omrades of the five Brothers there were bloody gaps. They had won
their way thus far at no small sacrifice of life and limb. But, so
far, our friends had escaped scatheless, though they all bore wounds,
as you know.

It was a pleasant, sunny day--that is, it would have been pleasant had
it not been for the war. That spoiled the pleasantness, but nothing
could stop the sunshine. To the great orb that had seen the earth
formed, this fighting, momentous as it was destined to be, was only an
incident in the rolling on of the ages of time.

"Wonder why we're being held up?" ventured Franz. "I haven't had half
enough of fighting yet."

"Nor of me, neither," declared Iggy, who seemed to have recovered all
his spunk and spirit. "It is of a betterness to shoot lots when of a
gas mast you are delivered, yes?"

"Right, old top!" shouted Jimmy. "Hello!" he went on, as he saw the
major of the battalion approaching. "I guess here's where we get
orders!"

And they got them--orders to advance. And this time they went forward
with yells, for it was said that the gas attack was over--the kindly
wind had done its work well.

"There they are! There are the Huns!" cried Roger.

His chums looked, and saw dimly through the smoke, a gray line, like
some great worm, that would oppose their progress.

"Come on! Come on! Eat 'em up!" shouted Jimmy.

The others needed no urging. At the Huns they went--firing and being
fired at.

For a time it was a battle of rifles--the artillery and machine-guns
seemed to have been silenced temporarily. On rushed the Sammies, in
their own peculiar but comparatively safe, open formation. Rushing,
dropping, firing, up again, now down, but ever going onward, led by
their officers.

The Huns received the fire, and that it was deadly was evidenced by
the gaps torn in the gray ranks. Then they would close up, fire as
though by platoons, and come on slowly.

Suddenly the comparative slowness of the rifle fire was broken by the
staccato explosions of a machine-gun. It opened on the left of the
position taken up by Jimmy and his chums, and in an instant had mowed
down several doughboys.

"Take what cover you can!" shouted a lieutenant. "Where's that gun?
Did any one notice?" "Over in that red mill!" some one shouted.
Afterward it developed that this was Franz, who was an expert shot and
quick in judgment.

Dropping flat in the low-growing grain, many eyes of the Sammies
turned in the direction of the r