n lines. And it would
be a sorry ending to his flight to have it finish at the very point
from which he had started.

He made up his mind that he would curl himself up in some thicket and
snatch a few hours of sleep. At the first glimmer of dawn he would
resume his journey. Then he could see, no doubt, the American lines,
from which he knew he could not be very far away. The big guns, too,
that had now settled down to their nightly muttering, would be in full
cry at dawn, and sound as well as sight would help him.

He found a heavy clump of bushes into which he crawled. He had no fear
of oversleeping. He knew that his burdened mind would keep watch while
his body slept, and that he would surely wake at the first streak of
dawn.

Some distance ahead of where the old Thirty-seventh was posted on the
far-flung battle line, the Army Boys were on sentry duty. It was the
turn of Corporal Wilson's squad to perform this irksome task, and they
were glad that it was nearly over and that soon they would be relieved.

Their beats adjoined each other and there were times when they met and
could exchange a few words to break the monotony of the long grind.

"This sentry stuff doesn't make a hit with me," grumbled Bart. "I'm
getting blisters on my feet from walking."

"Where do you expect to get them, on your head?" laughed Frank. "Cheer
up, old man. The sun will be up in a few minutes and then the relief
will be along."

"It can't come too soon," chimed in Billy. "Gee, but I'm hungry! This
early morning air does sure give you an appetite."

"If only something would happen," complained Bart. "It's the deadly
monotony of the thing that gets my goat. Now if a Hun patrol should
come along and stir things up, it would be worth while."

A sharp exclamation came from Frank.

"Look out, fellows!" he warned. "I saw those bushes moving over on the
slope of that hill just now and there isn't a bit of wind."

In an instant they had their rifles ready.

The bushes parted and a figure stepped forth into the open.

"Why, it's one of our fellows!" said Bart, as he saw the American
uniform.

"Been out on scout duty, I suppose," remarked Billy.

Frank said nothing. His keen eyes noted the newcomer and his heart
began to thump strangely.

As the soldier came nearer he took off his hat and waved it at them.

A yell of delight broke from the startled group.

"It's Tom! It's Tom! It's Tom!"

CHAPTER XXII