Chester threw his men out in a thin line, the distance between each man being perhaps twenty yards.

“Fire when I give the word, and not until then,” he ordered.  “And make every shot count.  If the enemy rushes us give way as slowly as possible; but if they try a hide-and-seek game, keep your positions behind shelter as much as you can.”

The men repeated this order to show that they understood, and all crept forward.  Three minutes of silent crawling and they came within full view of the German line.  It was still facing the road, across which were the British.  In the faint moonlight the entire force was clearly exposed to Chester’s party.

When Chester believed that he had approached near enough, he raised his hand for a halt.  Quickly each man concealed himself behind the largest tree he could find.

So far they had not been discovered.

Chester glanced quickly around.  Everything was ready.

Drawing a bead upon the German soldier who was nearest, Chester at last gave the command his men had been eagerly awaiting: 

“Fire!”

The eleven British rifles cracked out as one, and as many of the enemy toppled over, for the British, unseen, had approached so close that a miss was practically an impossibility.

Immediately confusion reigned among the enemy.  Taken completely by surprise, as Chester had intended they should be, the Germans lost all signs of formation.  Before they could recover their scattered wits and turn upon their new foes, or even seek new shelter, the British had poured in a second volley.

But the German officers, displaying great skill and bravery, soon had their men under control, and turned upon the little party of British in the rear.

Chester perceived what was about to happen and cried out to his men: 

“They are going to rush us!  Pick ’em off as they come!”

The Germans, at a command, sprang forward, and the British fired full in their faces.

The Germans reeled, and for a moment it seemed they would seek shelter once more; but they rallied and came on.

But, as they came, a volley was poured into them from the rear.  Hal’s men, on the opposite side of the road, had advanced quickly, and again the Germans had been surprised.

Caught thus between two fires, and unable to tell the number of their foe, the Germans were at a great disadvantage.  Nevertheless, outnumbering the British as they did, they fought bravely, jumping quickly behind the nearest trees, determined to sell their lives as dearly as possible.

When Hal heard the first sounds of firing, and realized that Chester and his men had come into position and opened on the enemy, he quickly ordered his men forward.  He himself stopped for a moment to seek out Stubbs, for fear that the little American might be left behind and fall into the hands of the enemy.

“Quick, Stubbs!” he cried.  “Get up, man, and come on!”