Boy Allies in the Balkan Campaign; Or, the Struggle to Save a Nation

by Clair W. Hayes

  CHAPTER XVII.

  THE BATTLE CONTINUES.

  Hal, Chester and Colonel Anderson had watched the battle with the eyes ofveterans; Stubbs had taken in the scene with the eye of a newspaper manin the search of news. Nikol, the dwarf, had gazed at the struggling knotof horsemen in undisguised amazement.

  As the Austrians, defeated, had withdrawn, each had drawn a deep breath.

  "A terrible spectacle, when you stop to think of it," said Hal slowly.

  "Terrible, indeed," agreed Colonel Anderson quietly; "and yet it mustgo on and on until the power of the Teuton allies has been crushedout forever."

  "Which it will be," said Chester quietly.

  All turned their eyes to the battlefield once more.

  Even from where they stood they could discern a sudden activity in theAustrian lines. The action of the big field pieces became more vigorousthan before. Hal, Chester and Colonel Anderson guessed the answerimmediately, as, probably, did the officers of King Nicholas' forces.

  The next Austrian move was to be a grand assault under cover of artilleryfire. The problem to be solved was where it would be delivered--in thecenter, on the right, or on the left flank.

  For a brief instant Hal turned his eyes from the battlefield to the placewhere King Nicholas and his staff stood. Officers were arriving anddeparting in haste, carrying orders to the various commanders.

  The fire of the Montenegrin guns also became more violent; but it wasevident that the Montenegrin staff had decided to take no action untilthey were confident of just where the Austrians would strike.

  The noise of the cannonading was tremendous. It was like the continualroar of the loudest peal of thunder. The very ground trembled from thevibrations of the big guns.

  From the Austrian trenches now poured thousands of men at thedouble--poured in dense masses toward the Montenegrin center, the whilethe Austrian artillery shelled the Montenegrin center with greater energythan at any time since the battle began.

  Apparently the enemy had determined upon the Montenegrin center as theobjective of its grand assault.

  In the open field, a small plateau, the Austrians reformed coolly, inspite of the death-dealing fire from the Montenegrin lines. The field waspacked closely with the enemy, now less than half a mile away.

  At this distance the fire of the Montenegrin artillery was terriblyeffective, but the Austrian line did not waver.

  Steadily forward it came; and now the Montenegrins moved to meet theattack. Apparently satisfied that there was no question that the centerwas to be the main objective of the enemy, the Montenegrin staff orderedthe bulk of the Balkan army massed there to beat back the foe.

  Regiments and brigades were hurriedly drawn from the two flanks toreinforce the center. The left wing was weakened badly.

  A quarter of a mile from the first Montenegrin trench the Austrianscharged fiercely. All eyes were turned to that section of the field. Theshock was but a few moments away.

  At that moment--almost the moment of impact--a second line of men issuedfrom the Austrian, trenches, this time on the Montenegrin left wing.These, too, supported by artillery and strong bodies of cavalry, cameforward in a charge.

  It seemed the Austrian commander had outgeneraled the Montenegrins, forit did not seem possible that the Montenegrin left flank could bereinforced in time to successfully withstand the shock of the Austrianattack, and there could be no doubt now that the left flank was where themain attack would be delivered.

  The assault upon the center had been a feint--nothing more. The mainbodies of Austrians were to be hurled against the Montenegrin left, in aneffort to turn it before reinforcements could be hurried from the rightflank to support the threatened center and left.

  But King Nicholas, taking matters in his own hands, acted quickly. Inspite of the protests of his officers, he ordered the reinforcements sorecently massed in his center back to strengthen his left; then orderedthat the center hold firm at all hazards and against all numbers.

  He hurried reinforcements from his right to support his center, andhaving taken these precautions, he was ready to give battle.

  The Austrian attacking force and the Montenegrin center had come incontact long before the king had made his other moves, but there was nodoubt in Nicholas' mind that his sturdy mountaineers could hold theirtrenches against larger numbers of the enemy.

  One, two, three times the Austrians charged the trenches in theMontenegrin center. Three times they were driven back with terriblelosses. The Montenegrins, in the shelter of their trenches, foughtstubbornly and tenaciously. Once the first line of Austrianssucceeded in obtaining a foothold in the first trench andhand-to-hand fighting ensued.

