When the troopers came back from the fight, the sergeant, with heavy stride, came to the wagon into which the boys had crawled.
“Come out of there,” he commanded.
The boys instantly obeyed and in sheepish manner presented themselves to the severely erect soldier.
“You’ll be buried without the benefit of a preacher if you try another trick like that.” This was all the sergeant said, but he looked daggers.
CHAPTER XIV.
IN AN ARMORED MOTOR CAR.
On the way to Arras the boys had their first experience aboard an armored motor car, equipped with machine guns. Quite a promotion from the teamster’s seat of a supply wagon!
How the sergeant ever consented to let his charges join the crew of Belgians operating the war machine is not known. Perhaps he was not told until it was too late to object.
But there they were, Billy and Henri, as large as life, out “Uhlan hunting,” as the soldiers put it. The boys knew that a Uhlan was a kind of light cavalry, or lancer, in the German army, and they had heard that he was “game,” but never before in the sense of game to be hunted.
As for that, hardly a day passed but the boys learned something new from the soldiers.