The Boy Allies On the Firing Line written by Clair Wallace Hayes
C >>
Clair Wallace Hayes >> The Boy Allies On the Firing Line
Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 The Boy Allies On The Firing Line
OR
Twelve Days Battle Along the Marne
By CLAIR W. HAYES
AUTHOR OF "The Boy Allies at Liege" "The Boy Allies With the Cossacks"
"The Boy Allies In the Trenches"
1915
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.
CHAPTER II.
TWO YOUNG LIEUTENANTS.
Sturdy American lads, young though they were, Hal Paine and Chester
Crawford had, when this story opens, already seen considerable military
service. Each had received his baptism of fire during the heroic defense
of the Belgian city of Liege, which had held out for days against the
overwhelming horde of Teutons.
In Berlin with Hal's mother when the war broke out, they had been
separated from her and left behind. With Captain Raoul Derevaux, a
gallant French officer, and Lieutenant Harry Anderson of the British
army, they finally succeeded in making their way, after many desperate
experiences and daring adventures, over the Belgian frontier, as told
in the first book of this series, entitled "The Boy Allies at Liege."
They had reached Liege in time to take an active part in the defense of
that city.
In escaping from Germany, each had done his full share of fighting and
each had been wounded. They had finally reached Brussels, where they
remained some time, while Hal's wound healed sufficiently to continue his
homeward journey. As the result of their heroic actions, the Belgian
commander at Liege had mentioned them so favorably in his report to King
Albert, that he had bestowed upon them commissions as lieutenants in the
Belgian army as a mark of distinction for their bravery.
It was while waiting in Brussels that they again encountered Lieutenant
Anderson, from whom they had been separated, and it was through his
inducement that they now found themselves attached to the staff of Field
Marshal Sir John French, commander of the British forces on the
continent, engaged in scout duty.
At the time when this story opens they had been sent in advance of the
main army on a reconnaissance.
The German advance through Belgium into France, up to this time, had been
steady, although the Allies had contested every foot of the ground. Day
after day and night after night the hard pressed British troops, to which
Hal and Chester were attached, had borne the brunt of the fighting. But
for the heroism of these comparatively few English, slightly more than
one hundred thousand men, the Germans probably would have marched to the
very gates of Paris.
But the arrival of the British troops had been timely, and under the
gallant command of Sir John French, they had checked the overwhelming
numbers of Germans time after time. The bravery of these English troops
under a galling fire and against fearful odds is one of the greatest
military achievements of the world's history.
Slowly, but standing up to the enemy like the true sons of Great Britain
always have done, they were forced back. They stood for hours, without
sight of the enemy, men dropping on all sides under the fearful fire of
the great German guns miles away. While the French, farther south, gave
way more rapidly, these few English stood their ground.
Time after time they came to hand grips with the enemy, and at the point
of the bayonet drove them back with terrible losses. These bayonet
charges were things of wonder to Hal and Chester in spite of the fact
that they had been in the midst of similar actions before Liege.
As the French and Belgians advanced in a wild whirlwind of fury, the
English went about the business of a charge more deliberately, though
with the same savage determination. They charged swiftly, but more
coolly; gallantly, but more seriously, and the effect of their charges
was terrible. The Germans who came on in the face of the fierce rifle and
artillery fire, could not face the British bayonets, and time after time
were driven back in disorder.
And as the British charged, always the words of their battle-song,
fated for some unfathomed reason to become historic, rose above the
sounds of battle:
"It's a long way to Tipperary.
It's a long way to go;
It's a long way to Tipperary,
To the sweetest girl I know.
Good-by, Piccadilly,
Farewell, Leicester square.
It's a long, long way to Tipperary,
But my heart's right there!"
Liege had fallen before the invading German hosts, though several of the
forts still held out; Louvain had been captured and its beautiful
buildings burned to the ground. Brussels had been invested by the
Teutons. In Alsace-Lorraine the French had been forced to relinquish the
spoils won in the first days of the war. General Pau, after a stubborn
resistance, had fallen back, and General Joffre, commander-in-chief of
the French army, also had been forced to retire.
So close to Paris were the Germans now that the seat of government, the
day before this story opens, had been removed to Bordeaux. Homes and
other buildings in the French capital were being razed, so that the great
French guns in the city could sweep the approach to the town
unobstructed. Paris, the most strongly fortified city in the world, was
being prepared to withstand a siege.
And still the Germans came on. Several of the enemy's war aviators flew
over Paris and dropped bombs in the streets. This occurred upon several
days, and then the French airmen put an end to these daring sky fighters.
After this, no more bombs were dropped on Paris.
But as the Allies fell back, it was always the few British troops that
time and again checked the Germans. The morale of the English was
excellent.
In a final desperate charge, a small body of British cavalry had
succeeded in driving back the German vanguard, while the main body of
English retired still further. Then this little body of men returned,
their number much smaller than when they had charged.
For some time now there had been no sign of the enemy, and Hal and
Chester, with a small squad, had been sent toward the enemy's line to
reconnoiter. It was while on this reconnaissance that they had been
attacked by the Germans in force.
