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The officer finally decided to add to their armament one of the rapid-firers. "If there is any resistance," he said, "we'll knock the side of the house in." "What shall I do?" asked Donald. "You'd better come back into the boat. You can help us to enter the house in front." Donald slid down the rope and the expedition quickly made a landing.
"You," pointing to Jack, "will lead 4oo sailors around through the woods and attack the enemy from the flank. You, Mr. Chadwick," turning to Frank, "I shall put in command of a fleet of four small boats, armed with rapid-firers, and it will be your duty to try and crawl up the river without attracting the attention of the forts. Attacking from, two sides, simultaneously, we should take the town.
Ah, it took more than artillery to beat back the best troops of France in a country like this a country of rolling hills and fenceless fields cut by many streams and set among thick woods, where infantry on a bank or at a forest's edge with rifles and rapid-firers and guns kept their barrels cool until the charge developed in the open.
But this was only the beginning. Swiftly moving German troops now came marching to the river front, steadily, in spite of the withering British fire, and sternly, to repel the foe. Slowly they came into position, and, dropping on their knees, poured a volley into the little flotilla. But, deadly as this fire was, that of the rapid-firers aboard the boats was more so.
"I was thinking," said Jack slowly, "that if I could get my hands on one of those machine guns on the bridge, these Germans would wish they were home in the Kiel Canal." "You mean?" said Frank. "I mean that if I had five minutes to man one of those rapid-firers up yonder I could rake this ship from stem to stern. There'd be a few less Germans in this world before they got me.
The German flung wide his arms and toppled to the ground. Another sprang to his place, but only to meet the same fate; and another, and still another. All this time the little rapid-firers were continuing their deadly work, and at last a bugle sounded the call for the German retreat. Slowly they drew off, firing as they went, but, as the British now moved up faster, the Teutons turned and ran.
The reserves from this position would be transferred to that; such a position would be felt out before dark by a reconnaissance in force, however costly; the rapid-firers of the 19th Division would be transferred to the 20th; despite the 37th Brigade's losses, it would still form the advance; General So-and-So would be superseded after his failure of yesterday; Colonel So-and-So would take his place as acting major-general; more care must be exercised in recommendations for bronze crosses, lest their value so depreciate that officers and men would lack incentive to win them.
"These rapid-firers will recover all the artillery's prestige of Napoleon's time!" Many of the wounded themselves looked at Marta even more than at the flowers. It was good to see the face of a woman, her eyes limpid with sympathy, and it was not what she said but the way she spoke that brought smiles in response to hers.
We looked at one another; it was a serious moment. The bombardment was now at its height, and the thunderous roaring of the guns was increasing with every passing second. Above and around us the vicious reports of the "Yankee's" five-inch rapid-firers seemed like one continuous volley. A hoarse cheer came from a nearby ship, proclaiming the landing of some favored shot.
They were less than a hundred yards away when there came a fresh, terrible rumble and roar. A Montenegrin masked battery had opened with its rapid-firers. Men dropped in great heaps, but the others came on. The Austrian officer in command, realizing that he was in a trap, took the one chance left him.
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