lain an explosive ball of smoke hung in
the still air; then another beside it.

"Thur-eesh--thur-eesh--thur-eesh," the screaming overhead became
a gale that built a cloud of blue smoke over the offending Gray
batteries--beautiful, soft blue smoke from which a spray of steel
descended. There was no spotting the flashes of the Browns' guns in
order to reply to them, for they were under the cover of a hill, using
indirect aim as nicely and accurately as In firing pointblank. The
gunners of the Gray batteries could not go on with their work under such
a hail-storm, they were checkmated. They stopped firing and began moving
to a new position, where their commander hoped to remain undiscovered
long enough to support the 128th by loosing his lightnings against the
defenders at the critical moment of the next charge, which would be made
as soon as Fracasse's men had been reinforced.

There was an end to the concussions and the thrashing of the air around
Dellarme's men, and they had the relief of a breaking abscess in the
ear. But they became more conscious of the spits of dust in front of
their faces and the passing whistles of bullets. In return, they made
the sections of Gray infantry in reserve rushing across the levels,
leave many gray lumps behind. But Fracasse's men at the foot of the
slope poured in a heavier and still heavier fire.

"Down there's where we need the shells now!" spoke the thought of
Dellarme's men, which he had anticipated by a word to the signal
corporal, who waved his flag one--two--three--four--five times. Come on,
now, with more of your special brand of death, fire-control officer!
Your own head is above the sky-line, though your guns are hidden. Five
hundred yards beyond the knoll is the range! Come on!

He came with a burst of screams so low in flight that they seemed to
brush the back of the men's necks with a hair broom at the rate of a
thousand feet a second. Having watched the result, Dellarme turned with
a confirmatory gesture, which the corporal translated into the wigwag of
"Correct!" The shrapnel smoke hanging over Fracasse's men appeared a
heavenly blue to Dellarme's men.

"They are going to start for us soon! Oh, but we'll get a lot of them!"
whispered Stransky gleefully to his rifle.

Dellarme glanced again toward the colonel's station. No sign of the
retiring flag. He was glad of that. He did not want to fall back in face
of a charge; to have his men silhouetted in the valley as t