"It must be a wonderful thing to have all those things so arranged that it can be done promptly and without confusion," said Alfred.
"Yes, that is what the German army has been noted for. To have all those details arranged so that within twenty-four or forty-eight hours fifty thousand troops can be moved even fifty miles appears a great undertaking, but that is what the Germans have done."
"How many German troops are now before Liège, do you think?" asked Ralph.
"I have heard it said there were over seventy-five thousand, either there or else in the close vicinity, and probably three times that number crossing the Rhine."
"And war was declared only eight days ago!" said Ralph.
The next day the first definite news was brought to the camp concerning the state of affairs in Liège. The forts had repulsed every storming party and defeated the invaders, so there was great cheering in the camp when the papers reached them.
Alfred carried a paper to Ralph. "We are whipping the Germans all along the line," he said, as he waved the paper.
Ralph read the startling head-lines, and gave the news the greatest emphasis. The stubborn resistance added immensely to the spirit of the soldiers and they commented on every feature.
Two days more passed, then ten days, and the forts still held. It was a period of pride to the boys, as they read every line of the papers brought into the camp. They gloated over the dismay of the Germans, who believed that a bombardment of a day or two at most would enable them to storm the town and capture the forts with their heavy guns.
"Why are they so anxious to capture Liège?" asked Ralph.