The Belgians to the Front Part 10

"Listen," said Paul. "The fire is slackening a little, I think. You can see that what we did had some use--they have silenced a good many German guns already, through knowing just where to aim."

"What's that?" exclaimed Arthur, suddenly.

Overhead a strange noise filled the air; a shrieking, whining, whistling sound. It rose, as it came nearer, to a wild whistle, like the blast of a factory signal, releasing the workers at the end of the day's work. The two scouts stared at one another; then, without knowing why, they turned to look at the busy scene to the east.

Suddenly, before their eyes, there was a flash; a puff of white smoke rising in the ghostly radiance of the arc lamps, and, after a distinct pause, a dull crash. Then, as the smoke cleared, and they still stood awe stricken, they saw that the bursting sh.e.l.l had torn a great hole in the ground. They saw men running; others were crawling, dragging themselves painfully along. And others still lay very quiet.

For just a moment there was a scene of wild confusion. But then order was restored, and a knot of men ran to the two guns that were uninjured and ready. Paul dived down at once. Quickly he told what had happened, then raced up again. Another whistling overhead, and then a terrific explosion. The two guns lay overturned, ruined.

CHAPTER X

PRISONERS OF WAR

For five minutes the two scouts, appalled, horrified, stood as if glued to the floor, staring at the scene of destruction. The guns in Fort Boncelles had the range now. Nothing more than Paul's hurried message, "Your sh.e.l.l landed beyond the guns," had been necessary. Now sh.e.l.l after sh.e.l.l was dropped in the midst of the battery that had been wiped out before it could fire even a single shot. There was a deadly, terrifying accuracy about the whole proceeding. Miles away the Belgian gunners, safe in their concrete and steel turrets, were producing this waste and destruction--not by fighting, it seemed to Paul and Arthur, but by a blackboard exercise. That was all it really was.

"You see, they know just where their gun is, and they can adjust it to fire a certain distance. They can take a map, and fire a sh.e.l.l at any given spot, just by mathematics. They know the angle they must use, and they know just how far, and how fast that sh.e.l.l will go. It won't always go quite true, of course; that was why the first sh.e.l.l didn't strike just the right spot."

"But why is that, if everything is so exact? I shouldn't think they'd ever make a miss."

"Oh, there are lots of reasons. For one, after a gun has been fired a few times the inside is affected. The rifling is worn in places, and that gives a slightly different spin to the sh.e.l.l. It doesn't take much of a change in conditions to alter the course of a sh.e.l.l a good deal. And the weather counts, too. Sometimes there is more air resistance; on a day when it is damp and foggy, with low lying clouds, for instance. So, though they have the range exactly, they may have to alter what they call the formula a little."

"And they find out by shooting how nearly right they are?"

"Yes, that's just what they do. It's the only way they can do it, too.

That's why it's so important, when guns are being fired at targets miles away, to have some one report the effect of the first shot or two. In a regular battle, in open country, both armies will probably use aeroplanes in this war. The man in the aeroplane can see just where the sh.e.l.ls strike, and send back word."

"How?"

"In lots of ways. Some of the bigger ones have a small wireless equipment. Sometimes they drop bombs, that make a smoky patch in the air when they explode--they drop them right over the place the artillery wants to hit, and then the men with the guns get their instruments and figure out just what the range is."

"I don't think the Germans are so very brave, after all," said Arthur, in a moment. "They all ran as soon as the sh.e.l.ls began to come."

"That doesn't show they're not brave--it only shows that their officers have some common sense. What good could they do if they stayed there to be killed? They couldn't save those guns, could they? I'm sorry they couldn't have been warned, that's all. You see, they might have thought the first sh.e.l.l was just a chance, lucky shot and so they stayed after that, and tried to fire themselves. But when the second one came plumping into them they knew the truth--and the officers sent them to cover, just as any officers who knew their business would have done."

"I suppose it's war," said Arthur, a little gloomily. "But--"

"It's war right enough," said Paul, with a shudder. "It's not like the pictures we've seen of Waterloo, but it's war. But there'll be plenty of the other sort, too, before it's over, Arthur. You needn't worry about that. The Germans haven't had time to bring up very many men yet, but I expect they will, and they may try to rush the forts. Did you notice that they were stretching a lot of wire fencing near Fort Boncelles when we pa.s.sed it last night?"

"Yes. What was that for?"

"To stop an infantry charge, or to help to stop it. You see, an attack by infantry is likely to be made at night, when it's harder to see the men being ma.s.sed. And the wire fence piles up a charge. Oh, I think there'll be some pretty bad fighting of the old-fashioned sort before they capture Liege!"

