and watch for my signal."
He pulled down his visor and drew his pistol. Then, wrapping his cloak tightly across his chest, he walked into the open! Instantly several shots snapped at him, two of them striking him and, for an instant, breaking his pace. Dark had been settling slowly for some little time, but the first indication he had of it was his ability to see the flashes from the rifles, which were orange in the half-light. Again shots drilled savagely around him. They came from the center in their highest concentration.
"Hello, the leader!" shouted the lieutenant in French.
The firing ceased and from nowhere in particular a voice rose from the flat earth. "We have no wish to see anyone! Go or we shall use grenades!"
"You are surrounded by the Fourth Brigade. We have artillery!"
There was a long pause and then, falsely aggressive, the same voice cried:
"Devil take your artillery! We have much to answer!"
A grenade bounded from nowhere to the lieutenant's feet. It exploded with a bright flash. The lieutenant lifted himself from the depression some five yards beyond the place where it had gone off.
"One more chance. Surrender peaceably or take the consequences."
"Go to the devil!"
The lieutenant vanished into another patch of cover which was instantly raked by fire. He whistled shrilly twice. Instantly the villagers opened up at the borders of their field. But no shots came in return. Dusk was dropping swiftly now and it was that period of the day when it is both too dark and too light to see moving men.
The fire from the hidden emplacements slacked and stopped. Mystified and none too sure, the villagers conserved their scanty cartridges.
Short calls began to sound throughout the clearing, and the lieutenant waited until they had done. There was silence then for several minutes.
"We still offer you your chance to give over," stated the lieutenant. "All we require is billeting and food."
"We haven't changed our minds," said the leader.
"I shall count to ten. If you have not by that time, I cannot answer for the consequences." And he counted, very slowly, to ten. And there was no reply.
These people were tougher than the lieutenant had suspected. Usually his own careless appearance and the reports were sufficient to shake resolve.
These survivors of all that science and politics could achieve had become survivor types, of a rare order. He shrugged to himself, little he cared.
He gave a short whistle in a certain key and there was a faint wave of movement through the clearing. Then, after a short time, the smoke began to clear from the air. Presently there sounded some coughs under the earth. And then more. The smoke which. had vanished now began to thicken in the night. Throughout the village, handfiils of green leaves had been thrust down the camouflaged chimneys.
The coughing increased as the smoke increased, and there came wails of despair, the rattle of poles which sought to clear the obstructions, and the frenzied swearing of men trying to haul the green leaves from the grates.
The lieutenant lay upon his back and looked at the evening star, jewel-like in the darkening heavens. Other stars came slowly forth to make up constellations. A breeze played with the treetops and made them bow before the majesty of night.
"My general!" sobbed the leader. "We have seen the error of our decision.
What mercy can we expect if we come up now?"
The lieutenant counted the stars in Cepheus and began upon the Little Bear.
"My general! For the love of Heaven, have mercy! There are children here!
They are strangling! What can we expect if we come up now?"
With a sigh, the lieutenant gave his attention to the Great Bear and tried to make out the Swan, part of which was hidden by the drifting smoke.
There was a ripping of brush and the thump of a door thrown back and the clearing was immediately alight and fogged with billowing smoke. The lieutenant stood up. Soldiers materialized from the earth and people
He pulled down his visor and drew his pistol. Then, wrapping his cloak tightly across his chest, he walked into the open! Instantly several shots snapped at him, two of them striking him and, for an instant, breaking his pace. Dark had been settling slowly for some little time, but the first indication he had of it was his ability to see the flashes from the rifles, which were orange in the half-light. Again shots drilled savagely around him. They came from the center in their highest concentration.
"Hello, the leader!" shouted the lieutenant in French.
The firing ceased and from nowhere in particular a voice rose from the flat earth. "We have no wish to see anyone! Go or we shall use grenades!"
"You are surrounded by the Fourth Brigade. We have artillery!"
There was a long pause and then, falsely aggressive, the same voice cried:
"Devil take your artillery! We have much to answer!"
A grenade bounded from nowhere to the lieutenant's feet. It exploded with a bright flash. The lieutenant lifted himself from the depression some five yards beyond the place where it had gone off.
"One more chance. Surrender peaceably or take the consequences."
"Go to the devil!"
The lieutenant vanished into another patch of cover which was instantly raked by fire. He whistled shrilly twice. Instantly the villagers opened up at the borders of their field. But no shots came in return. Dusk was dropping swiftly now and it was that period of the day when it is both too dark and too light to see moving men.
The fire from the hidden emplacements slacked and stopped. Mystified and none too sure, the villagers conserved their scanty cartridges.
Short calls began to sound throughout the clearing, and the lieutenant waited until they had done. There was silence then for several minutes.
"We still offer you your chance to give over," stated the lieutenant. "All we require is billeting and food."
"We haven't changed our minds," said the leader.
"I shall count to ten. If you have not by that time, I cannot answer for the consequences." And he counted, very slowly, to ten. And there was no reply.
These people were tougher than the lieutenant had suspected. Usually his own careless appearance and the reports were sufficient to shake resolve.
These survivors of all that science and politics could achieve had become survivor types, of a rare order. He shrugged to himself, little he cared.
He gave a short whistle in a certain key and there was a faint wave of movement through the clearing. Then, after a short time, the smoke began to clear from the air. Presently there sounded some coughs under the earth. And then more. The smoke which. had vanished now began to thicken in the night. Throughout the village, handfiils of green leaves had been thrust down the camouflaged chimneys.
The coughing increased as the smoke increased, and there came wails of despair, the rattle of poles which sought to clear the obstructions, and the frenzied swearing of men trying to haul the green leaves from the grates.
The lieutenant lay upon his back and looked at the evening star, jewel-like in the darkening heavens. Other stars came slowly forth to make up constellations. A breeze played with the treetops and made them bow before the majesty of night.
"My general!" sobbed the leader. "We have seen the error of our decision.
What mercy can we expect if we come up now?"
The lieutenant counted the stars in Cepheus and began upon the Little Bear.
"My general! For the love of Heaven, have mercy! There are children here!
They are strangling! What can we expect if we come up now?"
With a sigh, the lieutenant gave his attention to the Great Bear and tried to make out the Swan, part of which was hidden by the drifting smoke.
There was a ripping of brush and the thump of a door thrown back and the clearing was immediately alight and fogged with billowing smoke. The lieutenant stood up. Soldiers materialized from the earth and people
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