The Boy Allies on the Firing Line Part 15

Chester's cap seemed suddenly to jump from his head. Both lads heard the hum of a bullet and the crack of a rifle. Immediately they both dropped to the ground.

They had not detected from which direction the bullet had come, and for that reason were at a great disadvantage. Crouched close to the ground they waited, ears strained for a sound by which they could locate the man who had fired.

But a sound came not. Nothing but silence. Crouched close to the ground as they were, the silence soon became stifling. Hal endured the suspense as long as he could, and then whispered to Chester:

"We can't stay here. I'll wriggle my way to that tree," pointing, "and you creep behind that one," pointing again, this time to a tree perhaps a hundred yards distant from the first.

"All right," Chester whispered back.

Hal had hardly taken his position behind the tree he had selected for his own cover when a second sharp crack of a rifle broke the stillness of the night, and there was a flash of fire hardly fifty feet from him.

In the darkness Hal made out the form of a man, his gun pointed toward Chester, who at that moment succeeded in wriggling behind a tree.

"The dog!" said Hal angrily to himself. "I'll fix him."

Both lads were without weapons, their arms having been confiscated when they were captured by the Germans.

On hands and knees Hal made a short detour and approached his enemy from behind. Now he was hardly ten feet from the man, who loomed up like a giant in the darkness. Hal rose suddenly to his feet, and, as he did so, he stepped on the fallen limb of a tree.

The deathly silence was shattered by this sound, and Hal's enemy turned suddenly to confront this unexpected a.s.sailant. But, before he could bring his rifle to bear, Hal was upon him.

The man did succeed in raising his rifle above his head, and he now attempted to bring it down on the lad's head. But Hal was too quick for him. Stepping in close, he struck his opponent a stinging blow in the face, and at the same time seized the rifle barrel with his other hand.

As the man staggered back, Hal wrenched fiercely on the rifle, and the weapon came away in his hand. But the man was not badly hurt by the force of Hal's blow, and he suddenly dropped his hand to his belt. A moment later and the naked blade of a knife gleamed in the night.

Hal saw his enemy's move and sprang back. But the man was after him in an instant, his knife raised to strike. They were too close together for Hal to bring the rifle to bear upon his enemy, and, realizing that he probably was no match for his opponent, the lad suddenly turned and ran.

But it was not Hal's intention to run very far from his enemy. He was not that kind of a boy. His idea was to get far enough ahead of the man so that he might turn and shoot him. But as he ran he felt a gust of air pa.s.s his ear, and he heard the sound of something whizzing by him.

The German, realizing the boy's purpose, and also that he could not overtake him, had hurled his knife. Hal also realized this the moment the knife sped by him, and stopped suddenly in his tracks.

In spite of the fact that his a.s.sailant had attempted to murder him, Hal could not find it in his heart to kill him in cold blood.

Therefore, even as he turned, he raised the rifle high above his head, and, holding it tightly by the barrel, rushed upon his enemy.

In vain the man threw up his hands to ward off the blow. The force behind it was too great. Hal, wheeling half around as he swung, brought the heavy b.u.t.t of the rifle against the side of the German's head with a crack. The man dropped limp at the boy's feet.

Hal lowered his rifle, and stood for a moment over his fallen enemy, wiping his brow. Then he stooped over and relieved him of his other weapons, two automatic Colts. These he slipped in his pocket, and once more turned his face toward the spot where Chester lay, unaware of the terrible fight that had just occurred.

Hal whistled softly--the whistle of the old days in America--and, listening, heard Chester whistle softly in return.

Believing now that everything was safe, Hal left his fallen enemy behind, and started toward the spot where Chester was rising to his feet.

Hardly had he traversed half the distance, when there was another shot, and Hal saw Chester, who was advancing to meet him, topple to the ground.

Hal turned in the direction of the flash of the rifle, and, scarcely taking time to aim with his newly-acquired automatic, fired. His effort was rewarded with a howl of pain, but, as the lad started to run to where his fallen friend lay, there was another shot, and Hal felt a bullet whiz by his head.

Quickly he dropped to the ground, thinking that his unseen antagonist would believe him dead. He held his revolver ready, prepared to fire at the first sight of his enemy.

But the latter was not to be caught thus easily. Evidently he had heard of such subterfuges before. Hal waited patiently for some moments, and then, as there was no sign of his unseen enemy, he crawled slowly toward the spot where Chester had fallen.

What was his surprise to find that Chester was not there. For a moment Hal was stupefied, but his amazement was brought to an end by a low whistle, and, looking to the right, Hal beheld his friend behind a large tree.

A moment later Hal was beside his friend.

"Are you hurt much?" he demanded anxiously.

"Not even touched," was the reply. "I dropped to the ground when the bullet whizzed by. I was afraid he would hit me next time."

Hal seized Chester's hand and squeezed it warmly.

"I was afraid it was all up with you," he said. "I----"

The sudden flash of a rifle interrupted him, and another bullet flew past.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE DEATH OF A TRAITOR.

"Great Scott!" Hal e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed. "We've got to get out of here some way.

We can't stand here and be shot down."

"Wait," said Chester, as Hal started to move away, and pulled the latter to the ground, where he had dropped himself.

"What is it?" demanded Hal.

"Let me look at that gun you have a moment."

Without a word Hal pa.s.sed it over. Chester examined it as carefully as possible in the dark.

"I don't believe there is more than one man in these woods," he finally said. "Now, you stay here, and I shall try and work round behind him."

Without waiting for a reply Chester started crawling away, not directly toward the spot where the last flash of fire had come from, but bearing off well toward the right.

Hal started to protest, but, before he could utter half a dozen words, Chester had disappeared in the darkness. Hal lay in silence for some time. Finally, putting his cap upon a stick, he poked it cautiously out from behind the tree, where it was silhouetted against the opening between the trees.

A shot followed, and the cap leaped into the air.

"Good thing it wasn't my head," said Hal ruefully. "But if I can keep that fellow's attention centered on me, Chester may be able to nab him."

Once more he raised his cap on a stick and moved it about. Again there was a sound of a shot. But, even as the bullet sped by, there was a second report, and Hal heard his friend's voice raised in almost a shout:

"I got him."

Quickly Hal sprang to his feet and dashed in the direction of his friend's voice.