uick
action. What a brave man he was!"

"That mustn't happen again," exclaimed Armande. "We must clean those
rats out of the tower before it will be safe for us here."

"How are you going to do it?" inquired Jacques.

"Go up after them of course. Who will go with me!"

"I will, I will," cried a half-dozen voices eagerly.

"Come along then," exclaimed Armande, and advancing to the stairway he
placed one foot on the bottom step and glanced up.

CHAPTER XV

THE FIGHT FOR THE TOWER

As Armande's foot touched the stairs, a bullet from above struck his
steel helmet a glancing blow. The helmet was knocked from his head and
he staggered back against the wall. Jacques sprang to his side at once.

"I'm all right," exclaimed Armande quickly.

"Are you hurt?" demanded Jacques.

"Not at all; it merely stunned me for a second," and Armande rubbed his
head dazedly. "I'll be all right directly."

"You musn't try to go up those stairs again," exclaimed Jacques, as he
spoke handing Armande back his helmet, which he had picked up from the
floor.

"But we must get them out of that tower," insisted Armande.

"I know," agreed Jacques, "but we'll have to find some other way to do
it."

"But how?"

"I think I know how," said one of the men stepping forward.

"What is your scheme, Lippen?" asked Jacques eagerly.

"If we only had a machine-gun we could soon bring them down."

"But how could we carry a machine-gun up those stairs?" demanded
Jacques. "They'd shoot us down at their leisure."

"We won't take it upstairs," said Lippen quietly.

"What is your plan?"

"Send two men for a machine-gun. When they have brought it back we
will set it up here and point it at the ceiling. When we have sent a
few thousand bullets through the floor the Boches will come down fast
enough."

"Why will they?" demanded Jacques. "I don't see just what you mean."

"They'll come down because they won't be able to help it," said Lippen
grimly. "We'll blow a hole through the floor and they'll fall down."

"I believe you're right," exclaimed Jacques suddenly. "Who will go
after a machine-gun?"

Several men immediately offered their services and two were quickly
dispatched on the quest. It was a dangerous mission, as the Germans
from their position in the tower could shoot from the windows and have
anyone below almost at their mercy. In order to divert their attention
from the two messengers the men in the chateau start