Frenchmen,
realizing that they had Von Kluck's army finally on the run, did not
mean to lose any of their advantage by unnecessary delay. They could not
be held in, even had their officers wished to attempt such a thing. Rod
indeed was reminded of the impetuous charge of hounds, once they were
released from the leash.

It was all very plain to Rod, who was a boy with a long head. He knew
that when the vast German host had advanced so steadily toward Paris,
sweeping everything out of their path with such apparent ease, they had
certainly brought along with them many great siege guns, with which to
batter down the forts defending the city.

Some of these were the famous forty-two centimetre guns which had proved
at Liege and Namur that no modern fort could hold out against the
enormous weight of metal they were capable of dropping, almost
vertically, on the works, from a distance of many miles.

Then when the sudden alteration came about in the plans of Von Kluck,
and his army turned aside from Paris so as to save its exposed flank,
the one thought in the mind of the general was to save those wonderful
guns, without which all his work would be for naught.

It was for this purpose that these desperate rearguard actions were
being undertaken by the retreating Germans. Some of the big guns were
drawn by traction engines, and their progress even over good roads must
necessarily be very slow. To enable them to be transported to the
positions already prepared along the Aisne River, looking to a possible
retreat, the victorious French had to be kept at bay.

So tens of thousands of Teutons must fall during those bitter days in
order that the Krupp guns might be saved to the cause. Manfully they
stood up to their task. There was not a sign of wavering as they met the
furious charge of the French, who seemed determined on thrusting the
enemy out of their newly made trenches at the point of the bayonet.

Josh, remembering how he had felt a brief time before, presently gave a
sigh and reluctantly handed the glasses over to Rod. The latter gladly
received them, and without a second's delay proceeded to glue his eyes
to the smaller end.

It was like a living picture of other battles that Rod remembered
seeing, done in colors; but the realization that this was the
_real_ thing he now gazed on so entranced thrilled him again and
again.

Backed by every gun that could be brought to bear upon the German front,
the living stream