seemed to become.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE COMING OF THE ZOUAVES.

"Why don't you give them a shot, Rod?" Hanky Panky was heard calling
just then, for apparently things had reached a crisis, and he expected
seeing one of the raiders come pushing through the opening the next
thing.

Rod was only holding back so as to keep his fire to the last extremity.
The boy was pale, and his teeth were set, but there was a blaze in his
eyes that boded no good for the first Uhlan who ventured to try to
enter.

Although the Motorcycle Boys in the start decided not to take sides if
such a thing could be avoided, they had found it impossible to control
their feelings in the matter. The cause of the Allies seemed to be
closer to American ideals than the militarist methods of the Kaiser's
men; and by degrees Rod and his chums had come to sympathize with the
French and Belgians until finally ready to openly declare that they were
for them heart and soul.

Rod hated the thought of shedding blood, even though his own life, as
well as those of his chums, seemed in deadly danger. Only as a very last
resort was Rod willing to use that weapon which had come into his
possession so strangely; and in his mind he had already determined to
only wound, if such a choice seemed possible.

The Uhlans without were exultant over the success they had already
attained. To continue their work and presently smash the door completely
in, they drew back the ladder which they were using as a battering ram.

Rod saw his chance to look out through the vent. What he saw was not of
a reassuring nature. There were five stout men in the uniform of the
reckless rough riders belonging to the German army; and they were
swinging that heavy ladder in a way that showed what delight they
experienced in just such work of destruction.

Rod did not class them as different from the soldiers of any army
raiding through the enemy's country. In fact he was not bothering his
head just then making comparisons, for he had enough to do in figuring
how he might further delay the crisis so as to give the coming zouaves a
little more time in which to arrive.

"I guess it's got to be done!" the boy was muttering to himself as he
peeped through that narrow slit of an opening and saw that the pack had
about reached the end of their swing, so that the forward rush was about
to begin.

It was easy enough to pick out the man who seemed to be the head and
brains of the bunch. H