This tree trunk represented the only possible way of getting over the gully.
Surely, the young rider would slow down, dismount, take the wheel on his shoulders and cross the slim bridge on foot.
But the crackling out of more shots behind him told the onlookers that the young dispatch rider in Uncle Sam's khaki uniform must make great haste.
Hal lay on harder than ever on his pedals. His speed carried to the onlookers the reality of a desperate race of life and death.
Close to the nearer edge of the gully stood a solitary figure, that of Corporal Noll Terry, who had had charge of the men laying the tree trunk across the gully.
Noll still stood by, watching, ready to be at hand if anything happened. One other man watched, though from a considerable distance.
This man was Private Hinkey, who alone knew the secret of his willing industry since reaching this camp.
Hinkey, unseen by others, had managed treacherously to "fix" the log in a manner that had defied detection.
Sergeant Hal's Forward Wheel Struck the Log.