of rats--great, gray fellows--for there was much
carrion food for them.

Once more, making a little detour, Blake started forward, but hardly had
he again taken up his progress when there came the sound of a slight
explosion over toward the German lines, and almost instantly the dreary
stretch of No Man's Land was brightly illuminated.

"Down! Down!" hoarsely called Blake, and he and his chums dropped full
length on the ground, never heeding puddles of water, the rats or the
dead, for they became aware that more bodies were all about them.

Up from the German lines went a series of rockets and star clusters.
They made the battle ground between the two forces almost as bright as
day, so that should any of the unfortunate wounded men be seen to move
they might be killed.

Perhaps some keen-eyed Hun, watching for just this chance, had detected
a slight movement near the dead man beside whom Blake and his chums
first stopped. And, knowing from a previous observation that the body
was cold and stark, the sniper must have reasoned that the living had
joined it.

Or perhaps the incautious exclamation made by Charlie when he felt the
big rat may have been carried to the ever-listening ears. However that
was, the glaring lights were set off, and at once hundreds of rifles,
aimed over the tops of the German trenches, began to send a hail of lead
across No Man's Land.

Fortunately the line of fire was either to one side of where the boys
had fallen, or it was too high or too low. They did not stop to consider
which it was, but were thankful that they felt none of the leaden
missiles, though some sang uncomfortably close.

For perhaps five minutes the glaring lights illuminated the
blood-stained ground, and the firing was kept up at intervals. It was
replied to from the American and French lines, but with what effect
could only be guessed.

And then, once more, darkness settled down, and the boys began to
breathe more easily. They had had a narrow escape, and their journey was
not half over, to say nothing of the return trip--if they lived to make
it.

"Come on!" Blake cautiously whispered again. "And bear off to the right.
The fire wasn't so heavy from there. Maybe we can find a gap to get
through."

His companions followed him as he crawled along, actually crawling this
time, for it was not safe to rise high enough to walk even in a stooping
position. No one could tell when the glaring lights might be sent up
again.