“Au revoir, Monsieur Stubbs,” he said, “until you come back when our victory is complete!”

By a series of fierce counter assaults, the French now had driven the seasoned veterans of the German Crown Prince from Dead Man’s Hill; from Hill No. 265, to the north, from Chattancourt and Charny.  Back across the Meuse the Germans fled from the vicious attacks of the French.  Second and third line trenches were re-won.

But the French did not stop there.  The third day of March found them still pushing the Germans and as darkness fell that night, the troops of General Petain entrenched themselves just to the east of Thiaumont farm and Hill No. 320.  A trifle to the south, Fleury was once more in German hands, the opposition in this sector having been too much for the French to overcome.  Almost due east, German guns, wheeled into position at Fort Vaux, captured the preceding day, shelled the reconquered positions of the French; but the latter stood firm.  All night the artillery duel raged and the coming of morning found both armies ready for the day’s work.

The French opened the day by concentrating heavy artillery upon the German positions at Fort Vaux.  After a two hours’ bombardment, the infantry was ordered to the attack.  Fresh troops took the places in the trenches vacated by the attacking forces and heavy guns covered their advance.

A hundred yards or so from the hastily constructed German trenches, the thin French lines charged.  Their ranks had been sadly depleted as they marched across the open ground, but they stuck to the work bravely.  Clear to the German trenches they ran, a second and still a third line close behind; and then the Germans swarmed out to meet them.  A fierce hand-to-hand encounter ensued with victory crowning German arms.  What was left of the French attacking party scurried back to their own lines.

The Germans did not wait for a second attack.  German buglers sounded an advance.  Again the Germans swarmed out of their trenches in countless thousands and rushed the French trenches.

Hal and Chester at this moment found themselves at the front with orders for respective divisional commanders.  They remained as the Germans charged, sheltered by the huge earthen breastworks.

The fate of the German charge was the same as that of the French a short while before.  Beaten off after a half hour of fierce fighting, the Germans retired to the shelter of their own lines.  The great German guns, silent while the infantry was engaged, opened up anew on the French trenches, dropping shells in profusion.

Hal and Chester stood elbow to elbow watching the destructive work of the giant shells.  Of a sudden a shell dropped close to them.  Hal uttered a cry of alarm and made a desperate attempt to drag Chester out of harm’s way.  In this he was partly successful and they had dashed forward a few yards before the shell exploded.

With the fury of the blast, great clouds of earth flew high in the air.  Hal and Chester felt the ground open up beneath them and they gasped for breath as they were precipitated into what seemed a bottomless pit.  How far they fell they could not tell, but it seemed a long ways; and hardly had they struck bottom when a shower of earth fell upon them.