“What happens when we do reach the other side, Monsieur Joos?” he inquired.
“Then we enter a disused quarry in the depths of a wood. The Meuse nearly surrounds the wood, and there is barely room for a tow-path between the river’s edge and a steep cliff. The quarry forms the landward face, as one may say, and among the trees is a woodman’s hut. I shall be surprised if we find any Germans there.”
“From your description it seems to be a suitable post for a strong picket watching the river.”
“No, monsieur. The slope falls away from the river, while the opposite bank is flat and open. I have been a soldier in my time, and I understand these things. It would be all right for observation purposes if these pigs hadn’t seized the bridge-heads at Visé and Argenteau; but I saw their cursed Uhlans on the left bank many hours ago.”
“Lead on, friend,” said Dalroy simply. “When we come within a hundred mètres of the main road let me do the scouting. I’ll tell you when and how to advance.”
“Is monsieur a soldier then?”
“Yes.”
“An officer perhaps?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, a thousand pardons if I presumed to lecture you. Yet I am certainly in the right about the wood.”