n stations to where Ned was
placed, as it was a quiet period of the day, and it was while they
were talking that the shot came.

"I'd like to have a try at him," said Jerry. "It's queer he can send a
bullet down into this trench. It must come from above. A shot from the
German trenches wouldn't reach here over the top, unless it was fired
up, and landed here as it came down."

"Then it would be a spent ball," argued Bob, "and it wouldn't sing out
the way that one did."

"You're right," agreed Ned. "It was fired from above--you can tell
that by the slant it took as it came in. But it didn't come from an
aeroplane. There hasn't been any over the trench for a long while. No,
it's some German sniper, and he's out there in the woods, I believe.
Up a tree, most likely, where he can fire down into our trench. He
must have a long-range rifle."

"We ought to try to get him," argued Jerry. "Have you, Ned?"

"Yes, I've tried to bait him, so I could find out where he shoots from
and nip him in return, but I haven't been able to."

"Then I'm going to have a shot at him," declared Jerry, who was rated
as an expert in the use of the rifle, as his badge showed.

But his plan of getting revenge on the Hun, who had so nearly shot
Ned, was not destined to be carried out at once. For just then the
relief of the boys came up, and they were marched back to the dugout
for a rest period.

It was after they had enjoyed this, and were counting on again doing
their turn in the trenches that their chance came to go out on night
patrol, one of the most dangerous missions in the line of duty.

So far, since the Motor Boys had come up to the firing line, there had
been no really serious fighting in their immediate sector. On either
side of them there had been skirmishes, but a mile or so away, so they
had had no chance to participate. Also there had been night raids, but
Ned, Bob and Jerry had not been in them.

This does not mean that Ned, Bob and Jerry were in no danger, for, as
has been shown, a bullet came near ending Ned's career. And aside from
this, there had been bombs dropped near them from Hun aeroplanes, and
once a whole portion of the trench, just beyond where they were
stationed, had been caved in by a shell from a German gun, and several
brave lads had been killed, while others were terribly injured. But
Ned, Bob and Jerry had come out unscathed.

Also there had been waves of gas--the ordinary chlorine gas, and again
the m