Fighting with French

is friend. They had come only about a fourth of the distance they expected to cover, and it was the easiest portion, for after all there was much less chanc

ainter, came from the right. On either hand there was a road to avoid. No doubt there was a path running from the church to one or other of these roads. Their best plan seemed to be to creep along by the churchyard

shattered by gunfire. They moved very cautiously along the wall towards the open fields. Suddenly they both halted and crouched. High up in the ruined tower a light had flashed for a moment. From the same place came faint sounds w

r perhaps the direct rays were masked, and the light was visible only at a higher elevation. Beyond doubt the signallers were Germans; no British soldiers, or natives

ards their own trenches? Was it possible that they wer

hmen crouched

-in at the tower?" as

aps afterwards--at any rate we'll report it. The men up there have got a good

r a small clump of trees on rising ground in front of them. The ground was rough and stubbly; walking was difficult and fatiguing. They passed through the skirt of the wood, crossed more fiel

they must have come about th

s to wait until we hear the discharge of the gun, perhaps see its

g shall

to-morrow. We can't possibly return in daylight. But it's no good talking. Let's make ourselves as

feel like me. I couldn't sleep a

All was silent around them. There were no longer sounds of traffic; the roads ha

eth looked at his watch at ever shorter intervals. He was becoming restless. Had they adventured on a vain quest? The moon crept above the horiz

to-night," thought Kennet

y were sitting side by side, s

aid Harry

he ground stretched away in undulations, alternate dark and light bands in the moonshine. They could see nothing to explain the soun

a railway truc

ost due east; it turns to the north-east after cutting the German lines. It must be a good three or four miles from

certainly it wasn't made by the guns, and that's the only r

ole day here is sickening.

in, each thinking

ntary flash, instantly fo

laimed Kenneth

d Harry, looking across the

wait for the next. Th

ing up the sky behind a low ridge on their left front.

" whisper

en, after a minute's silence, they were surprised to hear a renewed rumbling, which passe

e some connection with the gun

They crawled down the other slope, and came to what appeared to be a sunken grass road. It was shadowed by the ridge. Looking to right

the toe,"

th behind him. He had stoope

om it; apparently it was rusty. But it was sticky to the tou

grass, twigs, rubbish of all sorts, and b

eth. "It's not marked on the map; must have been re

as a roughly laid track. But the rails had been painted over with tar, a

see the trick? No airman would ever guess th

hat's

report of the gun, som

re going to find

a white post with a small square platform in front of it, abutting on the railway. Wondering what it was for, they went on, and in a few mo

engine; perhaps it was electric. The first truck carried a heavy gun; the other, containing men, was like an ordinary railway wagon, but apparently better sprung, f

train had stopped opposite the small platform. The men had got out of their truck, and were moving noiselessly but quickly about the truck containing the gun. Orders were given in a low voice. There was a slight grating of ma

rd the heavy projectile whizz over their heads. Three times the gun spoke; th

the gun had never been located. But what they had already learnt made them eager to learn more. Where was the gun kept when not in use

ut the line was not guarded. Its existence was probably known only t

n the train rumbled back. The two men hid until it had passed, then continued along the line in the op

en marked on the map. The sheds were in ill repair: there were many chinks and gaps in their boarded walls. Apparently the quarry and its appurtenances had been for some time disused. The light which they had seen from the railway line proceeded from one of the sheds, from the interior of which they now heard guttural voices. Peeping through a chink in its wall, they saw four Germans smoking, drinking, an

the lamps, seized their rifles and ran to the door. Kenneth stole a few yards along the wall until he came within earshot of them. He was on the shad

sked one of the men, a

another. "It sounds l

They haven't done it by d

ther low. We could

ourselves away. They have

d no sooner re-entered the shed than its

e," said a voice. "The cursed

uiet lately. The captain heard the sound in time. And ther

id English. They've no cha

The watchers heard the door of the second shed creak. In a few minutes the train glided up, and entered the shed, into which, it being the middle one of the three, the Englishmen could not see from their present position. After a while the door was closed, an

ther sheds," whispered Harry. "But the m

said Kenneth. "Come

stones, they crept along the wall

ng in whispers. "I think we've found out enough. The place is m

e we go. It won't be safe to go into the moonlight,

ht against the quarry wa

ir purpose. The wall of the quarry was very uneven, just as it had been hewn out. Consequently the back walls of the sheds did not

the wall of the quarry, the timber had not been renewed. There were many gaps, and when they touched the wood, its crumbling gave

ragments of the dry wood

t in," he

the whole enterprise. But youth is adventurous and confident. The voices of the men in the first shed

ht," he

carefully they climbed in. Dark as the interior had appeared from the outside, they found when they were inside that there was just light enough, filtering through cracks in the wall, to reveal the contents of the shed. The whole interior, e

between the shed and the wall of the quarry. Here they found the gun train, and a number of petrol tins: evidently the engine was petrol driven. While Kenneth examined the engine as well as he could in

s back is turned," he whisper

d, not by mere curiosity, but by a sudden idea which had occurred to him, but which he had not yet mentioned to his companion. The engine was still warm. He knew that it ran very smoothly; it was provided with a

t of an ordinary touring car, except tha

hy not run off with th

et up speed in time to escape. Some of the Germans were awake: the sentry was at the door; the feat seemed impossible, and Kenneth dismissed the ide

hanged. The new man was grumbling at having had to le

asked the sentry wh

ied the oth

afternoon. He said he'd give me my re

w moments: then all was silent, except for the heavy

ck to the quarry wall, and

whisper

t is

I wondered if we couldn'

" replie

t--

'll talk

eir former position

" said Harry, "but I wish

g against his own inclination. "We coul

ackle that it woul

the engine, and before we had

ey've got to wake

te time

they would be too sleepy for a few seconds to understand

u that the idea occurred

ure; that's so much in our favour. They'll be struck all of a heap, an

y. With a little luck--ah! while we're abou

blowing up t

kill or maim a lot more Englishmen or Frenchmen than there are Germans in the shed, you'l

on,

s from the wall of the engine shed. Just as Kenneth, returning, had almost reached the opening, in his haste h

he panted. "We haven

the sentry call to his comrades and run towards the ammunition shed. In a few moment

men ran to

!" gaspe

ld fit. For the moment his brain ceased to work; he was conscious only of the noise of shouts and hurrying footsteps dinning in his ears. Then recollection came in a flash. He raised himself, sprang into the cab of the engine, and

cing the engine; then he let it in, and the train jerked itself forward in a way that alarmed him for the couplings. The manoeuvre succeeded. The engine crashed into the cr

n to throw on their uniforms. There was no sound from outside to alarm them. But a second cry from the sentry caused them to seize their rifles and rush out as they were. They followed him into the ammunition shed, where he showed them, by the light of an electric torch, the hole in the wall. They poked their heads through, and see

pursuing them on foot. And then there was a terrific roar; the sky was lit up by a flash that blinded the pale moon, and fragments of metal f

ped Kenneth. "The row will bring

! what a blaze! Lucky we're running in

hirty miles an hour now; I'll slow down in a minute

e slackened speed

off!"

train had disappeared. Clambering up the western bank, the two men, bending low, raced as fast as they could towards a small clump of trees that stood up dark in

mething," Kenneth panted. "H

he British forces, they saw the debris of the train, engine, gun, and trucks, lying amid shattered masonry in and besi