oes. A
moment later the five Germans slopped away, their hands in their
pockets to keep their trousers from falling off and shuffling their
feet to keep their shoes on. One Frenchman accompanied them to direct
rather than guard them. They were harmless enough now.

"That's certainly a funny sight," laughed Leon. "Those Germans
couldn't run away or do any damage now to save their lives."

"A great way to send prisoners back to the lines," said Jacques.

The three boys and Jean now joined the other men in the squad and
together the eleven soldiers started across the battlefield. All of
them were of the same regiment but from different companies. Far ahead
they could see the curtain of fire and behind it the advancing line of
French troops.

"That's where we belong," cried Jacques eagerly.

"Here come reinforcements!" shouted Earl, and from their own lines they
could see a fresh battalion of infantry pouring out of the trenches and
starting across that field of death.

Corpses lay on every side, French and German together. The ground was
covered with the dead and wounded, some of the latter desperately in
need of attention. They had to be left for the Red Cross, however.
The soldiers had their orders and they were to advance.

"Shall we wait and go forward with the reinforcements?" asked one of
the men in the squad which the four soldiers had encountered.

"I should say not," cried Jacques. "Our regiment is ahead there and
that's where we ought to be."

With a shout he dashed forward and close at his heels followed his ten
comrades all eager to be in the fray once more.

CHAPTER VI

UNDER FIRE

Ahead of them was a small wooded ridge and towards this they made their
way. The field was littered with corpses and it was necessary to
exercise great care to prevent stepping on the dead bodies.

A few moments later the eleven soldiers reached the ridge and there
came up with their battalion; at least what was left of it, for it had
suffered heavily during the charge. The three boys were very glad
indeed to rejoin their company and were soon in their accustomed places.

"We're pretty well protected here," remarked Earl when they were in the
abandoned German trench under the shelter of the ridge.

"Yes," agreed Jacques. "Those scrubby little pine trees hide us from
the sight of the German observation posts. Their artillery won't
bother us much here."

"We don't want it to," said Leon grimly.