“I wish we were sure poor Buster was going to get over that gas attack,” went on the former story-teller of Oak Hall. “Gee! it’s a shame that he was knocked out that way.”
“As soon as I can get off I’m going to take a run back to the hospital and see how Buster is making it,” said Dave. “I think I’m entitled to a leave of absence; I haven’t been off since last winter.”
“If you do get off, I’ll try to get off at the same time,” cried Roger quickly.
“And so will I,” added Phil.
Ten days had passed since the spectacular rescue of the Hun aviator from the burning plane and tree, and during that time the fighting engineers had well deserved the appellation applied to them. They had advanced their road through the forest for a considerable distance, and had had two brushes with the enemy, one a night raid which had come most unexpectedly; but the blood of the engineers had been up, and they had beaten the Germans back with the loss of but two men slightly wounded, while three of the enemy had been killed and one taken prisoner.
They had also been under artillery fire on more than one occasion, and now this artillery fire was again directed toward them.
“If those Germans were only a little better marksmen there wouldn’t be anything left of us, I imagine,” remarked Phil a little later, after a shell had gone whining over their heads, to explode among some roots in the rear.
“I don’t believe it’s altogether a case of their marksmanship,” returned Dave. “I had a talk with Captain Obray one day, and he said information had come in that the German ammunition was steadily deteriorating, due I suppose, to the fact that they can’t get hold of the metal and chemicals they would like to use.”
The young engineers had been working on a small exposed length of the roadway, but now came orders to advance to a point where they would be sheltered in part by a series of rocks and heavy trees.
Suddenly came a sound from their rear which gave them intense satisfaction. During the past week the road up the little hill behind them had been completed, and an American battery had been located there. This battery now opened with vigor, sending toward the German lines at least four shells for every one coming the other way.