Toward night they came to a higher range of hills spreading to such a
distance that they could not be flanked, and, turning there, they sat
down, and waited, confident of their position.

CHAPTER IX

THE RIDE OF THREE

The battle, including the fighting retreat, had lasted a long time and
it had proved even to inexperienced John that the French force could not
stand before the superior numbers of the Germans, and their tremendous
equipment. And yet the French officers had shown much skill. They had
inflicted great losses, they had drawn off all their artillery, and they
had defeated every effort of their enemy to surround and destroy them.

John felt that not everything was lost as they sat down on the hills and
began to fortify anew. There was no time for him to rest. He was only a
private soldier, and, armed with a spade, he worked at a trench with all
the strength and energy he could command. But his immediate friends of
the Strangers were of no higher rank than himself and they were beside
him engaged in the same task. "I'm only a new soldier," he said, "but it
seems to me we did pretty well to get off with our army and our guns."

"So we did," said Carstairs. "I fancy the chief part of our occupation
will be retreating until the British come up."

"There it goes," said Wharton. "Every Englishman has a fatal disease.
You can never cure him of being an Englishman. If a million French and a
hundred thousand English were to win a battle Carstairs would give all
the credit of it to the hundred thousand English."

"I'd give it to 'em, because it belonged to 'em. Keep your fool Yankee
head down, Wharton. Didn't you hear that shell whistle?"

"I heard it, and I heard a dozen others too," said John, who could not
keep from shivering a little. "Why do they keep on bothering us, when
we're now in too strong a position to be attacked, and the night too is
at hand?"

"Oh, you'll get used to it," said Wharton. "They won't attack tonight,
but they want to keep us disturbed, to create terror among us, and then
we'll be easier, when they do come again."

"I don't hear the giant any more."

"You mean the forty-two centimeter. I fancy it's far in the rear. They
have to have roads on which to drag it, and then, so they say, it has to
be placed in a concrete bed before they can fire it."

"At any rate their fire is dying," said Carstairs, "and I'm jolly glad
of it. I didn't get any sleep last night, and I want som