Belgians to the Front

by Ralph Henry Barbour

  CHAPTER VI

  AT HEADQUARTERS

  The armored automobile, a queer looking affair with its machine gunsand its steel parapets, pierced with holes through which rifles couldbe fired, made good time on the way back to Liege. It was really afairly large motor lorry, converted very readily from a commercial useto its new purpose, and even the untrained eyes of the two scouts couldsee that it was likely to prove a formidable weapon in time of war.

  "It would take a heavy gun to stop it. Rifle fire wouldn't bother usat all, you see," explained one of the Belgian officers. "Even thedriver is thoroughly protected, because he could only be shot fromabove. I expect we'll have a lot of use for these."

  "Are there many of them?"

  "Not so many here. We don't need them. But at Brussels, where thefield army is being mobilized now, there are a lot, and all through theopen country where there will probably be a good deal of fighting."

  "Will the Germans get so far?"

  "They're sure to. We'll hold Liege with a small force as long as wecan. But you must remember that they can send a million men againstus! We're not supposed to beat them--no one expects us to do that.All we have to do is to hold them back as long as possible."

  "But if there are so many of them, why can't they go right around ushere?"

  "They can, and they probably will. But even so, they'll have toaccount for the fortress of Liege and of Namur, as well, before theycan get so very far."

  "That's what I don't quite understand," said Arthur. "It seems to methat unless we have soldiers enough here to stop them they could goright on without bothering about Liege at all."

  "You haven't studied strategy yet, I can see, my scout!" said theofficer, with a laugh. "But I'll try to explain. You see, the Germanswant to reach France--to conquer the French army and capture Paris, asthey did in 1870. Then they went right through Alsace andLorraine--beat the French around Metz, locked up the beaten army inthat fortress, beat the only other army France had and captured it atSedan, and then walked right through to Paris."

  "Yes, I've read of that," said Arthur. "They didn't go through Belgiumthen, either."

  "They didn't have to. But since then, you see, the French have learnedtheir lesson. They've got the most powerful fortified line in theworld, I suppose, all the way from Belfort to Verdun. It would takethe Germans weeks to break through there, and by that time the wholeFrench army would be mobilized behind that line of fortresses, andready for them. If they were only fighting France they might try it.But now they've got to fight France and Russia too. And the onlychance they have is to beat France even more quickly than they did in1870. I happen to know that their plans require them to capture Pariswithin six weeks."

  "Six weeks! Do you think they can do it?"

  "No! Not if we do our part! And if they don't, they're likely to failaltogether. Because then Russia will have had time to mobilize, andmore than half of the German army will have to help the Austrians tohold back the Russians from Vienna and Berlin. What they're countingon, you see, is smashing France, so that they can hold only a few corpsback on this side, and throw all the rest of their army against Russia.Then they'd have a chance--more than a chance."

  "But still I don't understand about Liege yet, and why it's soimportant," said Arthur.

  "I'm coming to that. Now, to get at the French, they've got to gothrough Belgium. Well, they've got to supply their armies. They'vegot to send guns, and ammunition, and food from Germany. To do thatthey have to keep their line of communication open. Liege is right onone of their important lines of communication--the one that reallystarts at Aix-la-Chapelle, just across the border. Liege, if it wasn'treduced, or at least 'masked'--that means surrounded--would threatenthese communications all the time. We could raid the railway, forinstance. And if communications are interrupted, even for a day or so,it may mean the loss of a battle. They use a frightful lot ofammunition, for instance, in a modern battle. And if troops didn't gettheir supplies, they might be crushed utterly. That's why we'll holdthem back."

  Meanwhile the armored car was approaching Liege. And now they werenear the old citadel, where, as both the scouts knew, General Leman hadestablished his headquarters.

  "I don't know whether the General will see you," said a captain,doubtfully. "But you can see one of his staff, anyway. Won't that do?He can decide whether what you have is important."

  "Yes, and I think he'll take us to the General when he hears ourstory," said Paul. "But please hurry! There really isn't any time tobe lost."

  "I'll speak to Major du Chaillu," promised the captain. "I think he'llbe able to arrange matters for you."

  After a short delay, Major du Chaillu, a tall, harassed looking man,under whose eyes there were great, dark circles as if he had not sleptfor many weary hours, received them in his office. He was busy with agreat map of Liege and the surrounding forts, on which he was arrangingand rearranging many small flags.

  "Now tell me briefly what you have discovered," he said, his mannerquick and abrupt. It was plain that exhaustion had made him nervous.

  "We have found out that the Germans have secretly prepared foundationsfor heavy guns all around Liege, sir," said Paul, quietly.

  "What?" The major spun around and stared at them.

