"What range? We haven't heard the range," shouted Millon.
"Eleven hundred!"
"How much?"
"Eleven hundred!"
"Oh, they're not far off!"
"Sounds bad, that," growled Hutin.
The gun reared, and immediately recoiled more than two yards. We had to man it forward into position, but the spade and wheels had sunk so deep in the soil that try as we would the six of us could not move it. Our shoulders to the wheels, struggling and sweating, we began to get nervous and angry. Finally we had to call to the detachment of the second gun to come and help us.
Some infantry had taken up position in front of the battery. We signalled to them to move to the left.
"They'll get cut in two, the idiots!"