He did so; and the troops sat there in the darkness for perhaps an hour while a young lieutenant and ten men went ahead to get the lay of the land.
"All quiet ahead, sir," the lieutenant reported on his return. "I went as close to the enemy as I dared. He apparently is expecting no attack from this direction. The village should be captured with ease by a surprise assault."
"You were not, of course, able to ascertain the approximate strength of the enemy, lieutenant?"
"No, sir; I dared not approach too close."
"Very good, lieutenant."
The young officer saluted and returned to his station.
"Well," said Colonel English to Hal, "it seems that my fears were groundless. We'll go forward."
Silently the Americans crept along the dark road—or as silently as it is possible for a mass of men and horses to creep. Machine guns were dragged along as silently as possible, and the few field pieces that were the main reliance of the little force also were hauled with extreme caution.
Less than a half a mile from the village itself, Colonel English swung his field pieces into position to cover the advance of his men. It was not his intention to alarm the enemy by opening a bombardment of the village, but he overlooked nothing that would protect his men.
Under cover of the silent guns, which were ready for action at a moment's notice, the Americans crept forward. A short distance ahead Hal could see here and there a faint light, which indicated that the whole village was not asleep. Also, the lad knew, German sentinels were on guard; and there was little possibility that the Americans could enter the town without discovery.