Alfred tried to speak, but his voice had a peculiar sound to him.
"Let us go over to headquarters," said Ralph to Alfred. "We may be wanted there," and as he spoke they saw Roland coming out of the General's tent.
Roland beckoned to Ralph as he said: "These are your first orders; see that they are delivered to the officer in command of the forces on the main road."
Ralph was off in an instant. He could not follow the road, as he had to go nearly a half mile across the fields, but he set his course at a safe distance behind the firing line. More than once in that first ride on the battle field he saw the shots as they dug in the earth about him and noticed the explosion of the shells.
It was an exciting ride, and it stimulated him as nothing before had ever done in all his experiences. When he reached the headquarters of the commanding officer, who held the main road, he knew that some great movement was on foot.
He could see immense bodies of their own troops moving back, and the headquarters of the officer was even then being moved back a half mile so as to be partly outside of the firing range. But the Germans were coming on, and he could see men falling all about him.
Ambulances were at work, gathering up the moving figures, as they writhed on the ground. Men were staggering about, some delirious, others trying to staunch wounds in their arms, legs or bodies, and more than once he saw one comrade, although wounded, trying to check the flow of blood, or bind up the wounds of another.
But the more he saw the less these things seemed to affect him. The orderly from headquarters beckoned to him, and placing a message in his hands Ralph was off to deliver the reply.
Before he could reach headquarters he saw that another route would be necessary, as the enemy seemed to be not a quarter of a mile away. New formations were being made by the Belgians, and it was clear they were being driven back.