DISCOVERING A GERMAN RANGE FINDER
It seemed as though every one they met knew Frisky, for some of them
whistled to him, and a few tried to entice him to follow, but on the
journey to the west of the hill he followed the boys' footsteps, and
seemed to recognize no one but them.
"That must be a battery up there," almost shouted Ralph, as he gazed
ahead, and pointed to a ridge newly made, apparently, of fresh earth.
"It certainly looks like it," answered Alfred, with enthusiasm, as he
bounded forward eagerly to reach the top.
Evidences of the effect of shells now became more pronounced, although
holes in the earth and the fallen debris had been noticed everywhere,
even before they had reached the hillside.
"It must be a battery of big guns up there," remarked Ralph, as they
sat down for a few moments of rest.
"Yes, that last shot sounded bigger than a 75," answered Alfred.
"I wonder what Frisky is doing over there?" said Ralph, glancing across
a small ravine to the left, where the animal was engaged in briskly
pawing the earth.
"I suppose he has treed something; suppose we investigate," replied
Alfred.
They quickly found their way through the tangled brush and broken stone
down the little hollow and up again to the mound-like structure where
Frisky was engaged.
"What have you found?" asked Ralph, as they neared the scene.
Frisky answered with a quick yelp, and kept on digging. Evidently there
was something in the burrow before him.
"What kind of animals do they have here in France?" said Ralph. "I
don't think I ever saw even a field mouse since we came here."
"No wonder; we've never been anywhere except in spots like this, and it
is certain animals wouldn't last long in such places," replied Alfred.
"We might help Frisky out a little," said Ralph, as he grasped a stick,
and began to rake out the earth.
While they were at work Alfred was lying with his back against a low
mound. He happened to turn around and noticed that the upper part of
the elevation was smooth, and contained certain marks and inscriptions.
"What's this?" shouted Alfred, as he arose and gazed down on it.
Ralph, somewhat startled, sprang out of the hollow and drew himself up.
"What have you got?" he asked.
"Here is a mark of some kind; now what can it be?" said Alfred,
pointing down to the stone.
"That is singular," remarked Ralph. "A cross, a circle, two arrows, and
a set of figures. I suppose it means something, and is there for some
purpose."
[Illustration: _A German Range-finder_]
"It may be a surveyor's post; no, that's not the name of it either.
What was it the professor called the marking place where they measure
from?" asked Alfred.
"I don't know what you mean," said Ralph.
"Why, when they locate a station, or a particular spot and then sight
from that place to the next;—what is it called?—oh, I know; it's a
_bench_," said Alfred.
"So it is; I had forgotten the name," answered Ralph.
Frisky kept on digging, and had worked his way in until he was almost
hidden.
"I am afraid you will have to stop," said Alfred, but Frisky didn't
cease his efforts. "Come on, we might as well reach the top," continued
Alfred, walking away.
Ralph gave another glance at the inscription, and turned to follow. As
he gazed across the brow of the hill he stopped.
"Alfred," he said, "this arrow points straight to that hill in the
southwest; do you see that figure there? I wonder if there is anything
in that?" said Ralph.
"I wish I had a straight stick, and then we could tell exactly,"
remarked Alfred, as he looked around for something to verify the
assertion.
"Use a string," said Ralph. "Here is one; wait, and let me stand right
over the stone. Now, I'm going to stretch it and hold it parallel with
the arrow below. When I give the word sight along the string and see
whether or not it crosses the hill in the distance."
"All right," answered Alfred. "Lower the right hand a little; it
over-shoots the hill too much; are you ready?"
"Yes; how is it?" asked Ralph.
"Oh, it points down to the hollow left of the hill," said Alfred, "so I
suppose the mark must be intended for something else."
"Come on, Frisky; enough of that," shouted Alfred. "Up the hill," and
he marched off whistling.
After Ralph started Frisky jumped out of the hole, gave a few
discouraging barks, and leaped after the boys.
Within fifteen minutes the motor camp was reached; then great cave-like
holes were noticed, stored with huge shells, and numerous smaller
caves, in which were men lying about.
"There the guns are," said Alfred. "Well, they have them nicely hidden,
and I don't see how the flyers would ever pick them out the way they
are arranged."
