ke and death.

"Dig in! Dig in!" commanded the lieutenant in command of the
particular squad of the 509th infantry to which our friends were
attached. "This is only a temporary check. We're laying down a curtain
of fire, and we'll go forward again in a moment!"

He had to yell to be heard above the din, but all near him understood
what he meant. The American gunners were sending over a barrage
fire--a veritable rain of bullets that would keep the Germans
from advancing, and which would also cause them to abandon their
machine-guns. It was the machine-gun fire that was, temporarily,
holding up the advance of Jimmy and his chums.

It did not take the Sammies long, working feverishly as they did, to
raise a protecting mound of earth between them and the Huns. And then,
for some reason or other, the savage fire of the Germans slacked at
the particular section of the line where our heroes were stationed.

"Are you all right, Rodge?" called Jimmy to the chum on his left.

"So far, yes. How about you?"

"Oh, I was nicked in one ear--just a scratch. It's hardly bleeding.
Can you see Bob?"

"Yes, he's got a swell place--in a shell hole, and Franz is with him.
See anything of Iggy?"

"No," answered Jimmy. "I'm afraid he's done for. If I get a chance,
I'm going back to see. Looks as if Fritz had had enough at this
sector."

"Aren't we going forward?" some one called to the lieutenant in
charge. "Come on! Lead us to the Boches!"

"Have to wait for orders," was the grim answer. "We were told to halt
here. Can't go on without orders!"

There were murmurs of disapproval at this, but the discipline was
strict.

"Anybody badly wounded?" asked the lieutenant. "If there is, now's
your chance to get some first-aid treatment. Later you can't,
perhaps."

There were one or two who were suffering badly, and these took
advantage of the lull in the fighting to apply bandages to their
hurts.

"Poor Iggy!" mused Jimmy, and then, as the lieutenant crawled near
him--for no one was standing upright--the sergeant asked:

"May I crawl back, sir, and see what happened to Corporal Pulinski?"

"Did you see anything happen to him?"

"Yes, sir. I saw him blown backward when the big shell exploded, and
he seemed to be falling toward some sort of shell crater. If we're
going to be held here long, I'd like to go to his rescue--to see if
he's still alive."

"Very well," assented the young commanding officer. "Ill take a chance
and let