!" repeated Dubois threateningly and the three comrades
held their breath in suspense.

"_Kameraden_! _Kameraden_!" came the familiar reply and Dubois
chuckled audibly. He and two companions had forced the occupants of a
German trench to surrender, solely through bluff.

In his broken German the intrepid Frenchman ordered their prisoners to
leave the trench and with their hands held high above their heads to
march towards the French lines. One by one they stepped out and as the
three friends saw them outlined indistinctly against the sky they
counted six Germans. Three of them had taken double their number of
the enemy prisoners.

"You and Earl take them back," said Dubois to Leon. "I'll stay here in
this trench and you'd better tell the rest of the fellows in our
section to move up here. It's much safer."

"All right," said Leon readily, and with his revolver in his hand to
guard against any attempts to escape he and Earl set out to conduct
their captives back to the French lines.

CHAPTER IX

A CAPTURED TRENCH

A short time later the two young Americans entered the French trenches
and turned their prisoners over to the guard. Congratulations and
praise for their exploit were heaped upon them and it was in vain that
they protested that Dubois should receive all the credit. Leon,
especially, for he had been in the regiment longer than Earl, had
performed too many daring feats to be able to shift the praise to some
one else. All his comrades were aware of his worth.

"Too bad Jacques could not be with you," said one of the men. "He will
be furious when he hears what he missed."

"He doesn't miss many things in that line," laughed Leon. "It's a good
thing for him to get some rest."

"Was he wounded badly?" inquired another soldier.

"No," said Leon. "A cut across his face merely."

"He will be back here to-morrow then," laughed the man. "You cannot
keep that dare-devil away from the front for long."

At this moment Captain Le Blanc approached and stepping up to the two
brothers shook each heartily by the hand. The informality and
comradeship among the French troops is one thing that makes the army of
France so wonderful. They are all working together for one common
cause, and officers and men both have the same object. The men never
take advantage of their superiors however and discipline is not
interfered with.

"Fine work, boys," said Captain Le Blanc cordially. "That was a
sple