CHAPTER XIV
UNSEEN MARKSMEN
Roger Barlow, who had so nobly assisted Jimmy Blaise in wiping out thisparticular German machine gun nest, looked around after the struggleand on hearing his companion's remark.
"What's that?" he asked. "We have the place to ourselves? Well, whyshouldn't we after we got rid of these fellows?"
"No, I didn't mean that exactly," went on Jimmy. "But take a look! Noneof our fellows is anywhere near here. The fighting seems to have beenswitched over to our right."
Roger, who had almost as much blood on him as had Jimmy, took anobservation. He soon realized that what his fighting chum had said wastrue.
They were on a little wooded knoll, and the view was so obstructed bystunted trees and underbrush that they could not see very far in anydirection. But they had a sufficient view to show that there was hardfighting going on about a quarter of a mile to their right, while allabout them the place was still and deserted--that is, comparativelystill, for the din of battle was carried to the Khaki Boys where theystood.
"I guess we rather overran our objective," observed Roger, as he gazedabout for a puddle of water in which to cleanse himself of the bloodthat was not all his.
"If you mean this machine gun nest was the objective, we did," agreedJimmy, as he looked at the dead Germans. "We ran right over them. Butnow we'd better get back to the rest of our own bunch, or they'll belisting us as missing or deserting."
"Yes, we'll get back," assented Roger. "But first let's clean up a bit.There's a puddle of water over by the gun."
It was water, of a sort. In northern France it seems to rain most ofthe time, or at least it did while our boys were there. There were manyshell holes over the ground, and many of them became filled with andretained water for some time. The puddle Roger picked out was half fullof--well, liquid would be a better word than water, but the army ladsgot over being fussy about a thing like that.
"It's good enough to wash in, but I'd hate to drink it," observedJimmy, as he began to clean himself.
"You said something!" came from Roger. "And yet I've heard our boys saythat they've drunk worse stuff than this and that it tasted good."
"Oh, I suppose so," agreed Jimmy. "But I'm going to look about a bitbefore I take any of this."
And he was glad he did, for some time later, in moving about in thelittle glade, they found a clear, sparkling spring, and there theydrank their fill and finished up the "bath" they had started at the mudpuddle.
"Well, I feel a hundred per cent. better," declared Roger. "And nowlet's hike back. The fighting is still going on, and we don't want tomiss any of it."
Jimmy nodded, and the two Khaki Boys began to pick their way throughthe underbrush. It was rather rough going, for if there had ever beena path it was now obliterated by the bursting of shells amid the treeswhen the place was under fire, as it often had been.
Roger and Jimmy were near the edge of the little glade which, as hasbeen said, was on the top of a hill, when suddenly, just as they wereabout to cross an open space, the vicious hum of an unseen missile washeard over their heads.
"Duck!" yelled Jimmy, at the same time dropping flat and pulling hiscompanion to a similar posture.
Of course it was too late to have "ducked" for that particular bullet,as it was over their heads and past them before the boys fell prone.But, as Jimmy said afterward, he thought more were coming.
"What's the big idea?" asked Roger, as he rubbed his elbow that hadcome in sharp contact with a stone when Jimmy dragged him down.
"Didn't you hear the shot?" demanded Jimmy.
"Yes. But the bullet you hear will never hurt you. It's the one youdon't notice coming that does the trick."
"That's all right," asserted Jimmy calmly. "But there may be morecoming. Lie low now, I'm going to try a little camouflage work."
Keeping prone on his face, and seeing that Roger did the same, Jimmycautiously raised his "tin hat" above the earth, using a short stick hepicked up as a support.
Almost instantly there came a "ping!" and a little hole appeared in thehelmet.
"Firing at close range," observed Jimmy.
"I should say so!" exclaimed Roger. "And those aren't stray bullets,either. It was directed straight here."
"Right!" assented Jimmy. "But the thing of it is to decide whether it'sour boys firing or some Germans who may have swept in from the leftflank."
