t to inflict more or less damage upon the advancing German hosts, but evid

se who fight and run away may live to fight another day"; and the policy of these clever Frenchmen was to pester and annoy the oncomin

they were hastening along the dusty road and gave it up. It would take a much better athlete than he professed to be to manage such a thing as boarding o

caisson on which there was but a lone Frenchman. Doubtless his companion must have me

yed by the other animals. Perhaps they, too, had suffered from particles of a burs

ancy being left in the lurch by his mates, nor could it be p

nd allow poor Bumpus to climb aboard. He meant to do all in his power to influence the m

ould wish to get away from that region if such a thing were at all possible. And, being a Frenchman, and a gallant fellow i

ust what the exact meaning of the few words were, but understood his g

ould not be heard, such was the terrific din all around them. And hardly had he

units of the field battery; the detonations of exploding shells, which still continued to drop around them as though the unseen German gunners had the range down to a fraction; the difficulty of keeping th

ten seconds after they had passed. Had they been delayed just that length of time it must have blown

, who always wanted to be heard. With all that fierce jolting knocking

and trust to good fortune to presently carry them out of range of the German guns. Perhaps presently, too, they migh

, now the first gun was starting to pass over it, with the others, as well as the caissons, following swiftly behind. And higher rose that b

ed carriage supporting the gun and a human leg protruding from underneath the mass told of the terrible fate that had overwhelmed the d

l he had as much grit as the next one when it came down to a showing, and uttered no sound to indicate his dismay,

w approachin

mit to the range of the guns that were sending all those bombs around them, and the stream might mark this. Tha

as a perceptible limp to the gait of both animals. Only that constant lashing on the pa

than before they were taken aboard the caisson by the obliging driver. Afoot they would

ad saw him clap a hand to his shoulder. It gave the scout leader a chill, for he, of cours

other's ear, for the din made talking in o

e the reply; "but something struck me on th

self too

her, "and I expect you've had a wonderfully close s

e across the stream, for the bursting shells were more numerous than ever. It would be next door to a miracle if they were allowed

ach Paris from the northwest instead of going on down the coast to Boulogne and approaching from the rear,

somewhere. No doubt they had a place in view where another stand was likely to be made, wi

et somehow he seemed to have a queer suspicion that there was something

planks with their hoofs. Then came a staggering blow. It seemed to stop the advance of the

dimly seen flame; a rending of planks and beams, many of which rose high in t

idge w