"Good work!" Chester found time to pant to Hal, and a second later both lads were once more too busy for speech.
Now Chester found himself engaged with a foeman worthy of his steel. The latter, a German lieutenant, was pressing the lad severely. At sword play the lad was clearly no match for him. Nevertheless Chester was giving a good account of himself.
Suddenly his sword was sent spinning from his hand, and as the weapon came down the point struck a German soldier squarely in the face. Chester's opponent sprang forward, his blade raised for a death thrust. But even as he thrust Chester dodged and the sword passed harmlessly over his head.
From his stooping position Chester seized the German officer by the knees before he could recover his balance and aim another thrust at him, and, with a quick heave, sent the officer spinning over his head. The German hit the ground with a thud, and as he was about to pick himself up an English trooper ended his fighting days with a thrust of his bayonet.
Chester seized the officer's sword and sprang forward into the thick of the conflict again. Side by side, Hal and Chester advanced with the victorious British troops, striking, cutting and slashing their way through the dense bodies of the enemy.
Suddenly Chester fell to the ground beneath the feet of the struggling men. A descending rifle butt had struck him a glancing blow on the head. Hal, engaged at that moment with another German officer, saw his friend's plight, and jumped back.
With his sword he swept aside a German bayonet which at that instant would have been buried in Chester's prostrate form, but as he did so a heavy blow fell upon the lad's head and he was sent to his knees. Above him, with poised bayonet, stood a German soldier.
Death stared him in the face and the boy realized it. It was impossible for him to regain his feet in time to ward off the thrust. Quickly he threw himself to one side, and as he did so the German toppled on top of him, lifeless.
Hal scrambled to his feet and saw that the man who had thus saved his life was none other than Lieutenant Harry Anderson.
"Just in time," said Hal briefly, and turned to where Chester was now struggling to his feet; and as the battle raged fiercely about them, unmindful of his own danger, he gave his entire attention to his friend.