"Then, why not count the airships, those in the vans as well," returned Alfred, now smiling and catching the meaning of this proposed investigation.
"Yes; go over at once; I will attend to the guns. Meet me at the stand. I see he is going over in that quarter," replied Ralph.
The latter took particular note of the Long 3's, as they were known technically. There were forty-two. Eight howitzers were under cover at one end of the line, as well as three mounted, heavy-calibre guns, which Ralph judged might be at least eight-inch bore. He entered the sheet-iron warehouse at the end of the field, as the peddler emerged from it at a side door.
Within was stored an immense quantity of trench equipments, a row of newly devised bomb-throwers being conspicuously displayed at one end of the warehouse. Ralph counted them. "There are certainly more than a hundred; I may have missed some of them," he remarked to himself.
As he marched across the open space to the stand which had been selected as the meeting place, he saw Alfred awaiting him. The latter seemed to be greatly excited, and the moment Ralph was sighted he ran over.
"Do you know who is at the hangar?" he said.
"No; I can't guess," answered Ralph.
"Joe; don't you remember Joe; the American that we made our first flight with up at Dunkirk? He is over at the hangar and wants to see you," said Alfred.
"All right; let's go over," replied Ralph. "But did you count them?"