Adventure Magazine Cover — page 16: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

6 Adventure “T was just thinking that we must be pretty far on the flank not to see any troops at all. Remember how the road was jammed yesterday?”’ “If we was near a lot of troops we wouldn’t need no patrol,” replied the dean man. His tone implied that the Yank was i re- cruit and so devoid of understanding. ’ “Did you notice what that lance was made of that killed Neddy?” asked the sergeant suddenly. ‘Aluminum, it was. I wager they snap like so much glass.” After that he subsided again and said nothing until the patrol came out of the forest on the hill above Verberie. Below them clouds of dust arose in the red rays of the sun and to the left, across the railroad, a thick column of black smoke towered. “Old up,” cried the sergeant. “Now what’s this “ere? That smoke’s from sum- mat burning.” This seemed very probable, but the men on the hill were unable to tell what it was that burned. ‘“‘There’s no firing,” suggested the Yank. “True enough,” agreed the sergeant. “Let’s go down. We'll meet summun shortly.” Sure enough, on their way across the marsh the patrol encountered two cyclists, one assisting the other to make some repair to his machine. “What lot are you from?” called the sergeant. “Rile Fusileers,’”’ answered the cyclists. “Ts that a fire down there?” “Aye,” was the answer. “There’s a proper fire down there, there is. They’re a burnin’ of officers’ kits, they are.”’ ‘“‘What for?” “Why, to myke room in the wagins fer the hinfantry to ride.” The lean man sighed. “T had a chanct to be a batman,’ he murmured, “but I put it by. It’s a proper job, it is, a batman with no kit to take care huf. I never ’ad no luck. I was drawer in a pub onct, but the owner went bankrupt the first fortnight I was there.” He sighed again. “Did you see any cavalry on this side of the river?”’ asked the sergeant. Wwe Aye.” “What lot were they?” “They didn’t sye,” said the cyclist, and went back to fixing the broken cycle. ) “You'd know they was City of Lunnun men the minute they opened their blooming traps, wouldn’t you?” the lean man asked the Yank. ‘Sure would!’ agreed the Yank. at that jam across the river!’ Verberie was a fairly good-sized town. There were two roads imto it, the one through the forest that the patrol had fol- lowed, and the one that crossed to Port Salut and joined the high-road to Clermont. The town itself was on top of a very steep hill, and weary men could be seen crawling up its side. At the foot of the hill, across the river, in the river, and among the houses of Verberie, was a swarming mass of men, horses, wagons and guns. The patrol crossed the marsh and climbed the hill. ‘“‘Nip under that shed,” directed the ser- geant, ‘while I take a look about and see if our lot ’as been this way.”’ The Yank and the lean man dismounted and led their horses under a shed in one of the yards. The lean man prowled about until he found a high-wheeled cart into which he climbed and: composed himself to sleep. The Yank had no desire for sleep. He hunted through the pockets of his tunic until he found a cigaret end, hoarded since the night before, and ‘this he lighted. Then he began to watch the columns filing by the gate. They were a tiredoking lot. Scotch regiments, their kilts muddy and torn, infantry covered with white dust, and battery after battery of guns, all bearing the marks of hard service—a splintered wheel, a cracked spoke, harness mended with rope and scars of. shell fragments on the gun-tubes. 3 The men themselves, though weary, did not appear discouraged. ‘Thereswas no sign of apprehension in their faces, only a quiet curiosity as to how much farther they would have to march, and when they would get their next meal. There had been no action for the last two or three days, and morale had had a chance to pick up. “They were beginning to get their tails down in the middle of the week,” thought the Yank. ‘After Audregnies and Landrecies any one’s nerve would begin to go. I won- der how long this is going to last. It can’t keepon forever because we’ll be at the Spanish border very soon. I suppose Paris will have to be given up, but there’ll be a fight first, I hope. I hope it won’t be like the last two or three shows.” ‘“Look Go DOOLK 1 O)