"He's about as popular as the hives in summertime for a fact," commented Tom. "He'd be a mighty sight more at home if he were in the trenches on the other side." "Maybe so," admitted Frank. "What are you fellows chinning about?" broke in a familiar voice, and they turned to see Dick Lever regarding them with a friendly grin. "Hello, Dick," came from them all at once in a roar of welcome, for it was the first time they had seen him since he had rescued them from their German captors, and their feelings toward him were of the warmest nature. "Where have you been keeping yourself?" asked Frank. "We've been looking for you to drop in and see us for a long time past." "As a matter of fact, I did get down this way about a week ago," replied Dick, as he tried to shake hands with all four at once, "but the whole bunch of you were off on furlough." "Sorry we missed you," said Frank. "Yes, we did get a few days off, and it didn't do us a bit of harm. We've all come back feeling the best ever." "Ready to take another crack at the Huns, eh?" grinned Dick. "Some fellows never know when they have enough." "You needn't talk," laughed Bart. "I'll bet you've been popping away at them every day since we saw you last." "Oh, they've kept me pretty busy," said Dick carelessly. "The Hun flyers are getting pretty sassy just now, and we have to keep working hard to drive them back." "I've noticed more of them flying over our lines than usual in the last day or two," remarked Billy. "Say," broke in Tom, "this is sure our lucky day. Here comes Will Stone." "We sure are lucky when two of the best fellows in the world drop in on us at the same time," said Frank, as he and his mates greeted the bronzed tank operator. "I don't know whether you two fellows know each other, but if you don't you've both lost something." "Oh, we're not altogether strangers," smiled Stone, as he and Dick shook hands heartily. "Many a time I've seen his plane flying overhead, and it's made me feel rather comfortable to know that he was on the job, and that no Boche flyer would have a chance to drop something that would put Jumbo out of commission." "It would have to be some bomb that would make junk of that big car of yours," said Dick. "I was flying pretty low the day we smashed the Boche lines and I saw the way Jumbo snapped those wires as though they were so many threads. That tank's a wonder and no mistake." They were having such a good time and the time flew so rapidly that they were startled when the bugle blew and they were compelled to go to their respective quarters. A few nights after his return Frank was assigned to sentry duty on an important post on the front trenches. His beat terminated at a point where he could see a little shack that stood on the side of a hill.