Half an hour later a general retreat began.
"Bad generalship, that's all," declared Hal.
"Without doubt," agreed Colonel Anderson. "A charge is a charge and once begun must be finished. That was where the Bulgarians gained the whip hand."
"The next step, I suppose, is an advance by the Bulgarians," said
Chester.
"Very likely," Hal agreed, "and that means that we shall be caught in the
Bulgarian lines."
"It means worse than that," said Colonel Anderson. "We are all in civilian attire and if our identities are discovered, it means that we'll be stood up and shot."
"By Jove!" said Hal. "I hadn't thought of that."
"Oh, we've been in predicaments just as serious," said Chester, "and we have always come through somehow. I guess we shall do so again."
"We'll get into one just once too often, I'm afraid," said Hal, "and this is likely to be it."
"You're getting as bad as Stubbs, Hal," said Chester. "Just keep a stiff upper lip and we'll come through this thing some way."