CHAPTER IV
THE BATTLE OPENS
For forty-eight hours the greatest of modern artillery duels had ragedincessantly. German guns swept the French positions in all sections ofthe Verdun region. Fortresses protecting the approach to the city ofVerdun had been shattered. The Germans had hurled two and three shells toeach one by the French.
But after the first day the French had entrenched themselves behindtheir earth breastworks, hastily dug and thrown up, and now remainedsecure. Into these the German guns now poured their fire. The defenderswere ready for the first attack by infantry, which it was realized wouldcome soon.
And it came even sooner than was expected.
Hal, with a despatch for the officer in command of the first line troopsjust to the north of Verdun, was about to return when there came asudden shout:
"Here they come!"
Hal turned quickly.
There, perhaps half a mile away, stretched out a long thin line, barelyvisible through the dense cloud of smoke that overhung the ground. Haltook in the situation, instantly. The German infantry was advancing tothe charge under artillery support.
Behind the first long line stretched out a second and beyond that a thirdand a fourth and many more. They advanced slowly in the face of a rain oflead turned on them by the men in the trenches. Men fell to the right andto the left, Hal could see, but the gaps were filled instantly and thelong lines pressed forward.
Now they were within three hundred yards and the heavy German guns becamesilent. The advance now must be made without further artillery support,for the German batteries could not fire without imminent danger ofshooting down their own men. The Germans broke into a run.
From behind the French earthworks was poured a hail of lead, but it didnot serve to check the approaching foe. On to the breastworks they cameand clambered up. Behind the first line came many more and they swarmedupon the defenders like bees in a hive.
Bayonet met bayonet and revolvers cracked. Men struggled with their barehands. Friend and foe went down together, struggling to the last. On theright and on the left, though Hal could not see these actions, similarscenes were being enacted. The Germans had made their initial advanceupon a front of almost fifteen miles.
A bugle sounded.
French reinforcements were rushed forward to aid the hard-pressed men inthe first line trenches. More Germans poured in. The struggling masssurged backward and forward. Then the French broke and fled, and Halfound himself among a panic-stricken mass of humanity, running for lifefor the protection of the second line trenches. From behind, thevictorious Germans fell to their knees and poured a steady rifle fireupon the vanquished. Over the heads of their fleeing countrymen thesecond line French troops returned the fire.
Hastily the Germans fell to work throwing up earthworks facing the secondFrench line. Under experienced hands the breastworks sprang up as if bymagic. They entrenched calmly under the rifles of the French infantry andthe heavy guns of the French batteries, though men fell upon all hands.
Far away, but coming closer, the German batteries now opened fire on thesecond French trenches, firing above the heads of the victorious Germaninfantry. The infantry action subsided. The duel of big guns was resumed.
Chester, who had been despatched by General Petain with orders, arrivedthere to witness a scene similar to the one Hal had seen in the center.The German assaults had been successful all along the line. The Frenchhad lost their first line trenches on a front of approximately twelvemiles. Only at one or two isolated spots had the Germans met reverses;and these few points that the French still held were doubly dangerousnow. They could not be given the proper support. Later in the day theywere abandoned.
Hal and Chester returned to their posts about the same time. Each wassadly disappointed at the result of the first infantry fighting. Forseveral hours they were kept on the jump carrying despatches, and it wasafter dark before they found themselves alone together after thestrenuous day.
"Pretty hard," said Hal, shaking his head sadly.
"I should say so," Chester agreed. "It seems to me that those fellowscould have been stopped."
"It doesn't to me," declared Hal. "The way they swept into our trenchesseemed to me beyond human power to stop. I'm glad they stopped when theydid. They probably could have gone farther."
"They'll try again to-morrow," said Chester positively.
"I'm afraid so," agreed Hal; "and if they do, I'm afraid they'll drive usback again."
"And what's the reason?" demanded Chester.
Hal shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know," he said. "Of course they can only progress so far.They'll wear themselves out by their own exertions. They lost a greatdeal more heavily than we did to-day; but certainly it seemed as ifnothing could stop them."
There was little rest for Hal and Chester that night. It seemed to boththat they had hardly closed their eyes when they were again summoned toGeneral Petain. Assembled there they found the entire staff. The Frenchcommander was reviewing the events of the day and issuing orders andinstructions rapidly. He realized that there would be more and probablyharder fighting on the next day and he was laying his plansaccordingly. Hal and Chester received their instructions for the morrowalong with the rest.
