The Boy Scout Automobilists; Or, Jack Danby in the Woods
ance of General Bean and his division of the Red army had swept aside all danger from the invading Blue forces. The outposts, of course, which Jack had had to dodge as
cealed enthusiasm to Jack's clear and conc
t hole indeed if you hadn't cut the railroad, which was the only thing that m
tion, and I cut the railroad because there seemed to be a good chance
oops over from Mardean, where I imagine he had at least a couple of regiments, and General Bean's brigade would have been in a trap that would have been absolutely impossible to escape from. Now it's all different. We've got
with guns, the theory is that the
pieces, a squad at a time, while they were trying to work. That was th
, sir, and that he was go
ortant a part in the first decisive engagement of the campaign. And General Bean is
ll we do
ressive fight from the very outset. I have heard nothing from his headquarters direct as yet, but I probably shall prett
skirmishers for a couple of miles in both directions. Warner, one of the Raccoon Patrol, had been captured, but he was the only one of the Troop who had not made good his escape in the face of the enemy's advance, and even he had accomplished the
out within plain sight of one another, and with their little red and white flags they sent messages by the Morse alphabet, and in a special code, as fast as wireless coul
e been at all perfected, a man stands on a slight elevation, and catches the rays of the sun on a great reflector. Those flashe
send news an astonishing distance in an amazingly short time. They used smokes, as we know, since we have all worked out those signals ourselves from time to time. And all nations in time of war have employed relays of men with flags, stationed a
ed in our Civil War, wasn't
my builds its telegraph lines as it goes along. Then they were dependent upon the lines already built, mostly along the railroad tracks. The first re
ding in which the field telegraph station ha
said, saluting, and Durland took the slip of
anion in scout car ahead, to report to me for special duty. Congrat
neral Harkness from an embarrassing position this morning, and it is good to think that he appreciat
omething of the deeds Jack had already accomplished, cheered his progress now, since this was no longer the enemy's country but a part of Red territory, by virtue of Bean's swift and s
u feel good to think that they regard us as comrades in arms, doesn't it, Tom? Those fellows
do most of the time, and they do the best they can when they turn soldiers. And if we h
together, and teach them the tricks of the trade. But they're trained men who don't do anything
much bigger army than w
e. We haven't any reason to fear trouble with England, and Canada, of course, isn't any better off than we when it comes to an army. We could take care of them easily enough with the trained troops we have. And Mexico, while they might fight us, couldn't put up any sort of a real fight. The Mexicans couldn
a small force of them could worry us and make a lo
ong in their fight, but they kept under arms and made t
and it must be dreadful. It makes me realize, somehow, what it might have been like in the Civil War, when we were killing one another. S
arly ten thousand more men, and there were, altogether, about sixteen thousand troops there. General Harkness, thanks to Jack Danby and the quick wit of General Bean, who had understood
apital. General Harkness, Jack found, after making several fruitless inquiries of officers who seemed to be too busy to bother with a small boy, who, had they known it, was a far m
rs to report to the commanding general, but when he reached General Harkness he found him a
r you to do. I've got to find out as soon as I can what the enemy's pla
of the whole field of the operati
ive engagement there before the enemy is at all ready for it. Our capture of Hardport to-day, you see, has given us a great advantage. Before that, the enemy was in a position to choose his fighting ground. He could make us meet him where he liked, and with all the advantage of position in his
sal
sposition of the enemy's forces abou
. I shall expect a rep
do my best to have o
rt, and beyond the last pickets of the Red army, h
pretty tired! They've fought a battle and captured a town already,
ops were forced to take, but by short cuts and taking bad roa
rove along. "I've got to watch the road, and we'r