"There, now, I think he'll do."
"Where shall we take him, Doctor?" queried6 the master. "There isn't any hospital in Embourg, nor in Beaufays, and Liége will have sufficient problems to face in taking care of its own wounded."
"The boy can stay here," the doctor replied. "Father will treat him and Mother will do all the nursing necessary."
He looked off into the distance with lowered eyebrows7.
"If all comes true that people have prophesied[Pg 45] about the terrors of modern war," the surgeon continued, thoughtfully, "it's likely that every woman in Belgium will have to become a nurse."
"Couldn't I stay and help to take care of Deschamps, sir?" asked Horace.
"No," the master answered, "you're within the zone of fire as it is. You must return to Beaufays without delay."
Horace would have protested but that he knew the master's words were not to be gainsaid8.
"Did you say that you were on your way to Liége?" asked the doctor abruptly9, turning to the old reservist.
"Yes," was the reply.
"Let us go together, then," the doctor said, "for Belgium will need my case of surgical10 instruments as much as she will need your rifle. Wait a moment until I call Father."
He returned a minute or two later accompanied by a small and withered11 but keen-eyed old man, whom he introduced to the master and Horace, and to whom he described with technical detail the injuries suffered by the lad who was still extended, motionless, on the operating table.
"Very well, Hilaire," answered the old man, in a high, reedy voice, "leave the patient to me,[Pg 46] my son. I have not forgotten all that I once knew. Not yet, oh, no!"
He turned to the master.
"My son, Monsieur, my son!" he said, paternally12. "It is something of which we may be proud, is it not, when our children carry on the work which we have begun?"
The old man patted the young surgeon on the arm, talking garrulously13 the while.
"A good boy, Monsieur, a good boy," he said. "I was the first to teach him, but he has outstripped14 me. Then, too, his wrist has the steadiness of youth, while mine—"
He held out a shaking hand.
"But the brain is clear still, Monsieur," he went on, "do not fear. Your pupil shall have the best of care."
He walked feebly to the operating table. There, his whole figure changed. Unconsciously his back straightened, his hand ceased to tremble, and, as he bent15 over the patient, his eyes narrowed with the penetration16 that they must have borne twenty years before.
The master observed him closely.
"The lad is in good hands," he said, in a low voice; "come, let us go."
[Pg 47]
He turned to the aged5 physician.
"Monsieur," he said, "I feel it is an honor that we of the older generation can still serve Belgium. The first young victim of this war is in your keeping. I—" he paused, "I have no children, only the children of my school. It is my child, therefore, Monsieur, that I leave with you."
"He shall be as a child of mine," the old man answered.
Father and son embraced and the little party of three left the doctor's house.
At the gate the master paused.
"Monroe," he said, "you must get back to Beaufays as quickly as you can. Try to be there before it is altogether dark. Lose no time, but do not go by the road. Strike south across the fields from here until you come to the river (Ourthe), then follow the banks as far as the road from Tilff, whence it will be safe to take the Beaufays road."
"Why do you suggest such a roundabout way?" asked the surgeon. "The lad won't escape danger by making a circuit. Shells drop anywhere and everywhere. You can't dodge17 them by taking to the fields instead of the road."
The reservist shook his head.
[Pg 48]
"There you are wrong, Doctor," he said. "How many shells have fallen in Embourg Village? None. Yet we are but three-quarters of a mile from the fort. It is only in the immediate18 neighborhood of the fort that there is danger. Strange though it may seem to say so, I could wish that shells were dropping in the village."
"Why?" asked the surgeon sharply.
"Because," the master rejoined, "it would demonstrate that the Germans do not possess the exact range of the fort. Their very accuracy proves that they do. For that reason, at a distance of half a mile from the fort, the lad will be safe. Nevertheless, Monroe," he added, "if you should hear a wild shell coming in your direction, throw yourself flat on the ground. The burst of an explosion is always upwards19."
"I'll be careful, sir," answered the boy.
"Will you please tell Mme. Maubin that I went on to Liége in the company of Dr. Mallorbes? Say that I do not wish her to come and see Deschamps, for I am sure she will wish to do so, and give as my reason that the road running below the fort is not safe."
"I will tell her, sir," said Horace.
"You will also inform the school to-morrow[Pg 49] about Deschamps," the master continued. "It is a matter of pride to Beaufays, I feel, that Belgium's first wounded boy hero should be a lad from our own school. And so, good-bye!"
"Good-bye, sir; good-bye, Dr. Mallorbes," responded Horace.
He hesitated a moment, as though he would have said something more, then plunged21 across the fields, as the master had bidden him, back to the little village of Beaufays.
The two men watched him for a moment, until his figure was lost in the shadows of the wood on the other side of the field, then set their faces for Liége and—it might be—death.
"I am a good deal disturbed," the doctor began, as they swung out upon the road, "by your suggestion that the Germans possess the exact range of our forts. Where could they get the information?"
"Spies," the master answered. "Belgium is honeycombed with them, has been for years. You know—all the world knows—that Germany spends millions of marks yearly on her secret service system and nearly all her agents are military spies. The exact location of our forts cannot be hidden. It is not a secret. They are plain to see. What is[Pg 50] easier for a spy than to search the neighborhood of a fort thoroughly22, perhaps on a Sunday morning walk, to find some well-hidden position for a gun of a certain caliber23, and to calculate, to the last inch, the exact distance of that position from the fort? It is simplicity24 itself."
"What of that," said the doctor, "when the gun itself is not there?"
