The German lines, Hal learned, were perhaps two hundred yards ahead. There the enemy had hurriedly dug a temporary line of shallow trenches and settled down to hold them. It was Hal's business to get into and to pass through them.
Fortunately, the night was very dark so the lad had no hesitancy in stepping from the protection of the American lines. The officer in command at that point walked with him as far as he felt prudent. To him Hal confided the fact that Chester would be along presently, and the officer volunteered to speed the latter's progress in any way he could.
"Good luck," he called, as Hal disappeared in the darkness.
Hal made no response, but moved slowly and silently off through the night.
The first hundred yards he covered standing and without fear of detection. It was so dark that he knew his presence in No Man's Land would not be noticed unless the enemy chanced to turn one of their powerful searchlights in that direction. In that event, too, the lad knew it would make little difference whether he was standing or crawling across the open.
After covering what he judged was a hundred yards, Hal dropped to his hands and knees and proceeded more cautiously. Voices in the German lines became audible now and Hal was perfectly well aware that a pair of German eyes might discover him. However, there was no help for it. It was his business to take such chances.
He wormed his way along slowly.
In this manner he came at last to the edge of the German trenches. There he paused a moment, listening intently. He heard voices. They seemed directly ahead of him. The lad crawled to his left. After progressing in this manner for perhaps a hundred yards he paused and listened again. He could still hear voices, but they were some distance to his right. There was no sound directly ahead of him.
Silently the lad got to his feet. His head came just above the top of the trench. He peered around quickly. Some distance to the right he perceived a little knot of men apparently engaged in heated argument. It was apparent that they were so busy with their dispute that they would not notice the alien figure in their midst. To the lad's left, too, perhaps fifty yards away, were half a dozen German soldiers. But they were not looking in Hal's direction.
Slowly the lad drew himself to the top of the trench, then dropped quietly inside. There he crouched for a moment, his hands on his revolvers, ready to fight or run as occasion should demand.
But his presence was unnoticed and Hal drew a breath of relief.
"Safe for a minute, at least," he told himself.
But Hal knew that he could not hope to escape discovery long in this exposed position. Besides, he had no time to spare. It was his business to pass through the German Lines as quickly as possible.
Little light showed in the German trenches. Here and there a lantern flickered as a sentinel passed along his post. Also candles, sheltered from the breeze by improvised shades, showed where little groups of Germans had gathered to chat before turning in for the night.
Hal perceived that his best hope of avoiding discovery lay straight ahead, toward the center of the German camp. The enemy would be looking for no enemies there. Besides, Hal's destination lay in that direction.
Leaving the shelter of the trench, he crawled forward. He stopped once or twice and flattened himself into the ground, as footsteps approached. But the footsteps turned off each time without coming close to him, and Hal proceeded.
Tents had been pitched in improvised streets and Hal heard the sound of deep snores from within. The German camp, except for sentries and some few others, was asleep.
It was very dark. Hal rose to his feet and proceeded more swiftly. He felt confident now that he would be able to pass through the camp without discovery, but he realized that the hardest work cut out for him would be to leave the German lines on the other side.
Nevertheless, it had to be done, so the lad pressed on.
Walking boldly along the little camp street, he at last passed beyond the long row of tents. Not more than a hundred yards ahead now, he knew, he would come upon more trenches thrown up as a protection to the enemy against the forces of General Lejeune of the Second division.
Now the lad went more cautiously, and at last he came within view of the trenches. Here and there a sentinel flitted by in the darkness. In the trenches, Hal saw several groups of the enemy gathered in circles within the glow of light cast by lanterns and candles. He approached very cautiously.
The lad no longer stood erect. He was crawling on his hands and knees. With each inch advanced he knew his danger increased; but he knew, too, that every foot of ground he covered brought him that much closer to success.
"I'll get through quietly if I can," he told himself, "but if I'm discovered I'll make a run and a fight for it. Once in the darkness of No Man's Land beyond I've as much chance of getting away as the boches have of catching me."
