"No, sir; we would prefer to stay," Dellarme answered quietly.
"Good! Then you will take this battalion and I'll transfer Groller to Alvery's Bad loss, Alvery—shrapnel. The artillery has been doing ugly work, but that is all in favor of the defensive. If we can hold them on this line till to-morrow noon, it's all we want for the present," he concluded.
"We'll hold them! Don't worry!" put in Stransky.
If a private had spoken to a colonel in this fashion at drill, without being spoken to, it would have been a glaring breach of military etiquette. Now that they were at war it was different. Real comradeship between officer and man begins with war.
"We shall, eh?" chuckled the colonel. "You look big enough to hold anything, young man! Here! Isn't this the fellow that Lanstron got off?"
"Yes, sir," answered Dellarme.
"Well, was Lanstron right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Wonderful man, Lanstron!"
"He knows just' a little too much!" Stransky half growled.