o something quickly," said Hal. "We cannot leave without
striking at least one blow at them."

"Assuredly not," agreed Alexis. "I have a plan."

CHAPTER X.

THE MIGHT OF ALEXIS.

"What is it?" demanded all eagerly.

"We will retreat to the second compartment," said the giant, "and I will
place myself behind the pillar, which I can see from here." He stooped
and picked up a long heavy iron bar from the ground. "I will have this
for my weapon, and invisible in the darkness, if they come in a rush, I
can let my bar fall upon their skulls thirty times a minute."

"Good!" cried Hal, "and at the same time I have another plan. The rest
of us shall retreat to the third compartment, leaving Alexis, for the
moment, to deal with the foe alone. But Alexis, when I say retreat, you
must leave your post and come to the third compartment. Is it agreed?"

"Agreed!" cried the giant.

"All right, then. To your post!"

Quickly the four retreated to the second compartment, where Alexis took
up his post behind the large pillar, concealed from view by the
narrowness of the entrance between the compartments themselves. The
others retreated to the third compartment.

For a long time, it seemed to Alexis, he waited in silence. Then the
head of a man appeared through the entrance to his compartment and came
toward him. There were more heads behind him.

"Strike, Alexis!" came Hal's voice from the next compartment.

The giant obeyed. The iron bar rose and fell full upon the head of the
first man, who dropped without a cry. Ten times in almost as many
seconds the huge iron bar rose and fell again and not once did it fail
to find its mark.

The German soldiers could see nothing; they heard sighs and groans; they
stumbled over dead bodies, but as they did not realize the cause of all
this, they still came forward. So far there had not been a sound to tell
those behind what was transpiring in front.

But now an officer, bearing a torch, approached. On arriving at the
entrance to the compartment where Alexis had exterminated all that had
come, he drew back in terror; but his retreat was blocked by those
pressing on from behind. The officer saw the heap of dead, but as yet he
had not discerned the cause.

Suddenly a gigantic hand issued from nowhere and clutched him by the
throat. A second later the captain fell close to the now extinguished
torch, adding another body to the heap of dead. All this was effected as
mysteriously