WHERE VICTORY WAS SEIZED
More than half a dozen men in military uniforms could be seen, each one
with a pair of binoculars in his hands, and most of them sweeping the
horizon in their intense eagerness to watch how the fortunes of the
battle ebbed and flowed. Now it might be one of them would point a
quivering finger toward some particular spot where he had detected
events of a thrilling nature developing. Then they would compare, notes,
and perhaps send a messenger hurriedly to inform the commander-in-chief
of what was going on.
The boys lost little time in making use of the field glasses that had
been placed in their hands. It was a picture worth seeing, as they
followed along up and down the ridges where those billowing clouds of
smoke told of action.
They picked out many batteries of friend and foe from these signs; they
could watch the movements of heavy bodies of moving troops as they were
flung forward at some supposed weak place in the French lines; and then
observe the shock when machine-guns opened upon them, so that the
companies dwindled away to mere squads, and these in turn to individuals
drifting back in an uncertain way to where they had started forth so
bravely.
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 their
country that was being trodden under the iron heel of the oppressor, nor
their capital in danger of being captured again, as back in ‘71.
After taking a steady look along the whole front, as seen from that hill
top, the boys rested their eyes. Their friend the colonel was conversing
with some of his fellow officers; Thad even suspected that he might be
telling them of the exploit carried through by the boys in faded khaki,
whose presence there at such a crisis must naturally have aroused the
wonder of the Frenchmen; for several times he saw the latter look their
way.
“Hello! where’s Bumpus now?” suddenly demanded Allan, showing that in
all the excitement he had not missed the stout chum until then, but
supposed 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’t
see how he could, coming only that short distance, and in broad daylight
too. Thad, what’s the answer?” and Giraffe turned on the patrol leader
as he demanded this.
“Well, the poor fellow just got cold feet, that’s the truth of the
matter,” was the way Thad explained it. “You know he isn’t built on the
same lines as you happen to be, Giraffe. Bumpus has seen about all the
fighting he can stand. And between us I give him credit for staying back
by 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 terrible
things; but stop, and just think how proud we’ll all be some day to be
able to declare we watched this wonderful battle that’s going down in
history as one of the greatest ever known. It means a whole lot to get
up and say, ‘yes, that’s right, because I was there, and saw it with my
own 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 thought
some vital stroke might be on the carpet over there on the left.”
Accordingly all of the boys leveled their glasses again. It was easy to
tell which way to look, because they could figure that out by a glance
at the Frenchmen. No one was talking just then, but every officer had
his eye intently glued to his binoculars. And no sooner did Thad focus
upon the distant ground than he saw why those men were in such a state
of suspense.
The Germans were making possibly the most savage assault of the whole
day. They had issued forth from cover, and were crossing the open ground
in dense masses. It was simply amazing to see how splendidly those ranks
kept their formation even after all manner of machine-guns, and those of
larger bore, opened a hailstorm of lead and iron.
If men went down, as they undoubtedly must have done here, there and
everywhere, like leaves falling from the trees with the Autumn wind, the
slight gaps were not noticeable at that distance, for others simply
closed in, and the solid mass kept charging on and on like a machine
that, 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 after
those in the lead had been so dreadfully thinned out that they no longer
made a force to be feared. Perhaps there were even other masses still
waiting to follow, though those who came later would have to pick their
way over a field of fallen men.
If in this way they managed to break through the French lines it might
mean the beginning of the end. That one point was likely to bring about
a decision in the great battle; for it would mean a reformation of
lines, with the initiative in the hands of the Germans.
Thad could not blame those French officers for watching with white lips
what was taking place. He understood what was at stake as well as they
could do. Nevertheless, the fact that his sympathy lay with the French
because they were the “under dog” in the fight, did not prevent him from
feeling the greatest admiration for those stanch German lines of men who
kept moving along shoulder to shoulder while their ranks were being so
steadily decimated by the machine-guns and batteries of larger pieces.
Everything would depend on what happened in the next few minutes. Thad
could see that the Frenchmen were intently watching the play of the
game, and that they must be anticipating some vital move that would
alter things in their favor.
Again he sealed his eyes to the end of his glasses. Across the open
those masses were still sweeping, though the first lines were dreadfully
thinned out by now, and with good reason, if those dots upon the green
sward in their rear meant all that Thad believed they did.
