incial, so the
self-complacency of aristocracies is most frankly plebeian.

"He is too fond of his opinion. By the way, in order to occupy the hill
that he holds I had to extend my line dangerously. The hill is on my
left--that is to say the left flank of the army."

"Oh, no, Hart's brigade is beyond. It was ordered up from Drytown during
the night and directed to hook on to you. Better go and--"

The sentence was unfinished: a lively cannonade had broken out on the
left, and both officers, followed by their retinues of aides and
orderlies making a great jingle and clank, rode rapidly toward the spot.
But they were soon impeded, for they were compelled by the fog to keep
within sight of the line-of-battle, behind which were swarms of men, all
in motion across their way. Everywhere the line was assuming a sharper
and harder definition, as the men sprang to arms and the officers, with
drawn swords, "dressed" the ranks. Color-bearers unfurled the flags,
buglers blew the "assembly," hospital attendants appeared with
stretchers. Field officers mounted and sent their impedimenta to the
rear in care of negro servants. Back in the ghostly spaces of the forest
could be heard the rustle and murmur of the reserves, pulling themselves
together.

Nor was all this preparation vain, for scarcely five minutes had passed
since Captain Ransome's guns had broken the truce of doubt before the
whole region was aroar: the enemy had attacked nearly everywhere.

V

HOW SOUNDS CAN FIGHT SHADOWS

Captain Ransome walked up and down behind his guns, which were firing
rapidly but with steadiness. The gunners worked alertly, but without
haste or apparent excitement. There was really no reason for excitement;
it is not much to point a cannon into a fog and fire it. Anybody can do
as much as that.

The men smiled at their noisy work, performing it with a lessening
alacrity. They cast curious regards upon their captain, who had now
mounted the banquette of the fortification and was looking across the
parapet as if observing the effect of his fire. But the only visible
effect was the substitution of wide, low-lying sheets of smoke for their
bulk of fog. Suddenly out of the obscurity burst a great sound of
cheering, which filled the intervals between the reports of the guns
with startling distinctness! To the few with leisure and opportunity to
observe, the sound was inexpressibly strange--so loud, so near, so
menacing, yet nothing seen! The me