"Remember he is
something of a fighter, too. He'll want to have a look."
They made their way back to the tent quickly and aroused the others. The
orderly placed at their disposal, once their wants were made known,
volunteered to conduct them to the front.
"I'll get an automobile," he said, and departed.
Five minutes later he was back with a big car and all climbed aboard. A
moment later they were being driven rapidly toward the extreme front.
There, just behind the first line troops, Hal and Chester made out that
the movement was in reality a defensive one. Apparently the men rushed
forward so early in the morning were reinforcements.
The troops had entrenched themselves hurriedly and were preparing to
resist an attack, which, the orderly informed his charges, was expected
momentarily. It appeared that the Austrians had made some slight gains
the day before and the Montenegrin general staff had reason to believe
the offensive would be continued to-day. Accordingly, steps had been
taken to resist the invader.
As the orderly explained the situation, the battle would probably be
fought along a twenty-five-mile front; and he announced that at this
particular moment the party was somewhere between the center and the left
wing of the Montenegrin army.
"Well, we can't see much from here," said Chester.
He gazed across the hills. Then he pointed to his right, toward a not far
distant elevation, somewhat higher than the others nearby, and also
somewhat closer to the Montenegrin center.
"Now, if we were up there," he said, "we might be able to see something."
The orderly seemed nonplussed.
"It is from that eminence that the king and the general staff will
witness the struggle," he said, "I do not know--"
"Oh, that will be all right," said Stubbs. "The king is a good friend of
ours. Why, only last night he said that if we desired anything all we had
to do was to call on him. Now, taking the king at his word, what we would
desire most is to be allowed to witness the battle from that eminence."
The Montenegrin officer hesitated; but only for a moment. Then he said:
"If those were the king's words, he no doubt will forgive me for leading
you thither."
"Most certainly he will," declared Stubbs; "in fact, he will thank you
for bringing us to him."
The officer, without further words, proceeded as desired, and ten minutes
later, having left the big army automobile, they climbed the eminence and
took thei
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