After that matters became so exciting that the young engineers hardly knew what was taking place. Sometimes they used their bayonets, and again they swung their rifles around like clubs, sweeping the air in front of them in wide semicircles. Occasionally a shot was fired, and Ben declared afterwards that he saw one German shoot another.
With one of his most trustworthy officers gone, Captain Obray had his hands full doing what he could for his command. The engineers had already commenced to fall back on the roadway which they had recently been building, but orders were to retreat slowly, because reinforcements would be coming up now in a short while.
Dave had lost his helmet, his shirt was ripped up his back in several places, and blood was streaming from a cut on one hand, and a bruise was on his cheek. Not until some time later did he realize that the cut on his hand had come from a glancing bullet.
The engineers had fallen back about fifty yards when Dave found himself and those under him close to where Captain Obray was himself fighting. The old civil engineer had discharged his pistol pointblank at one of the Germans, but now three had surrounded him, two using their bayonets and the other handling his gun as a club. The captain was struck on one shoulder, and his pistol was sent whizzing from his hand. Then the two Germans with their bayonets stabbed at the American officer viciously several times.
When the pistol was sent flying from the captain’s hand it landed almost at Dave’s feet. He was about six yards away, and without stopping to think twice he caught up the weapon, aimed it at the nearest of the Germans, and fired.
As my old readers know, Dave was quite an accurate shot, not only with a rifle, but also with a pistol, and on more than one occasion he had made a rather remarkable record while firing at a target. His quick aim was accurate, and the German nearest to him went down, shot through the side. Then Dave fired the second time, and the other German was hit in the right arm. The fellow was just in the act of making another lunge with his bayonet, this time at Captain Obray’s throat; but the shot in the arm caused him to let his weapon drop. Then, of a sudden, he sank down, for he had already been wounded in the leg and had been keeping up merely through excitement. The third German was running away.
“Fine work, Porter, fine work!” gasped Captain Obray, as Dave sprang to his side and returned the officer’s pistol to him.
“Are you much hurt? Do you want me to help you to the rear, Captain?” demanded the young sergeant quickly.
“No, I don’t think I want to go to the rear,” was the answer, in a voice that shook with emotion. “Porter, I sha’n’t forget this. It was splendid!” And then the captain turned away, for there was much for him to do.
Only a few minutes later Dave found himself again in the thick of the fight. But now a cheer rent the air, and it became known that a regiment of American infantry and several machine-guns were on their way to relieve the engineers, who, of course, were not supposed to do any regular fighting.