"Do you remember what that airship captain said the day we bagged him?"
chuckled Billy.
"About it being impossible for Americans to get to France?" asked Bart.
"You bet I do. I"ll never forget that b.o.o.b. I wonder if he still believes it."
"He"d sing a different tune if he were here to-day," observed Tom.
"I don"t know," laughed Frank. "The German skull is pretty thick. Still you can get something through it once in a while if you keep on hammering."
"I guess these fellows haven"t any doubts about our being here,"
observed Billy.
"They"ve had pretty good evidence of it," confirmed Tom, as he watched the enemy captives standing about in dejected groups, waiting to be sent to the rear.
One thing that struck the boys forcibly was the disparity of age between the prisoners. There was an unusual proportion of men beyond middle life and of youngsters still in their teens.
"Grandpas and kids," blurted out Tom.
"The Kaiser"s robbing the cradle and the grave," commented Billy.
"Germany"s getting pretty near to the limit of her man power, I guess."
"That"s true of France and England, too," observed Frank thoughtfully.
"They lost the flower of their troops in the early fighting and they all have to do a great deal of combing to keep their ranks full."
"And that"s where America has the Indian sign on the Huns," jubilated Bart "We"ll have our best against her second best."
"We"ll trim her good and proper," predicted Frank. "Even at her best, we"d down her in the end. But don"t let"s kid ourselves. She"s full of fight yet, and will take a lot of beating. And there are plenty of huskies in her ranks yet. Look at that big brute over there. He looks as though he could lift an ox."
He pointed to a ma.s.sively built German corporal, who was evidently mad with rage at his capture. He was gesticulating wildly to his fellow prisoners and fairly sputtering in the attempt to relieve his feelings.
"Seems to be rather peeved," grinned Tom.
"I can"t catch on to what he"s saying," laughed Bart. "But I"ll bet he could give points to a New York truckman or the mate of a Mississippi steamboat. They"d turn green with envy if they could understand him."
"He"s frothing at the mouth," chuckled Billy. "I"d hate to have him bite me just now. I"d get hydrophobia sure."
There was no time for further comment. The officers had had to give the men a short breathing spell, for all were spent with their tremendous exertions. But now after the brief rest, all was bustle and hurry.
"The Huns will be back for more," predicted Frank, as he and his friends were set to work changing the sandbags from the side of the trench that had faced the Americans to the other side that looked toward the German third line.
"They must be hard to please if they haven"t had enough for one morning," growled Tom.
"They"re gluttons for punishment," remarked Bart. "The first-line trench is junk from the mine explosion, but they won"t give this second one up without making one mighty effort to get it back."
The young soldiers were working feverishly to organize the captured position, when their corporal, Wilson, summoned them out and they scrambled forth promptly and stood at attention.
"Fall in to take back the prisoners," he ordered.
A look of disappointment came over their faces and Wilson"s eyes twinkled when he saw it.
"Haven"t you had enough fighting yet?" he demanded. "Well, I feel that way myself, but orders are orders. Come along."
"Hard luck," muttered Frank in a low tone to Bart, as they obeyed the command.
"We"ll miss some lovely fighting," agreed Bart.
"I was just getting warmed up," mourned Billy.
"Don"t worry," advised Tom. "We"ll be sent back after we get these fellows to headquarters, and we"ll have a chance to get another crack at them."
The prisoners, having been searched, were placed in double file between the members of the guarding squad, who walked at a few paces interval on either side of them.
"Fall in!" came the corporal"s order. "Shoulder arms. March!"
They started out briskly.
Frank and Bart happened to be close beside the big German corporal whom they had before observed. His wrath was not yet abated, and he kept up a volley of epithets as he sullenly marched along.
"He"s making as much fuss as though he were the Kaiser," chuckled Tom, who was vastly amused at the prisoner"s antics.
"Slap him on the wrist and tell him to be nice," counseled Billy with a grin.
The captive glared at them with insane rage in his eyes.
"I think he"s going nutty," remarked Bart. "It"s lucky for him there aren"t any squirrels around."
"You want to keep your eye peeled for him," warned Frank. "He"s bad medicine."
"He"s safe enough," replied Bart, carelessly. "He hasn"t any weapon, and if he started to run he wouldn"t get far. He isn"t cut out for a sprinter."
"Even if he were, a bullet would catch him," chimed in Billy. "He"d make a big target and it would be a pretty bad shot that would miss him."
When they reached the blown-up first trench they found it difficult to keep in line, and had to pick their way over the heaped-up ruin that had been made by the mine explosion.
Bart tripped over a strand of broken wire, and in trying to save himself from falling, his rifle slipped from his hand.
The German corporal was within a foot of him and saw his opportunity.
Quick as a flash he drew from his clothing a trench knife that the searchers had overlooked. The murderous blade gleamed in the air as the corporal brought it down toward the neck of Bart, who had stooped to pick up his rifle.
CHAPTER III
TAKING CHANCES