back when he had not even come in touch with
the rear French lines. In five minutes all was still again. Either the
scrimmage hinged on a false alarm, or a rush had been made for the
possession of some slight point, or--but why guess! Anyhow, it had been
short; but, as a barking dog when the night is still will awaken other
dogs far across the country-side, so did this brief fusillade draw
intermittent firing from many points in more distant places.

Instead of helping Jeb determine his position, these but added to his
confusion. Directions of the compass might be anywhere; he was
unquestionably lost, with the best of chances for walking into an enemy
outpost and being taken prisoner--and he had heard enough of Germany's
treatment of prisoners to prefer death rather than capture.

Several star shells must now have been fired from flare pistols
somewhere, because objects about him took shape, and he dropped flat,
simulating death, not knowing how many eyes were on the watch for
movements. When darkness came again his sense of location had not been
helped.

Crouching, sometimes crawling on his stomach, but going forward ever
more cautiously, he was driven cold with terror when, within thirty
feet of him, out of the very air about him, came low, guttural sounds of
talking. The words were German.

His first impulse was to dash wildly through the smoke and escape, but
even as his muscles grew taut to make the spring a voice commanded him
to halt. It was not an outside voice this time, but one within; and,
although trembling, he froze closer to the ground, obeying instantly.
Then the sound of a spade thrust into soil, raised and emptied, told of
digging. Digging what? Graves? No, the German army, that great Imperial
Machine, was being pounded too hard to bother with its dead! The German
God could look after them--or the Allies!

Not knowing how to cope with this new situation he began cautiously to
crawl away, feeling for a corpse to hide behind should another lot of
stars go up and expose him there; yet when his fingers touched a cold,
bearded face he nearly cried aloud. A sudden loathing for this inanimate
thing almost sent him running;--the next second, answering a silent
command, he stretched beside it as though he and it were bunkies in a
cantonment. But his heart was beating unmercifully, confusing his ears
which strained for every sound. Regularly the spades and picks continued
their work; minute dragged into minu