CHAPTER XIII
THE FIGHT
The front of the farmhouse broke into a sheet of flame.
At almost the same moment, Captain Leroux on the floor below, and Chesterin the basement, gave the command to fire and the first line ofapproaching Germans seemed to crumple up.
But the men behind came on.
Again and again effective volleys were fired from the farmhouse; butdespite their heavy losses and urged on by commands of theirofficers, the Germans pressed forward until they were at the veryside of the house.
As they approached they fired volley after volley at the windows behindwhich the defenders stood calmly; and the French had not gone unscathed.
In the basement, where Chester was in command, no German bullet had goneso far, but Hal had lost three men and Captain Leroux five. As quickly asthese fell others took their places at the windows and continued to firesteadily into the German ranks.
Came a heavy battering at the front door. A force of Germans had reachedthis point in spite of the fire of the French and now were attempting tobatter it down. Without exposing themselves too recklessly the Frenchcould not reach this party of Germans with rifle fire.
Captain Leroux quickly told off ten men to guard the entrance the momentthe door should give beneath the kicks and blows of the enemy.
"Ten men should be as good as a hundred there," he explained. "Pick themoff as they rush through. Aim carefully and make every shot count."
He turned back to the work of directing the fire from the windows.
The battering at the door continued. One of the defenders, thinking todispose of a member of the enemy in such close proximity, stuck his headout and brought his rifle to bear upon the foe in the doorway; but beforehe could accomplish his object he fell back inside with a groan. A Germanbullet had done its work.
"No more of that!" ordered Captain Leroux, sharply. "I need every man Ihave. No need to expose yourselves uselessly."
After that no French head appeared above the window sill farther than wasnecessary to aim and fire.
In the basement Chester and his men had had little to do so far. True,they had been able to pick off a German or two, but their position wassuch that they could be of little value at the moment. Their time was tocome later.
On the top floor Hal, because of his position, was better able to commanda view of the open field ahead than Captain Leroux in the room below. Thefire of Hal's men, therefore, was more effective than of the French onthe ground floor.
Below there was a crash as the door splintered beneath the batteringtactics brought into play by the Germans who had gained the shelter ofthe house and were able to continue work without molestation. The tenFrenchmen told off by Captain Leroux to defend the entrance held theirrifles ready, waiting for the first German head to appear in the opening.
But the door was of stout oak, and though it seemed on the point ofgiving under each succeeding blow, it still held. Hoarse guttural criesfrom without indicated that the Germans were becoming impatient to get atthe French within. Came an extra violent crash and the door suddenly gaveway. Three Germans, who had been leaning against the door, caught offtheir balance, were precipitated headlong into the room. It wasunfortunate--for them.
Before they could scramble to their feet, the French had placed thembeyond all hopes of further fighting. Their days of war were over.
But other Germans poured into the door behind them and leaped forwardover the prostrate forms of their comrades. Calmly, the ten Frenchsoldiers, far back against the wall and a little to one side, so as to beout of direct line of fire from the open doorway, fired into the surgingmass of humanity. And their fire was deadly and effective. In almost lesstime than it takes to tell it the doorway was choked with German dead.
It was a gruesome sight and even the French soldiers, used as they wereto such spectacles, shuddered inwardly. It seemed foolhardy for the enemyto seek entrance to the house through that blocked door. Even the Germansrealized it and would have drawn back but for the fact that theirofficers, farther back, urged them on with cries and imprecations.
Again there was a concerted rush for the door.
The pile of prostrate German forms served as a shield for the defendersand behind this barrier of bodies the men took their posts and poured awithering fire into the ranks of the attackers. This deadly fire was morethan the Germans could face, and in spite of the frantic efforts of theirofficers, they drew off.
"I didn't think they could make it," shouted Captain Leroux. "Goodwork, men!"
A cheer went up from the defenders. But the men knew the calibre of theseGerman veterans and they realized that the attack had not been given up.They knew that the Germans, with their superior numbers, would not desistand that eventually they must be overwhelmed.
