FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100  
101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   >>   >|  
morning." CHAPTER XX UNDER ARREST It was morning. Hal and Chester, refreshed by a good night's rest, had just completed their toilets and were about to repair to the quarters of General Petain, there to report for the day's duty and also to inform the French commander of what they had learned the night before. But, as it transpired, their good intentions were to go for naught and they were to be ushered into the presence of General Petain in a manner that neither would have believed possible. Came the sound of many footsteps approaching without. They stopped before the boys' tent. A French officer thrust his head in the entrance. "Lieutenant Crawford! Lieutenant Paine!" he said sharply. "Sir!" exclaimed both lads in a single breath. They stepped from the tent. "You are under arrest!" were the French officer's next words. Hal and Chester stepped back in complete bewilderment. "Wha--what's that, sir?" asked Hal, believing that he could not have heard aright. "You are under arrest," was the sharp reply. "I am ordered to conduct you before General Petain at once." Both lads had recovered themselves by this time; they stepped forward coolly enough, in spite of the fact that their hearts were fluttering strangely. "The general might have spared himself the trouble of sending for us," said Hal, quietly. "Even now we were about to report to him." The French officer said nothing. He motioned to the file of soldiers whom he commanded and Hal and Chester stepped in between the men. "One moment," said the French soldier. He approached the lads. "I must ask for your swords and revolvers," he said. Without a word the lads surrendered their weapons. "Good!" said the French officer. Then to his men: "Forward, march!" And in this manner Hal and Chester came before the French commander at Verdun. The latter was busy with a pile of papers when they entered his quarters and did not look up immediately. For perhaps fifteen minutes the lads stood there, firmly erect, their eyes upon the general. Suddenly General Petain wheeled about. "Leave these men with me," he instructed the French officer who had escorted the lads to his tent; "but attend me outside within call, Captain." The French officer saluted and withdrew. General Petain gazed frowningly at Hal and Chester for perhaps a full minute. The lads returned his look without flinching, though there was nothing that might be co
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100  
101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

French

 

officer

 

General

 
Petain
 
Chester
 

stepped

 
manner
 

Lieutenant

 

general

 

arrest


report
 

commander

 

quarters

 

morning

 

surrendered

 
weapons
 

Without

 

swords

 

revolvers

 
Forward

Verdun

 
refreshed
 

motioned

 

quietly

 

soldiers

 

moment

 

soldier

 
approached
 

ARREST

 

commanded


papers

 

Captain

 

attend

 

escorted

 

saluted

 

withdrew

 

flinching

 

returned

 

minute

 

frowningly


instructed

 

CHAPTER

 

fifteen

 

immediately

 

entered

 

minutes

 
wheeled
 

Suddenly

 

firmly

 

sending