The Boy Allies
On The Firing Line
OR
Twelve Days Battle Along the Marne
By CLAIR W. HAYES
AUTHOR OF
"The Boy Allies at Liège"
"The Boy Allies With the Cossacks"
"The Boy Allies In the Trenches"
A.L.BURT COMPANY
NEW YORK
Copyright, 1915
BY A. L. BURT COMPANY
THE BOY ALLIES ON THE FIRING LINE
THE BOY ALLIES ON THE
FIRING LINE.
CHAPTER I.
TERRIBLE ODDS.
"Feels pretty good to be back in harness, doesn't it, Hal?" asked
Chester, as, accompanied by a small body of men, they rode slowly
along.
"Great!" replied his friend enthusiastically. "And it looks as if we
were to see action soon."
"Yes, it does look that way."
The little body of British troopers, only forty-eight of them all
told, with Hal Paine and Chester Crawford as their guides, were
reconnoitering ten miles in advance of the main army along the river
Marne in the great war between Germany and the allied armies. For
several hours they had been riding slowly without encountering the
enemy, when, suddenly, as the little squad topped a small hill and the
two boys gained an unobstructed view of the little plain below, Hal
pulled up his horse with an exclamation.
Quickly he threw up his right hand and the little troop came to an
abrupt halt.
"Germans!" he said laconically.
"And thousands of 'em," said Chester. "They haven't seen us yet. What
is best to be done?"
The answer to this question came from the enemy. Several flashes of
fire broke out along the German front, and the boys involuntarily
ducked their heads as bullets sped whizzing past them.
"Well, they have seen us now," said Hal; then turning to the men: "To
the woods," pointing with his sword to a dense forest on his right.
Rapidly the little body of men disappeared among the trees.
"Up in the trees," ordered Hal, "and pick them off as they come!"
Swiftly the troopers leaped from their horses and climbed up among the
branches. Here all could easily command a view of the oncoming German
horde.
Rapidly the enemy advanced, firing volley after volley as they
approached; then, at a word from Hal, the British poured forth their
answer. And such an answer! Before the aim of these few British
troopers, accounted among the best marksmen in the world, the Teuton
cavalry went down in heaps.
There was a perceptible slackening in the speed of the approaching
horsemen. Then, as the English continued their work, firing with
machine-like precision and deadly accuracy, the Germans came to a
halt.
"What are they stopping for?" cried Chester. "There are enough of them
to overwhelm us!"
"I believe they fear a trap," replied Hal. "They are afraid we are
trying to ambush them with a larger force. We must keep up the
delusion if we expect to get away."
So saying, he ordered the men to the ground, and the little force
advanced to the extreme edge of the woods. So far not a man had been
even wounded, for the Germans, unable to see that their foe had
climbed into the trees, had aimed too low.
From the edge of the woods the British poured several volleys, and
then, as the enemy finally began an advance, they retreated slowly,
firing as they flitted from tree to tree.
Apparently, Hal had rightly guessed the cause of the enemy's
indecision. They advanced slowly and warily; and when they finally
gained the edge of the woods there was not a Briton in sight; but from
further in among the trees the leaden messengers of death still struck
the Germans, and man after man fell in his tracks.
Now the man nearest Chester threw up his arms and with a cry fell to
the ground. The lad made as if to go to his assistance, but Hal stayed
him with a word, and the little body of English continued their
retreat, firing as they went.
Suddenly the pursued emerged from the woods into the open. A distance
of half a mile lay between them and the next clump of trees. In this
half a mile there was nothing that would afford shelter; and the
Germans were approaching nearer every second.
Hal did not hesitate.
"We shall have to make a dash for it!" he cried. "One more volley,
men, and then run!"
One more death-dealing volley was delivered at close range, and then
the little troop of English turned and fled. But they had traversed
scarcely half the distance when the Germans reached the edge of the
woods, and poured a volley into them.
Hal groaned as men fell on all sides of him. But still those who were
left ran on. At length they reached the friendly shelter of the trees,
but half their number lay behind, either dead or dying.
Once more, screened from the enemy, Hal halted the men.
"We may as well fight it out here," he told them. "We will hold them
off if we can, and if not we must retreat slowly, keeping behind
whatever cover offers."
A faint cheer went up from the handful who were left, and they turned
determinedly to face their foes. They did not waste their fire. As the
Germans came again into view, the British rifles cracked. Their
marksmanship was superb, and rather than face this deadly fire the
enemy halted.
Then began a game of hide and seek, with death the penalty for all who
were seen. The firing was only at intervals now. Wherever a German arm
or leg showed itself, a British rifle sounded and a German was
accounted for.
For almost half an hour the game continued; and it was kept up until
darkness fell. Fearing that it was the intent of the British to lure
them into the hands of a strong force, the Germans did not attempt a
charge, but contented themselves with trying to pick off their foes as
they flitted from one tree to another.
But if the Germans had suffered, so had the English. Of the little
troop of fifty, there now remained, besides Hal and Chester, but ten
men. The two boys seemed to bear charmed lives, for neither had been
struck once. They had exposed themselves to all dangers as well as had
the troopers, but fortunately no German bullets had reached them.
And still the few English fought on. Now that darkness had fallen and
two more men had dropped, Hal ordered those who were left to make a
last dash for life. He sprang from behind the tree which had sheltered
him, and Chester and the few remaining troopers joined him. Then they
turned and sped as rapidly as the darkness would permit in the
direction of their own lines.
Now that the fire of the English had ceased entirely, the Germans
halted, puzzled. It was impossible for their officers to tell whether
the enemy had all been killed, or whether the silence heralded the
approach of a larger force. Their indecision undoubtedly saved the
lives of Hal and Chester and the eight troopers, for had the Germans
advanced they would have experienced little difficulty in killing or
capturing them.
Silently but swiftly the ten forms dashed through the woods, and when
at length they once more emerged into the open country they were
completely exhausted.
"Well, I guess we are safe, what is left of us, at any rate," said
Chester as they halted to take a much needed rest. "It's terrible to
think of those poor fellows we left behind."
"It is, indeed," replied Hal; "but I don't think they would complain.
The British soldier is not that kind."
"You are right," agreed Chester. "And each accounted for more than one
of his country's foes before he went down. Were you hit, Hal?"
"No. Were you?"
"No. But come, we had better be pushing on again."
With the loss of their comrades still preying upon their minds, the
little troop continued on its way; and while they are hurrying onward
we shall take time to introduce Hal and Chester more fully to those
who have not met them before, and to relate how it came about that
they were serving in such an important capacity with the British army
in France.