ld. But that he was there, and that he was an enemy to be
dreaded, was shown a moment later when a bullet ridged the fingers of
the hand that Billy had incautiously exposed.

With an exclamation, Billy put his bleeding fingers to his mouth. The
injury was slight and Bart bound his hand up for him, using extreme
care to keep behind the trees.

"We have to hand it to that fellow," remarked the corporal. "He
certainly knows how to shoot."

"I'd hand him something if I only knew where he was," growled Billy.

"I know where he is," said Frank.

"Do you?" asked the corporal eagerly.

"Where?"

"In the tallest of that clump of trees on the edge of the gorge,"
replied Frank. "I caught a glimpse of his rifle barrel the last time
he fired."

"We'll give him a volley," decided the corporal, and a moment later, at
his command, the rifles rang out.

Several times this was repeated in the hope that one of the bullets
would find its mark. But the tree trunk was enormously thick and
bullets imbedded themselves in it without injury to the marksman,
snugly sheltered on the further side.

If they could have surrounded the tree and shot from different sides
there would have been no trouble in bagging their quarry. But the tree
had been cunningly chosen for the reason that the further side hung
over the precipice and could only be attacked from the side where the
party now were.

Frank's keen eyes had been sizing up the situation and he now had a
proposal to make.

"I think I see a way to dislodge him if you'll let me try it,
Corporal," he said.

"What is it?" asked Wilson.

"You'll notice that the branches of those trees are mixed in with each
other," replied Frank. "If you can keep him busy with your shooting,
so that he won't be thinking of anything else, I think I can make a
detour and climb up one of those other trees on the side away from him.
I could carry my rifle strapped on my back. Then I might work my way
along the branches and perhaps catch sight of him."

"It's worth trying," decided the corporal. "Go ahead, Sheldon, but be
mighty careful."

Frank slipped away in the shelter of the trees, described a
semi-circle, reached the third tree from the one where the German was
stationed, and commenced to climb.

It was hard work, for the tree was thick and he could not get a good
grip on it with his arms. But he persisted until he reached the first
limb and drew himself up on it. Then he examined his