"Kill them! Kill them!" screamed the German colonel. "What a lot of dunderheads! Can’t you shoot?" He seized a revolver from a young officer close by and dashed forward himself. Hal, in the act of tumbling from the embankment, smiled slightly and faced the colonel, unmindful of all other dangers. "So you’re the man responsible for those blows a moment ago, eh?" he muttered. "Well, you’ll never do it again. Take that!" He sighted carefully and fired. The German colonel staggered in his onward rush, reeled crazily, threw up his arms, casting his revolver a dozen paces away, then fell to the ground. "So much for you," Hal muttered. "You won’t bully another American, I’ll bet on that." "Come on," said Chester, who had stuck close to his chum all the time. "It’s too warm here. Let’s move." "Right. Suits me," said Hal quietly. "Down we go, then," said Chester. He rolled rather than leaped to the ground on the outside of the trench. Hal did likewise. Both lads were slightly bruised by this method of descent, but they were not injured seriously. They scrambled to their feet. "Now, let’s see you run!" shouted Hal to Chester. They ran. *CHAPTER XIV* *THE CLOSING OF THE NET* Bullets flew thick and fast after the two lads as they clashed for the shelter of the American lines beyond. Fortunately, however, none touched them. The Germans, it appeared, were so bewildered by the suddenness of Chester’s appearance, single-handed attack and the flight of the two chums that followed, that they forgot all about their searchlights, which would have made it possible for them to have picked off fugitives at will; or else they had no searchlights in that section of the field. Zig-zagging from right to left, the lads ran at top speed. For a time bullets whistled unpleasantly close, but soon they became few and far between. Hal slowed down. Chester followed his example. "Whew!" said Chester. "Pretty close, but we’re safe enough now, I guess." "By George! I hope so," declared Hal. "But there is just one job that I would have liked to complete before getting away from there." "What’s that?" demanded Chester. "I would like to have let a little lead into that big German lieutenant who battered me up with his fist." "Don’t blame you," said Chester. "I’d like a shot at him myself." "Well," said Hal, "I left my mark on his throat, and that’s some satisfaction. Also, I disposed of the colonel who was responsible, and there’s more satisfaction there, too." "I saw you," replied Chester. "It was a neat shot." "Well," said Hal, "we’ve done something that a couple of other couriers sent out by General Rhodes failed to accomplish—we have passed through the German lines. The general’s plans will not go wrong if we can help it." "Right," agreed Chester. "And I figure that the sooner we report to General Lejeune the better."