The Khaki Boys over the Top Part 29

Franz, looking forward from between two little hummocks of earth, suddenly fired his rifle.

"There goes one Hun!" he exulted.

"And I got a second!" exclaimed Roger.

They were both good shots and each had gotten his enemy.

"Come on--rush 'em!" yelled Jimmy, jumping up. Bob attempted to pull his chum back, for it was almost certain death to stand up in front of a machine-gun emplacement. But it was too late. Jimmy had taken his chance, and he lived through it.

For a brief instant there was no firing from where the machine-gun was hidden and this was Jimmy's opportunity and that of his chums. With wild yells they leaped up and followed his lead.

A moment later they were fighting fiercely with half a dozen Germans who composed what was left of the automatic gun squad. The weapon appeared to be jammed, for one of the Huns was frantically working at the firing mechanism. And it was this same jamming, as was learned later, that, undoubtedly, saved the lives of Jimmy and his chums.

Roger shot pointblank at one Boche and Bob bayoneted another. Then the remainder raised their hands and cried: "_Kamerad_!"

"We haven't any time to take prisoners!" yelled Franz.

But they did not get the chance. The Germans left alive leaped out of the shallow pit in which the gun had been hidden, and ran toward the rear. But they had not gone far before they were wiped out of existence by the explosion of a sh.e.l.l which fell right on top of them.

"Come on! Come on!" cried Jimmy, when it was seen that the machine-gun was of no further use, since the weapon was damaged. Besides, the American advance would soon be up to this point and it would be within the Allied lines.

Forward leaped the five Brothers, into the midst of the fighting again. And it was hot and heavy. They would advance a little, firing as they went, and then would drop as they realized that they were getting too close to danger. After a moment's rest they would rush on again.

And these tactics were slowly but surely driving the Germans back.

True, now and again the Huns rallied, and beat back their foes, but this was not for long. The overwhelming rush of the Americans kept up.

Once, after the battle had been raging with unabated fury for two hours, Jimmy and his chums, with some other brave lads, found themselves cut off in a sort of pocket, surrounded on three sides by Germans.

With exultant yells a squad of Boches rushed up to capture the hated Americans, but the five Brothers never quailed. They fired their rifles straight into the faces of their enemies, killing several, and then a counter-attack by a large number of Uncle Sam's boys turned the tide of the fighting at that particular place, and our heroes were saved.

With rattle and roar, with sweat and blood, the big battle raged. At one time it seemed as if the American advance would be held up because of determined resistance of the Germans on the crest of a certain hill. This was stormed again and again without result. But at last the position was flanked, and the Huns wiped out. Then the American line was made straighter and the battle began to lull. The foe was in retreat.

"Dig in! Dig in!" came the command.

With their picks and shovels Jimmy and his chums, as well as the other fighters, began to scoop out for themselves shallow holes in the ground. And when these had been made as deep as was desired the five Brothers, who had come through the fierce fighting with but minor scratches, had a chance to look about them.

They were down in a little valley, the heights of which were held by their comrades, and so they were comparatively safe, for a while.

Realizing this they began to think of food and water. They had very little left in their canteens, and as there was a stream, not far away Jimmy and his chums received permission to go to fill their canteens and bring some to the wounded.

As they finished this work of mercy, and had taken some water themselves, Jimmy saw, through an opening among the trees, a lonely hut not far from the bank of the little brook.

"Wonder if anyone is in there?" he said. "It might have been a German machine-gun nest--just 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.

"n.o.body 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 rus.h.i.+ng 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 where you've been all this while, and what happened to you!"