front.

"What are you doing?" Lieutenant Mackinson had asked, as Joe brought the
party to a stop.

"Just a moment and you will see," Joe had responded.

And, first in wonder and then with a dawning understanding, the other
three read off his flashed message:

"Signal Corps men, and whole party safe."

CHAPTER XV

THE SURPRISE ATTACK--PROMOTION

During the week that followed, the lads were confined almost entirely to
regular routine work, with nothing particularly exciting. Frank Hoskins'
elbow wound healed quickly, without any serious results; and Tom Rawle,
who had been under treatment at the field hospital, was able to get
about the camp, although still pale and weak, and limping considerably
from his injury.

But on the eighth day a veritable fury launched itself upon that section
of the American-French front, in the shape of seemingly endless brigades
of Boches that were hurled "over the top" of their own breastworks,
across No Man's Land, and upon the first-line trenches of the Allies.

For several days the American and French aviators had been reporting
heavy German formations in that region, evidently with the design of a
terrific assault, but the allied commanders had not expected it so
soon, and in truth they were not fully prepared for it.

It was a surprise attack in every sense of the word, with all the
terrible carnage that such a battle brings.

Shortly before midnight of the preceding night a terrible bombardment
had been directed against the American-French trenches, and their hidden
artillery to the rear of them. This was kept up for about seven hours,
and the duel of heavy guns shook the earth like a quake and was
deafening.

Then, just as dawn was breaking, the infantry onslaught, participated in
at some points by detachments of cavalry, began.

For three hours the Americans and the French fought stubbornly and with
every ounce of strength and determination. Whole regiments and even
brigades were wiped out on both sides, but the Boches, who had prepared
every detail of the assault for weeks, were readier than their opponents
and filled the gaps in their lines more quickly.

By noon it became apparent that the sacrifice of lives was becoming too
great to warrant the Allies trying to hold their first-line trenches
much longer, and that they must give them up, at least until they could
re-mobilize their forces for a counter-attack.

The order was therefore given for those in th