As they were constantly moving away from the scene of action of course the awful clamor grew gradually less in volume. Still the boys were of the opinion that if the wind was favorable the citizens of the French capital might even catch distant sounds of apparent thunder. How it would revive thrilling memories of those bitter days of ’71 in the minds of the old folks who had passed through the previous siege, and seen the heel of the proud Prussian victor pressing their pavements in Paris.
Once they came to where a van heavily laden had broken down, and blocked the entire road. With so many vehicles passing back and forth in a constant stream such a happening was not singular. But those astute drivers had been equal to the occasion. An adjoining stone wall had been torn down so that vehicles might turn into a field, and thus go around the block, once more reaching the road further on.
Bumpus felt relieved when he saw how easily this difficulty had been met and conquered. Men were even then busily engaged in repairing the van that had caused the trouble. Had it been beyond help they would have removed its load, and dragged the heavy machine to one side of the road, so as to leave a free passage.
“But how far do we keep on this route?” Bumpus wanted to know, presently. “It runs direct to Paris, I understand, and surely that isn’t where we’re bound.”
“Well, I don’t think General Joffre has yet taken up his headquarters so far away from the fighting line,” laughed Allan. “As I understand it we’ll soon come to a place where we turn aside, and head into the west; isn’t that it, Thad?”
“Just what we will,” replied the driver; “and then, unless I’m mistaken, our course will gradually carry us back toward the front once more. We can tell that from the direction we head for; and, besides, as like as not the roar will begin to increase again instead of getting softer.”
Bumpus fell silent at that. Given his way and no doubt he would have candidly admitted that he had seen quite as much of fighting as he ever wanted to look upon. The terrible things that had passed in review before his eyes would never leave his mind; and his heart felt heavy because of the intense human suffering they had tried their best to alleviate. Still Bumpus was very loyal, and so long as these chums of his thought best to see the great battle through he was determined not to show the white feather.
It was certainly amazing, the amount of traffic that was passing back and forth along that road. It had evidently been given over entirely to this sort of thing; for they did not encounter any batteries of guns, or marching regiments of troops coming out of Paris as reinforcements on the way to the fighting line. No doubt arrangements had been perfected whereby all such went either by train, or along still another main artery of travel, where they might have an unobstructed passage conducive to haste.
“Thad, do you think we’ll ever run across Giraffe again?” Bumpus suddenly asked, as though the missing chum might have been in his mind as he watched an empty ambulance swinging by on their right, for vehicles abroad always pass to the left.
“Oh! it’s to be hoped we do,” the boy at the wheel replied, hastily. “If he gets back to where the field hospital is, and meets the surgeon, who promised to keep an eye out for Giraffe, he will be told where we’ve gone; also that he is to go back to Paris, where we’ll join him. I even left an address with our friend, so that if it came to the worst Giraffe would know where to find us.”