t the place for one."

"There may be one there yet," suggested Bob. "Let's take a look. We've
got time."

The idea appealed to all, and, a few minutes later, secure in the
knowledge that the Germans were on the retreat, our heroes entered the
lonely shack. It appeared to have been the home of some French farmer,
though now everything about the place was laid waste.

"Nobody at home, I guess," commented Jimmy, as he went from one room
to another.

"No machine-gun been here," declared Bob.

At that instant an unmistakable groan was heard. The boys fairly
jumped.

"Some one's here now, that's evident!" declared Jimmy, starting toward
a small bedroom, whence, it was evident, the groan had sounded.

"Look out for a trick!" cried Roger. "The place may be mined!"

But Jimmy kept on. A second later his chums heard him shout from the
inner room, and rushing to his side they saw him gazing at a figure
huddled on a small cot bed.

"There he is!" cried Jimmy, pointing. "There he is! We've found him at
last!"

"Who?" asked Franz.

"Sergeant Maxwell!" was the startling answer. "There he is!"

And as the others looked more closely they saw that Jimmy was right.

CHAPTER XXIV

A GLORIOUS VICTORY

"How did he get here?"

"What happened to him?"

"Is he wounded?"

These were some of the questions that were, literally, fired at Jimmy
as he stood over the cot on which reposed the wasted and scarcely
recognizable form of Sergeant Maxwell. Jimmy's chums asked these
questions of him because, I suppose, they thought he ought to know the
answers.

"I don't know any more how poor Max got here, or what happened to him,
than you fellows do," said Jimmy.

"Is he hurt?" asked Bob.

"I'll ask him," said Jimmy. Bending over the form of the sergeant, who
was now tossing restlessly to and fro, Jimmy inquired: "Do you know
us, Max? Are you hurt? What happened to you?" An incoherent murmur was
the only answer.

"He's in a fever," said Roger, as he held his hand against the flushed
face. "He ought to be taken to the hospital!"

"Give him some water," suggested Franz, holding out his full canteen.

Jimmy raised his friend's head and Bob managed to get a little water
between the parched lips.

"Good! Good! I wanted water!" murmured the man somewhat indistinctly.
"I've wanted water a long time."

"Do you know us? I'm Jimmy Blazes, and here's Bob, Roger, Iggy and
Franz," said Jimmy. "Do you know us! Can you tell us