CHAPTER XI

DISCOVERING A GERMAN RANGE FINDER

It seemed as though every one they met knew Frisky, for some of them whistled to him, and a few tried to entice him to follow, but on the journey to the west of the hill he followed the boys' footsteps, and seemed to recognize no one but them.

"That must be a battery up there," almost shouted Ralph, as he gazed ahead, and pointed to a ridge newly made, apparently, of fresh earth.

"It certainly looks like it," answered Alfred, with enthusiasm, as he bounded forward eagerly to reach the top.

Evidences of the effect of shells now became more pronounced, although holes in the earth and the fallen debris had been noticed everywhere, even before they had reached the hillside.

"It must be a battery of big guns up there," remarked Ralph, as they sat down for a few moments of rest.

"Yes, that last shot sounded bigger than a 75," answered Alfred.

"I wonder what Frisky is doing over there?" said Ralph, glancing across a small ravine to the left, where the animal was engaged in briskly pawing the earth.

"I suppose he has treed something; suppose we investigate," replied Alfred.

They quickly found their way through the tangled brush and broken stone down the little hollow and up again to the mound-like structure where Frisky was engaged.

"What have you found?" asked Ralph, as they neared the scene.

Frisky answered with a quick yelp, and kept on digging. Evidently there was something in the burrow before him.

"What kind of animals do they have here in France?" said Ralph. "I don't think I ever saw even a field mouse since we came here."

"No wonder; we've never been anywhere except in spots like this, and it is certain animals wouldn't last long in such places," replied Alfred.

"We might help Frisky out a little," said Ralph, as he grasped a stick, and began to rake out the earth.

While they were at work Alfred was lying with his back against a low mound. He happened to turn around and noticed that the upper part of the elevation was smooth, and contained certain marks and inscriptions.

"What's this?" shouted Alfred, as he arose and gazed down on it.

Ralph, somewhat startled, sprang out of the hollow and drew himself up.

"What have you got?" he asked.

"Here is a mark of some kind; now what can it be?" said Alfred, pointing down to the stone.

"That is singular," remarked Ralph. "A cross, a circle, two arrows, and a set of figures. I suppose it means something, and is there for some purpose."

"It may be a surveyor's post; no, that's not the name of it either. What was it the professor called the marking place where they measure from?" asked Alfred.

"I don't know what you mean," said Ralph.

"Why, when they locate a station, or a particular spot and then sight from that place to the next;—what is it called?—oh, I know; it's a _bench_," said Alfred.

"So it is; I had forgotten the name," answered Ralph.

Frisky kept on digging, and had worked his way in until he was almost hidden.

"I am afraid you will have to stop," said Alfred, but Frisky didn't cease his efforts. "Come on, we might as well reach the top," continued Alfred, walking away.

Ralph gave another glance at the inscription, and turned to follow. As he gazed across the brow of the hill he stopped.

"Alfred," he said, "this arrow points straight to that hill in the southwest; do you see that figure there? I wonder if there is anything in that?" said Ralph.

"I wish I had a straight stick, and then we could tell exactly," remarked Alfred, as he looked around for something to verify the assertion.

"Use a string," said Ralph. "Here is one; wait, and let me stand right over the stone. Now, I'm going to stretch it and hold it parallel with the arrow below. When I give the word sight along the string and see whether or not it crosses the hill in the distance."

"All right," answered Alfred. "Lower the right hand a little; it over-shoots the hill too much; are you ready?"

"Yes; how is it?" asked Ralph.

"Oh, it points down to the hollow left of the hill," said Alfred, "so I suppose the mark must be intended for something else."

"Come on, Frisky; enough of that," shouted Alfred. "Up the hill," and he marched off whistling.

After Ralph started Frisky jumped out of the hole, gave a few discouraging barks, and leaped after the boys.

Within fifteen minutes the motor camp was reached; then great cave-like holes were noticed, stored with huge shells, and numerous smaller caves, in which were men lying about.

"There the guns are," said Alfred. "Well, they have them nicely hidden, and I don't see how the flyers would ever pick them out the way they are arranged."