"But when the gun is there!" the master retorted. "When the invasion is accomplished25, think of the advantage which such information gives! There is no need to send out scouting26 parties to bring back estimates of distances; there is no need to waste energy, time, and ammunition27 in trial shots, during which time the battery might be subjected to fire from the guns of the fort. None of that. Secretly and silently, probably during the night or behind a screen of cavalry28, a howitzer may be dragged up to the place selected by the spy and marked in detail on a large scale map. The officer commanding the battery knows the exact direction in which the fort bears and has already worked out the exact angle of elevation29 for the range. He has nothing to do but to order the aim and elevation and to fire, knowing, in advance, that his shells can fall nowhere but on the[Pg 51] fort itself. It is not marksmanship, it is mathematics."
Belgian Official Photograph.
Armored Train Defending Antwerp.
Belgian Official Photograph.
Armored Car Harassing31 Invaders32.
"You think this has been done with the forts at Liége!" ejaculated the doctor.
"That is evident," was the reply. "See, this is a night bombardment. There are no advance posts, no aeroplanes to report back the results of gun-fire. Yet the German shells are falling on the forts with deadly precision, falling on forts which the gunners have never seen. I doubt if there is a single fortified33 place in Belgium of which the Germans do not possess accurate plans."
"Then you think they will break through?"
"We cannot hope to prevent it," the master answered. "The Kaiser's generals would never attack Liége unless they were confident of success. Since they know exactly what we possess for defense34, they would not be sure of success unless they knew that they possessed35 an infinitely36 stronger force of attack."
"But I have heard that the forts of Liége were impregnable!"
"They were when they were built," the master answered, "but that is twenty years ago. Against the guns of that period, notably37 the 6-inch howitzer,[Pg 52] they were impregnable, for every possible gun-position for a weapon of that range was covered by the guns of the fort. But if pieces of heavier power can bombard the forts from positions outside the range of the fortress38 guns, then impregnability is gone. You must remember, Doctor, that the power of a gun increases as the cube of its caliber or diameter of its bore. Thus a 12-inch gun is not twice as powerful as a 6-inch gun, but eight times as powerful."
"Are there such heavy guns?"
"There are," was the answer. "Field guns of 8.4-inch and 10-inch caliber are known to exist, and the German War Party is reported to hold the secret of still more powerful engines of destruction, of which, as yet, the outer world knows nothing."
"Look, you, M. Maubin," said the surgeon, "you seem to know quite a lot about these things, while I've concerned myself mainly with my medical books and haven't paid much attention to military affairs. Explain to me, if you will be so good, the significance of this contest between the fortifications of Liége and the new German guns."
"It is the death-grapple which will decide the fate of Belgium—perhaps that of Europe—within[Pg 53] a week," the master answered. "Its outcome will settle the greatest military controversy39 of our times. One way or the other, it will change the face of war forever. This question is whether modern artillery40 has become so powerful that no permanent masonry41 fortification can resist it. If so, the development of two thousand years of fortification must be thrown aside as useless and defense must become mobile.
"Liége is what is known as a ring fortress, that is, the city itself is not fortified but it is ringed round with twelve forts, between two and three miles apart from each other and averaging a distance of five miles from the city. Thus the forts form a circumference42 of 32 miles, so arranged that if any one fort is silenced the cross-fire of the forts on either side controls the gap. Six are forts of the first order, Pontisse, Barchon, and Fléron on the north and east, Loncin, Flemalles, and Boncelles on the west and south. The other six are fortins or small forts, like Embourg."
"Are they strongly armed?" the doctor asked.
"Moderately so. They have modern guns, though not of the largest caliber. There are four hundred guns in all the forts combined, mainly 6-inch and 4.7-inch guns and 8-inch mortars44. The[Pg 54] big 9-inch guns, which were ordered from Krupp's for delivery more than three years ago, have never reached us. We see, now, that Germany would not allow them to be delivered. She did not intend to run the risk of invading a well-armed Belgium."
"But isn't a 6-inch a fairly big gun?"
"Not for permanent works," the master replied. "The United States has two 16-inch guns in her coast defenses and there are plenty of 12-inch guns in permanent fortifications. Naval45 guns, of course, are bigger. They have to be. You can't 'take cover' at sea and long ranges therefore are necessary. Modern super-Dreadnoughts,[3] armed with 15-inch guns, regard their 6-inch batteries as merely secondary.
"Our principal weakness," he continued, "is that Brialmont's full design of infantry47 trenches48 and sunken emplacements for light artillery has never been completed. Besides, our army is in a state of transition, as you know, for it is only a year and a half since a new system was put into operation. That makes it difficult for us to mobilize quickly, while Germany has been completely mobilized for some time."
[Pg 55]
"Still," responded the doctor, trying to find some hope in the outlook, "we have the advantage of being on the defensive49. I've read, somewhere, that it takes three times as many men to drive an attack as to hold a line of defense."
"That is true," agreed the master.
"They can't be more than three to one," said the doctor, "so as fast as they come, we'll smash them."
"Perhaps we might have a better chance," the old reservist said, doubtfully, "if General Leman and our Third Division were here. But it's not the German soldiers of which I'm afraid, but these new howitzers."
"Why?" asked the doctor. "Isn't a howitzer a gun? What's the difference between them, anyway?"
"I'll show you the difference in a minute," the master replied, "but I want, first, to give you a clear idea of one of our big forts, so that you can realize the problem that the Germans must tackle. Each of the six main forts around Liége is built in the form of a triangle, each is placed in a commanding natural position, and each, in addition, is approached by a steep artificial mound50, in the interior of which lie the works of the fort. At[Pg 56] the top of the earth slope, the edge drops suddenly into a deep ditch, of which the counterscarp is a massive masonry wall topped with wire entanglements51. The entire earth slope and wall is exposed to the guns of the fort, throwing shrapnel, and to fire from machine guns and rifles."
