He had sat still almost the
whole day, but the strain of the watching and waiting had been as great
as that of the walking now was. He wondered if the guards would ever let
them stop.
They waded another brook, passed through another wood and then they were
ordered to halt. The guards announced that they could sleep, as they
would go no farther that night. The men did not lie down. They fell, and
each lay where he fell, and in whatever position he had assumed when
falling.
John was conscious of hearing the order, of striking the grass full
length, and he knew nothing more until the next morning when he was
aroused by Fleury. He saw a whitish dawn with much mist floating over
the fields, and he believed that a large river, probably the Marne, must
be near.
As far as he could see the ground was covered with German soldiers. They
too had dropped at the command to stop, and had gone to sleep as they
were falling. The majority of them still slept.
"What is it, Fleury? Why did you wake me up?" asked John.
"The river Marne is close by, and I'm sure that the Germans are going to
retreat across it. I had an idea that possibly we might escape while
there's so much mist. They can't watch us very closely while they have
so much else to do, and doubtless they would care but little if some of
us did escape."
"We'll certainly look for the chance. Can you see any sign of the French
pursuit?"
"Not yet, but our people will surely follow.
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