Page 86 - A Hero of Liége

"He's a splendid fellow. But come along! Our men are a hungry lot, and I
don't want to find the board cleared."

They were sitting at lunch among a group of cheery young officers when a

bugle rang out. The officers sprang up, seized their arms, and rushed out of
the cottage.

"The Germans are coming on again," cried Pariset. "Come and see."

They ran back towards the trenches, which were already filling with
riflemen. A deep boom sounded from some distant spot.

"A German gun!" said Pariset.

"I don't see the shell," said Kenneth, looking round.

"My dear fellow, it had fallen somewhere before we heard the sound. Ah!

the forts are replying."

In a few minutes the silence of the summer noon was shattered by the
continuous thunder of artillery. With the deep slow booms of the big guns
was mingled the quicker, sharper bang of machine guns somewhere out of

sight.

"Get down, you asses!" cried an officer, as they drew near to the trenches.
"Do you want to be marked?"

They took cover behind a hedge. Kenneth tingled from top to toe as he
heard the crash of the guns, and felt the earth and the very air shake with

the concussion. Presently a shrill whistle sounded; it was followed almost
instantaneously by a prolonged crackle, which had hardly died away when
from above them came a zip, zip, zip, like the notes of some tuneless bird.

"The Germans are firing anyhow," said Pariset in an involuntary whisper.