The scouts2 were soaring in the clear blue skies with keen eyes searching for the position of our guns.
As they found them, a puff4 of black smoke streamed downward and the distant officer, perched high on his movable observation tower, took the range and called it mechanically to the gunners of his battery.
Our rifles cracked in vain. The birdmen laughed and paid no attention. We had no high-powered, high-angle guns that could touch them. Over every section of our lines the huge vultures hung in the air and circled.
The giant guns miles away beyond the distant hills toward Southampton began to roar. Their first shells fell short from five to six hundred yards.
Our boys gazed over their earthworks and watched the geysers of earth and stone and smoke leap into the heavens and sink back in dull crashes. The wind brought in the acid fumes5 of the poisonous gases.
They stood in silence, clutching their rifles and waiting for the word to fire.
The vultures circled again and dropped more smoke balls. The invisible gunners at their places caught the singsong call from the tower, touched a wheel and raised the noses of their gray monsters the slightest bit.
Again the earth trembled. The air vibrated with the rush of projectiles6 like the singing of telegraph wires far above the heads of the listening men.
They struck within a hundred yards of where Vassar sat with the field telephone at his ear awaiting General Hood7’s orders—a giant shell landed squarely in our trenches8, tore a cavern10 in the earth sixteen feet deep, hurling11 our mangled12 men in every direction. Within a radius13 of a hundred feet no living thing could be seen when the smoke and dust had cleared. Those who had not been killed by stone and flying fragments of iron had been smothered14 to death where they stood by the deadly fumes.
Our guns answered now in deep thunder peals15 that shook the trenches.
For two hours without a pause the artillery16 of both armies sent their mighty17 chorus crashing into the heavens, their missiles of death whistling through the skies.
The fire of the enemy was incredibly accurate. Their shells struck our trenches with unerring certainty—and where one struck there was nothing left but an ugly crater18 in the ground. They simply annihilated19 every object in their track and left a mass of blackened dust and pulp20.
Gun after gun of our batteries were silenced.
The vultures were still soaring aloft calling the range of each concealed21 battery as the fight revealed its place.
The battle had opened at dawn. By ten o’clock fifty pieces of our artillery had been reduced to junk and one-third of our trenches pulverized22 into shapeless masses of dust, broken stone and gaping23 caverns24.
Apparently25 our heavy gun fire had made no impression on the enemy. Their long range pieces were hurling death with a steady clock-like regularity26 that was appalling27. Our army was being ground to dust without a chance to strike their hidden foe28. We had never possessed29 an aviation corps30 of any serviceable strength. The year before the nucleus31 of one had been authorized32 by Congress. This little group of efficient men had followed the fleet into the Pacific and the remaining dozen had been left to die in our tragic33 meeting with the armada.
General Hood possessed but two aeroplanes. It was madness to send them up against two hundred of the enemy. By an accident to his machinery34 a taube had fallen within our lines. The men had been captured, their uniforms taken, and delivered to General Hood. The machinery of the hostile aeroplane was promptly35 repaired, our blond sky pilot forced himself into the greenish-gray suit and stood by waiting for the chance to rise in a cloud of smoke and take his chance among the enemy as a spy.
At noon a wave of fog slowly crept in from sea and the guns had died away. As the mist rolled over the battlefield Hood stood beside the courier of the skies.
“Up with you now, boy, in this fog bank. Mix with the enemy and take your chances. Stay until the firing is resumed and give me the position of their guns. I must know whether we have reached them with our shells.”
The birdman saluted36 and swung the taube into the clouds. He circled toward the sea and disappeared in the mists.
It was three o’clock in the afternoon before he landed far in the rear of our lines and made his way by automobile37 to headquarters.
Hood sprang from his desk and rushed to meet him.
“Well?”
“Got over their lines all right, sir,” the scout3 answered. “Watched our shells for an hour. Not one of them fell closer than half a mile short of their batteries.”
The General pressed his hand in silence.
“All right. It’s as I thought. You’re a brave boy, my son. You’re marked for promotion38 for this day’s work.”
There was nothing to be done but move his lines five miles back to the second trenches. They were being pounded into pulp without a chance to strike back.
We had exhausted39 half our stock of shells without scoring a hit. Our losses in men and guns had been frightful40. The tragic feature of the day was the loss of trained artillerymen whose places could not be filled. It takes three years to train the man behind the gun.
By daylight the retreat of five miles had been effected. The ground in front was more favorable here for long range work. From captive balloons the position of the batteries could be located. We hoped that some of them could be reached and put out of action. If so, we would give them a taste of cold steel.
All night the great guns growled41 in the distance while our shattered lines retreated and reformed in the second intrenchments.
