Alfred looked around at the watchers, and then he smiled. "But you have been wounded in battle," he said.
"Yes, and mentioned in orders, too," added Roland.
"Oh, I forgot about that. The General said so. Yes, you have been wounded in battle and I haven't been." Alfred said this in a regretful tone of voice, and Ralph's face brightened at the thought.
Ralph looked up, and then turned to the men. "Well, is that anything?"
"Why, anybody can ride an old bicycle. That's nothing. But it's something to get in the way of a bullet that has been shot by an enemy for the purpose of killing," said Alfred.
Ralph smiled, and the men about them turned their heads away. There was a philosophy in that remark which went home to many of them that day. Can it be possible that a man can be a hero because he is wounded on the battle field?
CHAPTER X
IN THE MESSENGER SERVICE
This part of Belgium has a very curious formation. Many of the limestone quarries are really subterranean passages, and are of very ancient origin, and all this section of the country has a history which goes back to the time of the Romans. Not far north of the elevation where the present camp was formed, is an old Roman road, which runs in an unbroken line to Mons, in southwestern Belgium.