"Before the Germans get a footing in the fort, then," said the doctor, "they will have to storm a stretch of ground absolutely riddled52 with fire."
"They will."
"That means a heavy loss of life."
"A terrible loss of life," the master agreed. "Moreover, even should they advance in such masses that we could not kill them fast enough and thus they should storm the slope and win the ditch, they would be in a still worse plight53. Powerful quick-firing guns, mounted in cupolas at each angle of the triangle, sweep the sunken ditch with an enfilading fire. No troops could live through such an inferno54 of bullets.
"On the main inner triangle is the infantry parapet, shaped somewhat like a heart, pierced for rifle fire and with machine-gun emplacements at the angles. In the hollow of that heart-like space rises a solid central mass of concrete, on and in which are the shelters and gun cupolas.[Pg 57] The mortar43 cupolas rise from the floor of the hollow, outside the central mass. These are invisible to the foe55 until raised by machinery56 within, when they command the entire neighborhood and can fire their 6-inch shells in any direction."
The doctor rubbed his hands briskly.
"If that's the way our forts are built," he said, "and if they are well provisioned and have plenty of ammunition, we ought to be able to snap our fingers at the Kaiser. All we have to do is to wait for the Germans to come and shoot them down by thousands. They'll go packing back to Germany quick enough if we give them a reception like that."
"Perhaps," said the old reservist, "but you have forgotten about the howitzers."
"Why, yes, so I had," the doctor answered, more gravely; "you were going to tell me about them."
"The difference in principle between a gun and a howitzer or a mortar," explained the master, "is that a gun depends for its destructiveness on its striking velocity57, while a howitzer depends on the power of the exploding charge of its shell. An armor-piercing shell, fired from a 15-inch naval gun, will go through the heaviest and hardest steel[Pg 58] known, because of the terrific speed at which it travels, with a muzzle58 velocity of three thousand feet a second or thirty-four miles a minute. In order not to lose speed, therefore, it must travel in as straight a line as possible. In other words, a missile from a gun must have a long low curve or trajectory59."
"Yes," said the doctor, "I can see that."
"A howitzer, on the other hand," the master explained, "does not require any more velocity than just to carry the high-explosive shell to the point designed. Moreover, in order that their terrible effects may be the more destructive, mortars and howitzers drop their shells from overhead upon the object of fire by lobbing them up in the air with a very high trajectory. A howitzer generally looks as though it were shooting at the moon. It can be placed in a valley and fire over the hill. But, as you can see, its range is restricted. A naval gun throwing an 8-inch shell may have a range of sixteen miles, while the 8-inch howitzer operates best from three or four miles away.
"You see, Doctor," he continued, "if our defenses have been constructed upon the basis of attack from heavy field-guns and light howitzers—which[Pg 59] is the system of most European armies—if our energy has been spent on disappearing cupolas and sunken masonry works which will resist gun-fire, is there not a terrible danger if we are attacked by heavy howitzers, dropping high explosive shells from overhead? To such shells it will make no difference whether the cupolas be raised or lowered.
"If it be true," the old reservist added, his voice rising with a note of presage60, "if it be true what is whispered about these new German siege howitzers, then destruction will rain upon the forts of Liége as though the skies were a mouth of flame.
"Perhaps never before, in the history of the world, has so much hung upon the range and power of a modern weapon. We await the eruption61 of a man-forged volcano which may engulf62 us all in its fiery63 lava64."
The doctor passed his hand over his face and looked up unconsciously, half in fear as though the doom65 was on them.
"You make it very ugly," he said.
The master paced on through the late dusk, a glow from the distant gunfire mingling66 with the faint starlight on his face.
[Pg 60]
"It matters very little if the End be ugly," he replied, "so long as the road be that of heroism67."
The two men walked silently some little space, each following the trend of his own ideas, until, where the road branched off to Chénée, two men joined them.
"Have you any late news?" the master asked.
"The Ninth Regiment68 has been ordered forward between Fléron and Chaudfontaine," said the older of the newcomers, "and the Fourteenth is to be sent here, to cover Embourg and Boncelles."
"And you—where do you go?"
"To report," the stranger answered; "there will be work enough for us all to do."
"Have you any idea of what numbers we will have to face?"
The other shrugged69 his shoulders.
"Maybe one army corps70, maybe two—maybe all Germany. Who knows?"
Darkness closed down upon Liége, the darkness of that August Fourth, such as even that ancient city had never known, a somber71 pall72 of shadow pierced with vivid streaks73 from the flaming fortress guns. Powerful searchlights hunted the[Pg 61] countryside with their malevolent74 eyes. Death screamed and screeched75 in the trees. The horrible and cruel work of war hid its unloveliness that first night in the shelter of the woods surrounding the eastern forts of Liége.
The four men soon reached military headquarters. Already casualty cases had begun to arrive and Dr. Mallorbes was promptly76 assigned to one of the hospitals. The two reservists from Chénée were sent to the shallow trenches defending the approaches to Fort Chaudfontaine, and, at his earnest request, the master was allowed to join his battery at Boncelles.
When, however, the master found himself actually in the fort and under military discipline, much of his pessimism77 passed away. He fell, naturally, into the fatalism of the soldier, and, as he remarked the extraordinarily78 powerful machinery and defenses of the fort, said to his neighbor,
"They're counting on our not being ready. But everything here seems up to the minute!"
