The Boy Allies in the Trenches | Page 6

Chester checked his horse and
springing to the ground dashed to his chum's side. The men behind
them also dismounted and prepared to give battle afoot.
The two lads hurled themselves at the enemy without stopping to think.
Hal's sword struck up the weapon of a German officer, and before the
latter could recover his poise, the lad had run him through. Chester
disposed of a second officer equally as rapidly.
From pursuit of the others, the rest of the troop had now returned and
completely surrounded the little band of Germans. Hal lowered his
sword, and, stepping back a pace, called upon the enemy to surrender.
"Never!" came the reply, followed by the German battle-cry:
"_Deutschland über alles_!"
A revolver bullet tore a ragged hole through Hal's cap, and a second
one passed just under his left arm.
But now the revolvers of the Germans were all empty, and the fighting
continued with swords alone.

Into the very midst of the German squad the two lads hurled themselves.
Cutting, slashing, parrying and thrusting, the Germans fought on
doggedly. Now a man fell, then another, and still another, but still they
would not yield until at last there were left but three. From these, at
Hal's command, the British drew back to give them one more chance
for life; but they would not take it, and the British closed in again.
"Well," said Chester, a few moments later, "it's all over."
"But they fought well and bravely," said Hal, returning his sword to its
scabbard.
He looked around and took an account of his losses. Twelve British
soldiers lay dead upon the ground, and a score of others were nursing
their wounds--some serious, some only scratches. But there was no
time to dress these wounds now. There was other work to do.
"Mount!" cried Hal.
The troop obeyed, and Hal sprang into the saddle of a riderless horse.
His sword flashed forth once more.
"Forward!" he cried.
The little troop set off at a gallop.
To the north could be caught occasional glimpses of the North Sea, as
the sand dunes now and then permitted an unobstructed view. The party
was at the extreme north of the long battle line that stretched away to
the south, clear through Belgium and France.
For perhaps half an hour the troop rode rapidly on, but finally Hal
called a halt. He listened attentively. There was no sound to break the
stillness, other than the faint boom of heavy guns in the distance, telling
that the long-range artillery duel, farther south, was still in progress.
But, as Hal was about to give the word for a further advance, from
almost directly ahead, though still some distance away, came the sound

of a single pistol shot. Just one shot; that was all. In vain did the lads
strain their ears to catch a possible reply to the shot. None came.
Hal ordered his men to advance at a slow trot, and the troop moved
forward once more.
Now they came to a woods. They advanced rapidly and the woods
became less dense, and the darkness caused by the heavy overhanging
trees gave way to more light. Hal again called a halt, and himself rode
forward to investigate. Twenty yards ahead he came to a clearing in the
woods, stretching out for a possible quarter of a mile.
In the very center of this clearing the lad made out a strange sight. His
eyes fell upon a detachment of German troops--about fifty all
told--dancing about what Hal finally made out to be a barn.
As Hal looked a sheet of flame sprang up. It was plain to the lad in an
instant that the enemy had set the wooden structure afire.
"But why?" he muttered to himself.
The answer was not long coming.
From the barn, through a crack between the boards, issued a cloud of
smoke, and even above the yells of the dancing Germans Hal made out
the report of a revolver. One of the Germans stopped his antics and
toppled to the ground to rise no more.
"Great Scott!" cried Hal aloud. "They are burning him up!"
Jerking his horse about, he dashed back to his men and again placed
himself at their head. Chester ranged himself alongside.
In a few brief words Hal explained what he had seen, and then cried to
his men:
"Forward! Charge!"
At a gallop the British covered the distance to the clearing, and then

dashed toward the enemy as fast as their horses could go. As the sound
of galloping hoofs was borne to the ears of the enemy, they stopped
their dancing about the barn and fell into line to beat back the British.
The first line threw themselves to the ground. The second line fell to
their knees,