CHAPTER VI.
THE BRIDGE IS HELD.
At a sign from General French Hal and Chester approached and saluted.
"Where have you been, sirs?" demanded the British commander.
Hal stepped forward and explained their absence.
"And you were in the midst of the charge?" questioned General French,when the lad concluded.
"Yes, sir!"
"And are not even badly wounded?"
"No, sir!"
"Wonderful!" exclaimed the general. Then, after a few moments'silence: "You seem to bear charmed lives. I believe you are the twofor my mission."
"Yes, sir!" exclaimed Hal eagerly.
"Both of you report to me in an hour," ordered General French.
The two lads saluted again and moved away.
"Wonder what he wants?" said Chester.
"Too deep for me," was Hal's reply.
"He said something about a mission. I guess that means more excitementfor us."
"I guess you are right. However, I am sure we can go through with it,no matter what it may be."
"We can try, anyhow. That's the best anyone can do."
At the appointed time the two boys made their way to General French'sheadquarters.
"I have an important piece of work that must be done, and which willbe attended with grave danger; are you willing to undertake it?" askedthe British commander, coming to the point without preliminaries.
"We shall do our best, sir," replied Hal.
"Good! The enemy has retreated beyond Meaux. To-morrow I shall try anddrive him farther. It is absolutely necessary that our movements benot anticipated. As you see we have lost many officers. I want you tolead one hundred men to a position just this side of the bridge. Theenemy must not be allowed to cross. One hundred men can hold thebridge as well as ten thousand. The men to go with you have beenselected. They have volunteered for this duty. Captain Lee will showyou where to find them. Hold the bridge! That is all!"
The two lads saluted and took their departure. They found Captain Lee,and with him were soon at the head of the little band of men who hadvolunteered to hold the bridge at Meaux against the whole German army,if necessary.
It was still dark, and it was a quiet little band that advancedthrough the British lines to take up their positions at the extremefront. A long range artillery duel was still in progress in spite ofthe darkness, but little damage was being done by either side.
Having retreated beyond Meaux, the Germans had unlimbered theirartillery again and the British were replying. The little band ofEnglish, with Hal and Chester in lead, advanced to the edge of thebridge described by General French, and there took up their positions.
The bridge was very narrow, hardly wide enough for five men to walkabreast. On the British end the approach curved, making it impossiblefor one coming from the other direction to see what was at the otherend. It was indeed a strategic point for defense. The river was highand thus precluded any attempt to ford it.
All night long the little band of men lay at the bridge, ready forbattle on a moment's notice. All night long the shells of both theGermans and British flew screaming overhead; but none dropped nearthem.
With the first faint glow of the approaching day the little band ofBritish were awake. At Hal's suggestion they cut down trees, anddragged them to the end of the bridge, forming a barricade. Behindthis they lay down.
It was almost noon before the man stationed to watch the approach tothe bridge dropped quickly over the barricade and reported:
"They are coming!"
"All right," replied Hal. "We're ready for 'em!"
Under Hal's direction, a single line of rifles, twenty-five in all,appeared through the cracks of the barricade. The others had beendivided into three bodies--each containing twenty-five men--each bodydirectly behind the others. These were instructed to fill up the gapsmade by the German fire. Thus, as each man in the front rank fell, hisplace would immediately be filled by another, the second by the third,the third by the fourth, so providing twenty-five men fell the frontline would be still intact, although the fourth line would havedisappeared.
Hal and Chester took their places just in the rear of the first line,where they could see what was going on and direct the fighting.
"Do not fire until they come into sight around the turn," Capt. Leeinstructed his men. "Then mow them down, and make every shot count!"
Joking and humming to themselves, the men prepared for action. Thefirst line poked their rifles through the barricade and lay downbehind them. All was in readiness to repulse the attack.
Suddenly the first Germans appeared around the turn in the bridge,marching five abreast.
"Fire!" cried the captain, and the British rifles broke into flame.
Five Germans tumbled to the bridge.
A sudden idea struck Hal.
"There's no use wasting five bullets on each German," he told his men."Let the five men on the left each pick out a man. The rest reserveyour fire unless one of our men go down, then the one nearest him takehis man, and so on!"
The second five Germans were too close behind their comrades, who hadjust fallen, to arrest their steps in time to avoid the British fire.
Five shots rang out as they came into view, and again five Germansfell. So far not a shot had been fired by the Germans. But now fivemore came around the turn with a rush, followed by five more, andstill another five.
The first five dropped in a heap, but from the second five came aburst of flame and the crack of rifles. Two men behind the barricadedropped, one of whom was Capt. Lee. But the Germans paid dearly fortheir rash attack.
In less time than it takes to tell it, ten more Germans had bitten thedust. Then they drew off.
"Good work, men!" cried Chester. "We can hold them off indefinitely,"he added to Hal.
"Looks like it," was Hal's reply. "But if they make a concerted rushwe shall have our hands full. How is Capt. Lee?"
"Very bad," answered one of the men. "I am afraid he's done for."
And now the Germans came on again. The first five met the same fatethat had overtaken their comrades, but behind them came more, andstill more.
As each German rounded the turn in the bridge his rifle cracked, andcontinued to crack until he fell. Men inside the barricade also werebeginning to fall fast now, and the reserve lines were being drawnupon more rapidly each minute.
Hal and Chester, crouching down, directed the defense. In spite of thefearful havoc wrought by the British fire, the Germans came on. Thebridge was piled high with dead and wounded, but the enemy did nothesitate.
Their officers urged them on without regard for life, and bravely wentto death with them. Rifles cracked in a steady roar and men on bothsides fell rapidly. But each Englishman, sheltered as he was behindthe barricade, accounted for at least several of the enemy before hehimself went to his death.
Now the defenders had dwindled to fifty, and still there was nocessation of the German assault. The heaped up bodies of dead nowformed a barricade for the Germans, and they advanced and fell behindthem, using their dead companions as shields. Ten or fifteen rows deepthey stood behind their dead, and poured volley after volley into thedefenders.
The British reserved their fire as much as possible, but whenever aGerman head showed above the barricade of bodies a rifle cracked andalmost every time a German fell.
All afternoon the fighting continued, the Germans, because of thefierce fire of the remaining English and hampered by their own dead,being unable to rush the defenders.
There were less than twenty-five of the British unwounded. Hal andChester had both been struck, Hal on the arm and Chester on theshoulder. But neither was badly hurt.
"Hadn't we better retreat, sir?" asked one soldier of Hal, when therewas a let up in the firing.
"What chance would we have?" demanded Hal. "The minute we broke andran we would be shot down like dogs."
"Then we might surrender."
"Surrender! Never! We were
ordered to hold the bridge and we will holdit as long as we can."
The man subsided, and Hal turned his face toward the foe again. Therewas a sudden silence. The Germans drew off.
"Wonder what that means?" demanded Hal of Chester. "They certainly arenot going to give up. I wonder what they are up to now?"
"I can't imagine," replied Chester. "But they have something up theirsleeves."
"Well, we'll soon see," said Hal.
But he was mistaken; for just as the first German again appearedaround the turn, to be struck down by a British bullet, there was asudden deafening roar from the rear, and turning suddenly Hal andChester and the few brave soldiers who were left raised a feeblecheer.
Coming forward at a rapid trot were several squadrons of Britishcavalry, and far behind could be seen columns upon columns ofinfantry, advancing swiftly.
"Hurrah!" shouted Hal. "Saved! Hurrah!"
"Hurrah!" repeated Chester, and completely worn out, he tumbled overin a heap.