Part 30 (1/2)

Fro

”He shall be buried beneath his own flag,” he said, and spreading the tricolor upon the ground, he laid the stiffened body of Marquis upon it

Gently he wrapped it about the dog, and then, while practically the whole regirave, he placed the body in the ground and stepped back A volley was fired over the grave, and the lads shoveled in the earth

Now Alexis approached, and, rave, set up the little monument And when he had finished, the soldiers crowded around to read the epitaph that the giant Cossack had inscribed in the hard wood It was this:

”Marquis--killed on the field of honor!”

It was upon the following day that the welcome news came that there was to be further action Practically every Cossack regiment at the front in Poland was ordered back to Lodz, their places being taken by other Russian cavalry and infantry

Again in Lodz the lads learned what this new movementbeen successful, had decided upon an iary The Cossacks had been called to lead the dash over the Carpathians into the heart of the enemy's territory

Hal and Chester had an audience of the Grand Duke The latter suy for his hasty action in ordering them shot some days before Also he talked a little of the proposed invasion

”Sixty thousand Cossack cavalry will be the advance guard,” he inforreat force I plan to have a ary within two e of the mountains, and I am sure we shall be, Budapest will be at our oal

”In the n will be pressed, that the Gero to the aid of the Austrians in the south The thing that I fear now is that Turkey may be drawn into the war on the side of the Gerreat pressure to bear upon the be kept neutral”

”What effect would that have upon the invasion of Hungary?” questioned Chester

”It would unquestionably delay it for days, possibly weeks While we are prepared for the Turks, nevertheless it would probably necessitate the sending of reenforcements toward the border, and naturally I should have to draw upon the forces I aary”

”I see,” replied Chester ”But the Turk, as a fighting man, doesn't amount to much, as I understand it”

”In the recent Balkan war they did not showprowess, it is true,” said the Grand Duke, ”but officered by Germans, and under German discipline, there er of their affecting the ultimate outcome of the war?” asked Hal

”None,” was the confident reply ”What it will mean, however, is that Turkey, as a nation, will be wiped off the map of Europe, and, possibly, of Asia also”

”The sooner the better,” was Hal's comment

The Grand Duke smiled

”It may take time,” he said, ”but it will be done just so surely as Turkey casts in her fortunes with Germany”

After some further talk the lads left the Grand Duke's tent, and rejoined their regi was now practically ready for the advance to the southward, and the troops were eagerly awaiting the word that was to send them into the Carpathians, to strike a decisive blow at the Austrians

And the as given early the following allop the troop of Cossacks bore down upon the littleat a detachive the their speed This band of Cossacks, reconnoitering well ahead of the ; the Austrians opposing the Russians were Hal, Chester and Alexis

The advance of the Czar's troops to the Carpathians had been without incident Whenever troops of the eneht without difficulty The cavalry, dashi+ng rapidly ahead, had outdistanced their cavalry and artillery support, and the entire force of mounted men--60,000 of them--were in the midst of the wild mountains