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SAMMY MACHINE GUNS AND RIFLES MOWED THEM DOWN. _The Khaki Boys at the Front._ _Page 127_]
THE KHAKI BOYS AT THE FRONT OR _Shoulder to Shoulder in the Trenches_
By
CAPT. GORDON BATES
Author of "The Khaki Boys at Camp Sterling" "The Khaki Boys on the Way," etc.
_ILLUSTRATED_
NEW YORK
CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
COPYRIGHT, 1918, BY CUPPLES & LEON COMPANY
* * * * *
THE KHAKI BOYS AT THE FRONT
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I A JOYFUL REUNION 1
II MEETING COUSIN EMILE 10
III TRAILED 20
IV AN UNSEEN FOE 27
V A WILD GOOSE CHASE 32
VI THE UNFORESEEN 38
VII "AT HOME" 45
VIII A BOCHE TESTIMONIAL 51
IX ON THE MARCH 59
X THE LAST LAP 68
XI IN THE FIRE TRENCH 75
XII GETTING USED TO IT 85
XIII UNDER FIRE 94
XIV DETAILED TO SCOUTING DUTY 104
XV OUT IN NO MAN'S LAND 114
XVI FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED 122
XVII MISSING: A BROTHER 128
XVIII "IT'S A GREAT LIFE" 139
XIX OUT OF THE AIR 144
XX THE RETURN OF COUSIN EMILE 155
XXI UP ABOVE THE CLOUDS 167
XXII THE UNSPEAKABLE CRIME 178
XXIII LOYAL UNTO DEATH 188
XXIV WAITING FOR ZERO HOUR 197
* * * * *
THE KHAKI BOYS AT THE FRONT
CHAPTER I
A JOYFUL REUNION
"I suppose we might as well be hiking along," announced Roger Barlowregretfully, as he consulted his watch. "We've lots of time yet, butwe'd better be early than late back to camp. We are strangers in astrange land and we've quite a long way to go."
"I'm satisfied to go. I came up here to see Paris and I've seen it.That is, a scrap of it. I guess it would take a long while to getreally wise to it. I sure would like to use up a little time pokingaround _la belle_ Paree. My, but this hash house is a dead place,though! Nobody alive here but us."
Bob Dalton glanced disapprovingly about the unassuming little cafein which he and his four Brothers had elected to dine. Its hushedatmosphere oppressed him.
"Oh, Paris is altogether different from what it used to be," informedSergeant Jimmy Blaise. "It's lost a lot of pep since this war began.Can you wonder?"
"It's lost more than pep," cut in Franz Schnitzel. "It's lost a wholelot of its best citizens. Almost every woman one sees is dressed inblack. That tells its own story."
"So think I no many Franche solder more," sighed Ignace Pulinski. "Mos'is died."
"Oh, there are probably a dozen or two left," was Bob's cheeringreassurance. "I guess they need the Khaki Boys over here all rightenough, though."
"I wish we'd get orders to move on," grumbled Jimmy. "I'm dying to takea ride in one of those 'Eight Horses' affairs--not."
"We've been in training here longer than I expected." This from Roger."I guess we needed it. When the war began, before the U. S. got intoit, they used to rush the Tommies to the front pretty fast. They gotabout ten days' or two weeks' training and that was all."
"The war game's been systematized a lot since then," commented Bob. "Wehave fared better than those fellows did. They had to put up with mostany old thing. So far we've led a peaceful, happy life over here."
Several weeks had passed since those of the Khaki Boys who had comesafely through the disastrous sinking of the _Columbia_ had been landed"somewhere in France."
Readers who have followed the fortunes of the quintet of Khaki Boys,known among themselves as the five Brothers, will at once remember themas old friends. What happened to these young soldiers during the periodin which they were in training at an American cantonment has alreadybeen set down in "THE KHAKI BOYS AT CAMP STERLING."
It was while on the way to Camp Sterling that Jimmy Blaise, RogerBarlow, Bob Dalton and Ignace Pulinski met and instantly becamefriendly. From being merely friendly they soon grew to be bunkies,loyal to one another through thick and thin.
Later they took into their little circle a young German-American, FranzSchnitzel, who had had the misfortune to be entirely misunderstood byhis comrades. Suspected of being in sympathy with Germany, Schnitzelwas accused of poisoning a number of men in his own barracks.
Due to the untiring efforts of the four Brothers, his innocence wasproven, and his good name restored. Afterward Schnitzel himself wasresponsible for bringing the real poisoner, a German spy, JohannFreidrich, to justice.
Their fortunes firmly linked to Schnitzel's by trouble, he had becomea real brother to the four Khaki Boys, who decided that thereafter theywould call themselves the five Brothers.
After an exhaustive course of training at Camp Sterling, the fiveBrothers had been sent with a large detachment of their comrades toCamp Marvin, a southern cantonment. While at this camp they met with atleast one exciting adventure, which was the forerunner of a series ofamazing events.
In "THE KHAKI BOYS ON THE WAY" will be found the details ofthat adventure, which had to do with an attempt made by an unknown manto blow up a bridge near the camp. Readers of this story will recallJimmy Blaise's fight with the miscreant under the bridge, and hisnarrow escape from death.
This narrative also contains a full account of the Khaki Boys' journeyto the seacoast, where they boarded a transport for France, and of thehazardous voyage over, which ended in the torpedoing, by a U-boat, oftheir transport the _Columbia_.
Though many of their comrades perished at sea, the five Brothers werespared. Briefly separated by the catastrophe, they were re-united inIreland. From there they had gone on to a rest camp in England, fromwhich, re-uniformed and re-equipped, they had at last set sail acrossthe channel for France.
