CHAPTER XVI.
THE BATTLE FOR THE TRENCHES.
By this time everyone was gazing in mixed wonder and awe at the strangedirigible balloon, speeding in great circles far up toward the clouds.
Rob and his comrades had read more or less about these monster airshipswhich the German Count had invented, and which were expected to play aprominent part in this world war. They had even hoped that before theyleft Belgium they might be given an opportunity to see one of the fleetmonsters, which were said to be able to carry dozens of men, as well astons of explosives, incredible distances.
In Antwerp there had been considerable talk concerning the possibilityof these Zeppelins making a concerted attack on the city, and forcingits surrender. All manner of fearful stories were going the rounds, andmany timid people had even left the city on the Scheldt for the morehospitable shores of England, just on account of the threatening perilfrom the clouds.
"So, that's a real Zeppelin, is it?" Tubby remarked, as they stood therewith their eyes riveted on the flittering monster of the air.
"No question about it," Merritt told him, "because the poor Belgiansdon't own such an expensive airship, though they have some aeroplanes, Iwas told."
"But what do you reckon they're doing up there?" asked Tubby, stillseeking to increase his limited stock of knowledge.
"Why," Rob replied, "don't you see there's a battle going on below, andfrom that height men with glasses can see every little thing that'shappening. They are able to tell how the Belgian forces are intrenched;and by means of signals let their gunners know where to drop shells soas to do the most harm."
"Whee! what won't they do next in modern, up-to-date fighting?"exclaimed Tubby.
"There have been lots of remarkable surprises sprung in this waralready," Merritt observed thoughtfully, "but I'm thinking the worst isyet to come. There never was such a war before in the history of theworld, and it's to be hoped this one ends in a peace that will lastforever."
"Yes," added Rob, greatly impressed by what he was seeing, "war's goingto cost so much after this that the nations will have to fix up someother way to settle their differences. About that Zeppelin, Tubby; don'tyou see how they might be able to drop a few bombs on the enemy'strenches; or where the Belgians have fixed barbed-wire entanglements tostop the rush of the charging German troops? Just to think that here weare really watching a battle that isn't like one of the sham rights theyhave every summer at home. It's hard to believe, boys!"
They were all agreed as to this, and every little while one of themmight be detected actually rubbing his eyes, as though suspecting hewere asleep and all this were but a feverish dream.
The cannonading grew more and more furious as the morning advanced. Hugebillows of smoke covered sections of the country, some of it not morethan a mile away from the village where Rob and his chums had stopped.
"And just to think," said Tubby, with a touch of sorrow in his voice."While all this sounds like a Fourth of July celebration to us, safe aswe are, it spells lots of terrible wounds for the poor fellows who arein the fight. Why, with all those big shells bursting, and the shrapneltoo, that you spoke about, Rob, right now I reckon there are justhundreds of them wanting to be attended to."
"That's true enough, Tubby, the more the pity," replied Rob.
"What's this coming up behind us?" called out Merritt, as loud cheers,together with the rattle of wheels and the pounding of many horses'hoofs, were heard on the road they had used on the previous night.
"Oh! they're going to bombard the village; and now we'll get it!" gaspedTubby.
"It looks like a battery coming from the direction of Antwerp, andhurrying to get in action!" Rob ventured to say, as he discovered thatthose who were seated on the horses and on the gun caissons wore theBelgian uniforms.
"Just what it is, Rob," added Merritt excitedly. "They hear the sound ofthe guns ahead, and are crazy to get there. Look at them whip thehorses, would you! And how the animals run! They smell the smoke ofburnt powder, and it's fairly set them all wild!"
It was indeed a stirring sight to see that battery come tearing alongstraight through the little village, and heading directly toward theplace where the flashing and roaring of battle seemed fiercest.
The men were all keyed up to a pitch of excitement that made them forgetthey were about to face danger and death. They shouted as they sweptpast, and the poor villagers, filled with a momentary enthusiasm, sentback answering cries.
Such enthusiasm is always contagious. Why, even peace-loving Tubbyseemed to be infected with some of it. His eyes glowed, and his breathcame in short puffs, as he watched the guns and caissons go whirlingalong until men, horses and all had vanished down the road in a cloudof dust.
