Fighting in France Part 35

"I'm all right," Leon maintained stoutly. "I don't know what made me stumble; I guess I must be stiff."

"You're weak, Leon," said his brother. "What you need is rest."

"I guess that's so; a little sleep and I'll be all right again."

"Come with me," urged the soldier. "I will fix your wound."

"You won't report without me, will you?" asked Leon eagerly of Jacques and Earl as he was led away.

"We'll stop for you surely," said Jacques. "Hurry along now."

A short time later Leon was seated beside a table in one of the nearby houses. He had removed his coat and blouse and was down to his unders.h.i.+rt. His wounded arm was stretched out upon the top of the table and by the light of a lamp the kind-hearted soldier worked over it.

First the wound, which proved to be a deep flesh cut, was carefully bathed and cleansed. Next a powerful antiseptic was applied and then fresh white bandages were bound around the injured spot. Although Leon protested vigorously the soldier also insisted upon making a sling in which the young soldier should carry his arm.

"That certainly feels better," sighed Leon. "I am very much obliged to you."

"It is nothing," exclaimed the soldier with a shrug of his shoulders.

"It is a great deal to me," said Leon. "I wonder where the others are."

"You had better sit down," said the soldier as Leon tried to rise from his seat. "You are tired and your two comrades said they would call for you."

"I know it," exclaimed Leon. "I'm all right though," and he rose to his feet. Immediately, however, everything turned black before his eyes and he lost consciousness.

CHAPTER XXVI

THE BIG WAR

The next thing that Leon knew was when he opened his eyes to find himself lying in a clean white cot with both Jacques and Earl standing by the bedside.

"What happened?" inquired Leon dazedly.

"Nothing," laughed Earl, "except that you've been asleep for about fifteen hours or so."

"How about our report?"

"That was made just about fifteen hours ago; just after you went to sleep."

"But you said you'd stop for me."

"We did," smiled Earl. "We stopped for you all right, but you'd gone and fainted and then you went to sleep and we thought we'd better not wait."

"Did you make your report?" asked Leon eagerly. He was now sitting up in bed and had almost forgotten his slightly wounded arm; in fact he would have been entirely unconscious of it had it not been for the fact that it was bandaged.

"We certainly did," said Jacques. "Major Villier seemed very much pleased with what we had done and he said he would see to it that we were mentioned at headquarters."

"Were they worried about us at all?"

"They were a little; they had expected us back sooner than we actually did arrive."

"What did the major think of our blowing up that train?"

"It seemed to please him greatly," said Jacques. "In fact he was almost as pleased about that as he was about our having delivered the dispatches safely at Flambeau."

"I should think he'd been more glad about the train than the dispatches," exclaimed Leon.

"We don't know what they were," Jacques reminded him. "Evidently they were even more important than blowing up a munition-train."

"At any rate I'm glad Major Villier approved of what we did."

"He said we got into too many sc.r.a.pes," laughed Earl. "He said that unless we were careful we might get hurt."

"He was joking, wasn't he?"

"Of course he was; as though we went around looking for trouble."

"I want to get up," exclaimed Leon suddenly. "I want something to eat, too, and I want it quick and I want an awful lot of it."

"Whew!" whistled Jacques smilingly. "You must be feeling better."

"I never felt so well in my life," cried Leon. "I feel like a king."

"Well, I wouldn't care to feel that way," laughed Earl. "As far as I can see there aren't very many kings who are very well off these days."

"Well, then I feel the way kings used to feel," said Leon. "Have it any way you want, but give me something to eat."

"How would you like to go automobiling after you eat?" inquired Jacques. "Earl and I are going."

"What do you mean?"

"I've got to run an ambulance up to the front and we are to start in about fifteen minutes. I need two helpers and if you feel strong enough you may come along."

"Of course I'll go," exclaimed Leon. "What are they doing with you anyway, Jacques? It seems to me you have a new job about every day."

"He's general utility man," laughed Earl, "and we're his a.s.sistants."

"It looks so," Leon agreed. "At any rate I don't mind it. I'm rather fond of variety."

"Did you hear about the _douzieme_?" asked Jacques.

"Tell me what has happened to them," demanded Leon quickly. "Where are they?"

"There are not many of them left," said Jacques soberly. "Do you remember that bombardment we saw as we flew over the firing line last night?"