A guard blocked the way, and a corporal approached. "Your business," he said.

"We are from the 14th French Artillery; just came out of the hospital a few weeks ago," said Ralph.

"Have you authority to pass the lines?" asked the corporal.

"No; we just came over from the field base today; didn't think it was necessary," said Alfred.

"I will report," said the orderly, as he turned on his heels and marched alongside the hill to one of the dug-outs.

An officer approached; the boys saluted.

"From the 14th, I understand," he said. "Any credentials?" he quickly remarked.

The boys looked at each other, for they were now conscious of the fact that they did not have the first evidence to sustain the contention that they were members of the 14th.

Ralph shook his head. Alfred reached into his pocket and drew out the certificate of the physician, which detailed the wounding, the detention at the hospital, and the discharge.

The officer examined the paper with some interest.

"We were never regularly enlisted in the artillery, but we helped them out when they had the big drive there a month ago," said Ralph. "It was there we were wounded."

"Here is something that may be just as good," said Alfred. "We did belong to the Aviation corps, and got wounded while serving there, too, and here is our discharge, and the other certificate from the hospital."

"That looks pretty straight," said the officer. "Come in and you may look around for a half hour. At that time the firing will proceed, and no one is permitted closer than the motor house."

"Those guns are the same size as the ones mounted on the dunes at Dunkirk," said Ralph, after a silence, as he glanced under the cover of the first one.

"What do you know about the Dunkirk guns?"

"We were there nearly a week before we went to Paris," said Alfred. "We had an opportunity to examine them while they were hauling them out of the boats and setting them up," replied Alfred.

"Why, that was at the beginning of the war," remarked the officer.

"Yes; it was just after they drove us across northern Belgium," said Ralph.

"Where were you driven from?" asked the officer, in a surprised voice.

"From Antwerp," said Alfred.

"So you boys took a hand from the first?" he asked.

"Yes, from the very first day, and, I guess, from the first hour," said Ralph, with a smile.

"When was that?" asked another officer, who had overheard the remark.

"At five o 'clock, on the 3d day of August, 1914," said Alfred in measured tones.

"Right you are," responded the officer.

As they passed the third giant field piece, the gunners were at setting up exercise,—that is, going through their paces initiating a green squad of recruits in the manoeuvers necessary to load, aim and fire.

"That looks natural," said Ralph, "and they do it well, too; but we never had any exercises except with the 75's."

"Look at that hill over there; they are pointing straight at it; so it seems to me. Isn't that the hill we saw from the bench marks below?" asked Alfred.

"So it is," answered Ralph. Then, turning to the officer, he continued: "Are you bombarding that hill?"

"We are not sure where they are located, but they have a powerful battery somewhere there, and we have tried for two weeks to find it. You see we are three and a half miles from that hill," said the officer.

"You should aim for that hollow directly north of the hill," said Alfred.

Both officers looked at Alfred, who nodded his head and kept a sober face. Both men began to laugh. "What makes you think they have their big battery there?" asked one of them.

"Because we have just been examining the bench mark which the Germans left on the side of the hill," replied Ralph.

"What do you mean? Where?" asked the officers in a breath.

The questions were almost shouted. The excitement attracted others near by.

"That can't be possible," said one of the officers.

"Do you mean," said another, "that the fellows over there left a range mark?"

"Well, we don't know about that, exactly, but in coming up,—here Frisky,—our dog treed something in a hole,——"

"Treed in a hole,—ha, ha,—that's clever!" interrupted one of the officers. The others laughed in unison, and the boys joined.

"Well, that's what we call it, at any rate," continued Alfred. "So we went over to help him out. Right near the hole was a big flat stone on top of a mound, and it had the cross marks on it, some circles, and arrows, and also some marks."

"Where is that?" asked an officer, now thoroughly sobered.

"But what made you think it had anything to do with that hill over there?" interrupted another.

"Because the arrow pointed that way, but when we made a test we were disappointed, as the arrow went straight to that hollow place that I referred to, north of the hill. Now, there may be something in that; I don't know," said Alfred.

"That is something worth looking into; accompany us," said the officer.

