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They had to yell into each other's ears to be heard above the din. Suddenly the very earth seemed to drop away from under their feet. They felt the shock of rushing air. A big, high-explosive shell had dropped near them. "That's bad!" shouted Jimmy, as the concussion died away. He looked behind him and saw, with horror, Iggy, the Polish Brother, literally being blown back through the air.
The Huns had too much at stake to wait long. "Ach! So glad it is I am to see you!" voiced Iggy, when the four were admitted to him. "Dit you paper and pen pring!" he asked Jimmy, eagerly. "I myself can write to mother now. See, shmine wrist she is all so K.O. now." "K.O.?" cried Roger. "What's the commanding officer got to do with your wrist, Iggy?"
And then, to his great relief, Jimmy heard a voice he knew well exclaim: "Ach! Him was one big whizz-bang, yes!" "You said it, Iggy!" shouted Franz, and Jimmy saw his two comrades emerge from the smoke and dust cloud, and rush forward. They had just escaped death by the shell, which sent into eternity six beloved bunkies of the 509th.
Franz and Iggy came back with a doctor who, after a brief examination, said the sergeant was suffering from bad treatment and lack of food and water more than anything else. He did not seem to be wounded, but, of course, there might be some internal hurt which did not show at the first examination. "Hospital's the place for him," decided the doctor.
Have you done any fighting, and have you heard anything of Maxwell and our missing money?" "Oh, have a heart!" laughed Franz. "You're worse than an intelligence officer wanting to know the results of a trench raid. But we're all right, as far as that goes." "Except we wos of broken hearted yes for fears of you," put in Iggy. "Sure we were worried to death," agreed Franz.
Who goes there!" "Our lieut's on the job!" commented Bob. Tensely the three who stood shoulder to shoulder in the darkness of the foremost trench, waiting, listened for the answer. It came, also in a whisper, but it carried to their ears. "Sergeant Blaise and Sergeant Barlow, ordered to report here to you, sir." "Oh golly! It's Blazes und Ruddy!" gasped Iggy.
During the dramatic recital, which was corroborated at several points by Roger and Bob, as well as Franz and Iggy, the captain never said a word. He continued calmly smoking a cigarette he had lighted. "Can this be possible?" exclaimed a lieutenant, and he seemed to shrink away from Captain Dickerson.
And this fire kept the German support from coming to save the lines that were under attack. "Wipe 'em out! Wipe out the Hun nests!" cried the lieutenant. "It's our turn now!" grimly shouted Roger in Jimmy's ear. Forward swept the company to which our heroes were assigned. For a time, during which the two chums had had a chance to get Iggy from the shell hole, there had been no advance.
I said we five Brothers would share and share alike in that reward, and I'm going to insist on it. If Iggy if he's killed his share goes to his folks. Why, you fellows helped as much in putting that dog Von Kreitzen out of the way as I did." "Nonsense!" declared Roger. "You did it all alone!" "Well, I'm not going to spend the reward all alone, and that's settled!" snapped Jimmy.
"Poor Iggy!" mused Jimmy, and then, as the lieutenant crawled near him for no one was standing upright the sergeant asked: "May I crawl back, sir, and see what happened to Corporal Pulinski?" "Did you see anything happen to him?" "Yes, sir. I saw him blown backward when the big shell exploded, and he seemed to be falling toward some sort of shell crater.
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