ink we'll choose a
little less exposed position to resume our observations."

Dudley retrieved his helmet. A couple of clean-cut holes marked the
entry and exit of a bullet, the missile having missed the subaltern's
head by a fraction of an inch.

"We've drawn their fire, sir," he exclaimed. "They are still there."

"A sniper at eight hundred yards, I should imagine," observed the
company commander. "A jolly good shot for a Hun. We'll try our luck
again."

Making their way to the depression in the ground where the Haussas of
"A" and "B" Companies were lying, the two officers set a couple of men
to work to rig up a dummy soldier. When complete the effigy was slowly
moved so that from the hostile position it gave the appearance of a
Haussa brazenly and defiantly moving out in the open, while a dozen
officers swept the ground on their front with their field-glasses to
try to detect the faint flash of a sniper's rifle.

A puff of smoke rose from behind a bush at a distance of half a mile,
and almost immediately following the sharp crack of a rifle a bullet
"knocked spots" off the effigy.

Without hesitation twenty or more Haussas let fly in the direction of
the puff of smoke.

"What are you aiming at, men?" shouted the major.

The score of blacks grinned unanimously. In their minds they had no
suspicion but that they had acted promptly and efficaciously.

Again the dummy was held aloft, and again the same thing happened.

"I've spotted him, sir!" exclaimed Wilmshurst. "Caught sight of the
flash about fifty yards to the right. Fritz, old sport, you're
exposed."

While the riflemen were keeping up a hot fire upon the bush that they
supposed was concealing the sniper the company-commander ordered Bela
Moshi to turn a machine gun upon the position that Wilmshurst had
spotted.

Before twenty-four rounds had been let loose a man sprang three feet in
the air, and fell inertly upon the ridge that had but imperfectly
protected him.

"Dead as mutton," reported Wilmshurst, after bringing his glasses to
bear upon the ill-starred Hun. "He nearly had me, though," he
soliloquised, tentatively fingering the double perforation in his
helmet.

There was no lack of volunteers to examine the sniper's lair.
Regardless of the risk of being potted at by other enemy riflemen Bela
Moshi, Tari Barl, and Spot Cash crept forward, taking advantage of
every available bit of cover.

In twenty minutes the Haussas returned, re