A hundred yards or so from the hastily constructed German trenches, the thin French lines charged. Their ranks had been sadly depleted as they marched across the open ground, but they stuck to the work bravely. Clear to the German trenches they ran, a second and still a third line close behind; and then the Germans swarmed out to meet them. A fierce hand-to-hand encounter ensued with victory crowning German arms. What was left of the French attacking party scurried back to their own lines.

The Germans did not wait for a second attack. German buglers sounded an advance. Again the Germans swarmed out of their trenches in countless thousands and rushed the French trenches.

Hal and Chester at this moment found themselves at the front with orders for respective divisional commanders. They remained as the Germans charged, sheltered by the huge earthen breastworks.

The fate of the German charge was the same as that of the French a short while before. Beaten off after a half hour of fierce fighting, the Germans retired to the shelter of their own lines. The great German guns, silent while the infantry was engaged, opened up anew on the French trenches, dropping sh.e.l.ls in profusion.

Hal and Chester stood elbow to elbow watching the destructive work of the giant sh.e.l.ls. Of a sudden a sh.e.l.l dropped close to them. Hal uttered a cry of alarm and made a desperate attempt to drag Chester out of harm's way. In this he was partly successful and they had dashed forward a few yards before the sh.e.l.l exploded.

With the fury of the blast, great clouds of earth flew high in the air.

Hal and Chester felt the ground open up beneath them and they gasped for breath as they were precipitated into what seemed a bottomless pit. How far they fell they could not tell, but it seemed a long ways; and hardly had they struck bottom when a shower of earth fell upon them.

Fortunately for them, they were in a section of the trench that was protected on either side by artificial ab.u.t.tments of hard dirt and stones thrown up by the troops and these caught heavy beams and rocks and other debris that would have showered down upon them and crushed them to death.

A great log, or such it appeared, came down lengthwise and struck the ab.u.t.tments on either side of the pit into which the lads had fallen; a second did likewise and these prevented the shower of rocks and pieces of big guns from going through. It was all that saved the lads.

Then more earth fell and covered these and the pit was effectually sealed. Below there was no light, and when Hal and Chester regained their feet neither could see light above. They groped for each other in the dark and at last clasped hands.

"Great Scott! What's happened?" gasped Chester. "Where are we?"

"We are in a pit caused by the explosion of that sh.e.l.l," said Hal, quietly. "The next question is how to get out."

He put a hand above his head, but could touch nothing. He tried jumping, but with no better success.

"I can't reach the top," he said.

The lads felt around the sides of the pit. The walls were sheer. It was useless to think of getting up that way.

"Well, we're up against it," said Hal. "I don't know how we are to get out of here. By Jove! It's lucky we weren't killed by the sh.e.l.l."

"We might just as well have been as to die down here," said Chester.

"Buck up, old man," said Hal. "We're not dead yet and while there's life there's hope. We've been in some ticklish positions before and pulled through all right."

"We were never in a hole like this before," said Chester.

Hal had made his way to one side of the pit.

"Here," he called to Chester, "you climb up on my shoulders and see if you can reach the top."

Chester did as Hal suggested and his efforts were rewarded by touching something overhead.

"What luck?" asked Hal.

"Good," said Chester. "I have touched something. Feels like a log."

"Can you pull it loose?"

"If I do we're likely to be crushed down here."

"If you don't we're likely to suffocate down here," returned Hal. "I can scarcely get my breath now. We'll have to take a chance."

"Then I'll have a try at it," said Chester. "Be ready to crouch close to the side of the pit when I give the word. I'll come down on top of you and we'll trust to luck that the debris falls clear."

"All right," said Hal. "Yell when you're ready."

Again Chester tested the covering with his hands. At last he struck a spot where he could obtain a grip. He decided to throw his weight on it and see if it would come down. He took a firm hold and then called:

"All right, Hal! Stoop quickly!"

CHAPTER X

UNEXPECTED VISITORS

Came a low, rumbling sound from overhead and a shower of dirt poured down on Hal as he crouched in his corner. Chester still swung to and fro from above. The lad felt something give, and believing that the ma.s.s above was about to fall, he dropped quickly alongside Hal and buried his face in his arms.

But nothing happened.

Directly Chester rose to his feet.

"I thought it was coming," he said to Hal. "Guess I didn't hang on long enough. I'll have another try. Lend me your shoulders again."

Hal also stood up and took his position. Chester clambered up and again explored the covering with his fingers. At the first touch there was another shower of earth.

"Won't take a whole lot to move it, I guess," he said.

"Hurry, then," enjoined Hal. "The air is stifling down here."

Chester himself felt that he was suffocating and realized the need for haste.

"All right," he said. "Here's hoping we're not crushed to death. Down when I give the word."

Again his fingers found a hold and he braced himself for the shock.

"Down!" he cried suddenly.

Hal dropped.

A second time came the dull rumbling from above as Chester swayed to and fro in his precarious position. Then the lad felt the covering give. One instant longer he hung on, for he felt that he would have no strength for a third attempt should this fail.

And then, with a roar, the ma.s.s of debris above came tumbling down.

Chester swung himself close to the side of the pit even as he felt the covering give and came down a short distance from Hal. He covered his head as well as he could and waited for he knew not what.

It was not long coming.