“‘I know this boy, sir,’ volunteered a sergeant.  ’He is with the army and he is always very useful.  Why not, sir, let him remain in case we need to send a messenger back?’

“‘Very good,’ answered the lieutenant, after brief reflection.  ’But understand, boy, you must keep out of sight.  In the daytime I want you to go over yonder in those bushes and lie down and don’t dare to show yourself unless I give you permission.’

“To these orders Mattia made no response.  None was expected.  All the rest of the night he assisted in carrying back dirt in bags and dumping it in a gully where it could not be seen from up in the air.  In addition to the parallel trench one was dug back through the soft ground as a sort of communicating trench.  The lad wondered how that trench could be dug there without the enemy’s seeing it, but when the men began to plant bushes along its sides, permitting the branches to droop over the trench, he saw the idea of the plan.  This was camouflage.

“It was nearly daybreak when he and some of his comrades made their way to the rear and went to sleep.  When he awakened the sun was shining brightly.  Forgetful of his orders, he entered the communicating trench and walked forward.  He was amazed to find another trench leading into the communicating trench.  He asked a soldier about it.

“‘Say, Mattia, do you think this squad is the only one in France?’ asked the soldier.  ’There are other machine-gun units out here.  Of course, we know where they are and the officers know what we are going to do.  Peek through these bushes.’

“‘Boches!’ gasped the lad.

“‘That is right, Mattia.  They do not know we are here.’

“‘Why don’t you shoot at them?’

“‘We are not ready, or rather, they are not.’

“The Germans were digging a trench on a rise of ground, where they always try to place them, instead of on low ground, about half a mile away.  Mattia peered at them, looking through the bushes, until he was ordered by an officer to go back and bring up the breakfast for the men.  Thus the little Frenchman was given to understand that he was one of them.  The officer in command either had forgotten his orders to the boy of the previous night, or else had decided to use him so long as no fighting was going on.

“There was much about the work that Mattia did not understand.  He now knew that there were other French detachments close at hand, but he neither saw nor heard them.  The others, undoubtedly, were camouflaged just as his detachment was.

“So secretly, however, had the French worked that the Germans did not appear even to suspect the presence of the enemy.  This secrecy was maintained for two more days, Mattia in the meantime having been initiated into the mystery of the machine gun.  He was allowed by a friendly sergeant to handle the gun and go through the motions of firing it and putting in a fresh string of shells.  It was a delight to him.