hey will and that is why I want you here. Do you see that
little mound out ahead there?"

"Yes," replied Jacques peering intently through the darkness.

"That is a shelter," said the officer.

"And you want me to go out there."

"Yes. You will find inside of it an electric switchboard; there is
only one switch so you cannot possibly go wrong. When that switch is
pushed down it connects with wires attached to a mine field. You are
to go out to that shelter and wait until the German infantry reaches a
spot one hundred feet in front of you; then you are to throw the
switch. The mines will all explode and there'll be several less of the
enemy left to attack us."

Jacques saluted and immediately began to crawl forward. A long narrow
tunnel had been dug from the trenches to this position and through it
the young soldier made his way without mishap.

Arriving at his goal he produced the flashlight the officer had slipped
into his hands and looked about him. Sure enough, there was the
switchboard and he felt no doubts about being able to carry out a part
at least of his task. In the front of the shelter was a narrow slit.
He pulled himself along to this and peered out.

Far ahead appeared the German trenches. The French shells were
bursting all around them and the whole battlefield was a seething
cauldron of flame. All at once he spied the German infantry. They
emerged from their positions in good order and made ready to advance.
Evidently they had decided that their bombardment had sufficiently
devastated the French trenches and that the time to advance had arrived.

"Huh," snorted Jacques to himself. "If they only knew that our men are
digging new trenches every minute and that every shell-hole has a
machine-gun in it they wouldn't be in such a hurry to show themselves."

Such was indeed the case, but the Germans could not see the hidden
peril. On they came. Spell-bound Jacques watched them. He had his
hand on the switch but he was so nervous he decided to withdraw it for
fear he should set it off too soon. A hundred feet away from him the
officer had said the mines were planted. The Germans were over two
hundred yards distant now.

Still they advanced. The French allowed them to come forward with but
slight opposition until they reached a spot some two hundred yards
away; then the rifles and machine-guns opened fire. The Germans were
taken by surprise; Jacques could see them crouch low to the gr