Slowly the two lads and the eight men, all that was left of the fifty who
had gone forth, continued their retreat. They had gone forth on horses;
they were returning afoot. Their mounts were in the hands of the enemy.
From the rear, in the darkness, still came the sounds of firing.
"Evidently they have not given up the pursuit," said Hal.
"No; and they are probably mounted. Let's turn off into this little
woods," replied Chester.
They did so, and followed by the remaining eight troopers continued on
their way.
As they came to the edge of the woods, Hal, who was slightly in advance,
stopped suddenly, and raised a warning hand. The little party halted.
"What's the matter?" asked Chester in a whisper.
"Germans!" replied Hal briefly.
Chester approached closer and peered over his friend's shoulder. Less
than three hundred yards ahead he could dimly make out moving forms.
"Perhaps they are not Germans," said Chester hopefully. "How did they
manage to get behind us?"
"I don't know," replied Hal. "But I am sure they are Germans. Some way, I
can feel it."
"Well, what are we going to do?"
"We shall have to try and go round them without letting them hear us.
Otherwise we are likely to be killed or captured."
Making a wide detour, the little party continued on their way. For an
hour they walked along unmolested, and then, suddenly, from almost
directly before them, came a cry, in German:
"Halt!"
CHAPTER III.
WITH THE ARMY AGAIN.
In the dimness of the little woods in which they stood, the boys, at
first, could not see the man who had accosted them.
At a word from Hal the little party came to a halt.
"Who goes there?" came the question from the darkness.
"Friends!" replied Hal in German, which he spoke like a native.
"Advance!" came the reply, and the shadow of a German soldier, with his
rifle raised, ready to fire, suddenly appeared before them.
It was too dark for the German soldier to make out their uniforms until
the English were upon him. Then he started back with a cry.
"English!" he exclaimed in surprise.
His amazement, slight though it was, proved his undoing. For as he
staggered back Hal sprang forward, and the butt of his upraised rifle
fell with stunning force upon the German's head. The soldier dropped to
the ground with a slight moan.
"We'll have to get away from here quick!" exclaimed Chester. "Come on,
men, follow us!"
Silently the little party, bearing off slightly to the right, went
forward. Suddenly Chester stopped and clutched Hal by the arm.
"Great Scott!" he whispered. "Look! We are right in the middle of them!"
It was true. Ahead of them, in a long line running in each direction, the
boys could see figures sprawled on the ground. It was a German force
sleeping. There was not the sign of a light, a tent, or a hut. Here and
there the boys could make out the dim form of a sentry flitting about.
"We have certainly got into a mess," whispered Hal.
"We have that," replied Chester. "Shall we make another detour?"
Hal thought for a few moments.
"I believe the best way is to try and go right through them without being
seen," he replied at length. "There is no telling how far this line
stretches out, and if we didn't get around them by daylight it would be
all off with us."
"But the sentries?" asked Chester.
"Well, we shall have to dispose of anyone who sees us without being
heard. That's all there is about it."
"All right, then," said Chester. "We might as well move at once."
The plan was outlined to the men and they went forward. A moment and they
were in the midst of the sleeping Germans. It was plain now that the line
of sleepers stretched out for some distance, but that it was not very
deep. Three minutes undiscovered and they would be through safely.
Silently they crept between the sleeping soldiers. There was a certain
amount of safety in the very boldness of the plan, for it was unlikely,
should a sentry see them moving about, he would take them for English;
and even if he did now, they would be able to make a dash with some hope
of success. The German soldiers, tired and completely exhausted, slept
heavily, and not one so much as moved in his sleep.
The little party was now at the last line of sleepers, and just as Hal,
believing they had accomplished their difficult task, drew a breath of
relief, a form suddenly appeared from the darkness before them. It was a
German sentry.
Before he could make an outcry Chester and Hal both leaped forward. The
former's hands grasped the German by the throat, stifling the sound of
his voice, and Hal quickly delivered two hard blows to the man's face.
The German fell limply into Chester's arms, and the boy laid him quietly
on the ground.
Then they moved forward again. The sounds of the scuffle had aroused no
one. But suddenly there was the sound of a fall behind. Turning his head
quickly, Hal perceived the cause of this commotion which caused such a
racket in the stillness of the night.
One of the English soldiers had tripped over the body of a sleeping
German and had fallen across him. He was up in a moment, but so was the
German, sleepily hurling imprecations at the disturber of his slumber.
Before the German soldier was able to arouse himself, the Englishman
dealt him a heavy blow over the head with his rifle butt. But the noise
had brought another to the scene. There was the sharp crack of a rifle,
and the English soldier who had caused all the trouble pitched to the
ground. To the right Hal and Chester saw another sentry, a smoking rifle
in his hands.
At the sound of the shot the whole German camp sprang to life as if by
magic; and at the same instant Hal shouted:
"Run!"
