CHAPTER XXVI. ORDERS TO MOVE.

 Reddy having resumed his share of the burden of precious stones and gold pieces, the three boys were given, in turn, the glad hand and a stout¹ pull out of the pit. The sergeant² tried his best to maintain a severe manner, but the effort proved a rank failure. The delight of the big trooper over the finding and assured safety of his young charges would not down. Even the natural and cultivated reserve of the Englishman was not proof against the affectionate regard he felt for the boys he had both fathered and mothered for these many days.

As the rescue party marched on either side of the sergeant, striving to match his long step, walked Billy and Henri, with Reddy close in the rear.

“You got me in a pretty mess with the colonel, you little rascals³.”

“Well, we just had to do it, Sergeant,” answered Henri. “It’s what we came for, and you can’t blame us for not throwing away our last chance to win out. It was for sure our last chance, for Chateau⁴ Trouville is no more.”

There was a note of sadness in the last sentence. It was of great sorrow to Henri that this beautiful home place had been reduced to a smoking ruin,[124] with its priceless works of art and all those heirlooms so dear to the hearts of the race of Trouville.

All that remained of the family fortune had been saved by Henri and his faithful boy friends at the risk of their lives.

Saved? Many a league to travel, before the treasure reached its fixed⁵ destination, many a slip to be avoided, many a sharp corner to be bravely turned.

“We thank you with all our hearts, sir.”

The boys were greeting Colonel Bainbridge, and each was favored by that officer with a warm handshake.

“Away with you now,” ordered the colonel. “Get food and rest. To-morrow I have new plans for you. Leave your knapsacks in yonder tent, over which a guard will be mounted.”

The boys thought that no place had ever appeared so attractive as the field kitchen, with its soup boiler⁶ and its oven on wheels. And the cooks were more than kind. It was well known that the colonel had favored attention to his young friends.

Relieved of hunger and thirst the boys hunted up their old friend, the teamster, and he provided them with blankets and a comfortable nest under cover of a supply wagon⁷.

The next morning the boys expected an after-breakfast summons from the colonel, but there was[125] no call for them from headquarters. Fierce fighting was going on in the valley town of St. Mihiel, on the right bank of the Meuse, and, in viewing the conflict from the hillside point, the boys were thrilled by a moving picture that would have commanded a fortune in the films.

The town on which the war plague had fallen is on the site of the ancient Abbey of St. Mihiel, and the tide of this day’s battle surged about the noted⁸ Church of St. Mihiel, containing that fine statue of the Madonna, by the great artist, Richier, and also the choir⁹ stalls world-famed for their beauty.

Henri and Reddy took it as a personal grievance¹⁰ that these things should be threatened with destruction.

“I’ll just tell you what,” suddenly declared Billy, breaking a long silence on his part, “I’d like to be the aviator¹¹ who makes the first flight across the Atlantic, and especially if I could start to-day from this side!”

“And leave me, Billy?”

Henri had applied¹² the tonic¹³ that Billy needed.

“Not this day, or ever, Buddy¹⁴. It was only this war business that set me dreaming of better days. On to Paris, old chum, you and I!”

Billy was himself again.

Turning back to camp, the boys were informed that the colonel had given the word that they were to report to him as soon as they could be found.

[126]

“Something’s up,” predicted Billy, as they hurried to headquarters.

The colonel, when they arrived, was busy poring over an outspread map, and occasionally conferring with other officers grouped about him.

It was some time before the boys received attention, for evidently some issue of considerable moment was under discussion.

When the colonel finally expressed himself satisfied with the program outlined, he turned to his young friends and remarked:

“I presume that you will not object to my making a change of base, and,” smiling, “I hope you will not deny me the honor of your company in the movement.”

“Always at your command, colonel,” gallantly¹⁵ responded Henri.

“Then,” concluded the colonel, “you will be advised shortly of the hour of marching.”

“What’s to become of me?”

This was the anxious question that Reddy addressed to Henri as they left headquarters.

“You don’t suppose that we’re going to lose you this side of Paris, do you?” was Henri’s prompt counter question.

“Paris!” joyfully¹⁶ echoed the boy. “Me? Let’s hurry!”

Billy guessed that Reddy was glad.

“I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on the[127] way,” hummed the boy from Bangor, as they hastened to tell the teamster the good news.

An hour later the sergeant came down to the wagon. As usual, he spoke¹⁷ to the point:

“Get your bundles, boys!”

2 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

3 rascals   

流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人

参考例句：

• "Oh, but I like rascals. "唔，不过我喜欢流氓。
• "They're all second-raters, black sheep, rascals. "他们都是二流人物，是流氓，是恶棍。

4 chateau   

n.城堡，别墅

参考例句：

• The house was modelled on a French chateau.这房子是模仿一座法国大别墅建造的。
• The chateau was left to itself to flame and burn.那府第便径自腾起大火燃烧下去。

5 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

6 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。

7 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

10 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。

11 aviator   

n.飞行家，飞行员

参考例句：

• The young aviator bragged of his exploits in the sky.那名年轻的飞行员吹嘘他在空中飞行的英勇事迹。
• Hundreds of admirers besieged the famous aviator.数百名爱慕者围困那个著名飞行员。

12 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

13 tonic   

n./adj.滋补品，补药，强身的，健体的

参考例句：

• It will be marketed as a tonic for the elderly.这将作为老年人滋补品在市场上销售。
• Sea air is Nature's best tonic for mind and body.海上的空气是大自然赋予的对人们身心的最佳补品。

14 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

15 gallantly   

adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地

参考例句：

• He gallantly offered to carry her cases to the car. 他殷勤地要帮她把箱子拎到车子里去。
• The new fighters behave gallantly under fire. 新战士在炮火下表现得很勇敢。

16 joyfully   

adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地

参考例句：

• She tripped along joyfully as if treading on air. 她高兴地走着，脚底下轻飘飘的。
• During these first weeks she slaved joyfully. 在最初的几周里，她干得很高兴。

17 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。