the bombardment of rheims was in full blast, and here it was that the boys witnessed a strange combination of war and peace. unaffected by the terrific shelling of the town, refugees from northern france and belgium were busy in the country picking grapes for the french champagne yield.

“can you match that?”

billy marveled at the scene presented.

henri and reddy were intently watching the flight of shells, some of which struck the cathedral, and a boy bugler, between 14 and 15 years old, who came out of the heat of the fray, told them that a shell had fallen on one of the high altars and had considerably damaged it.

this youngster had the grit, for he was as cool as a cucumber under fire, and with his battalion had been nearly all day where bullets flew thicker than flies in egypt.

“that was quite a shake-up,” referring to the shell explosion in the cathedral, “but,” assuming[133] the easy air of one accustomed to such things, “it wasn’t a marker to some of the whacks i’ve seen coming from those howitzers.

“i’m from dover; name stetson; came over with the marine brigade; from where does your ticket read?”

the youthful bugler was looking at billy.

“from bangor, maine, united states of america; barry is the family handle, and the front name is billy.

“mr. stetson, i’ll have you know mr. henri trouville and mr. joseph mouselle, i think that is the way you pronounce it, isn’t it, reddy?”

“oh, call me jimmy,” jovially urged the newcomer; “what’s ‘misters’ between friends?”

“did you know capt. leonidas johnson and mr. josiah freeman in dover?” asked billy.

“did i know them?” cried jimmy. “did i know the town-clock and the wharves? they’re the flying machine men, and i have hung around their hangars so much that i must have worn out my welcome. to tell the truth, though, i am on the waver between an a?roplane and a submarine. i’ve have had some training, too, in the underwater boats. say, coming back at you, do you know capt. johnson, or just heard of him?”

“rather well acquainted with him, i should imagine,” stated billy with a smile; “henri and i rode up here in the captain’s seaplane.”

[134]

“gee whiz, then, you’re the aviator boys i have heard about. i was in london when that happened, and when i came back to dover to say farewell to mother i had no more than time to wave a hand to the captain before the ship sailed for ostend.”

“do you mean to say that captain johnson and josh freeman are in dover?” was billy’s excited query.

“just so,” stoutly maintained jimmy. “i saw them with my own eyes.”

“glory be!” billy was happiest when he said that.

“hear that, henri, old boy? capt. johnson and freeman are safe in dover.”

billy could not help repeating the glad tidings.

“wonder how they got away?”

henri would have been mightily pleased to talk it over with the old boys that very minute.

billy had already added jimmy to his good friend list, and these two kept up a running fire of questions aimed at one another.

a?roplanes and submarines were dissected and put together again many times during the lively conversation.

“how did you get so far from the water? you ought to be blowing a fog-horn instead of a bugle, jimmy.”

“i’ll tell you, billy,” replied jimmy, “that it was[135] just a fluke that i got anywhere outside of prisoners’ quarters. they picked up a bunch of us at nieuport, and one of the german officers asked me if i had run away from school. the fact that they classed me kindergarten furnished me the chance of skipping, and i starved my way to the camp of the coldstream guards. they were going my way or i was going theirs, and here i am.”

the boys had a reminder about that time that a war was going on, for chunks of lead began to purr over the exposed position where they were grouped.

“blow a retreat,” suggested henri to the bugler; but none of them waited for that signal to get to cover.

so great had grown their confidence in the new friend that henri and billy at mess that evening jointly gave him details of their adventures in the chateau and the tunnel, and even told about the treasure they were carrying.

jimmy was an eager listener, and as the tale unfolded, his admiration for the prowess of his new comrades reached the top degree.

“i’ve joined the band,” he insisted earnestly, “and i’m going to see you through. count me in from date.”

“if we only had leon with us now,” laughed henri, “we could push over an army.”

“you bet leon was a good one.”

[136]

billy had more than once declared that if he ever got near to a place where they stocked christmas ships there would be something special in the cargo for the little belgian.

when the sergeant roll-called the boys, as usual, that night he was requested to include jimmy.

“if i adopt a few more of you,” he grumbled, “i’ll be fit for the presidency of bedlam.”

but the sergeant’s bark was far worse than his bite.