Part 21 (2/2)

Von Arnheim laughed pleasantly.

”It's fair of you to give us warning of your intentions,” he said, ”but I don't think you'll have much chance. You must get ready to start at once.”

”I take it,” said John, ”that our departure means the departure of the German army also.”

Von Arnheim opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it again suddenly.

”It's only a deduction of mine,” said John.

Von Arnheim nodded in farewell and hurried away.

”Now I'm sure,” said John to Fleury a few minutes later, ”that this army is going to withdraw.”

”I think so too,” said Fleury. ”I can yet hear the fire of the cannon on either flank and it has certainly moved to the east. In my opinion, my friend, both German wings have been defeated, and this central army is compelled to fall back because it's left without supports. But we'll soon see. They can't hide from us the evidences of retreat.”

The prisoners now marched in a long file in the moonlight across the fields, and John soon recognized the proof that Fleury was right. The German army was retreating. There were innumerable dull, rumbling sounds, made by the cannon and motors of all kinds pa.s.sing along the roads, and at times also he heard the heavy tramp of scores of thousands marching in a direction that did not lead to Paris.

John began to think now of Lannes. Would he come? Was Weber right when he credited to him a knowledge near to omniscience? How was it possible for him to pick out a friend in all that huge mora.s.s of battle! And yet he had a wonderful, almost an unreasoning faith in Philip, and, as always when he thought of him, he looked up at the heavens.

It was an average night, one in which large objects should be visible in the skies, and he saw several aeroplanes almost over their heads, while the rattle of a dirigible came from a point further toward the east.

The aeroplane was bound to be German, but as John looked he saw a sleek shape darting high over them all and flying eastward. Intuition, or perhaps it was something in the motion and shape of the machine, made him believe it was the _Arrow_. It must be the _Arrow_! And Lannes must be in it! High over the army and high over the German planes it darted forward like a swallow and disappeared in a cloud of white mist. His hair lifted a little, and a thrill ran down his spine.

He still looked up as he walked along, and there was the sleek shape again! It had come back out of the white mist, and was circling over the German planes, flying with the speed and certainty of an eagle. He saw three of the German machines whirl about and begin to mount as if they would examine the stranger. But the solitary plane began to rise again in a series of dazzling circles. Up, up it went, as if it would penetrate the last and thinnest layer of air, until it reached the dark and empty void beyond.

The _Arrow_--he was sure it could be no other--was quickly lost in the infinite heights, and then the German planes were lost, too, but they soon came back, although the _Arrow_ did not. It had probably returned to some point over the French line or had gone eastward beyond the Germans.

John felt that he had again seen a sign. He remembered how he and Lannes had drawn hope from omens when they were looking at the Arc de Triomphe, and a similar hope sprang up now. Weber was right! Lannes would come to his rescue. Some thought or impulse yet unknown would guide him.

Light clouds now drifted up from the southwest, and all the aeroplanes were hidden, but the heavy murmur of the marching army went on. The puffing and clas.h.i.+ng of innumerable automobiles came from the roads also, though John soon ceased to pay attention to them. As the hours pa.s.sed, he felt an increased weariness. He had sat still almost the whole day, but the strain of the watching and waiting had been as great as that of the walking now was. He wondered if the guards would ever let them stop.

They waded another brook, pa.s.sed through another wood and then they were ordered to halt. The guards announced that they could sleep, as they would go no farther that night. The men did not lie down. They fell, and each lay where he fell, and in whatever position he had a.s.sumed when falling.

John was conscious of hearing the order, of striking the gra.s.s full length, and he knew nothing more until the next morning when he was aroused by Fleury. He saw a whitish dawn with much mist floating over the fields, and he believed that a large river, probably the Marne, must be near.

As far as he could see the ground was covered with German soldiers. They too had dropped at the command to stop, and had gone to sleep as they were falling. The majority of them still slept.

”What is it, Fleury? Why did you wake me up?” asked John.

”The river Marne is close by, and I'm sure that the Germans are going to retreat across it. I had an idea that possibly we might escape while there's so much mist. They can't watch us very closely while they have so much else to do, and doubtless they would care but little if some of us did escape.”

”We'll certainly look for the chance. Can you see any sign of the French pursuit?”

”Not yet, but our people will surely follow. They're still at it already on the flanks!”

The distant thunder of cannon came from both right and left.

”A third day of fighting is at hand,” said Fleury.

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