At dawn the vultures signalled the retreat and the green-gray wave of Death rolled forward with incredible swiftness.
By noon their greatest guns, each drawn42 by fifty magnificent horses, had been brought up and were sweeping43 into position along the low hills that would form their new battleline.
Our commander made up his mind to pot at least one of those guns. He planted a battery of heavy artillery to sweep the road that curved gracefully44 over these hills. A clump45 of trees concealed its presence from the circling scouts.
The moment the huge siege gun swept into view—its fifty horses plunging46 forward with steady leaps, their sides a lather47 of white foam—our battery roared a salvo and four shells sang in chorus. The gunners lifted their glasses and watched. Every shell struck within dead range of the long line of plunging horses. A cloud of smoke and dust rose high on the crest48 of the hill and when it lifted the tangled49 mass of torn and mangled horses and men blocked the way. A second salvo landed squarely in the wreck50 and blew the tangled mass into fragments—the glasses could no longer find a moving object.
The vultures circled above the hidden battery, their signals flashed and then from five different points behind the hills the shells began to shriek51. In thirty minutes they were silenced and torn to bits. But two men were left alive to reach headquarters with the brave story.
The second battle began in earnest at three o’clock in the afternoon. The pitiful story was repeated. With remorseless accuracy their guns tore our men to pieces. They held their own just half a mile beyond the range of our artillery.
All night our men clung blindly to their position and at the dawn of the third day the enemy’s infantry52 in solid formation, their bayonets flashing, moved swiftly and silently into line for their first charge.
A hundred machine guns were concentrated to relieve them. They formed at their leisure in plain view of our ragged53 trenches. Our field artillery got their range and began to pour a storm of shrapnel on their ranks. They closed up the gaps with clock-like precision and moved forward at double quick. Round after round of our artillery failed to stop them. The ranks closed automatically. They were cheering now—the breeze wafted54 their cries across the little valley that separated them from our trenches:
“For God and Emperor!”
When the ranks in front fell, the mass behind rushed over their bodies and shouted again:
“For God and Emperor!”
Our machine guns were mowing55 them down as wheat falls beneath the teeth of a hundred singing harvest machines on the prairies of Minnesota.
When the first division had been wiped out the second came rushing over their bodies as if they had been denied their just honors in losing the privilege of dying. The second wave of green reached the earth of our trenches before the last man fell and still a third wave was moving across the valley. Their shouts rang a mighty chorus now in the ears of our crouching56 men:
“For God and Emperor!”
Our fire was held until the third wave was within a hundred yards. The low words of quick command from charging officers could be distinctly heard as their waving swords flashed in the sunlight.
Vassar watched the thrilling scene with a smile of admiration57. He saw their flag now for the first time—a huge scarlet58 field of silk, in its center an imperial crown wrought59 in threads of gold.
The Federated Monarchs60 of Europe had taken the red emblem61 of the Socialists62 to proclaim the common cause of royal blood against the mob, and on it set the seal of imperial power.
The cheering, rushing wave rolled within fifty yards and then from every trench9 poured a sheet of blinding flame. So terrific was the shock, the whole division seemed to drop to their knees at the same moment. Those who had not fallen staggered as if drunk and turned in blind circles as if groping their way in the darkness. In five minutes the last man of the third host had fallen and the slopes of the hill below were piled with the dead, the wounded and dying.
The charges ceased.
The big guns in the distance beyond the hills broke forth63 again in a savage64 chorus, continuous and infernal in its incredible power.
Vassar listened with new interest. There was a deep bass65 voice now in this artillery oratorio66 that had not been heard before. The monster guns were booming for the first time. The effects of their explosions were appalling. They spoke67 between the roar of the smaller guns as if the basso were answering the cry of a chorus of superhuman singers. A single shot from one of these guns rang with the volume of a salvo of ordinary artillery. Their shells weighed two thousand pounds—two thousand pounds of dynamite68.
Vassar heard one of them coming toward the crest of the hill that was red with heroic blood. It came through the air with the uncanny roar of an express train. The sound rose until the heavens quivered with the howl of a cyclone69.
And then came the crash squarely in the center of our trenches! An explosion followed that rocked the earth and sent a great billowing cloud of smoke and dust high over the treetops into the skies. Fragments of the débris were hurled70 half a mile in every direction. No living thing was left to tell the story within a hundred yards of the spot. A breach71 had been made in the trenches through which a regiment72 might have charged as over an open field. For eighteen hours this terrific hail of huge projectiles continued without pause. The dull thunder was incessant73 and its vibration74 shook the world in tremors75 as from an earthquake.
With grim persistence76 our men still clung to what was left of their trenches until the night of the second day.