"I don't see how they can capture Liege at all," said Arthur, stoutly.

"The firing of the guns has almost stopped; it seems to me that they've been beaten back."

"It seems so, but I'm afraid it isn't really true," said Paul, with a smile. "The Germans haven't begun yet, Arthur. And there are millions of them. They can put thousands of men in the field to our hundreds--they will outnumber us ten to one, at least. Liege isn't supposed to hold out against them very long. No one expects it to. If it checks them, keeps them from spreading all over Belgium in their first rush, it will have done its part fully."

"I'd like to see them beaten here, just the same," said Arthur, stubbornly.

"I'm going down to report what happened," said Paul. "Keep watch, Arthur, but I don't think we can do much more here. I believe that we won't have to stay here very much longer."

Boncelles had ceased firing by this time, and the close, immediate din was at an end for the time, at least. There was still heavy firing from the northwest, which Paul guessed was from the guns of Fort Pontisse, replying to an attack launched from Vise and Argenteau.

Major du Chaillu had said that the Germans would almost certainly try to cross the Meuse at Vise, which was the best place they could choose to launch the cavalry raid he said would be likely to form a part of their strategy.

"We will have troops there," he said, "to try to hold them back, supported by Fort Pontisse. But if they come in great force they can probably break through there, for the place is not well suited to defence."

Everywhere else in the circle that was closing about Liege the firing seemed to have died away. And Paul was anxious to know how the opening skirmish--as he correctly judged it to have been--had gone, as well as to make his report of what he and Arthur had seen. Delaunay was waiting at the Boncelles end of the wire.

"You are there at last!" he said, relief in his voice. "I was afraid you and your brave friend had been hurt."

"No, we're all right. It's the Germans who were hurt! You smashed that battery to pieces, lieutenant! They never got a single gun ready to fire. Your second sh.e.l.l smashed the two that were in position, and the sh.e.l.ls after that simply swept the location of the battery. I don't think the guns can be of much use--not for a long time, and until they have been thoroughly repaired, at any rate. How has the fighting gone elsewhere?"

"We are holding them along the Meuse, north of Pontisse. They attacked with their infantry there, but we beat them back easily."

"That is good news! We are holding them all along the line, then?"

"Yes, for the present. But they have not brought up large forces yet.

When they do, it will soon be over unless we receive heavy reenforcements. You two had better come in, if you can get away from your position without being detected. There is no more for you to do there. You have already accomplished far more than we hoped."

"We are to report to you at Fort Boncelles?"

"It makes no difference. No, I think you had better try to get into Liege itself and find Major du Chaillu. Good luck!"

"Thank you, lieutenant, and the same to Fort Boncelles! We will try to escape from here. I should think we ought to have no great trouble, for the Germans will be busy at their battery again, as soon as they find the sh.e.l.ling has ceased."

"Yes. We will give them another round or two at intervals during the night, just to let them know that we still think of them."

When he had finished talking to the fort, Paul proceeded to hide the telephone as well as he could. Sooner or later the Germans were certain to come to the garage and it was desirable, for a good many reasons, that they should find no evidences of the use to which it had been put. For one thing, it was impossible to tell what was going to happen. It might well turn out that further use could be made of the telephone later. And when Paul had done, he felt that it was highly improbable that the Germans could discover the installation. And then, just as he finished, Arthur cried out in a voice sharp with alarm, and Paul rushed up to join him.

The ground about the garage seemed suddenly to have sprouted soldiers.

There were men everywhere, hundreds of them, advancing in loose order.

For a moment Paul hung to the window, fascinated by the sight. Then he caught himself.

"It's an attack on Boncelles!" he said. "I'm going to warn them if I have time. I don't care what happens. Arthur, get away from here! If they come in, pretend you can't speak at all."

And on the word he was off, rushing down again, tearing away the cover he had provided for the telephone. He had to wait an agonizing two or three minutes before there was any answer, and once more he was sure that the wire must have been discovered and cut. But at last there was an answering voice in his ear, and he gave his news.

"Infantry?" asked Delaunay. "They must be mad!"

"They are planning a surprise attack, I suppose," said Paul. "There are a great many of them--and I am almost sure I saw some machine guns."

"If their battery hadn't been put out, I could understand," said Delaunay. "They might have attacked under the cover of a heavy fire from that. But to bring infantry against fortifications! It seems like suicide."

"I must go now," said Paul. "They are all around us. I don't know how soon they may come in. You will be ready for them?"

"Don't worry about that! We'll give them a hotter reception than they expect!"