welve-thirty, however, a remarkable fact
forced itself on his attention. Whereas the allied batteries continued
to thunder away, the fire from the Orientals became irregular and
sporadic. "Celebrating their victory beforehand," the French commander
remarked bitterly to his chief. Loomis nodded. "And getting careless,
too," another of the Staff added as he saw one of the enemy's detonator
bombs disintegrate three or four hundred acres of a Mongolian base
encampment fifty miles to the northwest and shoot it a monstrous blazing
rocket twenty or thirty miles into the midday sky.

By twelve forty-five the enemy's barrage had fallen completely all along
the line. Our battery nevertheless continued until the set time but
elicited no answer. Exactly at one General Loomis with two aides stepped
into his air-car. He was a picture of grief and despair. Three minutes
late the party landed forty miles across the river before the
headquarters and armored dining hall of the Oriental General Staff.

Loomis and his officers stepped out of their car and looked about. No
one was in sight. Not even a sentry guarded the mess room door. The
General paced back and forth a few minutes in indecision.

"Evidently they mean to make us feel our defeat," he said. "They
apparently do not even think it further necessary to observe rudimentary
diplomatic courtesy. Come on, boys, beggars can't be choosers, as the
antique saying goes." He led the way to the dining hall through a window
of which a light was seen shining.

"Perhaps if we find his xanthic highness after a good meal he will be
inclined to be a bit more lenient," Loomis whispered with a forced
laugh, trying to cheer his glum companions.

He opened the unguarded door of the hall. An instant later he reeled
back horror-stricken. Instead of a feasting gathering of officers
attached to the Mongolian Staff he saw before a feast of men contorted
in grotesque shapes by some violent death. Many lay beside the table,
some on it, their faces blotched with great, unsightly wheals, their
chests bloated until they seemed about to burst. Only one poor wretch
had any life left in him--he lay exhausted on the floor with great
streams of frothy mucous pouring from his nose and throat.

A possibility dawned in Loomis' mind. He dashed away to search the other
mess tents, shouting to his aides to follow suit. It was as he guessed:
they had landed in a camp of dead and dying; stricken by some mysterious
po