said their captain, when our heroes
were back in their own command, where they were made royally welcome.
"There have been skirmishes and some long-distance artillery work. But
the big fight is yet to come. You'll have a chance to rest up and get
in trim for it."

Jimmy and his chums were glad of this. They were allowed leaves of
absence, and went back of the lines to a pleasant little village,
where rest and good food soon made them "fit" again. All efforts to
learn something more of Captain Dickerson, and the whereabouts of
Sergeant Maxwell, were, however, without avail.

One evening, after the five Brothers had reported back to their billet
for duty, and while they were in the dugout, detailing over again some
of their experiences at the mill, the sergeant-major entered.

"Get set, boys!" he exclaimed. "The orders are coming in. We go over
the top again in the morning, and it's going to be some fight!"

And when the zero hour was signaled again the five Brothers were in
battle once more.

CHAPTER XVI

HELD UP

Equipped with gas masks, their packs filled with first-aid outfits,
carrying emergency rations, with the "tin hats" on their heads and
with rifles firmly grasped, over the top went the Khaki Boys, and
thousands like them, in another attempt to subdue the Boche enemy.

Behind the boys roared out the big guns that were laying down a
protecting barrage--a veritable curtain of fire behind which they
might advance and without which they would have been swept back into
their trenches broken and bruised and killed. The artillery duel had
been under way some little time now, and it had evidently taken the
Germans by surprise, for they were longer than usual in replying.

"Smash 'em up! Smash 'em up!" yelled the lieutenant in charge of that
particular part of the advance in which Jimmy Blaise and his chums
were included. "Smash 'em up, boys!"

"Wow! We're with you!" howled Franz. "Smash 'em up!"

Forward they surged, the gallant American lads, who a short time
before were peaceful clerks, factory and farm hands and happy college
lads, and some boys who instinctively shrank from the mere thought of
killing. But now their spirits were on fire with the sacred wine of
liberty, and they were daring as they had never dared before. Their
daring was imbued with right, and other than this nothing will stand.

The gray mists of morning swirled this way and that, blown not so much
by nature's wind as by the