  At this style of fighting the Austrians were no match for the sturdyBalkan warriors, and they were soon forced out again.

  Meanwhile the Austrian main attack had come in contact with theMontenegrin left wing. Outnumbered two to one, sometimes more, thedefenders fought gallantly. But the Austrians, by the very weight ofnumbers, swooped down upon the defenders of the first line trenches inspite of the heavy Montenegrin artillery fire.

  The Montenegrins were forced to fall back to their second line; but theycontested every inch of ground and by the time they had been forced out,reinforcements began to arrive. The second line of trenches held in spiteof all attempts of the enemy to force them.

  Reinforcements continued to arrive.

  The Austrian artillery had now slackened its fire perceptibly, for therewas danger of mowing down its own men.

  King Nicholas decided upon a bold stroke. Secure in the fact that theAustrian guns could not be used at the moment, and having everyconfidence in his stalwart troops, in spite of the fact that they wereheavily outnumbered, King Nicholas ordered a charge.

  A cheer went up along the Montenegrin line.

  With bayonets fixed and every nerve tense, the Montenegrins pouredsuddenly from their trenches. They charged like wild men.

  The advantage of the surprise was theirs--the advantage of theirimpetuous devotion to the cause they served; and the force of theircharge was irresistible. It carried all before it.

  In vain the Austrian officers tried to rally their men. The sight ofthese determined, grim-faced men pouring from their trenches bewilderedthe Austrian troops. They gave ground, slowly at first, then moreswiftly; and five minutes later they were in full retreat, with theMontenegrins in close pursuit.

  Once the Austrian commander succeeded in reforming his men for a stand;but the Montenegrins rushed on as though they could have carried the Rockof Gibraltar itself, and again the Austrians broke and fled.

  The Montenegrins pursued them for probably a quarter of a mile, cuttingthem down and bayoneting them as they ran. Then the bugle sounded arecall and the Montenegrins drew off.

  It was then, too, that the great Austrian guns opened on them again,doing fearful havoc. The Montenegrins suffered greater losses on theirreturn to their trenches than they had during the entire engagement up tothat time.

  In the center, the battle was still raging; but now that he had beenvictorious on his left, King Nicholas immediately hurled his weary mento the support of his center. Also he drew upon his already weakenedright wing; for the advantage was his and he was determined to make themost of it.

  The Austrians fell back in the center.

  Now the Montenegrins opened with their heavy artillery, which was rushedforward to shell the retreating foe. Again King Nicholas ordered a chargealong his entire front.

  With the present morale among the enemy, King Nicholas decided it wastime to push his advantage further. He had determined to drive the foefrom its own trenches.

  The Montenegrins advanced confidently all along the line, pursuing theAustrians closely in the center. Cavalry and infantry, under theprotection of the giant batteries, were hurled forward and dashed uponthe Austrians with ferocity.

  Rapidly they covered the open distance to the first Austrian trenches andleaped into them without thought of death. The Austri
ans, brought to bayat last, fought desperately, but the Montenegrins, once having gained thewhip hand, were not to be denied.

  The fighting in the Austrian trenches continued for what seemed aneternity; but finally the Austrians broke and fled.

  The Montenegrins, flushed with victory, advanced again, and under coverof their artillery, stormed the enemy's second line trenches. These, too,were won after a desperate struggle and heavy losses on both sides, andwith these the Montenegrins, worn and spent, rested content.

  The troops were for pushing on after the Austrians, but King Nicholascalled a halt.

  "My brave men!" he exclaimed, with tears in his eyes. "They have done aday's work to-day that will live in memory for generations to come. It isa brilliant victory."

  The duel of heavy guns continued, but the infantry fighting was over forthe day. The Montenegrins, in their newly won trenches, fell to preparingthem to resist the attack that they knew would come sooner or later,while the Austrians were taking account of their losses and making readyfor a new assault.

  Stubbs laid a hand on Chester's arm.

  "Didn't I tell you they looked like real fighters?" he exclaimed.

  "Certainly, I have never seen better," returned the lad.

  Stubbs turned to Nikol.

  "Well, Nikol," said he, "what do you think of these fellows as fighters?"

  Nikol eyed him in silence for several moments. But at last he spoke.

  "Mr. Stubbs," he said quietly, "they are better fighters than you or I."