CHAPTER XXIII WHERE VICTORY WAS SEIZED
More than half a dozen men in military uniforms could be seen, each onewith a pair of binoculars in his hands, and most of them sweeping thehorizon in their intense eagerness to watch how the fortunes of thebattle ebbed and flowed. Now it might be one of them would point aquivering finger toward some particular spot where he had detectedevents of a thrilling nature developing. Then they would compare, notes,and perhaps send a messenger hurriedly to inform the commander-in-chiefof what was going on.
The boys lost little time in making use of the field glasses that hadbeen placed in their hands. It was a picture worth seeing, as theyfollowed along up and down the ridges where those billowing clouds ofsmoke told of action.
They picked out many batteries of friend and foe from these signs; theycould watch the movements of heavy bodies of moving troops as they wereflung forward at some supposed weak place in the French lines; and thenobserve the shock when machine-guns opened upon them, so that thecompanies dwindled away to mere squads, and these in turn to individualsdrifting back in an uncertain way to where they had started forth sobravely.
Again they felt all the thrill that goes with a battle. No doubt, too,they experienced something of the horror also; for it was not theircountry that was being trodden under the iron heel of the oppressor, northeir capital in danger of being captured again, as back in ‘71.
After taking a steady look along the whole front, as seen from that hilltop, the boys rested their eyes. Their friend the colonel was conversingwith some of his fellow officers; Thad even suspected that he might betelling them of the exploit carried through by the boys in faded khaki,whose presence there at such a crisis must naturally have aroused thewonder of the Frenchmen; for several times he saw the latter look theirway.
“Hello! where’s Bumpus now?” suddenly demanded Allan, showing that inall the excitement he had not missed the stout chum until then, butsupposed the other must be only hanging behind, as usual.
“I hope now he hasn’t got lost as he did the other night, though I don’tsee how he could, coming only that short distance, and in broad daylighttoo. Thad, what’s the answer?” and Giraffe turned on the patrol leaderas he demanded this.
“Well, the poor fellow just got cold feet, that’s the truth of thematter,” was the way Thad explained it. “You know he isn’t built on thesame lines as you happen to be, Giraffe. Bumpus has seen about all thefighting he can stand. And between us I give him credit for staying backby the car.”
“Oh! well, I’m not so crazy as to want to see much more myself,”admitted the tall scout. “It cuts me to the bone to see such terriblethings; but stop, and just think how proud we’ll all be some day to beable to declare we watched this wonderful battle that’s going down inhistory as one of the greatest ever known. It means a whole lot to getup and say, ‘yes, that’s right, because I was there, and saw it with myown eyes!’”
“All of the officers seem to be watching one particular place now,”advised Thad; “and we’d better follow suit. They act as if they thoughtsome vital stroke might be on the carpet over there on the left.”
Accordingly all of the boys leveled their glasses again. It was easy totell which way to look, because they could figure that out by a glanceat the Frenchmen. No one was talking just then, but every officer hadhis eye intently glued to his binoculars. And no sooner did Thad focusupon the distant ground than he saw why those men were in such a stateof suspense.
The Germans were making possibly the most savage assault of the wholeday. They had issued forth from cover, and were crossing the open groundin dense masses. It was simply amazing to see how splendidly those rankskept their formation even after all manner of machine-guns, and those oflarger bore, opened a hailstorm of lead and iron.
If men went down, as they undoubtedly must have done here, there andeverywhere, like leaves falling from the trees with the Autumn wind, theslight gaps were not noticeable at that distance, for others simplyclosed in, and the solid mass kept charging on and on like a machinethat, once set in motion, could not be stopped by any power on earth.
Away back of the first lines came a second and still a third formation.These of course were the reinforcements meant to take up the fight afterthose in the lead had been so dreadfully thinned out that they no longermade a force to be feared. Perhaps there were even other masses stillwaiting to follow, though those who came later would have to pick theirway over a field of fallen men.
If in this way they managed to break through the French lines it mightmean the beginning of the end. That one point was likely to bring abouta decision in the great battle; for it would mean a reformation oflines, with the initiative in the hands of the Germans.
Thad could not blame those French officers for watching with white lipswhat was taking place. He understood what was at stake as well as theycould do. Nevertheless, the fact that his sympathy lay with the Frenchbecause they were the “under dog” in the fight, did not prevent him fromfeeling the greatest admiration for those stanch German lines of men whokept moving along shoulder to shoulder while their ranks were being sosteadily decimated by the machine-guns and batteries of larger pieces.
Everything would depend on what happened in the next few minutes. Thadcould see that the Frenchmen were intently watching the play of thegame, and that they must be anticipating some vital move that wouldalter things in their favor.
Again he sealed his eyes to the end of his glasses. Across the openthose masses were still sweeping, though the first lines were dreadfullythinned out by now, and with good reason, if those dots upon the greensward in their rear meant all that Thad believed they did.