A guard blocked the way, and a corporal approached. "Your business," he
said.
"We are from the 14th French Artillery; just came out of the hospital a
few weeks ago," said Ralph.
"Have you authority to pass the lines?" asked the corporal.
"No; we just came over from the field base today; didn't think it was
necessary," said Alfred.
"I will report," said the orderly, as he turned on his heels and
marched alongside the hill to one of the dug-outs.
An officer approached; the boys saluted.
"From the 14th, I understand," he said. "Any credentials?" he quickly
remarked.
The boys looked at each other, for they were now conscious of the fact
that they did not have the first evidence to sustain the contention
that they were members of the 14th.
Ralph shook his head. Alfred reached into his pocket and drew out
the certificate of the physician, which detailed the wounding, the
detention at the hospital, and the discharge.
The officer examined the paper with some interest.
"We were never regularly enlisted in the artillery, but we helped them
out when they had the big drive there a month ago," said Ralph. "It was
there we were wounded."
"Here is something that may be just as good," said Alfred. "We did
belong to the Aviation corps, and got wounded while serving there, too,
and here is our discharge, and the other certificate from the hospital."
"That looks pretty straight," said the officer. "Come in and you may
look around for a half hour. At that time the firing will proceed, and
no one is permitted closer than the motor house."
"Those guns are the same size as the ones mounted on the dunes at
Dunkirk," said Ralph, after a silence, as he glanced under the cover of
the first one.
"What do you know about the Dunkirk guns?"
"We were there nearly a week before we went to Paris," said Alfred. "We
had an opportunity to examine them while they were hauling them out of
the boats and setting them up," replied Alfred.
"Why, that was at the beginning of the war," remarked the officer.
"Yes; it was just after they drove us across northern Belgium," said
Ralph.
"Where were you driven from?" asked the officer, in a surprised voice.
"From Antwerp," said Alfred.
"So you boys took a hand from the first?" he asked.
"Yes, from the very first day, and, I guess, from the first hour," said
Ralph, with a smile.
"When was that?" asked another officer, who had overheard the remark.
"At five o 'clock, on the 3d day of August, 1914," said Alfred in
measured tones.
"Right you are," responded the officer.
As they passed the third giant field piece, the gunners were at setting
up exercise,—that is, going through their paces initiating a green
squad of recruits in the manoeuvers necessary to load, aim and fire.
"That looks natural," said Ralph, "and they do it well, too; but we
never had any exercises except with the 75's."
"Look at that hill over there; they are pointing straight at it; so it
seems to me. Isn't that the hill we saw from the bench marks below?"
asked Alfred.
"So it is," answered Ralph. Then, turning to the officer, he continued:
"Are you bombarding that hill?"
"We are not sure where they are located, but they have a powerful
battery somewhere there, and we have tried for two weeks to find it.
You see we are three and a half miles from that hill," said the officer.
"You should aim for that hollow directly north of the hill," said
Alfred.
Both officers looked at Alfred, who nodded his head and kept a sober
face. Both men began to laugh. "What makes you think they have their
big battery there?" asked one of them.
"Because we have just been examining the bench mark which the Germans
left on the side of the hill," replied Ralph.
"What do you mean? Where?" asked the officers in a breath.
The questions were almost shouted. The excitement attracted others near
by.
"That can't be possible," said one of the officers.
"Do you mean," said another, "that the fellows over there left a range
mark?"
"Well, we don't know about that, exactly, but in coming up,—here
Frisky,—our dog treed something in a hole,——"
"Treed in a hole,—ha, ha,—that's clever!" interrupted one of the
officers. The others laughed in unison, and the boys joined.
"Well, that's what we call it, at any rate," continued Alfred. "So we
went over to help him out. Right near the hole was a big flat stone on
top of a mound, and it had the cross marks on it, some circles, and
arrows, and also some marks."
"Where is that?" asked an officer, now thoroughly sobered.
"But what made you think it had anything to do with that hill over
there?" interrupted another.
"Because the arrow pointed that way, but when we made a test we were
disappointed, as the arrow went straight to that hollow place that I
referred to, north of the hill. Now, there may be something in that; I
don't know," said Alfred.
"That is something worth looking into; accompany us," said the officer.
