“I must say you put up a reasonable argument there,” admitted Jack.
“Well,” argued Amos, “if they got the notion in their heads that this deserted chateau was being used as headquarters by the British commander and his staff, it would be an object with the Germans to drop a shower of shells hereabouts, with the intention of putting them out of business.”
Jack seemed quite interested in the theory his chum was so earnestly putting forward. He even smiled as he turned to look at Amos.
“There’s only one weak place in that argument of yours,” he went on to say.
“Then tell me what it is, won’t you, Jack?”
“Since that shell dropped in here all of a sudden I should say two full minutes had gone by,” the Western boy told him.
“What of that, Jack?”
“Only this, Amos, we’ve seen nothing of a second shot anywhere near us. There’s been plenty of time, and to wipe out the British army staff it would pay to turn the fire of a whole battery this way; but it hasn’t been done.”
“Then you believe now that shot was only an accident?” asked Amos.
“Oh! well, some gunner was trying his range, and got it with just one shell. His next aim was in another quarter, and it may be he did terrible work. We’ll never know.”