His fellow-gunner, also an old reservist who had served with the battery before, chuckled79 as he answered,
"Our silent general has fooled them. General[Pg 62] Leman has reached here with the Third Division."
"But the Third was at Diest, eighty miles away, the day before yesterday!" exclaimed the master.
"It is here now, and taking up positions. And the Germans, for all their spies, don't know it. They'll try to rush the forts to-morrow, expecting to find them lightly held, and then we'll pepper them finely."
"How many men does that give us here at Liége?" the master asked.
"About twenty-two thousand."
"And the Germans?"
"Three army corps, probably; a hundred thousand men, at least,[4] and as many more as they like to bring."
"And all confident of breaking through?"
"Quite," said the other, nodding. "There was a young German officer captured yesterday at Visé who jeered80 at the mere46 idea of our daring to oppose them.
"'It is the idea of little children that Belgium can resist,' he said. 'In two days we take Liége, in a week we are before Paris. It is all arranged. It is like a time-table. Nothing can[Pg 63] prevent victory. Nothing will stop us. If any one hinders, we will roll them into the sea.'"
"Time-tables have been disarranged before now," said the master thoughtfully, "and it is worth remembering that the more rigid81 is the organization the more hopeless is the confusion when something goes wrong."
"If we can check them here—"
"Then," said the master, "they will never get to Paris."
So, under the plucky82 but inadequate83 fire of their forts, the 22,500 Belgians awaited the attack of 120,000 Germans. They knew, those heroes, those martyrs84 to the ideals of honor, that Germany had untold85 millions to roll up against them, should their resistance prove to be an obstacle.
It was almost dawn when the first attack began at Evegnée and Barchon. There, the sentries86 on duty, watching the hillsides opposite to them, saw what seemed to be an undulation of the earth, as though the soil were heaving like the sea. As the morning light cleared the mists away, these waves were seen to be vast bodies of infantry, their iron-gray uniforms indistinguishable against the dawn-lighted grass.
Came a sharp order to fire.
[Pg 64]
Red mouths of death opened. From trench[5] and fort, rifle-fire ran its crackling harmony to the crash of the 6-inch guns and the insistent87 rattle88 of the ear-rasping machine gun. In this hideous89 repertory of noise, the Hotchkiss machine-guns, used in the forts, and the Berthier guns, used by the infantry and drawn90 by a dog team, joined their concert of destruction.
It was no discredit91 to the German soldiers that they fell back. No one, neither General von Emmich, his officers, nor his men, expected to find the Belgian trenches so strongly held. The check was only momentary92, however, merely long enough to allow the face of the hills to grow a little brighter, long enough to show clearly to the gallant93 defenders94 the tremendous odds95 they had to face.
The iron-gray masses of the German infantry advanced stolidly96 into that maw of death. It was unlike all the parade conceptions of battle. There were no flaming colors, no horses curveting around a golden-tasseled standard, no blare of bands, none of the pomp and panoply97 of war. Only, above the hills which circled the forts, rose the[Pg 65] slowly deepening rose of the dawn; only, on the ground below, crept the steady ant-like advance of thousands of men who would be dead before the rising sun had risen.
Courtesy of "Panorama98 de la Guerre."
The First Clash.
Belgians with the dog-drawn machine guns, disputing the invasion of their country by the hordes99 of the Hun. Note the open warfare100 without cover or trenches.
"As line after line of the German infantry advanced," wrote a Belgian officer, when describing this first day's fighting, "we simply mowed101 them down. It was all too terribly easy, and I turned to a brother officer of mine more than once and said to him,
"'Voila! They are coming on again in a dense102, close formation! They must be mad!'
"They made no attempt at deploying103, but came on, line after line, almost shoulder to shoulder, until, as we shot them down, the fallen were heaped one on top of another, in an awful barricade104 of dead and wounded men that threatened to mask our guns and cause us trouble.
"I thought of Napoleon's saying—if he ever said it, and I doubt it, for he had no care of human life—
"'C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre!' (Magnificent! But it is not War!)
"No, that plunge20 forward of the German infantry that day was not war, it was slaughter105—just slaughter.
[Pg 66]
"So high became the barricade of dead and wounded that we did not know whether to fire through it or to go out and clear openings with our hands. We would have liked to extricate106 some of the wounded from the dead, but we dared not. A stiff wind carried away the smoke of the guns quickly, and we could see some of the wounded men trying to release themselves from their terrible position. I will confess I crossed myself and could have wished that the smoke had remained!
"But, would you believe it, this veritable wall of dead and dying actually enabled those wonderful Germans to creep closer and actually charge up the glacis (slope of the fort). Of course, they got no further than half way, for our Maxims107 and rifles swept them back. We had our own losses, but they were slight compared with the carnage inflicted108 on our enemies."
No, it was not war that day, it was slaughter.
What did this waste of life mean? What reason, what excuse could there be which would justify109 the reckless sacrifice of men against the gunfire, the machine-gun-fire and the rifle-fire of the forts of Liége?
There is only one answer. General von Emmich,[Pg 67] Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Meuse, had been entrusted110 with the task of breaking through Liége quickly, at all hazards. Everything must be made subservient111 to speed. The loss of a few thousand men would not cripple Germany. The loss of a few days spelled failure.
Counting mainly on the element of surprise, for it was only thirty-four hours before that Germany announced her intention of violating neutrality, the Army of the Meuse was traveling light. It had not been hampered112 in its onward113 drive with the heavy siege guns. Those monsters were being laboriously114 dragged on to Namur, as lighter115 guns, it was thought, would suffice to reduce Liége, taken as it was by surprise.
