"Right! We decided that would be a battery. The other forts report that they have been fired on from points marked on the maps that you supplied, and that by concentrating their fire on the points indicated on these maps they have silenced a number of field guns."
"I am glad," said Paul, quietly. "I was sure that the information would prove to be valuable. Well, then, this battery is not of field guns. That is why you have heard no firing from it as yet. They are working now, by electric light, and are placing heavy guns—not the very heaviest, I should say, but far heavier pieces than would usually be at the front so soon—probably seven inch mortars."
"Seven inch mortars! That sounds almost incredible!"
"None the less, it is true. You may open fire at once on the spots marked on your map, and do great damage. We are in a position here to tell you whether your shells land properly or not—we can see the battery from here. Will you fire?"
"At once!" said Delaunay. "Go and watch for the shells—then report to us, if you can, whether they were properly aimed. You will be of the greatest service to us if you can do that. It is of the last importance that that battery should not come into action against us—these forts were not intended, when they were built, to withstand the battery of such heavy guns as that!"
Thrilled by the knowledge that the risks he and Arthur had run the previous night had not been in vain, Paul went upstairs and rejoined Arthur. To the east, where the frantic efforts of the Germans to get their heavy artillery into position for the opening attack were still continued, there was no apparent change in the situation.
"No one has come near," said Arthur. "Was the wire working? What did they say at Boncelles?"
Paul told him, and they settled down to wait It was nervous work, tense and anxious. Two of the guns—they counted six of them, in all—were already in position, and finishing touches were being put to them.
"Oh, why don't they hurry?" complained Arthur. "The Germans are not going to wait for them to be ready to fire."
"Listen," said Paul. "The fire is slackening a little, I think. You can see that what we did had some use—they have silenced a good many German guns already, through knowing just where to aim."