Page 120 - A Hero of Liége

CHAPTER XIV

--HUNTED

It occurred to Pariset that, so perfect was the German organisation, the
army besieging Liege might be informed within a few minutes of this

audacious raid upon one of their transport trains. He therefore swept round
in a wide circle southward, in order to approach the city from the

south-west.

Both he and Kenneth were deeply impressed with the enormous westward

movement of troops and transport which they saw in their flight. The
country beneath them seemed to be alive, like an anthill; with this

difference, however, that although there were cross currents the general
movement was all in one direction. Such might have been, in days long
past, the migrations of the Huns or of the Kalmuck Tartars.

Over the Meuse, which wound like a silver streak four thousand feet

beneath them, there appeared to be a number of pontoon bridges. Every
road was a continuous stream of moving objects. Far away to the right they
heard at times, above the whirr and hum of the engine, the dull boom of

heavy guns; and now and then patches of white and yellow appeared in the
air as from nowhere, spread into fantastic shapes, and finally thinned away.

They had just passed over the little town of Verviers, and were bearing
away to the west-south-west, so as to pass round Forts Embourg and

Boncelles, when the engine suddenly stopped. It had behaved well in their
previous excursions, and had been thoroughly overhauled before they

started. There was only one thing to be done: to make a vol plane and land
as best they could. The aeroplane was very high, and there was plenty of
room, but little choice of a landing place. Pariset worked the controls for a

long spiral descent, and came down in a field between a wood and a
highroad, which he believed to be the main road between Liege and

Luxemburg.