" she panted, "should we not run now?"

"We couldn't make it, for one thing," he answered slowly, "and, besides,
I--I don't think I'll ever run again, little one," he stooped and kissed
her--although she did not understand. "Ready? Come along!"

CHAPTER XV

He felt the call now of three great forces: America, Humanity, and his
soul--but the greatest of these was Humanity! Each held him by a new, a
strong appeal; each looked confidently to the best there was in him,
wrapped him in entreating arms that struggled to inspire the highest
type of courage.

Carefully the little refugees followed him out into the calm moonlight,
the tots whose minds had gone back to shadowland acting as automatons
under the silent direction of their sister. He stopped once, as though
with indecision, and looked at them; then set his teeth fast and again
went on. Hugging the snagged walls, crossing open places on hands and
knees, they came finally to the spot Jeb had previously selected for
them to wait, while he crept ahead to reach the pyramids of stacked
rifles before letting his presence be known.

He could distinctly hear the sounds of digging now, but there was no
exchange of words--doubtless the stilled sentry had been the only
loquacious spirit among them. This presence of human beings laboring in
silence at dead of night made his task decidedly ticklish, and minutes
passed before he gained a position behind the last pile of rubble,
overlooking the hole.

Besides the fourteen Germans he had expected to see below, he now made
out one other, an officer, who, doubtless because he sat well beneath
the opposite wall, had escaped observation during the first
reconnaissance. This brought the total to fifteen--three clips of
cartridges and no misses, he told himself, if it came to a fight. The
men toiled surlily, as though that beaver-like industry, everywhere
displayed by the German army in fatigue work, had about reached the
quitting point. It was, moreover, possible that they sulked for having
been detailed to a duty which meant almost certain death.

Jeb did not know how to challenge them, but a pointed rifle and a stern
command in any language is never difficult of translation between
soldiers of opposing armies. He saw now that six of them were laboring
with a large stone, and there could be no more favorable time for him to
act. With a bound he reached the edge.

"Hands up!" he barked.

The fifteen faces turned to him w