“i should say it was lucky!” assented amos, with an intake of breath; “did you see how it shattered that tree top when it burst? looks like a bolt of lightning had struck it. what would have happened to both of us if the time limit of explosion had been just a second less?”
jack turned and looked away off to where those billows of white and gray and greenish-colored smoke hid most of what was taking place beyond the shifting screen.
“i wonder where it really came from?” he exclaimed, “and if it was only a random shot, or did that gunner mean to hit this cupola?”
“well, i must say you take it mighty cool, jack!”
“what’s the use of getting worked up over it?” demanded the ranch boy, who had learned[139] long ago how to control his emotions even under the most trying conditions.
“but they may bombard us again?” expostulated amos.
“i give you my word for it, amos, i won’t wait for a third invitation to get out. if another shot comes anywhere near here we’ll go down in a hurry. but i hardly believe that was intentional.”
amos, however, was hard to convince.
“of course they’ve got powerful glasses—i mean the officers directing the fire of that battery?” he ventured.
“that goes without saying, amos.”
“and if they chanced to look this way they’d see us here, though of course they couldn’t tell who or what we were. now, jack, wouldn’t it be natural for them to think some high british officers had climbed up into this lookout so as to make use of it as a watch tower?”
“i must say you put up a reasonable argument there,” admitted jack.
“well,” argued amos, “if they got the notion in their heads that this deserted chateau was being[140] used as headquarters by the british commander and his staff, it would be an object with the germans to drop a shower of shells hereabouts, with the intention of putting them out of business.”
jack seemed quite interested in the theory his chum was so earnestly putting forward. he even smiled as he turned to look at amos.
“there’s only one weak place in that argument of yours,” he went on to say.
“then tell me what it is, won’t you, jack?”
“since that shell dropped in here all of a sudden i should say two full minutes had gone by,” the western boy told him.
“what of that, jack?”
“only this, amos, we’ve seen nothing of a second shot anywhere near us. there’s been plenty of time, and to wipe out the british army staff it would pay to turn the fire of a whole battery this way; but it hasn’t been done.”
“then you believe now that shot was only an accident?” asked amos.
“oh! well, some gunner was trying his range,[141] and got it with just one shell. his next aim was in another quarter, and it may be he did terrible work. we’ll never know.”
“but you said you’d be willing to clear out of this soon, jack. i wish you’d settle on doing so now.”
“i suppose i’ll have to keep my word,” agreed the other, “though between you and me i haven’t seen half enough of this thrilling picture. it’s ten times as interesting as looking at one of those war panoramas like gettysburg, the siege of paris, and all the rest.”
“and a thousand times more terrible,” added amos, “because we know that what we’re looking at isn’t a painting on canvas but the real thing.”
“just give me one more chance to see through a gap in the smoke,” pleaded jack. “i’d like to know what became of those men in the kilts, and with the bare knees.”
“the highlanders, you mean,” said amos. “oh! they’ve found shelter behind some other stone wall, and are holding their own, i’m dead[142] certain. just as you said a while ago the canny scot keeps a grip on what he can seize like a bulldog might.”
“now the breeze has struck up again, amos, and it’s blowing the smoke away, like we saw that fog at sea driven off. use your eyes and tell me if you can pick out the men from the scotch hills.”
jack had hardly ceased speaking when his companion uttered a loud cry, as though he had made a discovery.
“there they are, flattened out along the ground, and against that small rise just like so many cats waiting to pounce on a robin. and, jack, see what a distance they’ve gained, will you?”
“i’d like to predict that the terrible german drive has reached its limit in this direction,” said the western boy, confidently.
“they’re shooting as fast as they can, too, what at i’m not able to say, for all the smoke. somewhere beyond there the enemy lies, and i’m afraid some of those fellows we can see stretched[143] out on the ground will never take part in another battle.”
“but there’s no sign of them retreating, you notice, amos. they’re going to stick like leeches. i reckon in this war german stubbornness is matched evenly against scotch persistence, and english bulldog holding on. what the end of it all will be i can’t see.”
amos moved uneasily.
“we oughtn’t to have any great trouble getting down from here, i should think,” he mentioned, significantly.
of course jack understood the hint. it would be with only an effort that he could tear himself away from that wonderful spectacle of modern man, at war with his neighbors, and bringing every ingenious device known to latter-day invention into the conflict.
left to his own devices and he might have clung to that elevated watch tower for hours, impressing on his memory the strange pictures that were changed with each passing minute. but he had to consider the wishes of his companion,[144] and also remember that he had given his promise.
“no trouble about that, amos,” he agreed. “watch your step when descending.”
“then you’re ready to come along, jack?”
“i said i would, so lead the way,” returned the other.
amos waited no longer. perhaps he entertained a little fear that jack might change his mind if he lingered, because of some new and astounding phase of the furious, long-drawn-out battle taking place.
accordingly, he started down the ladder by means of which they had reached the cupola on top of the deserted mansion.
jack waited only to cast one last look along that front to the north, as if desirous of impressing the picture upon his mind forever. he had always possessed a faculty for mental photography which had been cultivated to the limit, and which had served him well in times past.
“i’m coming after you, amos!” he called out, cheerily, as he started down the ladder.
[145]
amos had meanwhile reached the upper floor of the house. mechanically he stepped over some of the broken furniture and fragments of shattered wall to make for the stairway leading below.
at the head of this he paused to wait for jack, who had just then called out that he was on the way. so they came together again.
amos pointed to what seemed to be the remains of a cradle.
“the people who lived here had children, that’s sure,” remarked jack. “i’ve seen toys lying around, and other things besides.”
“what happened to them, do you suppose?” asked tender-hearted amos.
“oh! the chances are this man fled with his family when first the war broke out,” jack declared. “he was a man of means, and kept his motor car, because there’s a fine garage in the yard outside.”
“i hadn’t noticed that, jack. it certainly is little that escapes your sharp eyes. but i hope they got to a safe place.”
[146]
“dunkirk and calais are both really close at hand,” continued jack, disregarding the praise of his cousin, “and there’s no question but this family found refuge there. let’s hope he managed to save his people even if his fine country place is next door to ruined.”
“listen! what’s that?” cried amos, holding up his hand.
“galloping horses,” answered the ranch boy, instantly, for his ears were especially trained along those lines.
“it must be more british reserves rushing to the front!” exclaimed amos, as together he and his chum headed for the nearest window fronting the road, which they had no sooner reached than they discovered a sight that thrilled them.
