he pass Major Cooper had given them got
them through, and the soldiers laughed and chatted while an officer was
examining it. These were fresh troops, hurriedly brought up to hold off
the Germans while the exhausted British retired to new positions, and
they were gay, light-hearted fellows. True, they had not yet been in
action, but to Frank it seemed that they were likely to be jovial after
they had heard bullets singing over their heads.

"They don't seem to feel bad," said Henri. "And it is the same with the
English. They are retreating, and still they are cheerful."

"You say that as if it was something remarkable!" said Frank, with a
laugh. "Of course they're cheerful. They've got faith in their leaders,
and they know, I suppose, that a retreat is often necessary. They'll
turn the tables before long."

"It seems strange to be where it is so quiet," said Frank, when they had
finally passed beyond sound of the skirmishing on the extreme left of
the allied line, formed by the French force through which they had
passed. "I'm expecting to see Germans every time we make a turn."

"So am I," said Henri. "And why shouldn't we? If they are trying to turn
the allied flank, we're as likely to see them in this direction as not."

"Look here," said Frank, "you're perfectly right. We haven't got orders
to make particularly good time. Let's keep on right to Abbeville. That's
at the mouth of the Somme. Then we can turn toward Boulogne. If there
are Germans around here at all they'll be in that direction. We might
get some trace of their cavalry. Or we might do what we did before,
strike some of their infantry. I don't think we're so likely to do that,
though."

"We'll try it, anyhow," said Henri.

And so they turned toward St. Pol, instead of making the sharp turn at
right angles that would have brought them to Amiens. Here there were
traces, indeed, of a German invasion. Peasants, alarmed by the reports
of Uhlans seen at Arras and near Boulogne, were in full flight.

"We needn't bother about that," said Frank. "Anything that these people
know the intelligence department has found out. No troops advancing at
all openly could get by the aeroplanes without being seen. And I think
the railroad in this direction has been watched. I saw a lot of
aeroplanes flying over this way this afternoon, and there would be more
from Boulogne. There are English warships there, I've heard, and their
naval flyers would cover this part of the