LEFT BEHIND
The Germans had drawn off again.
The last assault had met with no better success than had the attacks that
had gone before. True, the defenders had suffered considerably, for the
German fire had been accurate; but the losses of the French had been as
nothing compared with those of the Teutons.
This last assault had been more severe than the others. The Germans had
shown even greater tenacity and courage than before. In vain had their
officers sought to hold them to the attack. Once, twice, thrice had the
human sea surged against the farmhouse, only to be thrown back; so at
last the Germans had withdrawn.
Dead and wounded men strewed the floor. There were still some who had not
been touched by the bullets of the foe, but the majority of the defenders
of the top floor lay prone.
Hal shook his head sadly.
"Don't believe we can withstand another such charge," he said aloud.
"How long yet, sir?" asked the grizzled old veteran, Francois, who,
though he had kept his place at the window through the last attack, had
escaped the German bullets.
Again Hal gazed closely at his watch.
"Twelve minutes to go," he said quietly.
The face of Francois brightened.
"Then we are all right, sir," he said. "They will hardly attack again in
that time, sir."
Hal shook his head.
"They are likely to attack at any moment," he replied slowly. "Besides,
if we do succeed in beating them off once more, there is nothing to
assure us that we will be relieved then."
"Nothing sir," returned Francois, "except Captain Leroux's word that we
have only to hold this house two hours, sir."
"True," said Hal, brightening visibly. "I shouldn't have spoken as I did.
We must trust to the others, and if they fail, why, we'll know it is not
their fault."
"Right, sir," said Francois. "If they fail, it will not be their fault."
He returned to his place at the window.
On the floor below Captain Leroux also had taken account of his
casualties. Merely a handful of men remained unwounded. Some of the
men who had felt the effects of the German fire were still in
condition to continue the fight should their services be necessary,
but their number was few.
The captain shook his head dubiously as he glanced at his watch.
"Ten minutes," he muttered. "Well, we'll hold it that long, but
afterwards I can't be held accountable, there will be none of us left."
In the basement Chester and his five men still were unmarked. Though they
had stood at the small windows and fired at whatever German forms came
within view, they had had little work to do, the men were beginning to
murmur among themselves.
"We're not needed down here," said one. "We should be upstairs where the
fighting is being done. No Germans will seek to come in here."
"That's right," said another, "we might do some good above. Here we are
doing nothing at all. Why, we have hardly seen a German. I don't believe
any of the enemy have spotted this opening yet, either."
"Nor I; wish they had let me stay upstairs."
"What's all this?" demanded Chester, suddenly. "You men have been in the
ranks long enough to know better than to question your officers' orders.
You have been posted here and here you shall remain until I get orders to
the contrary."
"But, sir," said one of the men, "we would like--"
"Silence!" said Chester. "Back to your places."
The men obeyed, though they continued to murmur. Chester softened a few
minutes later and again addressed his men.
"I have no doubt you fellows will have all the fighting you want before
this thing is over," he said quietly. "As nearly as I can make out from
here the men upstairs must be about done for. I question whether they
will be able to beat off another attack."
"And are the two hours up, sir," asked one of the men.
Chester glanced at his watch.
"Not quite," he returned.
"How much to go, sir?"
"A little more than five minutes."
The man's face darkened.
"And we'll be relieved at the end of that time without having done any
fighting," he said. "Here we sit down here in the dark and the other
fellows have all the fun."
"You're liable to get yours yet," said Chester. "If I mistake not,
the Germans are returning to the attack. I hear the sounds of firing
from above."
Chester was right. The Germans again had advanced to the charge.
Above, Hal and Captain Leroux were issuing orders to their men for what
each believed would be the final effort. Should this attack be repulsed,
both had some slight hopes that they would not be compelled to face
another--that French reinforcements would arrive before the Germans could
advance again. But, also, neither was sure in his own mind that the
approaching attack of the foe could be beaten off.
