ange actions to
offer any objection and he had disappeared into the darkness almost
before they were aware of it.

"Well," exclaimed Leon. "What do you think of that crazy man?"

"Where's he going?" asked Jacques, puzzled by the actions of his friend.

"Over to the German trenches I think."

"What for?"

"To get killed I guess," said Leon. "I don't see what else it can be."

"He must have some object I should think," said Jacques. "Wouldn't he
tell you what it was?"

"No, he wouldn't," answered Earl. "It has something to do with a bell
though I'm sure," and he related the story of Armande's adventure.

"Perhaps he's going to try to fix it so it won't ring any more,"
suggested Jacques. "He's not afraid of anything you know."

"It's not a question of being afraid," said Leon warmly. "It's a
question of using good common sense."

The three boys waited anxiously for the return of their comrade but the
moments passed and he did not reappear. The firing had been fitful all
through the night; the steady booming of the big cannon being broken by
an occasional burst of machine-gun fire.

"He'll never come back I'm afraid," said Earl slowly after the lapse of
half an hour.

"Don't give up yet," exclaimed Jacques. "He may return."

"I'd like to know why he went," said Lean. "Why was he so mysterious?"

At this moment, however, Dubois suddenly reappeared and clambered back
into the trench.

"Dubois!" cried Leon eagerly. "Where have you been?"

"Over to see Fritzie," chuckled Dubois gayly. "Fritzie" was the name
by which the French and English sometimes referred to the Germans.

"Are you hurt?" demanded Leon.

"Hurt?" echoed Dubois. "I never felt better."

"What have you been doing?"

"I'll show you in just a moment," and Dubois busied himself with
something he held in his hands. It was too dark for his companions to
make out just what he was doing.

After a few moments the reckless Frenchman turned to his friends. His
preparations, whatever they were, evidently were complete.

"Now for the fun," he exclaimed. "Listen!"

He made a quick motion with his right arm as though he were jerking
something. From across the battlefield came the faint sound of a bell.
Almost instantly followed the sharp rattle of many machine-guns being
fired at once.

"Hear that?" demanded Dubois enthusiastically. "Isn't that great?"

"What are you doing?" asked Leon curiously. "You don't mean to say
that you