his hand, waiting. Beyond and to the northward was the cairn that
covered Von Winterfeld, surmounted by a cross of steel, and from among
the tumbled rocks in the distance the eyes of a wolf gleamed redly.
On the other hand was the wreckage of the great airship and the men
bivouacked about a second ruddy flare. They were all keeping very still,
as if waiting to hear what news might presently be given them. Far away,
across many hundreds of miles of desolation, other wireless masts would
be clicking, and snapping, and waking into responsive vibration. Perhaps
they were not. Perhaps those throbs upon the ethers wasted themselves
upon a regardless world. When the men spoke, they spoke in low tones.
Now and then a bird shrieked remotely, and once a wolf howled. All these
things were set in the immense cold spaciousness of the wild.

7

Bert got the news last, and chiefly in broken English, from a linguist
among his mates. It was only far on in the night that the weary
telegraphist got an answer to his calls, but then the messages came
clear and strong. And such news it was!

"I say," said Bert at his breakfast, amidst a great clamour, "tell us a
bit."

"All de vorlt is at vor!" said the linguist, waving his cocoa in an
illustrative manner, "all de vorlt is at vor!"

Bert stared southward into the dawn. It did not seem so.

"All de vorlt is at vor! They haf burn' Berlin; they haf burn' London;
they haf burn' Hamburg and Paris. Chapan hass burn San Francisco. We haf
mate a camp at Niagara. Dat is whad they are telling us. China has cot
drachenflieger and luftschiffe beyont counting. All de vorlt is at vor!"

"Gaw!" said Bert.

"Yess," said the linguist, drinking his cocoa.

"Burnt up London, 'ave they? Like we did New York?"

"It wass a bombardment."

"They don't say anything about a place called Clapham, or Bun Hill, do
they?"

"I haf heard noding," said the linguist.

That was all Bert could get for a time. But the excitement of all the
men about him was contagious, and presently he saw Kurt standing alone,
hands behind him, and looking at one of the distant waterfalls very
steadfastly. He went up and saluted, soldier-fashion. "Beg pardon,
lieutenant," he said.

Kurt turned his face. It was unusually grave that morning. "I was
just thinking I would like to see that waterfall closer," he said. "It
reminds me--what do you want?"

"I can't make 'ead or tail of what they're saying, sir. Would you mind
tellin