ade such
wonderful boasts of what he meant to do, was in full retreat bordering
on a panic.

That was why temporary sufferings were all forgotten. For France these
honest sons and daughters would make much greater sacrifices, and think
little of it. So Hanky Panky felt ready to take off his hat to every one
of them who gave the three riders a cheer or a salute in passing by.

Few animals save dogs and cats could be seen. Evidently the Germans had
tried to make a clean sweep of the forty miles and more they covered
like a vast fan, in falling back to the prepared positions along the
Aisne. Those horses or cows that had been saved from the general
slaughter or seizure must have been artfully secreted somewhere, so that
they escaped the keen search. As for chickens, not a solitary rooster's
crow had the boys heard since early dawn; for fowls of every description
are first looked after by the soldier marching through a hostile
country.

Long caravans of supplies were crawling over other roads, all heading
for the front and coming from the direction of Paris. No wonder that
every thoroughfare must be crowded with vehicles of transportation, when
a million Frenchmen in arms had to be fed daily, not to mention the
enormous quantities of ammunition that must be expended between the
rising and the setting of every sun.

The more Rod saw of this the greater grew his admiration for the genius
of the men whose brains had to command all these thousands of details
looking to the provisioning of such a vast host. It was an experience
the educational value of which could never be fully estimated; and often
would the boy ponder over the problems that must have confronted those
who were responsible for the solution of them.

They had numerous little adventures by the way, though as a rule these
were in the line of narrow escapes from nasty spills, on account of ruts
in the road. Rod frequently gave warning when he reached an especially
bad stretch of ground, for he was well aware of the failings of his two
chums--Josh with his impetuous ways, and Hanky Panky rather apt to be
careless as well as clumsy.

One thing in particular Rod noticed, and this was that as they proceeded
the sounds ahead of them kept on growing louder. Evidently then they
were coming up on that part of the Marne country where the last
rearguard action was being fiercely contested.

Von Kluck and his proud army must be continually finding themselves
pushed fu