Returning to their own quarters again, they were attracted by the soundof confusion a short distance away.
"Something up," said Chester. "Let's have a look."
Nothing loath, Hal followed his chum.
In the light of a large camp fire they made out a crowd of soldiersgathered about in a large circle. Howls of amusement and hilariouslaughter rose on the air. Hal and Chester pushed closer and were able toascertain the cause of merriment.
In the center six French soldiers held a blanket and in the center ofthis blanket was a man. He rose and fell as the six men alternatelyreleased the blanket and then drew it taut again. He was yelling at thetop of his voice to be let alone and threatening dire vengeance on histormentors when he would be able to get at them. But he was laughing andtaking the joke good naturedly.
Hal and Chester joined the circle of spectators and derived as muchamusement as the others from the proceedings. At length, tiring of theirpresent victim, the men lowered him to the ground. One of them, a large,strapping fellow, perhaps thirty years of age, cast his eye around thecircle of faces.
"Let's get another one," he shouted.
There was a chorus of assent from the others and all six set to lookingabout for a victim who would not prove too willing. As Hal said toChester, apparently there was no fun tossing a man who took it goodnaturedly.
At last the big fellow gave a howl of delight and dashed forward. Halgazed after him. As the big fellow bounded forward, a slight figure inthe first row turned and ran. But the big fellow overtook him anddragged him back.
"Here's one, men," he cried. "See, he doesn't want to come with me. Hedoesn't know what a good time he is going to have. We'll give him agood one."
The others lent a hand and dragged the unwilling captive forward. As theywould have put him on the blanket, the youngster--for such the captiveproved to be--protested.
"Some other time, fellows," he said. "I'm sick to-night. I hadn't oughtto be out at all, but I couldn't stay in the tent any longer. I'll letyou toss me in the blanket some other time, but please let me aloneto-night."
From where Hal and Chester stood it was plain to see that the boy wastelling the truth. His face was deathly pale and he looked very ill.
"Great Scott," said Hal, "they shouldn't torment him. He is tellingthe truth."
"Certainly he is," Chester agreed. "I believe the boy is very ill."
But the young French boy's protest fell on unheeding ears.
With loud guffaws the men grabbed hold of the blanket and sent thecaptive spinning aloft. Two, three times he rose and fell, and upon thelast was still in the blanket. Apparently the men who held the blankethad not noticed this, however, for they were preparing to toss him aloftagain. But Hal had
detected the lad's condition. He decided it was timefor some one to interfere, and as no one else apparently was ready tocall a halt on the proceeding, he determined to take a hand himself.
Quickly he shed his overcoat and then tossed off his jacket and passedthem to Chester.
"Hold 'em!" he said, and sprang forward.
At the edge of the circle he halted and gazed at the big Frenchman, whohad chanced to turn in his direction.
"Let the boy go," he said. "Can't you see that he is unconscious?"
The big Frenchman grinned at him. When Hal had taken off his coat, he hadremoved all signs of his rank and the soldier had no means of knowing hewas an officer.
"One more toss," said the Frenchman.
Hal stepped close to him.
"The boy is unconscious," said the Frenchman, and added: "Then we'lltake you."
He nodded to the others in signal that it was time to toss; but before hecould move, Hal had seized him by the wrist and whirled him around.
"You heard me," the lad said quietly. "I meant what I said."
He gave the Frenchman's arm a quick twist and the man dropped his hold onthe blanket. The Frenchman's hold on the blanket released, the lad uponit tumbled to the ground, where he lay still. Instantly several othersbent over and gave their attention to bringing him to. The man whom Halhad confronted turned on him angrily.
"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.
"I told you to let the boy alone and I meant it," said Hal quietly.
For answer the Frenchman struck at him. Hal dodged the blow and steppedback. He would have avoided a fight if possible. But the Frenchmanstepped after him and struck again. Again Hal dodged and the blow passedharmlessly over his head. The lad struck out quickly with his right andcaught the Frenchman a hard blow upon the side of the neck. Big manthough he was, the Frenchman toppled over. Hal walked back to where hehad left Chester, donned his coat and the two moved away.
Behind them, as the big Frenchman staggered to his feet there was a howlof merriment. The Frenchman shook a fist angrily at Hal's back.