Moreover, Von Emmich knew that General Leman and the Third Belgian Division had been far away the day before. Every hour, undoubtedly116, brought them nearer; every hour rendered the element of surprise less valuable. Wherefore, as an advocate of the German theory of war which declares that any place can be rushed, no matter how strongly defended, if the attacking force be large enough and sacrifice of life is not counted, Von Emmich hurled117 his men forward[Pg 68] ruthlessly and regardlessly into a revelry of carnage.
If Germany was staggered at her dead, the commander of the Army of the Meuse did not show it that day. From morning until evening the iron-gray infantry charged, were mown down, fell back and charged again. Wave after wave of men swept up those slopes, never to return. The human tide seemed endless. For not one moment, in all that day, did the billows of soldier victims cease to pound forward to their bloody118 doom; for not one moment, in all that day, did the Belgians, though with smoke-bleared eyes and dropping from exhaustion119, fail to answer. Since morning there had been no respite120, not even for a meal. At evening, the piles of German dead and wounded rose five feet high in long lines over the rolling landscape.
When night fell upon the Fifth of August, German power had suffered a severe blow. That first day's fighting of the war in the west had shown that 22,500 Belgians, though hastily mobilized, could hold back 120,000 Germans, prepared to the last detail. It disproved, forever, the German theory that masses of men can overcome machine-gun-fire by sheer weight of numbers. It displayed[Pg 69] that the German system of firing from the hip30, instead of from the shoulder, resulted in bad marksmanship and a reckless waste of ammunition. It revealed that the German soldier fights with dogged and relentless121 driving force in a mass, but is weak as an individual and will not face cold steel. Most important of all, it shattered the reputation of the Kaiser's generals for infallibility and of the Kaiser's army for invincibility122.
The first day's fighting was a German defeat. That, at least, stood out clear. To cap the triumph, two Belgian counter-attacks had been successful. German outposts were scattered123 by an assault on the heights of Wandre, the Garde Civique cut up and practically destroyed an attacking force near Boncelles, while the Belgian Lancers covered themselves with glory when, with one squadron, they charged upon six squadrons of German cavalry and put them to rout124.
On the other hand, this one day's conflict justified125 the German theory of the power of high-explosive shell against permanent fortifications. The bombardment continued all day and all night without cessation. With an army of only 22,500 men, there was no relief. Every man was on continuous[Pg 70] duty. It was evident from the first that the forts finally must fall, for the attacking 8.4-inch howitzers fired from points out of reach of the fortress guns and the destructive force of their shells was such that it gradually but surely reduced the strongest armor-steel and concrete masonry to ruins.
Yet, although the forts were doomed126, they were not destined127 to immediate fall. The Germans had miscalculated. They had not deemed it necessary to bring their biggest siege guns to the demolition128 of Liége. Indeed, they could not spare them. Those monstrous129 behemoths of ordnance130 could only crawl, even when dragged by thirteen traction131 engines, and they were needed at Namur, which the Germans rightly expected would be defended by the French Army and would be a harder nut to crack.
A full moon rose on the night of the Fifth of August, revealing the artillery duel132 in savage133 continuance. At the end of nearly twenty-four hours' fighting, the master, at his post of duty in Fort Boncelles, was at the point of exhaustion. He realized that age was a serious handicap. Though as full of spirit and fire as the younger men, the physical stamina134 would hardly bear the[Pg 71] strain. He winced135 at every shell that struck, and, though his watchfulness136 was as keen and his ardor137 not abated138, the frame was breaking down.
The commander of the fort, himself well on in years, touched the old reservist kindly139 on the arm.
"It is the courage of the old which stirs the young," he said. "To be able to give the last flare140 of our spirits to our country—ah, that is worth while."
But he found a corner where the old patriot141 might snatch a few hours' troubled sleep.
In order that the Belgian troops might not have a chance to rest, Von Emmich made feint after feint all through the night. The exhausted142 and harassed143 Belgians were rushed from point to point to fill in the defense as best they could. It was cruel, driving, killing144 work, when the muscles clicked from sheer fatigue145 and the men moved leadenly as in a dream. Under such overstrain, men could not last, but every hour of delay meant ruin to Germany and gain to the Allies.
During the night, more and more German guns were put in place, and by the morning of August 6, several score 8.4-inch howitzers were hurling146 their shells directly on Forts Fléron and Evegnée.[Pg 72] When daylight broke, Evegnée was a ruin and the Belgian infantry had fallen back. At eight o'clock, one of the huge shells shattered the gun machinery of Fort Fléron.
General Leman ordered the retreat of the Belgian army from its advanced position, realizing that it was absolutely impossible to defend a line 33 miles long with an exhausted army, now reduced by losses to 18,000 men. He summoned his officers to a military council to lay down the new dispositions147 on the farther side of the Meuse, under cover of the western forts.
Suddenly, during the council, the general was startled by loud shouting and the sounds of a struggle outside. Knowing that the Germans were hammering at the gates of the city and that Fléron had fallen, he feared an advance cavalry patrol. He ran down-stairs and out of the door, to find himself confronted by eight men in German uniform.
The general darted148 back.
"A pistol!" he cried.
The Germans surged forward to seize the general, a crowd of Belgian civilians149 behind. They did not dare to touch the invaders, knowing that any effort would be deemed a "hostile act by non-combatants"[Pg 73] which would afford excuse to the Germans for making reprisals150.
