French, too, all along the line, were to take the offensive.

The men awaited the word eagerly.

At last it came. With a shout the French, still wearing their gas masks,
hurled themselves forward with the troops.

Halfway down the hill the lines met with a crash. Rifles and small arms
were fired point blank into the very faces of the foe and then the men
fell to the work with bayonets. Both sides fought desperately.

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.

As the German's sword descended in a stroke of extra violence, Hal
stepped lightly aside and evaded the blow. Before the German could
recover himself, Hal moved quickly forward. There was a sudden, quick
movement of his arm and the German officer toppled over, to rise no more.

Hal turned just in time to see a second German officer level a revolver
straight at his head. The lad ducked and the ball passed harmlessly over
his head. Before the German's finger could press the trigger again Hal
had raised his arm and struck.

Chester, in the meantime, had his own hands full. He had accounted for a
German trooper who had sought to bring his rifle butt down on the lad's
head and was now engaged with two other troopers, who sought to end his
career with bayonets.

Chester sprang nimbly back as the two men advanced on him. One tripped
and stumbled over a fallen comrade and as he did so Chester took
advantage of his misfortune to strike with his sword. But the second
German protected his fellow by catching Chester's stroke with his bayonet
and for a moment Chester was at a disadvantage.

Even as the bayonet of the first trooper, who had regained his balance,
would have pierced him, however, Chester dropped flat on the ground and
seized one of the man's legs. The German dropped his bayonet and crashed
to the ground. Chester sprang up quickly and jumped to one side to escape
the point of the bayonet in the hands of the second trooper.

Chester thrust with his sword, but the effort was futile. The point of
the lad's sword fell short. Again the lad was at a disadvantage and the