Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Taavi Kalju and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net. [Illustration: "She faced him, white as death, looking at him blindly."] THE FIRING LINE BY ROBERT W. CHAMBERS AUTHOR OF "THE FIGHTING CHANCE," "THE YOUNGER SET," ETC. D. APPLETON AND COMPANY NEW YORK, 1908 TO MARGERY CHAMBERS CONTENTS CHAPTER I.--A SKIRMISH CHAPTER II.--A LANDING CHAPTER III.--AN ADVANCE CHAPTER IV.--RECONNAISSANCE CHAPTER V.--A FLANK MOVEMENT CHAPTER VI.--ARMISTICE CHAPTER VII.--A CHANGE OF BASE CHAPTER VIII.--MANOEUVERING CHAPTER IX.--THE INVASION CHAPTER X.--TERRA INCOGNITA CHAPTER XI.--PATHFINDERS CHAPTER XII.--THE ALLIED FORCES CHAPTER XIII.--THE SILENT PARTNERS CHAPTER XIV.--STRATEGY CHAPTER XV.--UNDER FIRE CHAPTER XVI.--AN ULTIMATUM CHAPTER XVII.--ECHOES CHAPTER XVIII.--PERIL CHAPTER XIX.--THE LINE OF BATTLE CHAPTER XX.--A NEW ENEMY CHAPTER XXI.--REINFORCEMENTS CHAPTER XXII.--THE ROLL CALL CHAPTER XXIII.--A CAPITULATION CHAPTER XXIV.--THE SCHOOL OF THE RECRUIT CHAPTER XXV.--A CONFERENCE CHAPTER XXVI.--SEALED INSTRUCTIONS CHAPTER XXVII.--MALCOURT LISTENS CHAPTER XXVIII.--HAMIL IS SILENT CHAPTER XXIX.--CALYPSO'S GIFT LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "She faced him, white as death, looking at him blindly" "So he sat there and told her all about his commission" "Never had he tasted such a heavenly banquet" "Examining the pile of plans, reports, and blue-prints" "She walked a few paces toward the house, halted, and looked back audaciously" "Then fell prone, head buried in her tumbled hair" "'You can't go!' he said" "And locked in his embrace, she lifted her lips to his" CHAPTER I A SKIRMISH As the wind veered and grew cooler a ribbon of haze appeared above the Gulf-stream. Young Hamil, resting on his oars, gazed absently into the creeping mist. Under it the ocean sparkled with subdued brilliancy; through it, shoreward, green palms and palmettos turned silvery; and, as the fog spread, the sea-pier, the vast white hotel, bathing-house, cottage, pavilion, faded to phantoms tinted with rose and pearl. Leaning there on his oars, he could still make out the distant sands flecked with the colours of sunshades and bathing-skirts; the breeze dried his hair and limbs, but his swimming-shirt and trunks still dripped salt water.