Hood sullenly77 ordered the retreat to his last line of entrenchments resting on Babylon. The discovery of the movement lead to a fierce rear guard action with the pursuing cavalry78 of the enemy. Their great field searchlights now swept the heavens and flooded every open space with deadly glare.
The attacking cavalry fell into ambush79 carefully prepared and were annihilated. They didn’t repeat the attack. But our guns had no sooner limbered up and withdrawn80 from their position when a squadron of the new steel cavalry, guided by the searchlights, charged at full speed seventy miles an hour down the turnpike straight into our retreating infantry. An armored automobile, spitting a storm of lead from its machine guns, plunged81 headlong into a regiment of volunteers, worn and half-starved and ready to fall for the lack of sleep. The huge wheels rolled over prostrate82 men like a great juggernaut, hurling others into the fields and dashing them among the limbs of trees.
The monster stopped at last choked by the mangled bodies caught in its machinery. A hundred desperate men swarmed83 over its sides and in a fierce hand to hand fight captured the car and killed its crew.
Again and again through the night of this terrible retreat these tactics were repeated. Not one of the six machines that charged our lines ever returned to tell the story. Not one that charged failed to pile the dead in heaps along the white shining turnpike.
The Holland house was inside the third line. Vassar hurried forward to beg Virginia to return with the girls and the older people to New York.
They refused to stir.
“What’s the use, sir?” Holland snapped. “We’re as safe here as anywhere. If Hood can’t hold this railroad junction—it’s all over. The wildest reports come in hourly from New York. The looting and outrages84 surpass belief—”
“Your house has been raided?” Vassar asked.
“I’ve just heard that every house on both Stuyvesant Square and Gramercy Park has been smashed and wrecked85. The soldiers have been looting private dwellings86 at their leisure—while mobs of thieves and cutthroats join in the sport.”
There was no help for it then.
He whispered a hurried good-bye to Virginia, kissed Zonia and Marya and rushed for his horse.
The first gray streaks87 of dawn were already tinging88 the eastern sky. The invading army had followed with amazing rapidity. Whole regiments89 armed with machine guns had been hurled forward by automobile transports. Hood had destroyed the railroad as he retreated. The advancing hosts didn’t need it. The hardened veterans who marched, with quick swinging gait, smoking their pipes and singing, could make thirty miles a day and be ready for a fight at the end of their march. They meant to rush our trenches today and make quick work of it. They were not going to waste any more big shells which might be needed elsewhere.
The wind was blowing directly in the faces of our men for the first time since the landing had been made. They wondered if the wild stories we had heard of the use of poisonous gases and liquid fire in the great war were true. We had begun to scout these tales as press work of the various governments. The day was destined90 to bring a rude awakening91.
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1
dunes
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| 沙丘( dune的名词复数 ) | |
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2
scouts
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| 侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员 | |
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scout
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| n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索 | |
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4
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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projectiles
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| n.抛射体( projectile的名词复数 )；（炮弹、子弹等）射弹，（火箭等）自动推进的武器 | |
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7
hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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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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12
mangled
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| vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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13
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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14
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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15
peals
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| n.（声音大而持续或重复的）洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 )；隆隆声；洪亮的钟声；钟乐v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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16
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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19
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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20
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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21
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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22
pulverized
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| adj.[医]雾化的，粉末状的v.将…弄碎( pulverize的过去式和过去分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎 | |
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23
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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24
caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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25
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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28
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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30
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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nucleus
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| n.核，核心，原子核 | |
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authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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34
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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36
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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automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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38
promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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39
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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40
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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41
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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42
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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43
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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44
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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45
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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46
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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47
lather
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| n.(肥皂水的)泡沫，激动 | |
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48
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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49
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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50
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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51
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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52
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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53
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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54
wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
mowing
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| n.割草，一次收割量，牧草地v.刈，割( mow的现在分词 ) | |
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56
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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57
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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58
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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59
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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60
monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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61
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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62
socialists
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| 社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 ) | |
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63
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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64
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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65
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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66
oratorio
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| n.神剧，宗教剧，清唱剧 | |
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67
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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68
dynamite
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| n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破) | |
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69
cyclone
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| n.旋风，龙卷风 | |
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70
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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71
breach
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| n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破 | |
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72
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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73
incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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75
tremors
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| 震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动 | |
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76
persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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77
sullenly
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| 不高兴地，绷着脸，忧郁地 | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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81
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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82
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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83
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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84
outrages
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| 引起…的义愤，激怒( outrage的第三人称单数 ) | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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87
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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88
tinging
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的现在分词 ) | |
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89
regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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