When two hundred yards separated the opposing forces, the Austrian artillery suddenly broke loose again. A shell struck squarely in the center of the Italian horsemen, doing frightful execution. Colonel Anderson hurriedly gave the order to fall back.
The colonel turned to Hal and Chester.
"What are you two doing here?" he demanded. "I thought you told me your fighting days were over?"
"We thought so, too," replied Hal, with a smile, "but you fellows swooped down on us so suddenly that we didn't have a chance to get out of the way."
"And it seemed pretty good," said Chester, "just like old times."
"You both gave good accounts of yourselves," declared the colonel. "I'll have a word to say about you in my report."
"No use of—" began Chester and broke off with an ejaculation: "Hello!"
"What's up?" demanded Anderson.
For answer, Chester pointed to the left and slightly ahead. There, overlooked in some way, a small body of Italian troops was engaged silently with a larger number of Austrians and the Italians were getting the worst of the encounter.
Colonel Anderson made his decision in a moment, and in spite of the Austrian artillery shells that were flying overhead and dropping on all sides, the cavalry rushed to the aid of their countrymen.