mped into the parapet of
the German trench before he knew it. The boy flattened himself on the
ground and listened. He heard low-toned conversation mingled with
German snores in the trench, and sniffed contemptuously. Raising a
hand to pull himself up to the top of the sandbags, he struck
something sharp. It was the point of a bayonet. Remi's hand crept
cautiously along and the lad barely escaped an exclamation, for here,
right in his hand, was a German rifle aimed toward his own lines,
ready to be fired at his beloved French comrades.

"Cautiously drawing the weapon over the parapet, he caressed it
affectionately, then started to crawl back toward his own lines with
his precious find.

"'At last Remi has a rifle, and none shall take it from him,' he
muttered triumphantly. 'See what I have!' he cried after having been
challenged and hauled into his own trench. 'I took it from the
thickheads over there. I--' He said no more, for his comrades were
hugging him delightedly. They hurried the child off to the captain of
his company, who, after listening to the story, embraced Remi.

"'Ah, you are a true Frenchman,' cried the officer. 'Keep
the gun and use it for our beloved France.'

"'I will,' promised Remi solemnly.

"Two nights later he stole out and fetched back five more German
rifles. By this time the officers began to realize that the boy must
be taken seriously. From that night on almost every night found the
intrepid lad skulking about over 'No Man's Land,' many times with the
enemy's machine gun fire snapping about his ears, but to which he gave
not the slightest heed. Remi truly seemed to bear a charmed life.

"One night after his company had returned to the front-line trench,
after a night's rest in 'billets,' he went out with the patrol, as
usual, but with a new plan in mind. By now he knew the arrangement of
the German trenches almost as well as did the men who occupied them.
There were ten in the patrol, and so great was the confidence of the
men in him that they virtually permitted Remi to act as their leader.
The patrol carried no rifles, only revolvers and stout clubs, like
policemen's night sticks. When the lad ordered the men to secret
themselves in a shell crater, they obeyed willingly.

"Remi reached the German trenches, along which he crept with ears and
eyes on the alert.

"'Who goes!' came a sharp, low-spoken command in German. At that
instant a German rose from the ground, where he had been