The German
army in which he was a prisoner had ceased already, but other German
armies along the vast line fought on, failing day, by the light which
man himself had devised.
Fleury was intelligent and educated. Although it was bitter to him to be
a prisoner at such a time, he had some comprehension of what had
occurred, and he knew that John had been in a position to see far more
than he. He asked the young American many questions about his flight in
the air, and about Philip Lannes, of whom he had heard.
"It was wonderful," he said, "to look down on a battle a hundred miles
long."
"We didn't see all of it," said John, "but we saw it in many places, and
we don't know that it was a hundred miles long, but it must have been
that or near it."
"And the greatest day for France in her history! What mighty
calculations must have been made and what tremendous marchings and
combats must have been carried out to achieve such a result."
"One of the decisive battles of history, like Plataea, or the Metaurus or
Gettysburg. There go the Uhlans with Captain von Boehlen at their head.
Now I wonder what they mean to do!"
A thousand men, splendidly mounted and armed, rode through the forest.
The moonlight fell on von Boehlen's face and showed it set and grim.
John felt that he was bound to recognize in him a stern and resolute
man, carrying out his own conceptions of duty. Nor had von Boehlen been
discourteous to him, although he might have felt cause for much
resentment.
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