"Get under cover quickly!" shouted a voice.
The boys turned, but were unable to detect the speaker. "I suppose we must obey," said Ralph.
"Hide? But where?" asked Alfred.
"Wheel down to the hollow," cried Ralph.
The hollow was reached, and in their eagerness they almost fell into the ditch. It was the third line, filled with men ready to do their duty. Frisky tumbled in with a yelp and a growl.
"What's the matter?" asked Ralph, as he picked himself up from the bottom of the trench.
"The Germans are making a counter attack over a front of a mile," was the reply of the corporal.
"Then we are just in time," said Alfred. "Any guns handy?"
The men looked amused at the request. "Well, that's no laughing matter," said Ralph. "We're not here for the fun of the thing."