With a quick movement, General Leman slipped sidewise past his would-be captors, the crowd opening to let him through. The Germans plunged into the crowd after him, but a brother officer of the general caught up his chief bodily and slung151 him over a neighboring wall, which chanced to be the boundary of a foundry yard. At the same instant, the rest of the officers who had been at the council came clattering152 out. Swords flashed out. Three of the Germans were killed and, some members of the Garde Civique being attracted by the commotion153, the rest were made prisoners. They were found to be spies, who had secreted154 German uniforms and arms in a house next door to military headquarters, with this very intention of capturing the Belgian commanders in a moment of surprise.
With the withdrawal155 of the troops from the advance trenches, the holding of the eastern forts became an impossibility. Thus, on receiving news of the retreat, Major Mameche, the Commandant of Fort Chaudfontaine, the strategic value of which lay in its controlling the entrance to the Chaudfontaine railway tunnel, blocked the[Pg 74] tunnel by colliding several engines at its mouth and then fired his powder-magazine, blowing up the fort.
Towards midday a message was received from General von Emmich, demanding the surrender of the city. The civil authorities were willing, in order to save the city from destruction, but General Leman, as Military Commandant, curtly156 refused to abandon the forts. He was fighting for time. Already two days had passed and only one of the six larger forts had fallen. To France and to England—which had entered the war because of Germany's violation157 of Belgium—every day gained then was worth a week later.
A panic followed upon General Leman's refusal, citizens who feared the results of the bombardment of the city jamming every out-bound train. Every possible influence was brought to bear on the Military Commandant. His only answer was,
"The forts must hold."
At 6 o'clock that evening a slight bombardment began, not enough to damage the city seriously, but heavy enough to denote the fate that would come to Liége if a destructive bombardment were undertaken.
[Pg 75]
Steadily158, with the persistence159 of final doom, the high-explosive shells dropped their volcanic160 furies upon the doomed forts. The continuous hail of bombs served a double purpose, not only wrecking161 the forts themselves but breaking down human resistance in the defenders.
On the morning of August 7 a small party of Germans appeared in front of the fort of Boncelles, and carrying a white flag.
"I don't trust them," growled163 the master.
"Oh, come," said his comrade, "that's a little too strong! Even the Germans wouldn't be so dishonorable as to violate a flag of truce164. That's respected even by savages165 who fight with assegai and shield."
"I'm not so sure," was the master's reply, but he went with the party of twenty which sallied from the fort to receive the surrender of the Germans.
Suspiciously the Belgians approached, for the master's incertitude166 was shared by several of the men, but, as they came near, the Germans held up their hands.
"Kamerad!" they cried, in token of surrender.
Instantly, as though the throwing up of the hands had been a prearranged signal, a murderous[Pg 76] cross-fire from the woods on either side was poured upon the advancing Belgians. Only seven of the twenty, the master among them, returned to the fort alive.
The commandant of the fort was livid with rage, and the Belgian infantry in the shallow trenches near by, in a crisis of fury, charged the woods with infinitely inferior numbers and slew167 every lurking168 German found there. No quarter was given that day.
Meanwhile, through the gap in the defenses formed by the fall of Forts Fléron and Evegnée, the Germans advanced into Liége. They occupied the town without opposition169, and yet—and yet—five of the great forts remained unsilenced. The unique capture of a city when its defenses were still untaken was only possible because the Belgians, for patriotic170 reasons, did not wish to fire upon the town. Fort Barchon, one of the eastern forts, isolated171 from the new line of defense, fell later in the day.
Into the city poured the iron-gray masses of the German troops, but the satisfaction of the rank and file was not shared by the officers. They knew the truth of failure. It was the third day, already, and Forts Pontisse, Loncin, Flemalles[Pg 77] and Boncelles were still holding out. Moreover, if the little Belgian army had defied them on a long line, it would be still better able to do so when holding a line only a third as long and re?nforced by fresh troops. Von Emmich was savage, and his savagery172 showed itself later. True, he was in Liége, but that did him little good. Brussels and Paris were not far away, but Fort Loncin protected the main railway line to Brussels and Forts Flemalles and Boncelles defended the main railway line to Paris. The path was not yet clear.
British Official Photograph.
Taking Soup to the Firing-Line.
Dangerous duty, for the bearer cannot lie down on the approach of a shell. Note bags of grenades carried in case of surprise.
General Leman's army, with its numbers brought up to 36,000 men by re?nforcements, now formed a dangerous menace to the advance. The Belgian general had out-maneuvered the German commander at every turn, and, in taking up a position on the farther side of the Meuse, he was prepared to make things still hotter for the invaders. He was not trying to stop the progress of the army but had concentrated his energies on the defense of the forts, for he knew that, as long as the forts stood, the German Army dared not debouch173 into the plain, leaving behind it an imperiled line of communication.
The German enveloping174 movement now extended[Pg 78] northward175 to Fort Pontisse, bombarding it, however, from the eastern bank of the Meuse. For field-gun fire, however, the forts were well protected and there were no hidden positions available for the 8.4-inch howitzers. If the Germans were to take Pontisse, they must cross the Meuse. Over and over again they stormed the crossing, fighting like madmen. Ten pontoon bridges, one after the other, were built across the river in the face of an appalling176 gun fire, but, each time, the fortress guns succeeded in destroying them and those troops which had crossed were cut off and killed to a man.
Similar flanking strategy was attempted to the south, where Fort Flemalles was attacked, also from the eastern bank of the river. Here, after several hours of sharp fighting, the Germans secured a landing on the western bank, but could not bring over any heavy artillery. The little army of defense contested every foot of ground with reckless and gay bravery, and the larger howitzers were compelled to remain on the eastern side of the river.
