"Very well," said the colonel. "Make yourself at home."
From time to time Colonel English summoned aides whom he dispatched to other parts of the field with instructions. Suddenly he turned to Hal.
"It strikes me," he said, "that the general is risking a whole lot on this move. If the enemy is in greater strength at Pouilly than we suppose, our position will be critical."
"I would imagine that the general's information is authentic," returned Hal. "Otherwise he would not have ordered you to Pouilly."
"You are probably right," said Colonel English; "but at the same time I have a feeling that all is not well."
Hal shrugged his shoulders, a movement that was not discernable to Colonel English in the darkness.
"Well," the lad said, "we'll let the boches know we are there at all events."
"Right," agreed Colonel English.
There was silence after that except for the plodding feet of the infantry and the noise of the horses that composed the single troop of cavalry with the expedition. Also, the sharp crack of machine guns in other parts of the field and the voices of the distant big guns could be heard.
"According to my calculations," said Colonel English to Hal an hour later, "we should now be within three miles of Pouilly. I shall order a halt here and make a reconnaisance."