On the way to the narrow cut which led to the roadway, the commanding officer of the battery appeared.

"What is this I hear about finding a range mark left by the Germans?" he asked.

The matter was explained to him.

"It looks to me like a bench mark," said Alfred, as they walked down the hill.

"So you have been a surveyor?" said the commander.

"No, sir; never did anything in that line, but take lessons; what made you think so?" asked Alfred.

"That happens to be my line, and the term is one rarely, if ever, used outside of the profession," he remarked. "And, by the way, Lieutenant, did you order the theodolite brought down?"

"I did, sir!" was the response.

The party picked their way along the brush, Ralph and Alfred in the lead. Back and forth they stumbled over the hillside, but the longed-for spot seemed to elude them.

"Now, isn't that singular?" said Ralph. "It seemed to be on a rather level spot, and there was a ravine, not a deep one, which we had to cross to get there. It may be further around the hill, for we could see across the country to the east from the bench."

Back and forth, up and down, and still it could not be located.

"You are sure it is not far from the road?" asked one of the officers.

"Why, we were so near we could hear Frisky pawing and barking,—where is he now? Hello, Frisky!" cried out Alfred. "Come, Frisky."

There was a short, quick bark to the right, and Ralph waved his cap. "He's over there; he's at the hole now," shouted Ralph, as he disappeared in a gully.

Ralph was observed climbing the steep incline at the other side and the party followed.

"Good boy, Frisky!" said Alfred, as he came up and stooped down to pat the dog.

"That's a remarkable animal; and where did you get him?" asked the commander.

"He adopted us down in the village this afternoon," said Ralph with a chuckle.

The commander threw his head back and fairly shook with merriment at the remark.

"Ah! that's the devoted dog that used to live at the stone cottage," said one of the officers. "I know him now."

"Here's the bench," said Ralph, "and it's through Frisky we found it."

The officers gathered around the stone and examined it with intense curiosity. The sketch of it, which is here appended, shows the marks and the figures. The face of the stone was about fourteen inches across and perfectly flat. On this was a cross, the limbs of which were a foot long.

The crosses indicated the cardinal points of the compass; that was evident, as one of them had, at its extremity, the letter N. Two circles were scribed, the center being at the crossing point of the two limbs. One arrow pointed northeast, the other southeast, one having the figure 7 at the point, and 47 across the middle of the body, while the other had 5 at the apex and 52 across the body.

The commander examined the stone intently for several minutes, occasionally shaking his head. Evidently something puzzled him.

"I cannot understand the meaning of the circles, and of the numbers which appear attached to them, namely, 300, 60 and 200. It is possible they may be there as a mere blind," he said.

"Captain, isn't it possible that it may be a bench erected by the French surveyors previous to the war?" asked an officer.

"It is not at all likely," replied the captain. "In the first place, the marking is not such as the French surveyors use; and, in the second place, the arrows are meant to show a point which would be of no value to a topographical survey except for finding certain distant objects."

"Then what do the figures attached to the arrows mean?" asked an officer.

"The apex figures are kilometers, and those on the bodies of the arrows represent meters," answered the captain.

"Well, the one with the 5 at the end does seem to point to the hill we have been shelling for the past week," said an officer.

"Put up the instrument and get the exact angle," said the captain.

This was done. The boys' experiments were confirmed.

"It is just two and a half degrees north of the peak of the hill," said the officer, looking through the instrument.

"And it is 5 kilometers, 52 centimeters distant, and a little over, as the plus mark indicates," said the captain.

"Now, if that is the distance to the place over there, we have the exact range also for the other point, 7 kilometers and 47 centimeters beyond. The question in my mind is," said the officer, "has it reference to a battery location?"

"Have you figured out the distance of 5.52 kilometers in miles?" asked the captain.

"Yes; it is a trifle over three and a half miles, or to be exact, 18,488 feet," said the officer.

"You see that corresponds within a hundred feet or so of the triangulated measurement we made of the hill," said the captain.

"One thing is sure, however, that if their big battery is on that hill, or near it, they have some way of protecting it, for they are doing as much damage with it as the first day we started in," said the officer addressed.