Prev | Current Page 204 | Next

Altsheler, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander), 1862-1919

"The Forest of Swords A Story of Paris and the Marne"

The whole episode would be
perfect if it were not for the fact that we lost sight of Weber."
"I tell you again not to worry about him. That man has shown uncommon
ability to take care of himself."
"All right. I'll let him go for the present. Hello, here we are crossing
the Marne again, and without getting our feet wet."
"We're a good half mile above it, but we'll cross it once more soon. I'm
following the shortest road to the British army and that takes us over a
loop of the river."
"Yes, here we are recrossing, and now we're coming to a region of
chequered fields, green and brown and yellow. I always like these varied
colors of the French country. It's a beautiful land down there, Philip."
"So it is, but see if it isn't defaced by sixty or seventy thousand
sunburnt men in khaki, the khaki often stained with blood. The men, too,
should be tired to death, but you can't tell that from this height."
"The British army you mean? Yes, by all that's glorious, I see them, or
at least a part of them! I see thousands of men lying down in the
fields as if they were dead."
"They're not dead, though. They just drop in their tracks and sleep in
any position."
"I saw the Germans doing that, too. I suppose we'll land soon, Philip,
won't we? They've sighted us and a plane is coming forward to meet us."
"We'll make for the meadow over there just beyond the little stream. I
think I can discern the general's marquee, and I must deliver my message
as soon as possible.


Pages:
192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216