to tell the lieutenant there's been a change in plans an' he's not
supposed to move until a white flare is shot outta the woods on his left
flank."

The captain exploded. "Delay, not change! And I didn't say anything
about a left flank! The woods on his left flank and the spur of woods on
his left that stick out a hundred yards beyond his present position are
two different things! So help me, Wims, if you get this message fouled
up, I'll use you as a dummy for bayonet practice."

Wims squirmed unhappily. "Couldn't you write it down, suh?"

"Why? So you can get captured and--"

The general interposed. "Even if the message is a bit garbled the intent
should be obvious to the lieutenant if he has any intelligence."

The captain regarded the general balefully and then snapped at Wims,
"What are you waiting for? Move out! ON THE DOUBLE!"

Wims trotted away and as soon as he was out of sight the general said
abruptly to Aronsen, "I'm going over to the Red lines and watch your
Blue attack from there."

_Sure_, the captain snarled inwardly, _now that he's set the fuse he's
running for the hills_.

The general climbed into his command car and waited while one of his
majors dashed into the woods along the path that led to the attack
group's staging area. Less than a minute later he returned, followed by
a colonel. They jumped into the command car which roared off
immediately. As the captain was trying to puzzle out the incident's
meaning, three of his runners came out of the woods along the same path.

"Where have you goldbricks been? You should've been back long ago!"

"Sir," one of them spoke up, "there was a colonel a little way back
there wouldn't let us pass. Said the gen'ral was havin' a secret
conf'rence and for us to wait."

The captain tucked away the strange information for later consideration.
Right now there was no time to be lost. "You! Get over to the attack
group and tell the lieutenant in command to hold up until a white flare
is fired from the spur of woods on his left. All other orders remain the
same. If Wims has already been there, the lieutenant is to disregard any
message Wims might have given him. If you see Wims, tell him to get back
here. All right, move out!

"You! Get over to the second platoon in the reserve area and tell them
to rush a replacement machine gun with support riflemen to the tip of
the spur; base of fire to be maintained twenty minutes. Signal end of
firing with white flare.