  Paul repeated the statement, and produced the packet of papers they hadgone through so much to retain.

  "We didn't know what these marks meant," he explained. "So we decidedto try to find out. And when we reached the place that was marked onthis map we found not only a concrete and steel foundation for a biggun, but some smaller guns, all ready to be assembled and a store ofammunition."

  "Tell me exactly what happened," said du Chaillu. But already he wascomparing the sketch maps Paul had given him with his own big wall map,and was using his compasses and other instruments to determine rangesand distances. His eyes were shining, too. Busy as he was, however,he listened attentively.

  "That was well done--well done, indeed!" he said, heartily. "You willhear more of this, I promise you, and from those whose praise will meanmore than anything I can say. I shall take you at once to GeneralLeman, although there are positive orders that he is not to bedisturbed."

  And so in a few minutes they found themselves in the presence of theheroic defender of Liege, the kindly faced, middle aged general who wasto win a European, a world-wide reputation, indeed, in the course ofthe next few days. He heard du Chaillu's report; then he questionedboth the scouts.

  "You have served Belgium well to-day," he said, finally. "I shallreport your conduct to His Majesty the King. Major, see to it thatthese boys reach their homes in safety, and if an escort is needed, orany other help, to enable them and their relatives to reach a place ofsafety, supply it. I shall see you again, I hope, my boys!"

  "What we discovered will really prove useful, then?" asked Paul, when,with the major, they had left General Leman.

  "Useful?" exclaimed the major. "Eh--but yes! Listen! What you havefound is the location of all the heavy guns that will soon bethundering at our brave forts. Now we shall know just where those gunsare. We can give the gunners the exact range, the exact spot at whichto drop their shells. We shall put their heavy pieces out of business.Do you see? If you had not brought us this word we might have wastedmany shots trying to do that. We should have sent up aeroplanes, weshould have guessed by the smoke and the reports just where their gunswere placed. But now we need not guess; we need risk nothing to learnthe truth. We know it in advance."

  "I was hoping there would be time to send men to destroy such places aswe found," said Arthur.

  "There might be time, but it is far better not to do so, you see," saidthe major. "As it is, we could destroy only the mountings. But if wewait until their guns are in position, we can smash the guns as well.It may well be that you have dealt a blow to Germany to-night moresevere than the loss of a battle and fifty thousand men would be!"

  "I hope so!" said Arthur, v
indictively. "They have no business cominginto peaceful Belgium, which asks only to be left alone!"

  The major laughed a little bitterly.

  "That is true," he said. "But our poor Belgium! They call her thecockpit of Europe, for whenever there is a general war, it is here inBelgium and in Flanders, both French and Belgian, that the fighting isat its fiercest, it seems. Marlborough fought Louis the Fourteenthhere; it was near Brussels that Wellington crushed Napoleon. Blood andfire have been known in Belgium always. But perhaps after this war ourneutrality will no longer be but a word. It may be that we shall beable to cease to think of danger then."

  Outside there was a sudden bustle. Officers were running about,forgetful of their dignity. From the room in which they had leftGeneral Leman there was a constant double stream of officers andorderlies, one going in, the other coming out. Major du Chaillu lookedstartled.

  "There must be something new!" he said. "Wait for me a minute--I willfind out."

  When he returned his face was very grave.

  "A German army corps has occupied Luxembourg, against the formalprotest of the Grand Duchess Marie Adelaide," he said. "And Belgiansoil has felt the footprints of armed Germans at last! What we haveknown must come has come! The German invasion of Belgium has begun!"

  "That means war," said Paul.

  "Yes. I am afraid that we shall be fighting them within twenty-fourhours. They will move swiftly. You had better hasten back to yourhome. If there are no men left there you may be badly needed."

  "Very well, sir," said Paul. "I hope, though, that we may be of someservice during the defence, after we have done what is necessary for myaunt."

  "We shall see as to that later," said du Chaillu. "You have been ofthe greatest service to Belgium already. I shall order an escort foryou."

  "Please don't," said Paul. "We can get along all right. There can beno danger now. And I believe that every man in the garrison here willbe needed."

  "Well--" Du Chaillu hesitated. "Perhaps you are right. I myselfcannot see of what use an armed escort can be to you. There is not theslightest real chance of any trouble between here and your home. Goodluck to you--and may we meet again in a time when our anxieties and ourfears for our country shall be at an end!"

  "Good-bye, sir, and thank you!" said Paul and Arthur together.

  In the town they got bicycles at a place where they were well known.Du Chaillu had given them the countersign, and they needed it nearBoncelles, since they were challenged. They rode swiftly along, and asthey neared the house, they saw a bright glare in the sky.