"Yes," assented the major brokenly, "it had to be. And now let's forget it in giving battle to the Huns! It's up to us to redeem whatever wrong he may have done," and he nodded in the direction of the captain, who had been led away under arrest.
"He took it calmly enough," remarked Bob, as the five Brothers marched away.
"Never turned a hair," added Roger. "But you've got to have nerve to be a spy."
"I suppose they'll shoot him," observed Franz. "They don't have time for hanging any more. He'll face a firing squad all right."
"It's too bad!" declared Jimmy. "But it had to be. I'll say this for him—he's a brave man to venture back here, when he might be sure he'd be exposed—if not by us by some one else. Yes, he's a brave man!"
It was with no very light hearts, at first, that Jimmy and his chums marched on toward the front lines where they had been ordered to take their places for the general advance. The scene of the last half-hour preyed on their minds. But they were satisfied that they had done their duty.
"What's the program, sir!" asked Jimmy, as he reported to his second lieutenant.
"Well, we're going forward just as soon as our barrage gets in working order," was the answer. "I expect that will be any minute, now. See to it that every man in your squad has his gas mask, his pick and shovel, his canteen and mess gear. We may be several days under fire, and the supply wagons won't be able to get up if the Huns start shelling the roads, as they're likely to."
"Yes, sir," answered Jimmy, saluting. Then he and his chums put in several busy minutes.
Jimmy, Roger and Franz, as sergeants, would each have charge of a squad to lead into the fight, and in Jimmy's squad were Bob and Iggy, the corporals.