"There's one chance," he said.
Deliberately he sheathed his other revolver, thus leaving himself unarmed in the face of his foes. Then, bracing himself as best he could on the embankment, he reached down and seized Chester by both shoulders.
Putting forth all his strength, Hal heaved mightily, and drew his chum to the top of the embankment with him. There he released him and drew his revolvers again.
Came a cry of rage from inside the trench as the Germans saw their prey about to escape. Two men dropped on their knees and sighted their rifles carefully.
But before they could fire Hal had accounted for one and Chester for the other.
Again a howl of rage went up from the German trench.
"Kill them! Kill them!" screamed the German colonel. "What a lot of dunderheads! Can't you shoot?"
He seized a revolver from a young officer close by and dashed forward himself.
Hal, in the act of tumbling from the embankment, smiled slightly and faced the colonel, unmindful of all other dangers.
"So you're the man responsible for those blows a moment ago, eh?" he muttered. "Well, you'll never do it again. Take that!"