"How could it be our boys?" asked Roger. "Don't they know we're here?"
"How could they? We rushed over with a bunch of our boys to clean outthis machine-gun nest. And we're the only ones left alive to get here,worse luck for those who started out with us. So there's not muchchance that any fellows in our squad know we're here. At the same time,this place was known to be held by the Huns, and our boys, who don'tknow anything about our having taken the gun, may still think it's amachine gun nest and be peppering it whenever anything alive shows, asmy helmet did. I'm glad my head wasn't in it," and Jimmy looked againat the bullet hole in the strong metal.
"And do you think it could be Germans shooting at us?" Roger inquired.
"Of course it could be Huns. A lot of 'em are probably over to the leftof us where there isn't so much fighting going on. They may have seenus wipe out this bunch of their friends, and now they're going to turnthe trick on us."
Roger agreed that this view of the matter was probable. Then he asked:
"What are we going to do about it?"
"Let's work our way back to the middle of the bunch of trees,"suggested Jimmy. "We'll be somewhat protected there, and maybe if wetry to get out in another direction than the one we just attempted,we'll have better luck.
"Wiggle back now, but don't raise your head. Can you make it goingbackward?"
"It's harder to crawl backward on your stomach than it is to go forwardin the same way," said Roger; "but I'll try."
He did try, as, likewise, did Jimmy. But they found it almostimpossible because of the nature of the ground, and Jimmy called a halt.
"Let's pivot around," he suggested, and head uphill. It'll be easiercrawling then. But keep your head down."
Almost as Jimmy spoke there came another of the wicked hums of asinging bullet, and it "pinged" against a tree not far from the twoKhaki Boys.
"They either see us or they guess we're still here," said Jimmy.
"I don't believe they see us," stated his chum. "More likely they'rejust taking a chance and firing at the location where they last sawyour tin hat. We'd better hurry on."
Fear and desperation urged the boys forward, and they crawled rapidly,if painfully, up the hill, in and out of shell holes, over sticks,stones, and, in one case, a dead body. But eventually they reached theplace where the machine gun had been planted. It was there still, withmost of the crew dead around it.
"Wonder if we could turn it around and aim it at the fellows who firedon us?" suggested Roger.
He and Jimmy examined the gun, and though they were not familiar withthis particular German weapon their general knowledge told them that itwas so damaged as not to be fire-able.
"Well, we'll have to depend on what we have," said Jimmy, as he lookedto his rifle and revolver. Fortunately, he and Roger had plenty ofammunition. They had with them all their possessions, including theiremergency rations.
"We can stay here until dark, if we have to," said Jimmy. "But I don'twant to. Let's make another attempt at it on the opposite side. Butkeep low."
They got a drink of water from the spring, and then lay down and beganto crawl out of the woods. They did not stand upright except whenbehind the thick shelter of trees.
But no sooner had they begun to progress after the manner of a not veryagile serpent than there was the sing of bullets over their heads, andsome struck the ground near them.
"They see us!" cried Roger, and there was a catch in his voice.
"I don't believe they exactly see us," returned Jimmy. "But I thinkthey see the bushes move as we crawl along, and they're firing into theunde
rbrush."
"They'll get us just as surely that way as if they did see us, if theykeep on firing long enough," went on Roger.
"Yes, I suppose they will," agreed his chum. "Well, we've tried thefront and back doors out of this place. Now let's tackle one to theside."
"Right or left?" asked Roger.
"Right," decided Jimmy. "That's where our boys were fighting, and theGermans are less likely to be there. We'll try the right. But crawl,buddy, crawl!"
"Oh, I'm going to," declared Roger.
They had moved back when they found that they were fired upon thesecond time, and now they were in a position to crawl down off thesummit of the little hill, going to the right.
Would they find the way clear? That was the question Roger and Jimmyasked themselves, and how much depended on the answer to it, they wellrealized. The unseen marksmen seemed fearfully alert.