The German lines, Hal learned, were perhaps two hundred yards ahead. There the enemy had hurriedly dug a temporary line of shallow trenches and settled down to hold them. It was Hal’s business to get into and to pass through them. Fortunately, the night was very dark so the lad had no hesitancy in stepping from the protection of the American lines. The officer in command at that point walked with him as far as he felt prudent. To him Hal confided the fact that Chester would be along presently, and the officer volunteered to speed the latter’s progress in any way he could. "Good luck," he called, as Hal disappeared in the darkness. Hal made no response, but moved slowly and silently off through the night. The first hundred yards he covered standing and without fear of detection. It was so dark that he knew his presence in No Man’s Land would not be noticed unless the enemy chanced to turn one of their powerful searchlights in that direction. In that event, too, the lad knew it would make little difference whether he was standing or crawling across the open. After covering what he judged was a hundred yards, Hal dropped to his hands and knees and proceeded more cautiously. Voices in the German lines became audible now and Hal was perfectly well aware that a pair of German eyes might discover him. However, there was no help for it. It was his business to take such chances. He wormed his way along slowly. In this manner he came at last to the edge of the German trenches. There he paused a moment, listening intently. He heard voices. They seemed directly ahead of him. The lad crawled to his left. After progressing in this manner for perhaps a hundred yards he paused and listened again. He could still hear voices, but they were some distance to his right. There was no sound directly ahead of him. Silently the lad got to his feet. His head came just above the top of the trench. He peered around quickly. Some distance to the right he perceived a little knot of men apparently engaged in heated argument. It was apparent that they were so busy with their dispute that they would not notice the alien figure in their midst. To the lad’s left, too, perhaps fifty yards away, were half a dozen German soldiers. But they were not looking in Hal’s direction. Slowly the lad drew himself to the top of the trench, then dropped quietly inside. There he crouched for a moment, his hands on his revolvers, ready to fight or run as occasion should demand. But his presence was unnoticed and Hal drew a breath of relief. "Safe for a minute, at least," he told himself. But Hal knew that he could not hope to escape discovery long in this exposed position. Besides, he had no time to spare. It was his business to pass through the German Lines as quickly as possible.