Fort Boncelles, as the Commandant himself was heard to describe it, was "like the stoke-hold of hell." It had no river to support its defenses.[Pg 79] All the forts to the east of it, save Embourg, had fallen, allowing a terrific concentration of enemy artillery. On the other hand, the ground around Boncelles was well adapted to the sweep of the larger fortress guns. If there was the slightest pause in the German attack, a cupola would rise and send a storm of shrapnel into the enemy's ranks. Then the tempest of death would sweep down upon Boncelles once more. Von Emmich was in Liége with 120,000 men, but little Belgium shook her fist in his face and he dared not go on.
The demolition of the forts began on August 13. On that day, the heavy siege guns (two, it is believed), which the Germans had not intended to bring into action against Liége, entered the city and crawled through it to take up positions against the western forts. So affrighting were these engines of war that the German artillery did not attempt to operate them. They were handled by mechanics from the Krupp factory, the artillery officers merely working out the ranges.
Prior to this time, such guns had never been dreamed of save in artillerists' nightmares. The weight of the great German siege gun is 71 tons. It is transported in four pieces, each part[Pg 80] being dragged by three traction engines on caterpillar177 wheels, a thirteenth and larger engine going ahead to test the road and to assist each section in going up hills. The caliber of the gun is 16.4-inch (42-centimeter). The shell stands as high as a man's chin and weighs 1684 pounds. The percussion178 fuse is of mercury fulminate, which in its turn explodes nitro-glycerine, which explodes picric-acid powder, thus giving the bursting charge to the terrible force of an explosion of tri-nitro-toluol, one of the most destructive explosives known. About 280 pounds of this inconceivably powerful destructive is contained in the shell.[6]
Nothing so terrible had ever before been seen in war as the effect of these great shells. Men were not simply killed and wounded, they were blackened, burnt, smashed into indistinguishable pulp179 of bone and flesh.
When these engines of devastation180 arrived, General Leman knew that the end was near. Although severely181 wounded three days before, his spirit knew no thought of surrender. In Fort Loncin with a handful of men, he awaited the[Pg 81] bombardment which could mean nothing but death. The fall of Fort Loncin was described by a German infantry officer who was attached to the Army of the Meuse.
"General Leman's defense of Liége," he wrote admiringly, "combined all that is noble and all that is tragic182.
"As long as possible, he inspected the forts daily to see that everything was in order. By a piece of falling masonry, dislodged by our guns, both General Leman's legs were crushed. Undaunted, he visited the forts in an automobile183. In the strong Fort Loncin, General Leman decided184 to hold his ground or die.
"When the end was inevitable185, the Belgians disabled the last three guns and exploded the supply of shells kept in readiness by the guns. Before this, General Leman destroyed all plans, maps and papers relating to the defenses. The food supplies also were destroyed. With about 100 men, General Leman attempted to retire to another fort, but we had cut off their retreat.
"By this time our heaviest guns were in position and a well-placed shell tore through the cracked and battered186 masonry and exploded in the main magazine. With a thunderous crash,[Pg 82] the mighty187 walls of the fort fell. Pieces of stone and concrete 25 cubic meters in size (as big as a large room) were hurled into the air.
"When the dust and fumes188 passed away, we stormed the fort across ground literally189 strewn with the bodies of troops who had gone out before to storm the fort and never returned. All the men left alive in the fort were wounded and most were unconscious. A corporal, with one arm shattered, valiantly190 tried to drive us back by firing his rifle. Buried in the débris and pinned beneath a massive beam was General Leman.
"'Respect for the general! He is dead!' said a Belgian aide-de-camp.
"With gentleness and care, which showed they respected the man who had resisted them so valiantly and stubbornly, our infantry released the general's wounded form and carried him away. We thought him dead, but he recovered consciousness, and looking round, said,
"'It is as it is. The men fought bravely.'
"Then, turning to us, he added,
"'Put in your dispatches that I was unconscious.'
"We brought him to our commander, General von Emmich, and the two generals saluted191. We[Pg 83] tried to speak words of comfort, but he was silent—he is known as the silent general.
"'I was unconscious. Be sure and put that in your dispatches.'
"More he would not say."
Fort Boncelles disputed with Fort Loncin the honor of being the last to fall. It is not known, definitely, which of the two resisted longest.
The night before the fall of Fort Loncin, the electric-lighting system of Boncelles was destroyed. The men—the master among them—fought all night through in utter darkness, groping for the machinery of their guns and in momentary expectation of suffocation192 and death from the German shells.
The high-explosive charges tore and shattered the armor-steel and masonry as though they had been cardboard, and shortly before dawn, wide breaches193 in the walls showed the peaceful starlight shining through. Though the fort was a wreck162, three guns were working still.
A fragment of shell struck the master. He fell.
His comrade, dropping to one knee beside him, heard the dying man whisper,
"Take this to my wife!"
[Pg 84]
The comrade reached his hand to the designated pocket, took out the little packet, put it inside his tunic194 and returned to his gun.
An hour after sunrise a shell tore through the rear cupola of Boncelles and plucked it up as a weed is torn up by its roots. The German officer who was directing the attack offered to accept a surrender.
The Belgian commandant answered,
"We have still two guns to fight with!"
Only one shell more fell on Fort Boncelles, but it landed full in the middle of the ruined structure, and was one of the shells from the 11-inch howitzers. The inner concrete walls fell to dust, pieces of armor-steel and gun shelters were hurled a quarter of a mile away and both the remaining guns were silenced.
Eleven men remained to surrender the fort, not one of them unwounded, all nearly crazed with the endurance of nine days and nights of the most terrific bombardment known to man. Dazed, deaf and exhausted to the verge195 of insanity196, they were brought before their captors. Only three were able to speak, one of them the master's comrade.