Suddenly one of the officers uttered a shriek. It had a note of joyabout it that told Thad something had happened. Why, the shells were nolonger bursting in the midst of the front ranks now. As if at a givensignal to every battery at work, the range had been raised and now a_barrage_, or curtain of fire had been established between the first andsecond lines of Germans. This was intended to shut out thereinforcements completely, while the machine guns cleaned up what wasleft of those who could not retreat, and whose advance meant simplywalking into the arms of death.
“Look at the Frenchies!” exclaimed Giraffe, with possibly a touch ofboyish contempt in his voice; for of course he could not understand whatthis meant to those almost frantic men, any more than he couldappreciate their emotional dispositions.
Americans or British under similar conditions would have shaken hands asthey congratulated each other over the successful outcome of theengagement that meant so much for victory; Frenchmen must embrace, andeven kiss each other on the cheek, an action that caused Giraffe toshake his head in disgust, for it seemed so womanish to him.
Thad, listening, heard those men exchange congratulations as though theytruly believed that the victory must be clinched; and that from then onthe German army would be forced to retreat toward the north, where nodoubt they already had a line marked out along the River Aisne at whichto make a stand in case of disaster.
The next time he looked through his glasses Thad was shocked to observethat the masses of German troops had dwindled to a mere handful. Thesemen still struggled blindly, obedient to the call of duty to push on;but they were like so many blind men staggering amidst the wreckage ofthe regiments of fallen.
Strange to say, it was Giraffe who first let his hand holding theglasses fall at his side. The roar was so great even at that distance hecould not be heard when he spoke, though he raised his voice to a shout.But Thad, reading the movement of the other’s lips, could guess theimport of the words; and he set them down as being:
“Well, I’ve had enough, I guess; let’s get away from here, boys. Seemslike the rest of the Kaiser’s army has fallen back, unable to face thatcurtain of fire. It is France’s big day, and that goes!”
Yes, later on, when the whole truth came out, it was learned thatdespairing France, almost at the last gasp, to
ok on a new lease of lifein that hour when the most violent assault of the enemy failed to pierceher lines, and the German army was hurled back along the Marne. Joffrehad discounted the tactics of the best of the Kaiser’s great generals;and his sun was steadily heading toward the zenith. There was noBismarck, no Von Moltke there to guide the destinies of the invadinghost; and France had consequently won a most important victory.
Neither of the others thought to say a single word calculated to causeGiraffe to alter his mind. Truth to tell, both Thad and Allan wereheartily sick of looking upon such terrible sights, and would only toogladly shut them out of their minds for the time being, if it could onlybe managed. They knew full well they were bound to be haunted by much ofwhat had fallen to their observation during those blood-stirring daysand nights spent so close to the battle lines in France.
So only waiting to catch the eye of their friend, the colonel, Thadbeckoned to him. The officer hurried to join them. His face shone withsuch deep satisfaction as could only spring from seeing some cherishedobject accomplished.
“We win the fight, my brave boys!” he told them joyously as he wentaround to shake hands with each one in turn; and Giraffe half drew backas though a little afraid lest the effusive Frenchman might feel temptedto clasp him around the neck, and actually kiss him on the cheek.
However, they were spared that exhibition of French emotion, for whichGiraffe at least must have been vastly pleased.
“Then you believe the Germans will give it up after this, do you,M’sieu?” asked Thad, wishing to make sure they had gauged thingscorrectly.
“It was their last and most powerful stroke,” they were proudly told.“But they could not brush aside our valiant army, standing to theirguns, and cutting great swathes through the padded lines. Already weknow the order has gone out for a general retreat. After this it canonly be a series of rear-guard actions, for they will try to hold us incheck as long as possible, so that trenches may be completed in thenorth of France, where the defeated army expects to make a stand. ButFrance has been born again this day, and never again shall the foot of aGerman foe be set in the streets of our beloved Paris. It has beenwritten over there where you saw what happened. What more can I do foryou, my young friends?”
“We have seen enough and to spare, M’sieu,” said Thad, smilingly. “Werejoice with you that the victory is won, and your capital saved; butthese are no scenes for boys to feast their eyes on. So we had better goour way, and try to find in Paris the mother of our chum, where weexpect she is waiting for our coming.”
“I applaud your sentiments, young M’sieu,” said the officer, gravely. “Ihave a boy of about your age at my home near the Mediterranean, wherewith his mother he lives at peace. Not for anything would I wish himhere, to have his young soul harrowed by these terrible sights andsounds. It is bad enough for old campaigners like myself, who have seenservice in Algiers. We have already sent the great news to ourcommander, whose heart will sing with joy, for he must know France hasbeen saved this day. And now I myself will accompany you to where youleft your comrade and your car, that I may say farewell to you as you gofrom us.”