Germans or the troops from America, that one or the other was starting a raid. Then the machine guns would open fire, they would be augmented by the rifles of the men, and if the shooting kept up long enough, the rival batteries would awaken and the big guns would speak. 

It was one day when the three chums had been on duty in the front-line trench about a week that, as they were talking about the chance of seeing Professor Snodgrass and helping him in his search for the two girls, something spun past Ned's head with a whine, and, with a vicious ping, imbedded itself in the trench wall behind him. 

"What's that?" exclaimed Bob. 

"That sniper again," answered Ned. "That's the closest he's come. We'd better move, fellows, or he may get one of us." 

"A sniper!" exclaimed Jerry. "Has he been taking pot shots at you?" 

"Several of 'em. I've tried to get him, but I can't figure out where he hides. Better move down the trench a bit. He seems to train his gun on this particular spot." 

"Gee!" gasped Bob. 

Bob and Jerry had moved up from their own stations to where Ned was placed, as it was a quiet period of the day, and it was while they were talking that the shot came. 

"I'd like to have a try at him," said Jerry. "It's queer he can send a bullet down into this trench. It must come from above. A shot from the German trenches wouldn't reach here over the top, unless it was fired up, and landed here as it came down." 

"Then it would be a spent ball," argued Bob, "and it wouldn't sing out the way that one did." 

"You're right," agreed Ned. "It was fired from above—you can tell that by the slant it took as it came in. But it didn't come from an airplane. There hasn't been any over the trench for a long while. No, it's some German sniper, and he's out there in the woods, I believe. Up a tree, most likely, where he can fire down into our trench. He must have a long-range rifle." 

"We ought to try to get him," argued Jerry. "Have you, Ned?" 

"Yes, I've tried to bait him so I could find out where he shoots from and nip him in return, but I haven't been able to." 

"Then I'm going to have a shot at him," 

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