The lad decided on the side of caution.
"A good man," he replied quietly. "A man who will face a firing squad without a tremor, secure in the belief he is dying for a good cause." ”

“ He entered the tent with Chester close behind him.
Within powerful arms seized them and dragged them down; and before they could cry out gags were stuffed in their mouths. In vain the lads struggled to free themselves. They were soon safely bound.
Up to this time the tent had been in darkness, but now someone struck a light. Hal and Chester gazed at their captors. All were attired in regulation army uniforms, but their faces were masked. One man, who seemed to be the leader, was short and chunky. The others were taller. The small man approached the lads and spoke. ”

“ The world waited impatiently for the opening of the grand allied offensive that, it was expected, would be delivered simultaneously on all fronts. It was felt that it would not be long coming. There was talk of a new great field gun perfected by Great Britain—a gun that would be more effective than the German 42-centimetres—but so far it had come to play no part in the struggle. ”

“ The terrible thunder of the great guns ceased now and there broke out the crash of rifle fire. This told Hal and Chester that the German infantry was charging the trenches.
And this was indeed the case. In great waves of humanity the German assault poured on. Into the trenches the men threw themselves, dying by the hundreds; but there were always more to take their places. While the attack had not been exactly a surprise, the French nevertheless had been caught off their guard and the first advantage was with the Germans. ”

“ Hal and Chester had drawn their swords and found themselves engaged with the troops. So close was the fighting that had it not been for the difference in uniform it would have been practically impossible to distinguish friend from foe.
Hal found himself engaged with a German officer of huge stature, who was endeavoring to bring the lad to earth by fierce sweeping blows of his officer's sword. Hal was hard pressed to defend himself. ”

“ Men as well as officers understood the slowness of the French fire. The Germans were flushed with the spirit of victory, despite the fact that the field on all sides of the farmhouse was covered with their own dead and dying. The German soldiers realized, as did their officers, that the end of the courageous defense was near. ”

“ And from the German officer came the command to halt.
Instead, Hal increased his speed and a moment later he and Stubbs were running quietly between the rows of German tents. Behind came the sound of pursuing footsteps.
"We're in for it now, Stubbs," panted Hal. "I was a fool to run. They know now that there is something wrong and they won't rest until they have scoured the entire camp."
"Then we are done for!" exclaimed Anthony Stubbs.
"Not yet!" replied Hal. "While there's life there's hope. Never say die, Stubbs." ”

“ Nothing loath, Hal followed his chum.
In the light of a large camp fire they made out a crowd of soldiers gathered about in a large circle. Howls of amusement and hilarious laughter rose on the air. Hal and Chester pushed closer and were able to ascertain the cause of merriment.
In the center six French soldiers held a blanket and in the center of this blanket was a man. He rose and fell as the six men alternately released the blanket and then drew it taut again. ”

“ Instantly the fire of the machine gun ceased and Chester advanced to the road again. The same German officer who, a moment ago, had scorned the lad's warning, now advanced and tendered his sword to Chester.
"Tell your men to throw down their arms," commanded Chester.
The officer did so, and swords and pistols rattled to the ground.
"Now," said Chester, "you will about face and march toward the French lines. There must be no foolishness. My army here is rather small, but we still have the rapid-fire gun and it will be trained upon you until you are safe." ”

“ A volley of rifle bullets was fired at the rapidly rising machine.
One flew by Stubbs' ear and he dropped to the bottom of the car with a howl of fright.
A moment later, however, the machine was beyond reach of the rifles of the German troops, and Hal laid the craft out on a straightaway course, heading directly west.
"Nothing can stop us now but enemy aeroplanes," he said quietly.
He increased his speed. The big army plane flew toward the distant French lines with a speed greater than that of the fastest express train. ”

“ How many men it may kill, how many it may maim and what damage it will do cannot be estimated. But one thing sure, immediately afterwards every sleepy German soldier within fifty miles will be on the alert. The Germans will know it was not an accident. They will attribute the explosion to a bomb dropped from the air. We may have trouble reaching our lines."
"I wish you hadn't done it, Hal," mumbled Stubbs, whom the lads had found hiding beside the aeroplane. "It will dig a hole a mile deep in the ground. Rocks, guns and everything will come down like hail. We may be killed." ”

“ He aimed a blow at one man's breast and it went home. At the same moment a second German brought his rifle butt down upon the lad's sword and the weapon snapped off. Chester felt a second sting in his arm and then he felt a blow across the helmet.
There was a sudden roaring sound, Chester saw a million stars flash through the air; then he threw up his arms, made a move to step forward and crashed to the ground.
The last blow had broken open Chester's gas helmet and the lad was at the mercy of the poisonous vapors! ”

“ CHAPTER II VERDUN Rightly is the fortress of Verdun called the gateway to France. By reason of its strategic position, it is absolutely essential that an invading army have possession of Verdun before thought of a successful advance on Paris can be entertained; and it was upon the capture of Paris that the German emperor laid his hopes, in spite of the collapse of a similar offensive launched in the first days of the war. ”

“ Not once had they failed to accomplish a piece of work entrusted to them. General Petain began to look upon them as among his best men. Many a piece of work that, a month before, he would have entrusted to an older head now fell to the lot of either Hal or Chester; and the boys did not complain. In fact, the more they had to do the better they liked it.
Nor, for the matter of that, was there complaint from any of the men in the French army, officers or men. They stood to their work bravely and never flinched under fire. ”

“ True, the defenders had suffered considerably, for the German fire had been accurate; but the losses of the French had been as nothing compared with those of the Teutons.
This last assault had been more severe than the others. The Germans had shown even greater tenacity and courage than before. In vain had their officers sought to hold them to the attack. Once, twice, thrice had the human sea surged against the farmhouse, only to be thrown back; so at last the Germans had withdrawn.
Dead and wounded men strewed the floor. ”

