ned and once the five friends were
spattered with dirt thrown up by a nearby explosion. The earth rocked
and it seemed as if no man could endure the awful tumult that was going
on.

The Germans were deluging the French trenches with a deadly hail of
high explosive shells. They tried to cover every inch of the allied
first line and even behind the front trenches they dropped a steady
stream of giant projectiles.

Suddenly the artillery fire slackened.

"Now the infantry will charge," exclaimed Jacques.

"Poor fellows," muttered Leon.

"Yes," agreed Jacques; "not many of them will ever get past our rifles
and machine guns."

"Or the seventy-fives," added Earl.

As they stood talking an officer approached.

"I want a man to volunteer for a very dangerous mission," he announced
as he drew near. "Who will go?"

Immediately he was besieged on all sides by an excited crowd of men,
every one of them eager and anxious to be the one selected. Needless
to say Leon, Earl, Jacques, Armande and Dubois were among the first to
offer themselves. The officer smiled as he saw how the men responded.

"I want only one," he said. "I can't use you all."

"Take me; take me," begged every man eagerly.

"I will select you," he said, and as he spoke he laid his hand on
Jacques' shoulder. The rest of the men shrank back disappointedly.

"Come with me," directed the officer and he and Jacques walked rapidly
away. Jacques had no conception what his mission was to he, but he was
not particularly curious; he knew that he was to do something for
France and he was satisfied.

Through the winding trenches they preceded until they reached the first
line. Here the effects of the German bombardment were especially
noticeable. In many places the parapets had been blown in and dead and
wounded men were lying all about. Jacques and his conductor paid no
attention to these things, however. They hurried along until they
finally came to a portion of the trench which projected beyond the
remainder of it. Jacques recalled it as the section which he and his
companions had occupied when Dubois had tied the string to the Germans'
bell.

Here they halted; the guns were roaring now as never before and it was
with great difficulty that one made his voice heard.

"The Germans came out of their trenches once but we drove them back
with our fire curtain," explained the officer.

"They'll try again though," remarked Jacques.

"Of course t