Part 29 (2/2)
The heavy crash of guns far in front and the thunder of the German guns replying came back to their ears. It was a louder note in the general and ceaseless murmur of the battle, but the young men paid it only a pa.s.sing moment of attention. Carstairs presently added as an afterthought:
”Unless Lannes returns soon I don't think we'll hear from him. That blaze of the guns in front of us indicates close fighting again, and we'll probably be ordered forward soon.”
”I don't think so,” said Lord James Ivor. ”Our guns and the German guns will talk together for quite a while before the infantry advance. You can spend a good two hours with us yet, and still have time to depart for the French army.”
It was evident that Lord James Ivor knew what he was talking about, since, as far as John could see, the khaki army lay outspread on the turf. These men were too much exhausted and too much dulled to danger to stir merely because the cannon were blazing. It took the sharp orders of their officers to move them. Sh.e.l.ls from the German guns began to fall along the fringe of the troops, but thousands slept heavily on.
John, after disposing of the excellent rations offered to him, sat down on the gra.s.s with Wharton, Carstairs and Lord James Ivor. The sun was now waning, but the western sky was full of gold, and the yellow rays slanting across the hills and fields made them vivid with light. Lord James handed his gla.s.ses to John with the remark:
”Would you like to take a look there toward the east, Scott?”
John with the help of the gla.s.ses discerned the English batteries in action. He saw the men working about them, the muzzles pointing upward, and then the flash. Some of the guns were completely hidden in foliage, and he could detect their presence only by the heavy detonations coming from such points. Yet, like many of the English soldiers about him, John's mind did not respond to so much battle. He looked at the flashes, and he listened to the reports without emotion. His senses had become dulled by it, and registered no impressions.
”We've masked our batteries as much as possible,” said Lord James. ”The Germans are great fellows at hiding their big guns. They use every clump of wood, hay stacks, stray stacks and anything else, behind which you could put a piece of artillery. They trained harder before the war, but we'll soon be able to match 'em.”
While Lord James was talking, John turned the gla.s.ses to the south and watched the sky. He had observed two black dots, both of which grew fast into the shape of aeroplanes. One, he knew, was the _Arrow_. He had learned to recognize the plane at a vast distance. It was something in the shape or a trick of motion perhaps, almost like that of a human being, with which he had become familiar and which he could not mistake.
The other plane, by the side of Lannes' machine, bothered him. It was much larger than the _Arrow_, but they seemed to be on terms of perfect friends.h.i.+p, each the consort of the other.
”Lannes is coming,” announced John. ”He's four or five miles to the south and he's about a quarter of a mile up, but he has company. Will you have a look, Lord James?”
Lord James Ivor, taking back his own gla.s.ses, studied the two approaching planes.
”The small one looks like your friend's plane,” he said, ”and the other, although much bigger, has only one man in it too. But they fly along like twins. We'll soon know all about them because they're coming straight to us. They're descending now into this field.”
The _Arrow_ slanted gently to the earth and the larger machine descended near by. Lannes stepped out of one, and an older man, whom John recognized as the aviator Caumartin, alighted from the other.
”My friends,” said Lannes, cheerily, ”here we are again. You see I've brought with me a friend, Monsieur Caumartin, a brave man, and a great aviator.”
He paused to introduce Caumartin to Wharton and the Englishmen, and then went on:
”This flying machine in which our friend Caumartin comes is not so swift and so graceful as the _Arrow_--few aeroplanes are--but it is strong and it has the capacity. It is what you might call an excursion steamer of the air. It can take several people and our good Caumartin has come in it for Lieutenant Wharton and Lieutenant Carstairs. So! he has an order for them written by the brave Captain Colton of the Strangers. Produce the order, Monsieur Caumartin.”
The aviator took a note from a pocket in his jacket and handed it to Lord James Ivor, who announced that it was in truth such an order.
”You're to be delivered to the Strangers F.O.B.,” said John.
”What's F.O.B.?” exclaimed Carstairs.
”It's a s.h.i.+pping term of my country,” replied John. ”It means Free on Board, and you'll arrive among the Strangers without charge.”
”But,” said Carstairs, looking dubiously at the big, ugly machine, ”automobiles are my specialty!”
”And the wireless is mine!” said Wharton in the same doubting tone.
”Oh, it's easy,” said John lightly. ”Easiest thing in the world. You have nothing to do but sit still and look calm and wise. If you're attacked by a Zeppelin, throw bombs--no doubt Caumartin has them on board--but if a flock of Taubes a.s.sail you use your automatics. I congratulate you both on making your first flight under such auspices, with two armies of a million men each, more or less, looking at you, and with the chance to dodge the sh.e.l.ls from four or five thousand cannon.”
”Your trouble, Scott, is talking too much,” said Wharton, ”because you went up in the air when you had no other way to go, you think you're a bird.”
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