At full speed the little party, only nine now, dashed forward. The other
man lay dead in the German camp. There was a hoarse German cry of
command, and a hail of bullets followed the fugitives into the woods. No
man fell, though two groaned, and one dropped his rifle. The darkness
made accurate shooting by the Germans impossible.
Not pausing to return the fire of the enemy, the fugitives stumbled on
through the woods. Another and another volley came from the pursuing
Germans, but they were firing at random now, and the fact that Hal and
Chester had led the way well to the right augured well for their chance
of safety.
But as the darkness made accurate shooting by the Germans impossible, so
it made speed by the fugitives impossible also. They stumbled along as
well as they could, now and then tripping over a fallen limb or tumbling
into a hole. Tired and almost exhausted, they at length emerged into the
open, and broke into a weary run.
"We have got to get under cover of some kind before they reach the edge
of the woods, or we are gone goslings," panted Hal.
Suddenly, in the darkness, they came upon another clump of trees, and as
they stumbled into their shelter another volley rang out. One man
groaned and stumbled. A comrade lent a supporting hand and dragged him
into the woods.
"We'll stop here a moment and pick off a few of 'em," said Hal grimly.
The Germans were now advancing across the open space. Lying upon the
ground, the nine opened fire. They aimed carefully and not a shot was
wasted, and so rapid was their fire that the Germans halted.
"They don't know how many of us there are," said Hal, "and they are
afraid to take a chance. One more volley, men, and then up and run for
it again."
A final volley was delivered with telling effect, and the English sprang
to their feet and darted through the woods. The Germans gave them a
parting shot, but there was no pursuit.
"That was pretty close," said Chester.
"It was, indeed," replied Hal, "and there is one more of our men gone.
"Was anyone wounded?" he asked, turning to the others.
"Shot in the shoulder, sir," replied a man named Brown.
"They got me in the arm," said another.
"Anyone else?" questioned Hal.
There was no reply, and Hal asked:
"Are you two men able to go on without assistance?"
"Yes," was the reply.
"Good! Then come on."
All night long the little party continued on their march, and it was not
until the first gray streak of dawn showed them, in the distance, the
first British line that the boys felt entirely safe.
Their report made, they were returning, later in the day, to their
quarters to seek a much needed rest, when a well known voice exclaimed:
"Well, boys, how are you?"
The lads turned quickly about; then each gave a cry of delight and
grabbed the man who had accosted them by the hand.
"Captain Derevaux!" they exclaimed in a single voice.
"No," replied the gallant Frenchman, with a smile. "Major Derevaux, if
you please!"
CHAPTER IV.
THE GERMAN RETREAT BEGUN.
Hal and Chester stood for some minutes grasping their friend by the hand.
"Major, eh," ejaculated Hal. "I'm glad to hear that!"
"So am I," declared Chester. "I am sure no one deserved promotion more
than you."
"Thanks," laughed the major.
"Tell us," said Hal, "what are you doing here? I thought you were with
the Southern army."
"I am; but I carried dispatches to General French, and if I mistake not,
they are important ones. I believe that plans have been brought to a head
and that we shall take the offensive soon."
"Good!" cried Chester. "We have been retreating long enough."
"But," Hal protested, "we can hardly advance in the face of such odds; we
must have reinforcements."
"Well," said Major Derevaux, "strong reinforcements already are arriving,
and I believe that the advance will be general along our whole line."
"That will mean severe fighting," said Chester.
"Indeed it will," replied the major. "It will mean fighting such as the
world has never heard of before. It will mean death for thousands upon
thousands. But the Germans must be pushed back."
"And the Kaiser will find that he is not to have things all his own
way," said Hal.
"Exactly," returned the major. "But I must leave you now, boys. I must
return to my own regiment at once. Good luck to you!"
"Good luck!" exclaimed the boys as the major turned on his heel and
strode rapidly away.
The two lads returned to their own quarters and gave themselves up to
rest. So completely were they worn out that it was dark when they again
opened their eyes; and they probably would not have done so then had not
the clear notes of a bugle awakened them.
Rushing into the open, the lads saw that on all sides the troops were
ready to move--whether forward or backward they could not tell as yet. It
was evident, however, that something was afoot.
Hal and Chester made their way to the side of General French and joined
the members of his staff. The gallant British commander was sitting his
horse quietly, his staff grouped about him. Occasionally one went dashing
away with some order, as the general gave a laconic command.
The boys had hardly taken their places when General French said quietly:
"Order a general advance!"
A moment later and the small though mighty host of Britain was in motion,
and a loud cheer rang out on the still night air as the troops perceived
that they were going forward--that the retreat had ended.
Swiftly and silently the army advanced. Ahead could be heard the crack,
crack of rifle fire, indicating that the outposts were engaged with the
enemy. Also, from the distance, could be heard the booming of the great
German guns, and as the English advanced still further men began to fall
before the deadly German artillery fire.
But the British did not falter; they plodded on as steadily as before.
Then, after two hours of rapid marching, came the sudden command to halt.
A moment later and a squadron of British cavalry came into view,
retreating before a large force of Germans.
Pages:
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11