"What have you there?" asked a junior officer, as the Belgian feebly resisted search.
A German soldier snatched the packet from his tunic.
"Only a message from a comrade," the Belgian mumbled197, his words thick with collapse198.
The officer opened the packet, ran his eye through the letter, looked at Mme. Maubin's photograph, and, with a contemptuous exclamation199, tossed the photograph and letter into a little stream that flowed by the roadside.
The Belgian, enraged200 at this callous201 action, for the moment forgetful of his wounds and the lassitude of prostration202, lurched forward to seize the officer's throat. He was promptly seized, and, as he was held there, almost swooning, a captive and unarmed, the officer drew his pistol and shot him dead.
In this wise the Germans took Liége.
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1
oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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2
vibrations
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| n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动 | |
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3
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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5
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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6
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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7
eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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8
gainsaid
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| v.否认，反驳( gainsay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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9
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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10
surgical
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| adj.外科的，外科医生的，手术上的 | |
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11
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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12
paternally
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| adv.父亲似地；父亲一般地 | |
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13
garrulously
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14
outstripped
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| v.做得比…更好，（在赛跑等中）超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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16
penetration
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| n.穿透，穿人，渗透 | |
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17
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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18
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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19
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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20
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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21
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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22
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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23
caliber
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| n.能力；水准 | |
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24
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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25
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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26
scouting
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| 守候活动，童子军的活动 | |
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27
ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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28
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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29
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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30
hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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31
harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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32
invaders
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| 入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 ) | |
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33
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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34
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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35
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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36
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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37
notably
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| adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地 | |
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38
fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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39
controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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40
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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41
masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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42
circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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43
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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44
mortars
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| n.迫击炮( mortar的名词复数 )；砂浆；房产；研钵 | |
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45
naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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46
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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47
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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48
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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49
defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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50
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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51
entanglements
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| n.瓜葛( entanglement的名词复数 )；牵连；纠缠；缠住 | |
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52
riddled
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| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
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53
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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54
inferno
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| n.火海；地狱般的场所 | |
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55
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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56
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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57
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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58
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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59
trajectory
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| n.弹道，轨道 | |
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60
presage
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| n.预感，不祥感；v.预示 | |
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61
eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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62
engulf
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| vt.吞没，吞食 | |
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63
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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64
lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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65
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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66
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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67
heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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68
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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69
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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70
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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71
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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72
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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73
streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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74
malevolent
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| adj.有恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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75
screeched
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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76
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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77
pessimism
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| n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者 | |
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78
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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79
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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82
plucky
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| adj.勇敢的 | |
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83
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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84
martyrs
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| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
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85
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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86
sentries
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| 哨兵，步兵( sentry的名词复数 ) | |
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87
insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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88
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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89
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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90
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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91
discredit
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| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
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92
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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93
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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94
defenders
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| n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者 | |
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95
odds
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| n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别 | |
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96
stolidly
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| adv.迟钝地，神经麻木地 | |
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97
panoply
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| n.全副甲胄，礼服 | |
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98
panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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99
hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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100
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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101
mowed
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| v.刈，割( mow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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102
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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103
deploying
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| （尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用 | |
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104
barricade
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| n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住 | |
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105
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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106
extricate
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| v.拯救，救出；解脱 | |
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107
maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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108
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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109
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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110
entrusted
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| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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111
subservient
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| adj.卑屈的，阿谀的 | |
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112
hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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113
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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114
laboriously
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| adv.艰苦地；费力地；辛勤地；（文体等）佶屈聱牙地 | |
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115
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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116
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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117
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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118
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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119
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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120
respite
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| n.休息，中止，暂缓 | |
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121
relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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122
invincibility
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| n.无敌，绝对不败 | |
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123
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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124
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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125
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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126
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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127
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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128
demolition
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| n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹 | |
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129
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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130
ordnance
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| n.大炮，军械 | |
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131
traction
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| n.牵引；附着摩擦力 | |
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132
duel
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| n./v.决斗；(双方的)斗争 | |
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133
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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134
stamina
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| n.体力；精力；耐力 | |
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135
winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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136
watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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137
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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138
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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139
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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140
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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141
patriot
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| n.爱国者，爱国主义者 | |
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142
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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143
harassed
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| adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词 | |
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144
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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145
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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146
hurling
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| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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147
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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148
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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149
civilians
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| 平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓 | |
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150
reprisals
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| n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 ) | |
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151
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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152
clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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153
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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154
secreted
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| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
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155
withdrawal
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| n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销 | |
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156
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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157
violation
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| n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯 | |
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158
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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159
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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160
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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161
wrecking
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| 破坏 | |
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162
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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163
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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164
truce
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| n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束 | |
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165
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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166
incertitude
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| n.疑惑，不确定 | |
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167
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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168
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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169
opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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170
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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171
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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172
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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173
debouch
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| v.流出，进入 | |
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174
enveloping
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的现在分词 ) | |
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175
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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176
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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177
caterpillar
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| n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫 | |
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178
percussion
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| n.打击乐器；冲突，撞击；震动，音响 | |
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179
pulp
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| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
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180
devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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181
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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182
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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183
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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184
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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185
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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186
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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187
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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188
fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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189
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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190
valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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191
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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192
suffocation
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| n.窒息 | |
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193
breaches
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| 破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背 | |
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194
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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195
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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196
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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197
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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198
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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199
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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200
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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201
callous
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| adj.无情的，冷淡的，硬结的，起老茧的 | |
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202
prostration
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| n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳 | |
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