ere came a fresh, terrible rumble and roar.

A Montenegrin masked battery had opened with its rapid-firers. Men
dropped in great heaps, but the others came on.

The Austrian officer in command, realizing that he was in a trap, took
the one chance left him. With what men he had, cut off from his infantry
support as he was, he must either capture that masked battery, die or
surrender. The only support he had now was from his own artillery, and a
moment later that, too, became silent, for the masked Montenegrin battery
could not be shelled without imminent risk of shooting down Austrian as
well as Montenegrin.

On came the Austrians in a desperate and spectacular charge. Of the
number that had sallied forth from the Austrian trench, less than half
remained when they came to the edge of the little woods. These few hurled
themselves forward with the utmost bravery and abandon, and for a moment
it seemed that they might reach the guns, which Hal and Chester, from the
eminence, could see.

But at that moment four squadrons of Montenegrin cavalry, fresh and eager
for the fray, were hurled forward. They dashed out with a yell, and the
two forces met just beyond the fringe of trees.

There was a terrific shock as they came together and in a moment all
was confusion. Men cursed, slashed, stabbed and discharged revolvers at
each other, while the horses of the opposing forces fought as well as
their riders.

The Montenegrin battery had now become silent, for to have fired would
have been to endanger the life of friend as well as foe. The horsemen
struggled desperately, hand-to-hand.

But the force of the Austrian charge had been spent. The few who remained
fought bravely, but they were no match for the fresher and more powerful
Montenegrin horsemen, among the best fighters in the whole world.

Slowly the Austrians were forced back. Then they gave ground faster and
faster, until finally those who were left turned their horses and fled
back toward their own lines. For perhaps a hundred yards the Montenegrins
pursued, then, at the call of a bugle, they halted and turned back.

A moment later the rapid-firers broke loose again, cutting great holes in
the ranks of the fleeing Austrians. The latter retreated even faster than
they had charged, but by the time they reached the shelter of their own
lines their number had been thinned by fully three-fourths.

All the way across the field dead and wounded strewed the ground. The
suc