"Two hours!" Captain Leroux had said.
Hardly a quarter of that time had flown and in it had been crowdeddesperate work that well would have been enough for the day. The men weretired, but they were not willing to admit it. Each had told himself thathe would die at his post rather than surrender.
There came a lull in the fighting.
To the war-seasoned veterans of France this lull told a story of its own.It presaged a new and more violent attempt on the part of the Germans toforce the farmhouse. Captain Leroux knew it. So did Hal and Chester, andat their various stations they gave quick commands to their men.
Taking care not to expose himself too much, he gazed from the window. Hisaction did not even bring a shot. This increased the lad's suspicions.
"Trying to draw us out," he muttered. "Want us to think they have givenup the attempt. Never mind, Mr. German, you are not shrewd enough."
The defenders waited patiently; and presently the Germans again advancedto the attack, even as Hal and Chester had known they would.
Forward came the Teuton horde in a charge. From a distance of perhaps 500yards, they dashed across the open at full speed, apparently bent uponoverawing the defenders by the very appearance of such numbers.
But the French did not quail. The weight of numbers meant nothing tothem. It was not the first time they had stood firmly againstoverwhelming odds, and there was not a man in the farmhouse who did notfully expect to survive the present battle and be ready to faceoverwhelming odds again. Each man knew well enough that before thefighting was over it was ten to one that there would be but a handfulof the defenders left, but each man was confident he would be one ofthat number.
They poured a galling fire into the ranks of the Germans as they advancedto the charge.
The effect of this steady stream of rifle fire, accurate and deadly atsuch close range, was bound to tell. In spite of the urging of theirofficers, the Germans wavered. The lines behind the first surged forward,however, pushing the men in front closer to the deadly fire of theFrench. Those in front pushed back and for a moment there was wildconfusion without.
In vain German officers rushed in among the troops, trying to rally them.It was too late. The Germans had become demoralized. A moment and theybroke and fled. It was every man for himself.
The French within the farmhouse raised a wild cheer and poured volleyafter volley into the fleeing Germans. Men tumbled right and left. TheGerman losses in the retreat were greater even than they had been inthe advance.
Hal, who had been working like a Trojan, wiped the beads of perspirationfrom his forehead with his shirt sleeve--the work had become so hot thatthe lad had removed his coat, though it was still cold without--and spokewords of encouragement to his men.
"Good work, boys," he said quietly. "A few more like that and they willbother us no more."
Even as he spoke the lad knew that his words meant nothing. He knew theGermans would not give up until they had captured the farmhouse or hadbeen driven back by the weight of superior numbers, and at that moment itdid not appear that reinforcements would arrive.
The troops also knew that Hal's words meant nothing, but they cheeredhim anyhow. They realized that he had spok
en as he did merely toencourage them; and they liked the spirit that inspired the words. Theyknew that Hal was fully competent of judging the hopelessness of thetask ahead of them.
"The captain said to hold them two hours, sir," said one grizzled oldveteran to Hal. "How long has it been now, sir?"
Hal glanced at his watch. "One hour exactly."
"Good!" exclaimed the French soldier. "One half of the work done and mostof us are still here. We'll hold them!"
"Of course we'll hold them, Francois," exclaimed another. "Surely youdidn't think we couldn't do it?"
"Well," was the reply. "It's a pretty big job and--"
"But we were ordered to hold them for two hours," protested the other.
"Of course," returned the man addressed as Francois. "That settles it.Two hours are two hours."
"Right," said the other. "Also two hours are only two hours, which makesit that much better."
"But at the end of two hours, then what?" asked a third soldier.
The man who had first engaged Francois in conversation shrugged hisshoulders.
"That," he said, "is not for us to decide. But we will not be forgotten,you may be sure of that. Our general will see that we are relieved."
"You may rest assured on that score," Hal agreed. "Having picked you asthe men to defend this important position, it is not to be expected thathe will see you all sacrificed."
There was another cheer from the men, followed a moment later by a shoutfrom one at the front window.
"Here they come again, sir!"