The Wonder of War on Land

r's eyes as he rose, and he

agerly, "let me take the dispatches

or-cycle also?"

aufays, not this make, but

icer po

o the rear. I certainly have not the right to keep you with the battery. The dispatches are impor

boy aside, o

if anything happens, you can pass on the word a

me last night,"

g for support. The reply is that this army will move its left wing north to join the Fifth Army, falling bac

tongue to keep from repeating his information c

," said the major,

ket and started off at full speed. The cheers of his former companions of the battery, led by the loud bellow of Croquier, reached his

h a fine burst of speed. Just before reaching the village, the boy thought he caught

ll that h

avalry, and, on the slope of a hill beyond the town, Ho

it were a racing bicycle. Well he knew that on a narrow road, such a maneuver was far quicker than trying to make a tu

pared for this sudden vision of a motor-cycle twisting around a bend of the road. No sooner, however, did it b

of "The

Them Lick

f the field by German prisoners, chee

augh at the speed of a galloping horse, but he had a lurking fe

e amb

farmhouse. Seeing the motor-cycle driving straight at them a

r form of target not having been included in the German drill-book-the soldiers waited a second too long. Hora

put out his hand to

rudence reminded him that, in such case, he might not be able to control his machine. Ignoring vengeance, he sho

nd, seeing an old peasant working in his fields, h

mans passed h

axons, they were. They didn't do me any harm, though. They

t?" the boy asked, studying his map, fe

he peasant, "but it's too nar

one gone

ome chi

lipped through all the German armies by keeping away from the roads. Any foot-pat

ere were three of them, a girl about fourteen years old and two boys of seven and

nd asked them de

on finding out that Horace was n

aid, sympathetically, noticin

ace with a brooding ra

both their right hand

exclaimed the youngest boy, whose face was

ng that the girl had tried to soften the blow to the children. So, to help lift the terr

'll grow again

in the long black count against Germany. Thousands of boys in Belgium and in northern France have been deliberately crippled for life, s

pite of all his adventures, he had been only two hours in the cycle-saddle when he reached his goal. There he had a great deal of difficulty passing the sentries, owing to the lack of a uniform. He was still wearing th

spatch, he saluted, con

the staff o

aid Horace. "It's not official, si

ak,

hole German Army operating between Von B

ally at this lad in civilian clothes who seemed t

," he said. "Tell me

deta

bri

ater on I found out they were Saxons. This morning I learned from

s morning. It may explain the pressure on the Charleroi corner, which is out of all p

, s

ing to eat. I will

not finished eating when

ssenger may not get through. Our lines of communication past Charleroi are demoralized. Apparently all the wires

delighted to find that he had d

ou are volunteering as a civilian, so you had better go by Beaumont and C

s,

as being four corps strong is being forced in betwee

well

put on a Fre

t the right-"

r summoned

hen, turning to Horace, he added, "I'll write you an or

ht to Horace where he was busy oiling

et it?" the boy

-rider shot a little

man's clothes. However, there was no help for it, and, in uniform

cceeded in getting through, though a bullet had clipped his ear. Langle de Cary, however, had anticipated the news, and, drawing

ich enabled him to piece together the happenings from the time he

ps and whose companions had murdered the curé and little Jacques. This was Von Kluck's army which had marched westward, undelayed by the detachment of 40,000 picked troops to make a triumph

Nivelles; by August 21, his left or southern wing had halted a little northeast of Namur, his center advancing slowly over the famous field of Quatre Bras, while his right wing made a forced march at top speed through Enghien to Mons, the cavalry sweeping out in the direction of Tournay. By August 22, the

nto flames, the British, though holding the left wing of the whole Allied movement, were unaware of the disaster. The disorganization caused by the sudden fall of Namur and the still more sudden appearance of Von Hausen's mys

e Duke of Würtemberg, of which Horace had seen the first day's fighting; the defense of Namur, between the Belgians and Von Buelow, which was merely a holocaust produced by the 42-centimeter howitzers; the battle of Charleroi, between the French Fourth Army and Von Buelow and Von Hausen combined

t wing. There was not the slightest indication of immediate danger. Sir John French himself stated that he was informed by his patrols, that "little more than one, or at the most, two of the enemy's army corps, with perhaps one cavalry d

of "L'Ill

ar of

quid fire, poison gas, and explosive fumes. Yet after

a half of the British, not trying to throw them back, but merely to keep them in action every minute of the time. With the line thus fighting for its existence, he sent his entire fifth army corps in a tremendou

e. The battle, that morning, was wide-spread but not too heavy. Von Kluck did not want the British to retire, for that would make his flanking plan more difficult; he merely wanted them to hold. On the Britis

hurled after them. The English turned suddenly and

ho came rushing at us with his lance at the charge. I caught hold of his horse, which was half wild with terror, and my

itish lines that day and became a constant

h dispatches to the effect that the Fourth Army had made the t

ed the line at Thuin. General Lanrezac was partly enveloped on both flanks. Knowing that the whole strategy of the campaign was in process of swift dest

who could tell him to what place staff headquarters had been moved. And, when he reached there, it had moved again. Undoubtedly some kind of or

e strategy of the campaign, saw the danger that the British might be encircled and captured in a body. Accordingly, he volunteered to try to take the news of the fall of Charleroi to Sir John French. Owing to lack of telegraphic communi

lans under the threat of a disaster. Horace, fearing that every hour might see the final smash of the weak corner between the Fourth and Fifth Armies, made all the weaker by the pounding of the mysterious Von Hausen army which had marched its way through the Ardennes forests unseen by airmen, rode on, heartsick and despairing.

