FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   70   71   72   73   74   75   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   >>   >|  
" "Thank you, sir," said both lads in one voice. "Make all possible haste," said General Joffre, waving them from his presence. CHAPTER XVIII. THE ROAD TO PARIS. "How far are we from Paris, Hal?" asked Chester, when they were once more on the outside. "Not more than eighty miles," was the reply. "You heard what the Kaiser is said to have told his troops, didn't you?" "No; what was it?" "He told them that they were but two hours' ride, by automobile, from their goal; by which he meant the French capital." "Great Scott! I didn't realize they were so close." "It is pretty close; but still, when you stop to think, not so close after all; for the road to Paris, for the Kaiser's troops, at least, is strewn with insurmountable obstacles, and death and danger lurk on every hand." "True," said Chester. "Besides which, the Kaiser is considerably farther from his goal than he was some months ago." "Yes," agreed Hal, "he has been forced a long way down the field, as we would say on the gridiron." Besides the document which they were to carry to the French Prime Minister, General Joffre also had given the lads an order for one of the large army automobiles, that they might make the trip with all possible haste. Hal accosted the proper officer, and soon the lads had the huge car at their disposal. The officer also offered to furnish them with a chauffeur, but Hal declined this offer, electing to drive the machine himself. Chester climbed into the tonneau and Hal took his place at the wheel. Both waved a good-by to the officer, and, under Hal's guiding hand, the large automobile started off slowly. Gradually Hal increased the speed, till at length they were flying along the road at the rate of forty miles an hour. There were no speed restrictions in the war zone, and as the car dashed over the ground Hal kept a keen eye out for machines approaching from the other direction. Chester leaned over the front seat and clutched Hal by the shoulder. "At this rate," he shouted, "it won't take us long to get to Paris." "About two hours," Hal shouted back, without taking his eyes from the road ahead. Through the towns of Villers and Cotterets the automobile flashed, although Hal reducing his speed a trifle when the little cities came in sight. On the road beyond, however, he proceeded to let the car out again, and so they dashed into Nanteul. Here, because of somewhat more congested traffic,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   70   71   72   73   74   75   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Chester
 

officer

 

Kaiser

 
automobile
 
dashed
 
shouted
 

Besides

 

French

 

General

 

Joffre


troops
 
increased
 

started

 

slowly

 

Gradually

 

length

 

flying

 

Nanteul

 

traffic

 

climbed


congested
 

machine

 

electing

 
tonneau
 

restrictions

 
guiding
 
flashed
 

clutched

 

shoulder

 

Through


Cotterets

 

Villers

 
leaned
 
ground
 

proceeded

 
taking
 

trifle

 

reducing

 

direction

 

machines


approaching

 

cities

 
capital
 

realize

 
pretty
 
eighty
 

waving

 

presence

 
CHAPTER
 

strewn