At the time the volley was delivered the last gang of the engineers, led by a Lieutenant Harney, was coming up. The lieutenant was in the lead, and as the volley rang out he was seen to throw up his hands and pitch headlong. The others of the detail dropped down in the grass, one wounded in the shoulder and another in the side. The lieutenant had been struck squarely in the forehead, and was no doubt instantly killed.
“They are coming this way! The Heinies are coming this way!”
The report proved true. Encouraged by the success of their first volley, a company of German soldiers came crawling forward through the thick brushwood, sending volley after volley in the direction of the engineers.
“We’ve got to fight them, boys!” shouted Captain Obray. “Make every shot tell!”
He had hardly spoken two words before several of the engineers began to use their guns. Then the others caught up their weapons, and a scattering of shots could be heard all along the line of the proposed new trench.
The first company of Germans was quickly followed by a second, and then a third, aggregating probably four hundred and fifty men. The engineers numbered about three hundred and sixty, a considerable number being missing from the battalion because of wounds, sickness, and various other reasons.
It was an unequal contest, but the blood of the fighting engineers was up, especially when they saw the death of Lieutenant Harney, who was popular in the command.
Rapid orders came from the major of the battalion, and Captain Obray told those under him to move somewhat to the left, where a slight rise of ground afforded a little better shelter. In the meantime, word was sent back by the signal corps operating in that vicinity that the Germans were making an attack on the engineers, and asking for reinforcements.
In another five minutes the contest was on in all its intensity. Volley after volley came from the Germans, who were attempting to advance by crawling from rock to rock and from bush to bush. But the fighting engineers sent over bullet for bullet and had the satisfaction of seeing more than one of the enemy drop to rise no more.
“Gee! this is the hottest fight yet!” gasped Phil, after the firing had continued for ten or fifteen minutes.