He leaped lightly from the colonel’s automobile, appropriated a horse from a trooper who stood near and dashed forward in the darkness. Colonel Johnson’s force was some distance ahead, and it was perhaps fifteen minutes later that Hal came up with him. He gave the instructions that Colonel English had confided in him, and then said: "Colonel, if you don’t mind I’ll stay with you through this battle." Colonel Johnson would have protested, but Hal continued with a smile: "I have the permission of Colonel English, sir. I hope that I may be of some assistance to you. Do not hesitate to call upon me for any piece of work that you may wish accomplished." Colonel Johnson shrugged. "Help yourself," he said, "and don’t worry. If I’ve need of your services you may be sure I won’t hesitate to ask for them." The march continued in silence. Suddenly the sound that Hal had been expecting came. It was the blast of a great gun, close at hand. The advance of the Americans had been discovered. Colonel English took his decision instantly. "Charge!" he cried. The Americans went forward with a wild yell. *CHAPTER IX* *THE BATTLE* A volley of rifle fire met the first rush of the Americans. Sleepy-eyed Germans, aroused from their slumber by the sound of the warning gun, poured from their shelter and rushed forward through the streets of the village. Hastily machine guns were wheeled into position, and a veritable rain of bullets swept the ranks of the charging columns in khaki. But the Americans did not falter. These men of the Forty-second division upheld the traditions of the American army. True, they had been under fire before and it was not to be expected that they would falter; but well might a man have faltered in the face of the terrible fire poured in upon them. Each man bent to his work with a determination that boded ill for the foe. Some dashed forward with wild yells, others smiled quietly to themselves, while still others joked with their nearest neighbors. Here and there men dropped in their tracks, to rise no more, but others leaped over the bodies and dashed ahead. So close had the Americans approached the village before being discovered, that the enemy ranks had not time to form. What machine guns had been brought into play by the Germans were widely scattered and did not have the effect that would have been possible had the Americans given the enemy more time. American machine guns also began to rattle and Germans began to fall. The opposing forces were too close for the enemy to use his heavy artillery, nor could Colonel Johnson use his own field pieces for the same reason. Undismayed by the withering enemy fire, the Americans continued their charge and soon the fighting became hand-to-hand. Wild cries and imprecations arose above the sounds of firing, and the clash of cold steel became audible in all sections of the field.