A DEED OF DARING.
Quickly the captain formed and outlined a plan. Then, gathering his
men behind him at the door, he prepared for a sortie. Among the troops
were a few engineers, the captain ascertained upon inquiry, and these
he placed at the extreme rear of the little body.
When all was ready, the captain opened the doors and stepped out. Hal
and Chester were right behind him. It was very dark, and, as there was
no light in the house, Germans who were on guard, being a considerable
distance back to avoid the fire of the British defenders, did not at
first make out the forms flitting silently from the house.
Half the little troop had emerged before a single rifle shot, followed
by a volley, gave notice that they had been discovered. Then, at a
word from Captain Anderson, the British charged right at their enemy.
Not a shot was fired until they were at close quarters, in spite of
the fact that the German fire was not ineffective. Then, as the men
spread out in a long line, they blazed forth their answer, and, hard
upon this, charged with the bayonet.
Apparently the Germans had not prepared for such a move on the part of
the enemy, for they gave ground rapidly. The skirmish was brief, with
success to the British.
The Germans in flight, Captain Anderson, Hal and Chester soon found
the Viviers road, and led their men along at double time. The two
miles were covered quickly, and finally the three could make out in
the darkness what appeared to be a factory. Closer approach showed
that this what it was.
"Must be a temporary affair," said Captain Anderson, in a low voice.
"And what are those objects nearby?"
Hal peered through the darkness.
"Look like armored automobiles to me," he said.
"And so they are," declared Chester. "And there must be twenty of
them. Seems to me an act of providence must have put them there. We
couldn't want anything better to escape in."
"You are right," declared the captain.
The captain now divided his men into three forces, one of which he
commanded, the other two being led by Hal and Chester.
The first column approached to within fifty yards of the automobiles
before being discovered. Then the cry of a German sentry rang out.
At the word of command, the British opened fire, and again charged
with fixed bayonets. But the German guard was strong, and evidently
had been on the alert against a possible surprise.
A rapid-fire gun stationed near the automobiles opened fire. The first
column of men was literally annihilated, Captain Anderson himself
going to the ground with a severe wound in his chest. Not one of the
troopers reached the automobile.
Seeing what had happened to the first column, Hal and Chester were
more wary. They approached from two directions, and, before the
machine-gun could be turned upon them, were at hand grips with the
enemy.
A squad of men hurled themselves upon the German gunners, and this
weapon spoke no more. Then the British advanced upon the aviators, who
stood near to guard their machines.
Both sides were fighting in small groups, and at once began a fierce
interchange of shots at a distance of fifteen yards. The airmen, who
were crouching along the edge of the road, answered the British fire
with great bravery and vigor.
While this fighting was in progress, the detachments of engineers,
which had been in the extreme rear of the British columns, armed with
improvised tools, hurled themselves upon the aëroplanes. With sure
blows from their rifle butts, and whatever other implements they
could lay hands on nearby, they destroyed the motors, the gasoline
reservoirs and the running gear of the German machines.
At this moment one of the armored automobiles burst into flames. A
fierce red glare shot high into the air, lighting up the scene of
carnage with great brilliancy.
While the little column commanded by Chester now withdrew a short
distance, the lad having ordered this in the hope that he might
find Captain Anderson still alive, Hal, with the comparatively few
remaining men, advanced to one of the armored automobiles, in which
stood a German officer, directing his men.
The officer opened fire on these few British with an automatic
revolver. Two men fell. Hal felt a bullet graze his arm, but not
before he had discharged his own weapon against the chest of his
opponent, who fell to the ground, fatally wounded.
A second German, whom Hal had not noticed in the machine before,
brought his rifle butt down over Hal's head. But the lad's quick eye
had seen the descending weapon, and his upraised arm warded off the
blow. His left arm, however, fell to his side numb, and he stumbled
and fell to the ground.
He was up in a moment, and sprang upon the German, one arm still
hanging by his side, and his revolver gone. The German brought his
rifle to bear, but, stepping quickly forward, the lad struck up the
weapon, even as the German pressed the trigger.
With a quick leap Hal was in the automobile, and was grappling with
the German trooper. The German, unable to use his rifle at such close
quarters, struck out with his fist. Hal dodged and his opponent drew
back with a cry of pain. His fist had struck the steel side of the
car, and his arm was now useless.
The two were now on even terms. The German reached out and attempted
to entwine his fingers in Hal's throat, but the lad was too quick for
him. Dodging suddenly, he came up under the other's chin, and sent him
spinning head over heels from the car, so fierce was the contact.
Then the lad turned his eyes to other sections of the field. He could
see no signs of an enemy. Evidently the Germans had had enough, or
were awaiting the arrival of reinforcements before renewing the fight,
for they had no way of determining the strength of the British
attacking party.
In any event, Hal realized that there was no time to lose. Leaping
from the car, he ordered the few men who were left to man the waiting
automobiles, quickly ascertaining that there were enough men capable
of driving them. Then he set out to hunt Chester and Captain Anderson.
He found Chester on his knee, supporting the unconscious form of their
friend.
"Hurry, Chester, get him into this car," he ordered. "We'll have to
get out of here at once."
He helped the men lift the unconscious British officer into one of the
automobiles, leaped in himself, and took the wheel.
Five of the other cars also were ready to go, each containing twenty
men, all that was left of the thousand who had made a dash for the
farmhouse in the morning.
Hal gave his orders slowly and tersely.
"Follow me, single file," he called to his men, "until I give the word
to close up. Then range right alongside of me. We will go as swiftly
as possible, and try to get through the German lines without a fight,
if by any chance it is possible. However, if we have to make a quick
dash and fight, it would be better to do it side by side, and plow
right into the enemy. Do you understand?"
The driver of each car signified that he understood perfectly, and Hal
started his car off slowly. The others fell in line, and soon all were
moving along at a brisk pace.
Hal found time to call back over his shoulder to Chester:
"How is the captain?"
"I fear he is in pretty bad shape," was the reply; but, even at that
moment, the captain showed signs of returning consciousness.
He stirred a little and moaned feebly. Then he raised his head.
"Where am I?" he demanded.
Slowly and carefully Chester explained the situation to him.
"And was the raid a success?" he asked. "Were the German aëroplanes
destroyed?"
"Yes, every one of them," replied Chester.
"Good! Now, give me a rifle, or a revolver, or something. I know we
can't get through the Germans without a fight, and I want to do my
part."
In vain did Chester protest. Captain Anderson insisted, and at length
Chester was forced to comply.
As the five automobiles, containing not more than a hundred British
all told, approached the center of the German force, each man
determined to get through to the allied lines or to die in the
attempt.