Silently they crept between the sleeping soldiers.  There was a certain amount of safety in the very boldness of the plan, for it was unlikely, should a sentry see them moving about, he would take them for English; and even if he did now, they would be able to make a dash with some hope of success.  The German soldiers, tired and completely exhausted, slept heavily, and not one so much as moved in his sleep.

The little party was now at the last line of sleepers, and just as Hal, believing they had accomplished their difficult task, drew a breath of relief, a form suddenly appeared from the darkness before them.  It was a German sentry.

Before he could make an outcry Chester and Hal both leaped forward.  The former’s hands grasped the German by the throat, stifling the sound of his voice, and Hal quickly delivered two hard blows to the man’s face.  The German fell limply into Chester’s arms, and the boy laid him quietly on the ground.

Then they moved forward again.  The sounds of the scuffle had aroused no one.  But suddenly there was the sound of a fall behind.  Turning his head quickly, Hal perceived the cause of this commotion which caused such a racket in the stillness of the night.

One of the English soldiers had tripped over the body of a sleeping German and had fallen across him.  He was up in a moment, but so was the German, sleepily hurling imprecations at the disturber of his slumber.

Before the German soldier was able to arouse himself, the Englishman dealt him a heavy blow over the head with his rifle butt.  But the noise had brought another to the scene.  There was the sharp crack of a rifle, and the English soldier who had caused all the trouble pitched to the ground.  To the right Hal and Chester saw another sentry, a smoking rifle in his hands.

At the sound of the shot the whole German camp sprang to life as if by magic; and at the same instant Hal shouted: 

“Run!”

At full speed the little party, only nine now, dashed forward.  The other man lay dead in the German camp.  There was a hoarse German cry of command, and a hail of bullets followed the fugitives into the woods.  No man fell, though two groaned, and one dropped his rifle.  The darkness made accurate shooting by the Germans impossible.

Not pausing to return the fire of the enemy, the fugitives stumbled on through the woods.  Another and another volley came from the pursuing Germans, but they were firing at random now, and the fact that Hal and Chester had led the way well to the right augured well for their chance of safety.

But as the darkness made accurate shooting by the Germans impossible, so it made speed by the fugitives impossible also.  They stumbled along as well as they could, now and then tripping over a fallen limb or tumbling into a hole.  Tired and almost exhausted, they at length emerged into the open, and broke into a weary run.