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Page 68
Having fastened the door securely again he spread the blankets on the
bench by the window and lay down to sleep. The tension was gone from his
nerves now, and he felt that he could fall asleep at once, but he did
not. A shift in the wind brought the sound of the artillery more
plainly. His imagination again came into vivid play. He believed that
the bench beneath him, the whole cottage, in fact, was quivering before
the waves of the air, set in such violent motion by so many great guns.
It annoyed him intensely. He felt a sort of personal anger against
everybody. It was past midnight of the third day and it was time for the
killing to stop. At least they might rest until morning, and give his
nerves a chance. He moved restlessly on the bench a half hour or more,
but at last he sank gradually to sleep. As his eyes closed the thunder
of the cannonade was as loud and steady as ever. He slept, but the
murderous sport of kings went on.
CHAPTER IX
THE PUZZLING SIGNAL
When John awoke a bright sun was shining in at the window, bringing with
it the distant mutter of cannon, a small fire was burning on the hearth
on the opposite side of the room, a man was bending over the coals, and
the pleasant odor of boiling coffee came to his nostrils. He sat up in
amazement and looked at the man who, not turning around, went on
placidly with his work of preparing breakfast. But he recognized the
figure.
"Weber!" he exclaimed.
"None other!" said the Alsatian, facing about, and showing a cheery
countenance. "I was in the boat just behind you when your own was
demolished by the shell. In all the spray and foam and confusion I saw
my chance, and dropping overboard from ours I floated with the stream. I
had an idea that you might escape, and since you must come down the
river between the two armies I also, for the same reasons, chose the
same path. I came upon this cottage several hours ago, picked the
fastenings of the door and to my astonishment and delight found you, my
friend, unharmed, but sound asleep upon the bench there. I slept a while
in the corner, then I undertook to make breakfast with provisions and
utensils that I found in the forest. Ah, it was easy enough last night
to find almost anything one wished. The fields and forest were full of
dead men."
"I provided myself in the same way, but I'm delighted to see you. I was
never before in my life so lonely. How chance seems to throw us together
so often!"
"And we've both profited by it. The coffee is boiling now, Mr. Scott.
I've a good German coffee pot and two cups that I took from the fallen.
God rest their souls, they'll need them no more, while we do."
"The battle goes on," said John, listening a moment at the window.
"Somewhere on the hundred mile line it has continued without a break of
an instant, and it may go on this way for a week or a month. Ah, it's a
fearful war, Mr. Scott, and we've seen only the beginning! But drink the
coffee now, while it's hot. And I've warmed too, some of the cold food
from the knapsacks. German sausage is good at any time."
"And just now it's heavenly. I'm glad we have such a plentiful supply of
sausage and bread, even if we did have to take it from the dead. I want
to tell you again how pleasant it is to see you here."
"I feel that way too. We're like comrades united. Now if we only had
your English friend Carstairs, your American friend Wharton, and Lannes
we'd be quite a family group."
"I fancy that we'll see Lannes before we do Carstairs and Wharton."
"I think so too. He'll certainly be hovering today somewhere over the
ground between the two armies--either to observe the Germans or more
likely to carry messages between the French generals. I tell you, Mr.
Scott, that Philip Lannes is perhaps the most wonderful young man in
Europe. In addition to his extraordinary ability in the air he has
courage, coolness, perception and quickness almost without equal.
There's something Napoleonic about him."
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