reason for this was because of the smoke from the burning mill, which
swirled about in all directions, and the other reason was that there
was a lot of smoke caused by the guns of the Germans, and this, or
perhaps a smoke screen which they started, concealed them.

"Feel better?" asked the officer, when the lads had emptied the
canteen.

"Much," answered Jimmy. "And now, sir, may we have the pleasure of
knowing to whom we owe our escape? We're from the 509th Infantry," he
went on. "We were in the battle, and got cut off. Our lieutenant had
ordered us to take the mill where some Germans had two machine-guns.
We five are all that are left of the sixteen that started. And we
wouldn't be alive but for you. So if we could know whom to thank--"

The officer stopped him with an imperious gesture. He looked rather
stern, and then, as though conscious that this was not the attitude to
take, he smiled.

"I'm glad I was able to serve you," he said. "I happened to be in the
neighborhood. I heard your cries after the mill collapsed and began to
burn, and I hastened up. I had no time to summon help--in fact, your
friends are rather distant from here now. The Germans are all about."

"We know it--to our sorrow," replied Bob. "How we are going to get
back to our company is what's worrying me."

"It _is_ going to be a problem," assented the officer.

"Are you coming with us?" asked Jimmy. It was a perfectly