The Boy Allies On the Firing Line | Page 2

scarcely half the distance when the Germans reached the edge of the woods, and poured a volley into them.
Hal groaned as men fell on all sides of him. But still those who were left ran on. At length they reached the friendly shelter of the trees, but half their number lay behind, either dead or dying.
Once more, screened from the enemy, Hal halted the men.
"We may as well fight it out here," he told them. "We will hold them off if we can, and if not we must retreat slowly, keeping behind whatever cover offers."
A faint cheer went up from the handful who were left, and they turned determinedly to face their foes. They did not waste their fire. As the Germans came again into view, the British rifles cracked. Their marksmanship was superb, and rather than face this deadly fire the enemy halted.
Then began a game of hide and seek, with death the penalty for all who were seen. The firing was only at intervals now. Wherever a German arm or leg showed itself, a British rifle sounded and a German was accounted for.
For almost half an hour the game continued; and it was kept up until darkness fell. Fearing that it was the intent of the British to lure them into the hands of a strong force, the Germans did not attempt a charge, but contented themselves with trying to pick off their foes as they flitted from one tree to another.
But if the Germans had suffered, so had the English. Of the little troop of fifty, there now remained, besides Hal and Chester, but ten men. The two boys seemed to bear charmed lives, for neither had been struck once. They had exposed themselves to all dangers as well as had the troopers, but fortunately no German bullets had reached them.
And still the few English fought on. Now that darkness had fallen and two more men had dropped, Hal ordered those who were left to make a last dash for life. He sprang from behind the tree which had sheltered him, and Chester and the few remaining troopers joined him. Then they turned and sped as rapidly as the darkness would permit in the direction of their own lines.
Now that the fire of the English had ceased entirely, the Germans halted, puzzled. It was impossible for their officers to tell whether the enemy had all been killed, or whether the silence heralded the approach of a larger force. Their indecision undoubtedly saved the lives of Hal and Chester and the eight troopers, for had the Germans advanced they would have experienced little difficulty in killing or capturing them.
Silently but swiftly the ten forms dashed through the woods, and when at length they once more emerged into the open country they were completely exhausted.
"Well, I guess we are safe, what is left of us, at any rate," said Chester as they halted to take a much needed rest. "It's terrible to think of those poor fellows we left behind."
"It is, indeed," replied Hal; "but I don't think they would complain. The British soldier is not that kind."
"You are right," agreed Chester. "And each accounted for more than one of his country's foes before he went down. Were you hit, Hal?"
"No. Were you?"
"No. But come, we had better be pushing on again."
With the loss of their comrades still preying upon their minds, the little troop continued on its way; and while they are hurrying onward we shall take time to introduce Hal and Chester more fully to those who have not met them before, and to relate how it came about that they were serving in such an important capacity with the British army in France.

CHAPTER II.
TWO YOUNG LIEUTENANTS.
Sturdy American lads, young though they were, Hal Paine and Chester Crawford had, when this story opens, already seen considerable military service. Each had received his baptism of fire during the heroic defense of the Belgian city of Liège, which had held out for days against the overwhelming horde of Teutons.
In Berlin with Hal's mother when the war broke out, they had been separated from her and left behind. With Captain Raoul Derevaux, a gallant French officer, and Lieutenant Harry Anderson of the British army, they finally succeeded in making their way, after many desperate experiences and daring adventures, over the Belgian frontier, as told in the first book of this series, entitled "The Boy Allies at Liège." They had reached Liège in time to take an active part in the defense of that city.
In escaping from Germany, each had done his full share of fighting and each had been wounded. They had finally reached Brussels, where they remained some time, while Hal's wound healed sufficiently to continue his homeward journey. As the result of their heroic actions, the Belgian commander