"Some of those brave fellows will never come back again, I'm afraid,"said Tubby sadly.
"It begins to look as if the artillery arm was going to be everything inthis war," Rob remarked, as though the sight of those bursting shellsimpressed him.
"But what do you suppose all that bombardment means?" Merritt asked.
"I can only give a guess," the patrol leader replied. "From all I'veread I get the idea that before the Germans order a charge of theirinfantry they pour in a heavy bombardment from every big gun they canget in line. That makes it so hot in the trenches that the enemy has tokeep under cover. Then the infantry manages to get a good start beforethey are fired on."
"Nothing new about that, I guess," replied Merritt. "It was done in thebattle of Gettysburg, where Lee used more than a hundred cannon tobombard, before starting to carry Little Round-top and Cemetery Hill byassault. I was just reading about it a few weeks ago in a magazinearticle at home. But if those are their tactics, Rob, we ought to beseeing some movement of troops pretty soon."
"Yes," the patrol leader admitted, "the gun fire is slackening rightnow; and if we had glasses I expect we could see the infantry startingforward. Those up in the Zeppelin can watch every move that takesplace."
"All the same I'd rather take my chances down here," Tubby announced.
"What's that moving away over there, Rob?" demanded Merritt. "Seems likea gray looking snake creeping out from the shelter of the woods. Ideclare if I don't believe it is a mass of men charging straight at theBelgian trenches!"
"The Germans all wear a sort of grayish green uniform, you know," Tubbydeclared, "which is so like the dirt that lots of times you can't tellthe soldiers from the earth half a mile away."
"Look sharp, fellows," said Rob, "because that is where they're going toshoot their bolt. What we see is a battalion of infantry charging. Nowwatch how they begin to gather momentum. Yes, and when the gun firelets up we'll hear the voices of thousands of men singing as they rushforward, ready to die for the Fatherland."
They stood there with trembling limbs, and continued to watch what wasdeveloping right before their eyes. It seemed as though that gray masswould never cease coming into view. The whole open space was coveredwith lines upon lines of soldiers all pushing in one direction, and thatwhere the intrenchments of the Belgians must lie.
"Oh! look! look! they're opening on them with quick-fire guns, and allsorts of things!" Tubby exclaimed, in absolute horror. "Why, I can seelanes cut in the lines of the Germans; but they always close up, andkeep right on! Isn't it terrible?"
"It is sublime!" said Rob; and that tribute to the unflinching braveryof the German advance was about the limit of a boy's vocabulary.
"But the plucky little Belgians won't yield an inch of ground, you see!"cried Merritt. "They keep pouring in that terrible fire, and mowing theGermans down, just like they were cutting wheat on a Minnesota farm."
"How will it all end, I wonder?" said Rob, fascinated, more than hewould have believed possible, by the panorama that was being unfoldedbefore his eyes.
"If the ammunition of the Belgian batteries and Maxims holds out,"ventured Merritt, "there won't be any German army left in this part ofthe country. Their best troops are said to be down in France now,fighting the Alli
es; but if these are only second or third classreserves, I wonder what the really top-notch ones can do in a battle."
"They're weakening, let me tell you!" Rob startled the others by saying."Watch and you'll see that they don't advance as fast as before. Perhapsthe general in charge has found that the trenches can't be taken by adirect charge. They're going to fall back, and let the artillery startin again! The first part of the terrible battle is over, for there theGermans begin to scatter, and run, to get out of range of the Maxims!"
"And the plucky Belgians have won again!" Merritt declared as thoughalmost tempted to join in the cries of satisfaction that were beginningto rise from those of the villagers who were clustered close by,intensely interested spectators of the thrilling spectacle just enacted.
"And there's that old Zeppelin still swinging around up in the sky,"remarked Tubby. "For all the information they were able to signal down,the Germans couldn't take the Belgian trenches. When they got the wireentanglements they were blocked."
"But unless I miss my guess," exclaimed Merritt, "the Zeppelin will haveto get on the run pretty quick or it'll find there's a little warbrewing in the sky, because I can see a couple of aeroplanes rising fromback of the Belgian lines!"