The lad halted suddenly. Footsteps were coming toward him, and a moment later Hal made out the figure of a German sentry approaching. The lad squirmed quickly but silently to one side and the German passed without seeing him.
"Close shave," the lad muttered to himself.
He moved forward again.
Other footsteps now approached and Hal made himself as small as possible on the ground. Looking up, he perceived the figures of half a dozen men only a few feet away. They were coming directly toward him. Hal realized that if he didn't act promptly, he would probably be stepped on.
He tried to squirm out of the way silently, but haste was too urgent for extreme caution and the sound of the lad's body gliding over the ground carried to the ears of the enemy.
"What's that?" demanded one of them, and all halted.
"What's what, Hans?" asked a second voice.
"I heard something moving there," said the man called Hans.
"And what of it?" demanded the second voice. "Probably a rat."
"Made too much noise for a rat," was the response. "Sounded more like a man."
"Ha!" said another voice. "You talk as if you feared enemies right in the heart of our own camp, Hans."
"Can't trust these Americans," was the reply. "They're not afraid of anything. One of them is as likely to be here as any place else."
"Some truth in that, Hans," said another voice. "We'll have a look."
The Germans spread out fanwise and moved forward again. This was what Hal had been afraid of, and he knew now that concealment was no longer possible.
"I'll have to make a dash for it," he told himself grimly.
Still stooping, he produced his pair of automatics and paused, ready for action as soon as he should be discovered. And as he had feared, discovery was not long coming.
"Hello! What's that?" said a German voice.
"What's wh—" began a second voice.
Hal waited to hear no more. He knew he had been discovered, and he decided to act before the Germans completely recovered from their surprise.
Springing to his feet, the lad dashed forward with a cry.
"Out of my way!" he shouted in German.
For a moment it seemed that the Germans would obey this command, so startled were they by its suddenness and Hal's appearance from out of the ground, apparently.
But they recovered their wits in a moment and closed in on the lad with guttural cries of anger.
Hal raised both revolvers.
"Crack! Crack!"
Two Germans reeled back and the others gave ground. Before they had time to recover from this unexpected attack, Hal was among them. Twice more his revolvers spoke. The targets were so close that a miss was impossible and two more Germans crumpled up on the ground. The remaining two skipped promptly out of harm's way.
Hal leaped for the trenches, revolvers still in hand. Once beyond the enemy's lines he felt he would be comparatively safe.
But the sounds of the revolver shots had aroused the camp. Men streamed forth from all directions.
Hal found his progress barred by a dozen men who seemed to appear from out of the ground. The lad raised his revolvers again and emptied them into his foes, then sprang in among them, his revolvers clubbed.
With both hands he laid about him lustily, the while endeavoring to push through the enemy and reach the trench beyond. But the weight of numbers was too great and directly Hal went to the ground under a blow from a rifle butt.
He dragged himself to his feet and again mixed in with his foes. For a moment it seemed that he might fight his way clear, so desperate were his efforts. Reinforcements continued to arrive, however, and at last the lad was overpowered.
Strong hands seized him from behind, rendering further struggling futile. Hal relaxed his efforts and grew quiet.
"You've got me," he said quietly, "but I'd have got away if there hadn't been half a hundred of you."
"Tie him up," said a German voice.
No sooner said than done. A moment later Hal's arms were bound securely.
"Bring him up to the light," said another voice. "The colonel wants a look at him."
Hal felt himself propelled toward the trench. There a lantern was thrust in his face and a man attired as a German colonel of infantry surveyed the lad.
"So we've caught you, you American pig!" he exclaimed.
"So it seems," returned Hal quietly. "What are you going to do with me? That's the next question?"
"Brave man, aren't you," sneered the German. "Well, you won't be so brave when I get through with you. Lieutenant Steinz!" he called.
"Now what's up, I wonder?" Hal muttered to himself.