sure that what Hanky Panky had suggested as a threatening summer storm
cloud was in reality smoke from artillery and burning cottages along the
line of Von Kluck's advance.

Once they had to stop and get on one side of the road in order to permit
the passage of a convoy of motor lorries loaded with wounded men. The
boys noticed that some of these wore the khaki of British soldiers,
which seemed to prove that a portion of General French's little army
from across the Channel must be valiantly holding a part of the thin
line against the furious rushes of the disciplined German troops.

The three boys took off their hats and waved them heartily as the
procession of trucks passed by. Some of the wounded answered them
lustily, showing that their spirit had not been in the least quenched by
their hard luck in getting in the way of hostile missiles.

Josh was burning with a feverish desire to be moving again.

"Why, judging from that," he told the others excitedly, as the last of
the sad procession passed them by, heading possibly for some French town
where a hospital had beds ready against their coming, "we must be almost
in the riot by now. Listen to how the guns keep up that whoop, will you?
I'll bet you they're not more'n five miles away from here! Rod, can't we
push right along?"

Rod, however, realized that they must now begin to exercise a great deal
of caution. No matter which side they happened to come upon, there was a
fair chance of the three boys being held up, and not permitted to go any
further.

"Keep on the lookout for some hill or other elevation, where we can get
a good view of the neighborhood!" he told them, remembering former
occasions when they had adopted a similar method for seeing operations.

It was late in the day by now. They had come at a tremendous pace over
scores and scores of miles, since that start at six o'clock in the
morning. Along about two in the afternoon Josh had declared that his
cyclometer was marking the hundred-and-fifty mark since beginning the
day's run, which was a pretty good spin, all things considered.

Thanks to the excellent French highways, and the fact that they had met
with no accident to detain them, this record could be hung up as one of
which any fellow might be proud.

It would be utterly impossible to describe all they saw while on that
wonderful day's run. Each of the boys had secured a little French
tri-color, and this flag they took pride in attaching to