The man gave a typical British shrug.

"Then we fellows will find work to do," he replied. "But it is better to
fight than to eat our hearts out by watching and waiting. We're the
reserves, you know, and we've hardly smelled powder yet."

After conversing with several of the soldiers and civilians--the latter
being mostly too unnerved to talk coherently--the Americans made their
way back to the quay with heavy hearts. They threaded lanes filled with
sobbing women, many of whom had frightened children clinging to their
skirts, passed groups of old men and boys who were visibly trembling
with trepidation and stood aside for ranks of brisk soldiery who marched
with an alertness that was in strong contrast with the terrified
attitude of the citizens. There was war in the air--fierce, relentless
war in every word and action they encountered--and it had the effect of
depressing the newcomers.

That night an earnest conference was held aboard the _Arabella_.

"As I understand it, here is the gist of the situation," began Ajo. "The
line of battle along the Aisne is stationary--for the present, at least.
Both sides are firmly entrenched and it's going to be a long, hard
fight. Antwerp is being bombarded, and although it's a powerful
fortress, the general opinion is that it can't hold out for long. If it
falls, there will be a rush of Germans down this coast, first to capture
Dunkirk, a few miles above here, and then Calais itself."

"In other words," continued Uncle John, "this is likely to be the most
important battleground for the next few weeks. Now, the question to
decide is this: Shall we disembark our ambulances and run them across to