loor with a crash. The noise of the machine-gun was almost
ear-splitting inside the chateau but the men were all delighted at the
promise of early results.

Jacques fed the long strips of bullets to the hungry gun, while all
except his helper stood around in different parts of the room, their
rifles held ready for instant use. All eyes were fixed upon the spot
on the ceiling.

Suddenly a ray of light shone through from above. The air was filled
with smoke and dust from the crumbling plaster.

[Illustration: The air was filled with smoke and dust from the
crumbling plaster.]

"Keep it up!" shouted Armande.

The bullets were spraying all around the edge of the hole which grew
rapidly larger. Several of the men opened fire with their rifles. The
machine-gun then ceased firing.

"You can see where the beams run now," said Jacques to the gunner.
"Loosen them up a little."

Once more the withering fire was continued and soon a yawning hole
appeared above the heads of the Frenchmen. A table came crashing
through; a chair followed close behind and a huge lamp next spun
through the air and smashed into a thousand pieces on the floor below.

It must not be supposed, however, that the Germans in the tower were
idle all this time. Bullets went through the opening in both
directions and already two of the Frenchmen had been killed; two more
were wounded. The fight was desperate.

All at once a hand-grenade, dropped from above, landed squarely in
front of the spot where Jacques was stationed. It was not four feet
distant from the young Frenchman. Almost without thinking he acted.
Springing forward he seized the deadly missile and hurled it at the
ever-spreading opening in the ceiling. He had not been a second too
soon. Just as the grenade was passing through the hole it exploded.

CHAPTER XVI

THE DUG-OUT

Jacques immediately sprang back to his former position in the alcove
beside the machine-gun. Lucky it was for him that he did so. The
hand-grenade exploded and the ceiling which already was greatly
weakened speedily collapsed.

Plaster, furniture, rafters and men poured down in a mass. The force
of the explosion had literally torn the ceiling to pieces and, the
supports gone, it collapsed at once.

"Anyone left up there?" shouted Armande.

"Not a soul," replied Jacques quickly. "Watch out below though."

Many of the Germans were buried deep under the mass of debris on the
floor. Here and