ide. They were unbuckling cartridge belts and
throwing them and their side-arms away.

York did not move from his position in the brush. About halfway down the
hill as they came to him, he halted them, and he watched the gun-pits
for the movement of anyone left skulking there. His eye went cautiously
over the new prisoners to see that all side-arms had been thrown away.

The surrender was genuine.

There were about ninety Germans before him with their hands in air. This
gave him over a hundred prisoners.

He arose and called to his comrades, and several answered him. Some of
the responses came from wounded men.

All of the Americans had been on York's right throughout the fight. The
thicket had prevented them from taking any effective part. They were
forced to protect themselves from the whining bullets that came through
the brush from unseen guns. They had constantly guarded the prisoners
and shielded York from treachery.

Seven Americans--Percy Beardsley, Joe Konotski, Thomas G. Johnson,
Feodor Sak, Michael A. Sacina, Patrick Donahue and George W. Wills--came
to him. Sergeant Early, Corporal Cutting and Private Muzzi, tho wounded,
were still alive.

He lined the prisoners up "by twos."

His own wounded he put at the rear of the column, and forced the Germans
to carry those who could not walk. The other Americans he stationed
along the column to hold the prisoners in line.

Sergeant Early, shot through the body, was too severely wounded to
continue in command. York was a corporal, but there was no question of
rank for all turned to him for instructions. The Germans could not take
their eyes off of him, and instantly complied with all his orders, given
through the major, who spoke English.

Stray bullets kept plugging through the branches of the trees around
them. For the first time the Americans realized they were under fire
from the Germans on the hill back of them, whom they had seen when they
came out of the deserted trench. The Germans stationed there could not
visualize the strange fight that was taking place behind a line of
German machine guns, and they were withholding their fire to protect
their own men. They were plugging into the woods with rifles, hoping to
draw a return volley, and thus establish the American's position.

To all who doubted the possibility of carrying so many prisoners through
the forest, or spoke of reprisal attacks to release them, York's reply
was:

"Let's get 'em out of