toward the bank of the
river and strike into the shallow water, breasting their way across if
possible.

The three boys fairly held their breath with awe, knowing what was
coming next. Hanky Panky crouched there shivering like one who had the
"shakes," yet wholly unable to drag his horrified eyes away from the
grim spectacle of war that was passing before him. Josh, on the other
hand, had arisen to his feet, knowing that there was little or no chance
of his being noticed and fired at, unless indeed some German gunner
conceived the idea that they were a group of French officers observing
the progress of the battle from an eminence.

This dreadful "spraying" with fire had gone on for some little time now
when Rod saw signs that told him the expected event was coming. He could
not have made his chums hear, no matter how he shouted, and so he
contented himself with clutching each of them, Hanky Panky by the arm
and Josh by the calf of his leg. They knew what he meant by this action,
too, even though not a word was uttered.

The violent gunfire was being kept up, but from several points there
suddenly burst into view living streams of French soldiers racing madly
for the ford, and every man apparently wild to be the first to attempt
the deadly crossing.

CHAPTER XXIV.

A FRENCH HERO.

"Can they ever do it?"

Undoubtedly this was what was filling the heart and brain of each of
those boys as they watched the living stream of French rapidly draw
nearer the river ford commanded by that destructive German battery, and
which thus far they had not been able to reach and silence with their
own guns and aeroplane attacks.

The time between the uprising of these troops and their reaching the
shallow water of the ford was of very brief duration. Undoubtedly the
French had crept up just as close as the nature of the ground would
permit them to go unseen.

Still to those anxious hearts on the little rise it must have seemed
dreadfully long, owing to the strain they were laboring under. As yet
the Germans had held their fire, for not a man of the attacking force
had fallen save when they stumbled, only to rise again.

Possibly Hanky Panky may even have deluded himself with the hope that
when it came to a pinch the Germans had deemed it best to give up their
desperate intention of defending the ford to the last gasp. Josh knew
better, because he understood the holdfast nature of the Teutons better
than did his chums.