"
"Ah! I lived there, too, in the early days."
"Wonderful country. Developed greatly since my time, I suppose?"
"Yes, General."
"Great resources; finest wheat-growing country in the world, sir. You
don't happen to know what the actual crop was this year?"
"Hardly, General! but something enormous."
"Yes, I have always said it would be. Have a cigar?"
He handed his cigar-case to the brigadier. Then he took one himself,
lighted it at the smouldering end of the one he had taken from his
mouth, was about to throw the stump carelessly down, but, suddenly
recollecting himself, leaned over his horse, and dropped it carefully
a few inches away from the face of a dead soldier. Then, straightening
himself in the saddle, he shoved his horse against the brigadier, moving
him a little further on, while a slight movement of his hand kept the
staff from following.
"A heavy loss here!"
"I'm afraid so, General."
"It couldn't be helped. We had to rush in your brigade to gain time, and
occupy the enemy, until we could change front."
The young general looked at the shrewd, cold eyes of his chief.
"Change front?" he echoed.
"Yes. Before a gun was fired, we discovered that the enemy was in
complete possession of all our plans, and knew every detail of our
forward movement.
Pages:
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95