Landed in France, they had gone directly to a training camp, there toreceive the final necessary instruction which would fully prepare themfor the strenuous life of the trenches.
Since arriving in the French town where a concentration camp had beenestablished, they had been kept constantly busy learning new thingsabout trench warfare.
At Camp Sterling and Camp Marvin they had undergone considerableinstruction along this line. Compared to the experience they were dailygaining, their past training seemed a trifle rudimentary to the KhakiBoys.
Under the competent direction of French officers who had seen serviceat the front, the Khaki Boys were rapidly acquiring fresh knowledgeconcerning bomb-throwing, reconnoitering, listening posts, methods inatt
ack and defense, wiring parties, mass formation, and the properprocedure for poison gas attacks.
They had learned to construct and repair barbed wire entanglements.They had now become familiar with the intricate inner construction ofthe trenches. They knew how best to shelter themselves when in thesetrenches. They had learned trench cooking and sanitation, and were nowbeginning to feel that they were really ready to live at the front.
Their camp being situated in a village not many miles from Paris, thefive Brothers had been most eager to spend a few hours in the beautifulcity. Although they had seen much to interest them since coming toFrance, their minds were set on seeing Paris.
For one reason or another, however, they had put off the trip untilRoger had declared that if they didn't "make a break" at seeing Parissoon, they were not likely to see it until the end of the war, if ever.
The upshot of the matter was a concerted request for passes on thepart of the five Sammies. Mid-afternoon of a cold, though gloriouslysunshiny day, saw them invading the city they had so earnestly wishedto visit. Strangers in a strange land, they had, nevertheless, hugelyenjoyed poking about the French metropolis, constantly drawingcomparisons between it and their own "big town" in America.
Long familiar with the French language, it fell to Jimmy to do most ofthe talking. For once Bob did not take the lead in this respect. Bothhe and Roger were able to carry on a halting conversation in French andthat was about all. Schnitzel knew even less of it than they, whileIgnace had added but little to the "six word by Franche," of which hehad earlier admitted as being his entire French vocabulary.
Content to follow their own bent, the five bunkies had asked fewquestions of the friendly passersby, who invariably beamed on themin passing. The Sammies were at any time a very welcome sight to theFrench people, but the five Brothers were an especially strikingexample of stalwart young American manhood, and attracted an amount ofattention of which they were quite unaware.
Toward six o'clock steadily growing hunger had prompted them to dropinto one of the many excellent restaurants of which Paris boasts.Having ordered a most delectable dinner, they had taken their timeabout eating it. In consequence, it was now after seven o'clock and, asRoger had reminded, "time for us to be hiking along."
"There's always a calm before a storm, you know."
It was Jimmy who spoke. The remark followed Bob's assertion regardingthe peacefulness of the life they had been leading since their arrivalin France.
"Yes, it's the last lull before we get into the real thing," noddedRoger. "We'll soon be getting up in the morning and turning in at nightto the music of the big guns."
"I hope it'll be Allied artillery that'll make the most of that music,"put in Schnitzel.
"Yes, and _I_ hope a Fritzie trench gets it in the neck with everyblamed tune our fellows hammer out," was Bob's vengeful rejoinder."What I've heard since I came over here about the way those Bochebrutes have treated the Belgians makes me hot under the collar."
"They say the Fritzies have it in for us Sammies," shrugged Roger."They're crazy to take us prisoners. They want to make an example ofus. Think they'll scare the U. S. into putting up a big yell for peace.Wonder what they'll do if they do manage to grab any of our men?"
"Hard to tell. Crucify some poor fellow, maybe." Bob's dark brows drewsharply together. "That's one of their pleasant little methods ofgetting even." Bob's tones quivered with loathing. "If it ever came tothat with me, I'd die game. I'd never let 'em think they'd got my goat."
"Oh, can the croak!" exclaimed Jimmy impatiently. "We came out to enjoyourselves. What's the use in dragging up the horror stuff?"
"So think I," agreed Ignace, who had been listening round-eyed to Bob'sdire surmising. "We ver' smart, so then we don' be it that prisonar. Ino like."
"You _don't_? I'm surprised," bantered Bob. "I thought you were justaching to be run in by a Boche patrol."
"Now you mak' the fon to me," snickered Ignace. "Only you wait. Som'day I mak' the fon to you."
"Go as far as you like," challenged Bob, grinning benevolently at hisPolish Brother.
"Come on," urged Jimmy. "Let's settle with the _garcon_, and beat it.Where did he go to, anyhow? He was standing right over there a minuteago."
Five pairs of eyes immediately busied themselves in an effort to locatethe waiter.
"He's in the kitchen, I guess. Don't see him. He'll show up in aminute."
Leaning back in his chair, Roger continued idly to survey the fewdiners scattered about the cafe. His eyes rested amusedly upon apair of elderly Frenchmen, who appeared to be conducting a vigorousargument. Their wagging heads, shrugging shoulders, and the almostcontinual play of their hands entertained him immensely.
"Look at those two old grandpas over there near the door," he said toBob, who was seated beside him. "I'll bet you most anything they'rearguing about the war. They're not a bit huffy with each other; justdead in earnest."
Bob's gaze obediently traveled toward the two ancients. It interrupteditself on the way, however, to take stock of three men who were justentering the cafe.
"For the love of Mike!"
His shrewd, black eyes widening with amazement, Bob leaped to his feet.
"_Look_ who's here!" he exclaimed so loudly that his voice reached theentering trio. "Oh, you Twinkle Twins!"