ust, a parry, and Frank drove his
weapon through the shoulder of his opponent. The latter reeled and
fell. Frank strove to pull out his weapon, but it stuck fast, and just
then a pair of sinewy hands fastened on his throat and he looked into
the reddened eyes of the antagonist whom he had tripped.

With a quick wrench Frank tore himself away, and the next instant he
had grappled with his opponent and they swayed back and forth, each
putting forth every ounce of his strength in the effort to master the
other.

Panting, straining, gasping, neither one of them saw that the struggle
had brought them to the edge of a deep shell crater. A moment more and
they fell with a crash to the bottom of the hole.

CHAPTER II

A PERILOUS JOURNEY

The shock was a heavy one. For an instant both combatants were
stunned. The flying arms and legs straightened out and lay quiet.
Then Frank staggered painfully up to his hands and knees.

Luckily he had fallen on top, and the breath had been knocked out of
his opponent's body. But even as Frank looked down upon him, his foe
showed signs of reviving. His eyes opened, and a glare of rage came in
them as they rested on Frank.

He put his hand to his belt, but Frank was the quicker and in an
instant his knife was out and pointed at the German's throat.

"Say 'Kamerad,'" he commanded.

The German hesitated, but a tiny prick of the knife decided him.

"Kamerad," he growled sullenly.

"That's right," said Frank, "but just to make sure that you won't stick
your knife into me when I'm not looking, I guess I'll take care of it.
No, you needn't take the trouble of handing it to me," he continued, as
he saw a vicious expression in his captive's eyes. "You just keep your
hands stretched above your head and I'll find your knife myself. And
don't let those hands come down until I tell you, or something awkward
is likely to happen."

If the prisoner did not understand all that was said to him, there was
enough in Frank's gestures to indicate his meaning, and the hands went
up and stayed up, while Frank searched his prisoner and removed his
knife, which he put in his own belt. Then he bound the fellow's hands.

The attack had been made late in the afternoon, and dusk had fallen
while the fight was still going on. Now it was quite dark, and Frank
rose to his feet, intending to clamber out of the shell hole, taking
his prisoner with him.

But what was his consternation, on lifti