And this time the Germans seemed to be advancing in even greater numbers
than before.
"Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!" came the spatter of German bullets
against the side of the house; and occasionally a bullet struck home and
left no sound, unless it was the sound of a man toppling over backwards
to the floor, or a man as he clapped his hand to his head. The rifle
bombardment was having its effect.
The sharp crack of French rifles answered the challenge of the Germans,
though, because of the fact that the ranks of the defenders had been
sadly depleted, their weapons spoke not so often. But when they did
speak, men fell; for, at this crucial stage of the battle, they were
making every shot count.
But this time, it seemed, the Germans were not to be denied. Men as
well as officers understood the slowness of the French fire. The
Germans were flushed with the spirit of victory, despite the fact that
the field on all sides of the farmhouse was covered with their own dead
and dying. The German soldiers realized, as did their officers, that
the end of the courageous defense was near. Another effort and the
farmhouse would be theirs.
For some reason, in spite of the fact that the German troops appeared to
be making fair progress, their advance was suddenly stayed. At some
distance they halted and continued to pepper the house with rifle
bullets, doing little damage at that distance.
Horses dashed suddenly into view, dragging behind them a rapid-fire gun.
Hal guessed the answer.
"That's to mow us down when we try to run," he told himself. "Well--"
He broke off and shrugged his shoulders.
Now the Germans came on again, the rapid-fire gun covering their
advance. A moment later the side of the farmhouse resembled a sieve, it
was so full of holes. For a man to stick his head out the window meant
instant death.
But as the Germans drew closer, the rapid firer became silent, for,
without risking the lives of Germans as well as French, it was of no
value now. At the same moment the heads of the defenders again
appeared at the windows and renewed the work of picking off the
Germans as they charged.
For some reason Hal took the time to glance at his watch once more.
"Time's up!" he told himself gravely, "and no help in sight."
But the lad was wrong; for, could he have looked from the rear of the
house at that moment, he would have seen advancing several columns of
French cavalry, coming to their relief.
The Germans saw the approach of reinforcements and redoubled their
efforts to gain the farmhouse before the reinforcements could arrive. But
it was too late. With wild cries, the French cavalrymen swept down and
about the house. Cheers from the defenders greeted them. The men left
their places at the windows and ran from the house. Hurriedly the wounded
were carried out and the retreat begun.
And at that moment the Germans, also reinforced, charged again. Greatly
outnumbered the French retreated, firing as they went.
Then, for the first time, Hal noticed Chester's absence.
"Great Scott!" he exclaimed to Captain Leroux, "we have come away without
notifying the men in the basement."
Quickly the two made their way to the French commander and laid the
situation before him. The latter shook his head sadly.
"It's too late now," he said quietly. "Look at the number of the foe. We
could not make headway against them."
He was deaf to all Hal's entreaties that he make the effort.
In the basement, Chester and his five men had been unable to ascertain
the cause of the increased firing at one moment and the lull a moment
later. Chester had about decided that the defenders had given up and that
he and his men in the cellar were all that remained.
From his window he could see the Germans only when they came into a
certain position; and what went on above he had no means of telling. But
that the others would go and leave him and his men behind had not entered
his head. Therefore, he decided to remain quiet with his men.
But when an hour had passed and there came no more sounds of firing from
above, Chester decided it was time to investigate. Accordingly, he
ascended the steps quietly.
There was no one above. The lad gazed about quickly. Except for the dead,
there was no Frenchman in the house. Bloodstains on the floor showed that
the wounded had been removed.
Then Chester realized what had happened.
Quickly he ran to the door and peered out. Far in the rear he could see
the French retreating, pursued by the foe. Chester uttered an exclamation
of dismay and called to his men. He explained the situation to them. All
were dumbfounded.
At that moment Chester espied an object a short distance from the
farmhouse. There was no living form near. With a sudden cry of hope,
Chester dashed from the house.
"Come on, men!" he called over his shoulder.