ould do. What if his heart seemed to beat as loudly as the exhaust of the motor-cycle itself? He was going on! A few miles fu

t stop

rench, ar

ce, not seeing any n

ahead of you, thousands of them. You'll run

re on both

id the farmer, noddi

ath, somewhere? I've

dispat

es

thought fo

Put your machine in the ha

they sea

age depot, beyond Thuin, and said they'd cut my throat if I didn't. And I like my thr

ble to pass," said the

u, too? They won't take th

tor-cycle and hide it in the hay. The boy concealed h

ad received and clamoring for pay. The only response was a threat to cut off hi

hed off to the west, the farmer stopped a

d drove on, grumbling, as he we

ew louder and louder. The woodland country ceased, and in place of fields and trees the landscape became one of shafts, chimneys and piles of débris on which grew a few stunted pines, a landscape which fitted well with the hideous uglines

?" he asked, in English

Tommy. "What 'ave yo

boy answered, "f

cer, a tall man with a quiet, im

ame?" h

e gav

dent

d Horace, and he exp

ter duly investigate

it to Sir John Frenc

urb himself sufficiently to look s

eplied. "I cannot allow you to proceed farther along

a prisoner!" H

he captain repeated, without the sligh

m an Am

ill be duly i

d boy-like and untrained in mi

u've got Von Kluck on your left, Von Buelow on your right and Von

," said the Englishman, stiffly, and

ly danced w

he boy's outburst, grinned broadly

ave," he said, "talkin'

ce, "he's made of w

mistake. That's 'is way. 'E's just the same under fire, never turns a 'air. 'E was dr

morning?" Horace asked

r, an' the 'ottest fight we 'ad in that

with the eye-glass-if he'd had the sense to listen-that there are five cor

ooked at hi

hey won't,

y n

in a bl

ean-sc

r nodded m

r no!" declared the boy. "What

thi

n, w

got the t

d the Tommy's evident reluctance to speak

"The War I

a Hail

fficer. When hit himself, he fell, but hooking his feet under the of

hings 'appen in

Maubin's prophecy and remembering some of th

t for some o' them queer things,

queried Horace, jum

d; no end o' them. I just gave up. It's no use our fightin' the 'ole German race in one day, thinks I. It's all up with us. The next minute, up comes a funny cloud o' light, an' when it clears off-this is gospel truth, I'm t

in a shamefa

ryman. He was one of the squad of men sent out by his colonel to find out who were the cavalry acting as rearguard to the retreat. He saw the

said 'e 'ad seen 'is bullets strike the air an' drop as if ther

Death's Head Hussars, who claimed that we hypnotiz

'appen in war!" the

of the "captive Kaiser." He was recounting Mme. Maubin's prophecy

ived," said the officer, "confirming

t none was forthcoming. Evidently the English officer felt

dispatch, sir?

d to announce it," t

for he had been trusted

with an irony which was en

possession of his motor-cycle, however, he was compelled to waste two hours more in the red

as hurling 220,000 men. Of these, 150,000 were engaged in a frontal attack, 50,000 men were flanking him to the left and 20,000 cavalry were on his left rear. In addition to that, 100,000 men under Von Bue

Von Hausen pushed forward in advance of Von Buelow and forced the retreat of the Fifth Army. Even with perfect co?rdination-a thing rarely possible in a disordered retreat-the French General Staff would not know the situation

The fate of France now hung on the stiffness of his retiring line. For this, however, he had the most marvelous troops in the world for such a purpose, the British regulars. His original position being slightly to the northward of the Fifth French Army, he was more tha

e-fire, as though threatening an advance. The British outposts, firing largely from loophole

rate attack from Harmignies on Binche, and the lad was compelled to admire the officer's inflexible courage and splendid handling of his men. It was

erb. No matter how thin the line, the Germans could not break through. One battalion stayed at the covering point until only five men remained. It was on this day that a li

way out. We have to st

rce of the battle was not at any one point, but along the whole line, and he felt he could be of more use where he was already known. The retreat, as he passed through it, was v

. They hurled brigades of men against companies an

sarily limbered up much of the time for the retreat, could not reply adequately. One hundred shells to one were hu

y dozens and by hundreds. They sacrificed themselves valiantly in an attempt to for

ant time for food, less time for rest and practically no time for sleep, seeking to wear

d to find a rout, remembering the breaking condition in which he had left the army, but he found it reformed, re?nforced, stro

en?" they cried. "

ought he ought to tell, describing the desperate though

er, gloomily, "always retreating. Are we goin

as day after

ck, and

where away from the advancing horror of war, retreat without food, retreat without sleep, retreat in rain, in mud, in blazing heat, in choking thirst, retreat und

y road, every street, every lane, every by-p

, trodden under the

elp! To be afraid to advance! To march until the soul cries for p

twelve long days France saw the flower of her manhood vanquished and thrown back. She saw her

Retreat!

art of France

chful eyes, who knew the mighty strength that lay behind the apparent w

umb across a big scale map as her Commander

at!" h

rals questioned him, bu

tre

laced that same broa

d. "There, they

TNO

at was done in Alsace will be written, and the stories of Visé and Aerschot and Onsmael and Louvain

ms of the French Army were n

he Lancashire Fusilier Regiment aft

eut. Col. of Hussars, af