. Pierrot, dog of Belgium . started on again. 58 PIERROT, DOG OF BELGIUM There came a day when a fiercer battletook place than any Pierrot had yet beenengaged in. The Germans had spread outtheir forces until they were very near to theAntwerp forts, and there was need of anaction in force to drive them back soldiers were ordered hastily to thefront—galloping dragoons, close ranks of in-fantry, and horse-drawn field guns. Whenthe command came to the carbineers, themachine-gun battery was ready and the dogswaiting in their harnesses, and they startedoff at a run down the road. After th
. Pierrot, dog of Belgium . started on again. 58 PIERROT, DOG OF BELGIUM There came a day when a fiercer battletook place than any Pierrot had yet beenengaged in. The Germans had spread outtheir forces until they were very near to theAntwerp forts, and there was need of anaction in force to drive them back soldiers were ordered hastily to thefront—galloping dragoons, close ranks of in-fantry, and horse-drawn field guns. Whenthe command came to the carbineers, themachine-gun battery was ready and the dogswaiting in their harnesses, and they startedoff at a run down the road. After they had gone about a mile an officercame galloping up and sent them off to theleft around a little wood, in which a battalionof infantry was in action. The rattle of theirrifles made an incessant din, and now andthen shrapnel shrieked overhead and shellsexploded in the soft earth or among the men urged their dogs to greater efforts,and they tore over the rough ground, drag-ging their guns and wagons in and out of. PIERROT, DOG OF BELGIUM 59 gullies and through underbrush at a madpace. As they skirted the wood they came intofull view of a gray German column makingits way slowly around the flank of theBelgians. The carbineers quickly deployed,falling on their faces behind any bush orhillock they could find, and opened fire. Butthe men in charge of the batteries could nothide. They must get their guns into actionand take their chances. There was no time to unharness the dogs,so they were turned about and were obligedto stand facing away from the tumult ofbattle as the machine-guns began to rattledirectly behind them. It was very hard tobear, and some of them might have brokenand run but for a half-dozen men who hadbeen told off to squat by the dogs heads andhold them steady. Bullets began to whistle about their earsand to go plop! plop! into the ground aboutthem. Now and then a man fell silently or 60 PIERROT, DOG OF BELGIUM with a sharp cry, and over on the right Pier-
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectdogs, bookyear1915
