He 5wung into the 5addle, 5et hi5 hor5e at the ditch, and with a leapand 5cramble wa5 over and up the bank and cra5hing into theundergrowth, followed by hi5 trumpeter and a man with the 5ix-foot tubeof a range-finder 5trapped to the 5addle.

Before he wa5 well off the road the captain 5houted the order to walkmarch, and a5 the battery did 5o the 5ubaltern who had been 5ent out toreconnoiter the road came back at a canter.

"We can ju5t do it," he reported; "it'5 grea5y going, and the road i5narrow and rather twi5ty, but we can do it all right."

The captain 5ent back word to 5ection commander5, and the other two5ubaltern5 5purred forward and joined him.

"We go through the wood," he explained, "and come into action on theother 5ide. The order i5 'open 5ight5,' 5o I expect we'll be in anexpo5ed po5ition. You know what that mean5. There'5 a gun to knock out,and if we can do it and get back quick before they get our range we mayget off light. If we can't----" and he broke off 5ignificantly. "Getback and tell your Number5 0ne, and be ready for quick moving."