“ This bombardment, continuing for more than twenty-four hours as it had, was the opening of the greatest offensive by the French at Verdun—an offensive by which General Petain, the French commander, hoped to drive back the foe that for months had pressed on so hard, and thus to insure the safety of Verdun, "The gateway to France," against the German invader for all time to come. ”

“ It's my belief that there is something wrong with both of you. What would I know about a conspiracy?"
"That's what I would like to know," returned Chester, from his cot. "If you won't tell us, I've a notion to tell General Petain what you told us."
"I wouldn't if I were you," said Stubbs. "It wouldn't do you any good. He probably would think your wound had affected your mind. That's what I think."
"Oh, no you don't," said Hal. "You are just trying to keep the thing to yourself, whatever it is. Maybe you're going to slip it by the censor to the Gazette, eh?" ”

“ Hal dashed upstairs and Chester descended quickly below.
Hal gazed quickly about the front room upstairs as he entered it. There were three windows. It was the only room facing east. There were two other rooms on the floor, and Hal quickly posted men at the windows of each.
In the basement Chester found that the only two windows fronted east. He had not much to guard. He gazed upon the men under his command and quickly selected five.
"The rest of you go upstairs," he commanded. "Six of us will be enough here. The hard fighting will be done above, if it is done at all." ”

“ Be it known that Anthony Stubbs, war correspondent of the New York Gazette, had, in his day, liked to play a game of poker, whether it was right or whether it was wrong. Even to this day the lure of the game held, and in spite of the danger such a game entailed, Stubbs was not loath to play. Besides, the little man bethought himself that while the game was in progress he might learn something of value, so he said:
"All right. I'll play."
The man called Hans now sprang to his feet. ”

“ Walking between the rows of German tents, Chester, after perhaps half an hour, was arrested by the sound of voices in a tent that seemed, in the darkness, to be much larger than the ones which surrounded it. He paused and listened attentively.
"Then everything is in readiness," came a voice.
"Everything. When the French see that we have weakened our lines on the left wing, they naturally will press forward in masses. The pressure on the right wing probably will be lessened. Also in the center. ”

“ Hal worked rapidly; and at last he gave an exclamation of satisfaction.
"Find it?" asked Chester.
"Yes; I'll have it fixed in a quarter of an hour."
"If we're not away from here in five minutes we're likely to be dead," said Stubbs, plaintively.
"Don't croak, Stubbs," said Chester. "We've done a good day's work and you should be proud to have a hand in it."
"Should I?" said Stubbs. "Well, all right, if you say so; but I would be a whole lot more proud if I could get back and tell somebody about it."
"A man deserves no particular credit for doing his duty," said
Chester, quietly. ”

“ For perhaps five minutes more they ran on, Hal fearful at every moment that German soldiers would pour from their tents and interrupt their flight. Fortunately, this did not happen, however.
Hal, fleet of foot as he was, was hard pressed to catch up with Stubbs, who had gained a slight lead and was covering the ground with rapid strides. But at last the lad overtook him and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Slow down, there," he commanded. "First thing you know you'll have the whole camp after us. Those shoes of yours must be at least number elevens. They shake the whole earth when you run." ”

“ Calmly, the ten French soldiers, far back against the wall and a little to one side, so as to be out of direct line of fire from the open doorway, fired into the surging mass of humanity. And their fire was deadly and effective. In almost less time than it takes to tell it the doorway was choked with German dead. ”

“ It's a ten to one bet that the German general staff knows all about this conspiracy. The peace talk has been carried from one army to the other by the prisoners. The Germans will take advantage of it. Should the French really follow General Pombrey's plan, they would be slaughtered by the thousands. The Germans could not keep faith. You know that."
"Yes, I know it," said Hal with a nod of his head. "They have never kept faith in this war, save in individual cases. It doesn't seem to be in them."
"Exactly," agreed Chester. ”

“ What's to prevent me?"
"Why," said Hal, "when I am through with you, you will be in no condition to settle with anyone. Now, if you will take my advice, you'll put that gun in your pocket and leave this tent."
"Talk pretty big, don't you?" said Matin, with a sneer. "Well, I'll show you!"
He raised his revolver so that the muzzle pointed squarely between Hal's eyes. His finger tightened on the trigger.
"One moment, Matin," said Hal, quietly. "Don't you know that before you can pull the trigger my friend in the doorway will kill you?" ”

“ French reinforcements were rushed forward to aid the hard-pressed men in the first line trenches. More Germans poured in. The struggling mass surged backward and forward. Then the French broke and fled, and Hal found himself among a panic-stricken mass of humanity, running for life for the protection of the second line trenches. From behind, the victorious Germans fell to their knees and poured a steady rifle fire upon the vanquished. Over the heads of their fleeing countrymen the second line French troops returned the fire. ”

“ As time passed other men appeared in the tent and Hal and Chester were surprised to see that some were officers of high rank; but neither lad said anything aloud.
Came the voice of a sentry without:
"One o'clock and all's well!"
A moment later the apathy that had gripped the interior of the tent where the conspirators were assembled disappeared. General Pombrey addressed the others.
"I am glad to see so many of you here to-night," he said earnestly. "I note several new faces amongst us and I am pleased to know that others are joining this great movement every day. ”

“ In the basement Chester and his five men still were unmarked. Though they had stood at the small windows and fired at whatever German forms came within view, they had had little work to do, the men were beginning to murmur among themselves.
"We're not needed down here," said one. "We should be upstairs where the fighting is being done. No Germans will seek to come in here." ”