On the way to the narrow cut which led to the roadway, the commanding
officer of the battery appeared.
"What is this I hear about finding a range mark left by the Germans?"
he asked.
The matter was explained to him.
"It looks to me like a bench mark," said Alfred, as they walked down
the hill.
"So you have been a surveyor?" said the commander.
"No, sir; never did anything in that line, but take lessons; what made
you think so?" asked Alfred.
"That happens to be my line, and the term is one rarely, if ever, used
outside of the profession," he remarked. "And, by the way, Lieutenant,
did you order the theodolite brought down?"
"I did, sir!" was the response.
The party picked their way along the brush, Ralph and Alfred in
the lead. Back and forth they stumbled over the hillside, but the
longed-for spot seemed to elude them.
"Now, isn't that singular?" said Ralph. "It seemed to be on a rather
level spot, and there was a ravine, not a deep one, which we had to
cross to get there. It may be further around the hill, for we could
see across the country to the east from the bench."
Back and forth, up and down, and still it could not be located.
"You are sure it is not far from the road?" asked one of the officers.
"Why, we were so near we could hear Frisky pawing and barking,—where
is he now? Hello, Frisky!" cried out Alfred. "Come, Frisky."
There was a short, quick bark to the right, and Ralph waved his
cap. "He's over there; he's at the hole now," shouted Ralph, as he
disappeared in a gully.
Ralph was observed climbing the steep incline at the other side and the
party followed.
"Good boy, Frisky!" said Alfred, as he came up and stooped down to pat
the dog.
"That's a remarkable animal; and where did you get him?" asked the
commander.
"He adopted us down in the village this afternoon," said Ralph with a
chuckle.
The commander threw his head back and fairly shook with merriment at
the remark.
"Ah! that's the devoted dog that used to live at the stone cottage,"
said one of the officers. "I know him now."
"Here's the bench," said Ralph, "and it's through Frisky we found it."
The officers gathered around the stone and examined it with intense
curiosity. The sketch of it, which is here appended, shows the marks
and the figures. The face of the stone was about fourteen inches
across and perfectly flat. On this was a cross, the limbs of which were
a foot long.
The crosses indicated the cardinal points of the compass; that was
evident, as one of them had, at its extremity, the letter N. Two
circles were scribed, the center being at the crossing point of the two
limbs. One arrow pointed northeast, the other southeast, one having the
figure 7 at the point, and 47 across the middle of the body, while the
other had 5 at the apex and 52 across the body.
The commander examined the stone intently for several minutes,
occasionally shaking his head. Evidently something puzzled him.
"I cannot understand the meaning of the circles, and of the numbers
which appear attached to them, namely, 300, 60 and 200. It is possible
they may be there as a mere blind," he said.
"Captain, isn't it possible that it may be a bench erected by the
French surveyors previous to the war?" asked an officer.
"It is not at all likely," replied the captain. "In the first place,
the marking is not such as the French surveyors use; and, in the second
place, the arrows are meant to show a point which would be of no value
to a topographical survey except for finding certain distant objects."
"Then what do the figures attached to the arrows mean?" asked an
officer.
"The apex figures are kilometers, and those on the bodies of the arrows
represent meters," answered the captain.
"Well, the one with the 5 at the end does seem to point to the hill we
have been shelling for the past week," said an officer.
"Put up the instrument and get the exact angle," said the captain.
This was done. The boys' experiments were confirmed.
"It is just two and a half degrees north of the peak of the hill," said
the officer, looking through the instrument.
"And it is 5 kilometers, 52 centimeters distant, and a little over, as
the plus mark indicates," said the captain.
"Now, if that is the distance to the place over there, we have the
exact range also for the other point, 7 kilometers and 47 centimeters
beyond. The question in my mind is," said the officer, "has it
reference to a battery location?"
"Have you figured out the distance of 5.52 kilometers in miles?" asked
the captain.
"Yes; it is a trifle over three and a half miles, or to be exact,
18,488 feet," said the officer.
"You see that corresponds within a hundred feet or so of the
triangulated measurement we made of the hill," said the captain.
"One thing is sure, however, that if their big battery is on that hill,
or near it, they have some way of protecting it, for they are doing as
much damage with it as the first day we started in," said the officer
addressed.