on ahead and taking the third line.

Resistance was growing more stubborn with the advent of each successive
line, but they cleaned up and started for the fourth, and it fell. It
was on that day that I understood the expression "Seeing red"; there was
only one thought in my mind, kill! kill! kill! kill! The wave forged
ahead for the fifth German line, taking it and smashing down all
resistance in their way. They were in the middle of the cleaning-up
process of the fifth line when the welcome sight of friend tank again
hove in view, arousing cheers. They were needed just then.

CHAPTER XIII

THE FAMILY LUCK

At the fifth line the men stayed awhile, waiting for the word to take
the sixth line, and our barrage was directed on this trench line so
heavily, the Germans could not hold it. They left and our wave crossed
over, but could not reach the much sought-for ditch, as a massed
counter-attack drove them back. Our barrage again drove Fritz back, thus
converting the sixth-line trench into a No Man's Land.

The Boche made a determined effort to retain it and counter-attacked
time and time again, but each try met our machine guns, rifles and
grenades, together with the barrage, and a distorted heap of dead
Kaiserites was added to those already in this ditch of death.

Their ranks were getting woefully thin and pale; wave after wave came up
in a bull-headed effort to keep the line, and, finally, to assist the
fainting Prussians, a regiment of Brandenburgers jumped to their help,
and again they came. By this time the trench was literally filled with
dead, dying and wounded men. Over the Brandenburgers came, one thousand
strong, right in the teeth of our barrage; in mass formation they
charged, and it was impossible for a bullet to miss its billet in that
line. They fell like flies on a tanglefoot sheet, and back they wavered
into the trench. But there was no shelter for them there, as it had
ceased to be an abiding place, because their dead and wounded comrades
were piled in it clear up to the brink, and there was no place for them
to stoop or crouch to escape the rain of death.

Our O.C. paused awhile to see what Fritz would do further, but--nothing
stirring! So, over our fellows went. The corpse-filled trench offering
no attraction for shelter, the wave rolled on to the seventh line,
taking it and putting up there for the night.

A few hours later Fritz made a most determined attack on the seventh
line, and