"So it is," answered Ralph. Then, turning to the officer, he continued: "Are you bombarding that hill?" "We are not sure where they are located, but they have a powerful battery somewhere there, and we have tried for two weeks to find it. You see we are three and a half miles from that hill," said the officer. "You should aim for that hollow directly north of the hill," said Alfred. Both officers looked at Alfred, who nodded his head and kept a sober face. Both men began to laugh. "What makes you think they have their big battery there?" asked one of them. "Because we have just been examining the bench mark which the Germans left on the side of the hill," replied Ralph. "What do you mean? Where?" asked the officers in a breath. The questions were almost shouted. The excitement attracted others near by. "That can't be possible," said one of the officers. "Do you mean," said another, "that the fellows over there left a range mark?" "Well, we don't know about that, exactly, but in coming up,—here Frisky,—our dog treed something in a hole,——" "Treed in a hole,—ha, ha,—that's clever!" interrupted one of the officers. The others laughed in unison, and the boys joined. "Well, that's what we call it, at any rate," continued Alfred. "So we went over to help him out. Right near the hole was a big flat stone on top of a mound, and it had the cross marks on it, some circles, and arrows, and also some marks." "Where is that?" asked an officer, now thoroughly sobered. "But what made you think it had anything to do with that hill over there?" interrupted another. "Because the arrow pointed that way, but when we made a test we were disappointed, as the arrow went straight to that hollow place that I referred to, north of the hill. Now, there may be something in that; I don't know," said Alfred. "That is something worth looking into; accompany us," said the officer. On the way to the narrow cut which led to the roadway, the commanding officer of the battery appeared. "What is this I hear about finding a range mark left by the Germans?" he asked. The matter was explained to him. "It looks to me like a bench mark," said Alfred, as they walked down the hill. "So you have been a surveyor?" said the commander. "No, sir; never did anything in that line, but take lessons; what made you think so?" asked Alfred. "That happens to be my line, and the term is one rarely, if ever, used outside of the profession," he remarked. "And, by the way, Lieutenant, did you order the theodolite brought down?" "I did, sir!" was the response. The party picked their way along the brush, Ralph and Alfred in the lead. Back and forth they stumbled over the hillside, but the longed-for spot seemed to elude them. "Now, isn't that singular?" said Ralph. "It seemed to be on a rather level spot, and there was a ravine, not a deep one, which we had to cross to get there. It may be further around the hill, for we could see across the country to the east from the bench."