TRAPPED
Characteristic it was of the lieutenant to ask who would come with
him. American officers do that. A German would have said "Go!" The
American said "Come!"
And characteristic it was of the Sammies that everyone within the
sound of the young officer's voice answered, as one:
"_I will_!"
"Keep your heads down! You may get them knocked off soon enough when
the rush comes," went on the lieutenant, for in their eagerness to
answer and be selected for the dangerous mission, some had partly
raised themselves from their prone positions.
"There's no question but that's a German machine-gun in that old mill;
is there?" asked the lieutenant.
"Here's one of the bullets, sir," replied Roger, tossing over one that
had penetrated the earth near where he was lying, and come out after
striking a stone. "That's a bit of Hun lead all right."
He tossed it over to the officer, who was stretched out in the young,
green grain near by.
"Yes, that's German all right," was the answer. "It's larger than
ours. I thought perhaps some of our men might have gone in there to
pepper the Huns. Well, we've got to get it--that's all."
"And soon, too," murmured Jimmy. "Whew! This is fierce!"
A hail of lead from the weapon in the old red mill drew this
exclamation from him. Fortunately the men were low enough to escape
the worst of the firing, but some were wounded and one killed.
"There's two guns in that mill, sir!" called Franz, who was lying near
Bob. "They're both firing together."
"You're right," was the lieutenant's comment. "Well, so much the more
work for us to do. How many of us are here?"
It developed, by an improvised roll call, that there were fifteen,
including our five Brothers. With the lieutenant who was in immediate
command, there were sixteen.
"We'll all go!" was the officer's decision. "Fill your magazines, get
your hand grenades where you can reach 'em and be ready for the rush.
It's got to be a rush, and I hope it lasts long enough for some of us
to get there," he added soberly. "Boys, it's a desperate chance we're
taking, but a machine-gun nest there may hold up the advance. Maybe it
is holding it up. We've got to clean out the red mill!"
"We're with you!" cried Jimmy and the others.
And, as he spoke and the others cheered their assents, there came
another burst of fierce fire from the machine-guns hidden in the old
red mill. But there was too much elevation and the bullets, this time,
flew harmlessly over the backs of the Yanks.
"Now for it!" cried the lieutenant. "They may have to put in a fresh
belt of cartridges, or the guns may have heated or jammed. We'll take
a chance. We'll make three lines of five each. I'll lead one, and
there'll be six in that. Blaise, you take four men, and Simpson, you
take four. We'll spread out--fan shape--and don't stand upright--run
crouching. Now, Blaise and Simpson, pick your men, and give me the
word when you're ready."
Of course Jimmy picked his four Brothers, and they crawled up behind
him, ready for the word. Sergeant Simpson, a brave but somewhat
reckless lad, had four of his own choosing, and there were five who
crawled over to line up behind the lieutenant.
"All ready?" asked the officer. "Ready," answered Jimmy, and the other
leader gave a like reply.
"Then come on, and may we all live to get there!" cried the gallant
officer.
He arose to a crouching position and started to run toward the red
mill, followed by Jimmy and his four, and Simpson and his quartette.
And, as they rushed on, the automatic guns cut loose again.
The dust in the grain field rose in little spurts as the bullets
struck, and the rattle of the spiteful machine-gun made a chorus with
the snapping and popping of the American rifles. For Jimmy and the
others fired from the hip as they ran.
They could not hope to do much execution on the German gunners,
protected as the latter were by the old mill. But some chance bullet,
entering through crack or crevice, might end the activity of one or
more of the Hun crews. It was the only thing to do, however, until
they could come to hand grips--to cold steel--with the hidden Boches.
"Come on! Come on!" cried the lieutenant.
"Come on! Come on!" echoed Jimmy and Simpson.
They were nearing the red mill now. They could see no one in it, but
the sight of two windows, on either side of the big, open door, seemed
to give evidence of the location of the machine-guns. Smokeless powder
was being used, but there was a thin film of smoke, for all of that,
and this smoke floated from the two windows.
"There they are!" cried the lieutenant. "Come on, boys, we have 'em
now!"
But the glory of it was not to be--for him. Hardly had the words left
his mouth than he crumpled up, rolled completely over and lay still.
Afterward a dozen bullets were found in his body.
But the others halted not. The man immediately behind the fallen
lieutenant leaped over his lifeless body and led the advance, as Jimmy
and Simpson were doing.
They were close to the mill now. They could see the flashes of fire
coming from the guns which were shooting through the windows. And the
fire was deadly. Jimmy heard a yell from Franz, who was directly in
his rear. He did not dare stop or turn around but he shouted:
"Done for, Schnitz?"
"Only one finger nipped," was the grim answer. "Go on! We're with
you!"
One machine-gun concentrated on Simpson and his four gallant lads,
and, in less time than it takes for you to read these words, the five
lives were snuffed out.
"Come on! Come on!" yelled Jimmy. He was so mad with rage he hardly
knew what he was saying or doing. He saw a German face at one of the
windows. Quickly he fired. The face turned crimson with blood and
disappeared.
Mason, who was leading the other four, since the death of the
lieutenant, stumbled and fell twenty feet away from the red mill. One
of his companions assumed the lead of the three who were left, and
Jimmy and his four chums now converged with these four in a rush
toward the open portal.
They were now out of range of the guns, which could not be turned at
such an angle as to rake them. But hard fighting was yet to come.
"Wait!" shouted Jimmy, as he reached the threshold of the door, and
saw, to his left, a group of Huns about a gun that seemed to have
jammed. And not all the Huns were alive, either, showing that the fire
of the attacking party had done part of its work.
With a quick motion Jimmy threw a hand grenade into the midst of the
German crew, at the same time falling back himself behind the door
post, and pushing Bob, who was now next him, into the same safe
position.
There was a roar as the grenade burst, and smoke, for the moment,
obscured the scene. When it was blown away, drifting through the doors
and windows, there was no longer a German machine-gun crew, and all
that remained of the gun was torn and twisted metal.
Jimmy's quick action with the hand grenade had saved fierce fighting
for possession of the weapon. But the other remained--the second
on the other side of the main door of the mill. To this some of the
gallant lads gave their attention. With wild yells they rushed at the
German crew, and to their credit--if credit it be--let it be said that
these Huns did not cry "_Kamerad_!" They were ready for a fight and
they got it. It was a case of cold steel, and there were no better
exponents of that mode of fighting than the American lads.
There was a short and bloody conflict and then it was over. But at sad
cost to the attacking party. Of the sixteen that had started to wipe
out the machine-gun nest in the old red mill, the five Brothers alone
were left alive, and, save for slight flesh wounds, which all of them
had, they were not seriously injured. No, I am not quite correct in
saying that only these five were left alive. There was one other, a
lad named Blakeley from New Jersey. But he was so badly wounded, by
a bayonet thrust from a German, that his death was only a question of
minutes.
He managed, before he passed away, to whisper a message to his loved
ones at home, and this Jimmy Blaise undertook to send by letter.
"And now, let's see what's next to do," murmured Roger, when the dead
lad had been reverently laid with the other Americans killed in the
mill.
"I don't believe we're going to have much choice," said Jimmy, grimly,
as he pointed through the window.
"Why?" asked Roger.
"The Germans have surrounded the place," was the answer. "We're
trapped--that's why!"