In these battles the engineers had had small part, but now they were sent once more to the front, to repair the roads and also make safe two of the villages, work which was as interesting as it was hazardous.
On the following afternoon Roger, Phil, and a number of the others found themselves in a small French village where they had been sent to clean up some of the wreckage in the main street, so that the army could use the thoroughfare for the passage of the artillery. A battalion of infantry was located at this village, and this included the company to which Nat Poole and Lieutenant Gebauer belonged.
“Hello! there is Nat Poole!” remarked Phil presently, when the young soldier in question came out of one of the half-wrecked buildings in that vicinity.
“Let us ask him if he has seen or heard anything of Dave,” returned Roger.
“I don’t think it will do a bit of good,” remarked Ben, who was with the others.
As soon as he saw his former schoolmates approaching, the money lender’s son attempted to evade them by passing around the corner of another ruined building. But all quickened their pace and soon caught up with him.
“Wait a minute, Nat!” called Roger. “We want to talk to you.”
The young soldier turned a startled and haggard face toward them.
“I don’t want to talk to you fellows,” he grumbled. “I want to be left alone.”
“See here, Nat, what’s got into you?” questioned Ben, coming closer. “You look scared to death.”