Jimmy found himself yelling and firing his rifle as rapidly as he
could pull the trigger. For a moment the five Brothers, all together,
seemed to be in comparative safety. But then bullets began to sing
about their heads like angry wasps.

"Come on! Come on!" cried Jimmy, and no one faltered.

Suddenly, from a little mound of earth in front of the five, there
came a sound as of some one tearing stiff cloth, or beating a drum
more rapidly than one was ever beaten before. The Khaki Boys knew what
it meant--a machine-gun nest.

Instinctively they dropped to earth, and the bullets flew over their
heads. If they found living targets farther on the lads did not turn
to see.

"We've got to wipe that out!" cried Jimmy.

"We're with you!" shouted Bob.

Franz, looking forward from between two little hummocks of earth,
suddenly fired his rifle.

"There goes one Hun!" he exulted.

"And I got a second!" exclaimed Roger.

They were both good shots and each had gotten his enemy.

"Come on--rush 'em!" yelled Jimmy, jumping up. Bob attempted to pull
his chum back, for it was almost certain death to stand up in front
of a machine-gun emplacement. But it was too late. Jimmy had taken his
chance, and he lived through it.

For a brief instant there was no firing from where the machine-gun was
hidden and this was Jimmy's opportunity and that of his chums. With
wild yells they leaped up and followed his lead.

A moment later they were fighting fiercely with half a dozen Germans
who composed what was left of the automatic gun squad. The weapon
appeared to be jammed, for one of the Huns was frantically working
at the firing mechanism. And it was this same jamming, as was learned
later, that, undoubtedly, saved the lives of Jimmy and his chums.

Roger shot pointblank at one Boche and Bob bayoneted another. Then the
remainder raised their hands and cried: "_Kamerad_!"

"We haven't any time to take prisoners!" yelled Franz.

But they did not get the chance. The Germans left alive leaped out of
the shallow pit in which the gun had been hidden, and ran toward
the rear. But they had not gone far before they were wiped out of
existence by the explosion of a shell which fell right on top of them.

"Come on! Come on!" cried Jimmy, when it was seen that the machine-gun
was of no further use, since the weapon was damaged. Besides, the
American advance would soon be up to this point and it would be within
the Allied lines.

Forward le