t to mind him.

"I got one of those bullets in the hip," Rawle told them, to the
surprise of all, for up to that moment he hadn't uttered a sound. "It
cuts down my speed, but it's nothing serious, I guess. You keep right on
and I'll follow as rapidly as I can."

"I'm almost winded myself," said Slim. "I'll stick with Tom; you fellows
keep right on. We'll join you in a few minutes after you stop. Joe, I'll
give that 'whip-poor-will' call if we can't locate you. At any rate, we
know our way back to the American lines."

"Not so loud," warned Lieutenant Mackinson, as he slowed down. "I guess
you are right," he continued. "You stay along with Rawle, but the two of
you try to follow as quickly as possible, so that we can get Tom back to
the lines for medical attention. It is necessary that I have the others
with me, though, for we must not only accomplish our mission, but also
give the commander that intercepted German message."

And so the little group parted, there in the blackness of night
"somewhere in France," the lieutenant, Hoskins, Joe and Jerry to forge
ahead as rapidly as they could in a detour that would again take them
back into the enemy territory, but in another place, while Slim and the
wounded Rawle came along at a slower pace.

The latter had been wounded more seriously than he knew, though, and he
had not gone more than three hundred yards further before the loss of
blood had so weakened him that he had to stop running and hobble along
in a painful, limping gait, leaning heavily upon Slim's shoulder.

"Guess I'll have to quit," he said, a little later on. "Can't go much
further." And even as he spoke he sank to the ground.

While Tom Rawle assured him that it "wasn't much of a wound," Slim, who
was doing the best he could to stop the flow of blood with his
handkerchief, knew that it was a bad injury, indeed, unless it was given
early attention.

"I'll try to get one of the others to return," he said, "and then we can
send to our lines for a stretcher to get you in."

"Nonsense," said Rawle, "I can walk; I'll show you."

But it was a pitiful effort, and unsuccessful, and Tom himself had to
admit that he "guessed he was out of business" for a little while.

Thereupon Slim puckered up his lips and imitated the low but
far-carrying call of the whip-poor-will--the call that he and Joe and
Jerry had used so much to summon each other at Brighton.

He remained silent for a moment listening, but there w