for a
moment, and then nodded in agreement.

"Yes," he said. "That's what we'll have to do. Come on, then. We'll
cut across the fields. I'd rather do that than take chances on finding
a path or a road. It can't be so very far, do you think so?"

"No. Listen, Paul! What's that?"

The exclamation was prompted by a sudden roar in the direction as
nearly as they could guess of Fort Boncelles. At the same time the
great searchlights that were steadily sweeping earth and air from the
forts around Liege seemed to focus on one spot--the spot, they soon
determined, from which the renewed sound of heavy firing came.

"That must be the attack on Fort Boncelles that we were afraid of,"
said Paul.

"Well, they were ready for it, Paul. You don't think it can succeed,
do you?"

"I think we ought to know pretty soon. No, I don't see how a fortified
position can be carried by an infantry attack when its garrison is
entirely prepared, unless the force is so overwhelming that the
attacking force can lose an awful lot of men--more men than the Germans
have altogether, if we saw all, or even nearly all, of them."

They stayed where they were for a few minutes, listening to the firing.
For the first time the note of real hand-to-hand fighting came into the
battle din. They could hear the crashing volleys of rifle fire, and
the explosive crackling of machine guns coming into play for the first
time. That was confirmation enough of their guess that a regular
assault on the line of forts was in progress.

"You see that just shows how important it is for them to capture Liege
quickly, Arthur," said Paul. "They know perfectly well that when they
bring up a few more army corps and their big guns they can batter the
forts to pieces and just overwhelm our garrison."

"But they want to have the path clear for the extra army corps. That's
what you mean, isn't it, Paul?"

"Exactly. They want the way through and around Liege clear, so that
the great army, when it's all ready, can sweep straight on and strike
the French before they're ready for them. They don't want to bother
with us at all. So they're willing to lose all those men just to save
a few days."

"But why are a few days so tremendously important to them?"

"They've got to strike before France is ready, because they can't use
their whole army against France. They must keep a great many corps to
use against Russia, or else Russian soldiers will get to Berlin be