e was
approaching. There was more than one, for low-voiced words could be
heard. Were they friends or foes?

Immovable the young soldiers waited. Closer and closer came the sound
of those who were coming in their direction. All at once they appeared.

"Halt," cried Leon sharply.

"Ah, is it you, my friend Leon?"

"Who's that?" demanded Leon greatly surprised to hear his name spoken.

"It is I; Pierre Garemont," replied a pleasant voice.

The three young soldiers immediately lowered their rifles. Pierre was
an old friend of theirs, one of their company, and with him there was
Jean Luqueur, another one of their comrades.

"Where have you been, Pierre?" demanded Leon eagerly.

"Searching for the Boches," he answered. "But alas I have had but poor
luck; I have found nothing but dead ones."

"Where are you going now?" asked Jacques.

"Back to the battlefield to rejoin our men."

"Is the work all done down here?"

"I see no more to be done. Let us go."

"You two were making a lot of noise coming through that passage,"
remarked Jacques severely. "It would have been easy for anyone to
ambush you."

"Ha, ha," laughed Pierre loudly. "The Boches, they are too stunned by
our bombardment to do anything."

"Don't you believe it!" cried Leon seriously. "If we go with you
you'll have to be quiet, that's sure."

"Very well," Pierre agreed glibly. He was in excellent spirits however
for he felt that his country was on the threshold of a great victory
over its hated enemy and he was happy.

"Do you know the way out?" inquired Earl.

"We are not sure," said Jean. "We were looking for it when you so
rudely pointed your guns at our heads."

"We won't do it again," promised Jacques. "You lead the way, Pierre,
and we'll follow."

They proceeded in silence now. The story the three boys told of their
two encounters with the Germans had a quieting effect upon Pierre and
Jean. They realized that perhaps all the enemy had not been cleared
from this great labyrinth after all.

Twisting and turning in their course they tramped along. Numberless
passages led off in all directions but the five soldiers kept to the
one in which they had started. It seemed larger than the others and
they decided it must be the principal one. Consequently they thought
it would eventually lead them out of the bewildering underground maze.

Suddenly a patch of light appeared far ahead of them. It was sunlight
and they quickene