Suddenly one of the officers uttered a shriek. It had a note of joy
about it that told Thad something had happened. Why, the shells were no
longer bursting in the midst of the front ranks now. As if at a given
signal to every battery at work, the range had been raised and now a
_barrage_, or curtain of fire had been established between the first and
second lines of Germans. This was intended to shut out the
reinforcements completely, while the machine guns cleaned up what was
left of those who could not retreat, and whose advance meant simply
walking into the arms of death.
“Look at the Frenchies!” exclaimed Giraffe, with possibly a touch of
boyish contempt in his voice; for of course he could not understand what
this meant to those almost frantic men, any more than he could
appreciate their emotional dispositions.
Americans or British under similar conditions would have shaken hands as
they congratulated each other over the successful outcome of the
engagement that meant so much for victory; Frenchmen must embrace, and
even kiss each other on the cheek, an action that caused Giraffe to
shake his head in disgust, for it seemed so womanish to him.
Thad, listening, heard those men exchange congratulations as though they
truly believed that the victory must be clinched; and that from then on
the German army would be forced to retreat toward the north, where no
doubt they already had a line marked out along the River Aisne at which
to make a stand in case of disaster.
The next time he looked through his glasses Thad was shocked to observe
that the masses of German troops had dwindled to a mere handful. These
men still struggled blindly, obedient to the call of duty to push on;
but they were like so many blind men staggering amidst the wreckage of
the regiments of fallen.
Strange to say, it was Giraffe who first let his hand holding the
glasses fall at his side. The roar was so great even at that distance he
could 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 the
import of the words; and he set them down as being:
“Well, I’ve had enough, I guess; let’s get away from here, boys. Seems
like the rest of the Kaiser’s army has fallen back, unable to face that
curtain of fire. It is France’s big day, and that goes!”
Yes, later on, when the whole truth came out, it was learned that
despairing France, almost at the last gasp, took on a new lease of life
in that hour when the most violent assault of the enemy failed to pierce
her lines, and the German army was hurled back along the Marne. Joffre
had discounted the tactics of the best of the Kaiser’s great generals;
and his sun was steadily heading toward the zenith. There was no
Bismarck, no Von Moltke there to guide the destinies of the invading
host; and France had consequently won a most important victory.
Neither of the others thought to say a single word calculated to cause
Giraffe to alter his mind. Truth to tell, both Thad and Allan were
heartily sick of looking upon such terrible sights, and would only too
gladly shut them out of their minds for the time being, if it could only
be managed. They knew full well they were bound to be haunted by much of
what had fallen to their observation during those blood-stirring days
and nights spent so close to the battle lines in France.
So only waiting to catch the eye of their friend, the colonel, Thad
beckoned to him. The officer hurried to join them. His face shone with
such deep satisfaction as could only spring from seeing some cherished
object accomplished.
“We win the fight, my brave boys!” he told them joyously as he went
around to shake hands with each one in turn; and Giraffe half drew back
as though a little afraid lest the effusive Frenchman might feel tempted
to clasp him around the neck, and actually kiss him on the cheek.
However, they were spared that exhibition of French emotion, for which
Giraffe 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 things
correctly.
“It was their last and most powerful stroke,” they were proudly told.
“But they could not brush aside our valiant army, standing to their
guns, and cutting great swathes through the padded lines. Already we
know the order has gone out for a general retreat. After this it can
only be a series of rear-guard actions, for they will try to hold us in
check as long as possible, so that trenches may be completed in the
north of France, where the defeated army expects to make a stand. But
France has been born again this day, and never again shall the foot of a
German foe be set in the streets of our beloved Paris. It has been
written over there where you saw what happened. What more can I do for
you, my young friends?”
“We have seen enough and to spare, M’sieu,” said Thad, smilingly. “We
rejoice with you that the victory is won, and your capital saved; but
these are no scenes for boys to feast their eyes on. So we had better go
our way, and try to find in Paris the mother of our chum, where we
expect she is waiting for our coming.”
“I applaud your sentiments, young M’sieu,” said the officer, gravely. “I
have a boy of about your age at my home near the Mediterranean, where
with his mother he lives at peace. Not for anything would I wish him
here, to have his young soul harrowed by these terrible sights and
sounds. It is bad enough for old campaigners like myself, who have seen
service in Algiers. We have already sent the great news to our
commander, whose heart will sing with joy, for he must know France has
been saved this day. And now I myself will accompany you to where you
left your comrade and your car, that I may say farewell to you as you go
from us.”