There was no cheering, which seemed strange at first, but it was so plain
that this was a precautionary measure that the boys understood it easily
enough. Finally Major French, an energetic, sunburned man, who looked as if
he hadn't slept for days, came to them. They handed him the papers they
carried. He glanced at them, signed receipts which he handed to them, and
then frowned for a moment.
"I think I'll let you take a message to Colonel Throckmorton for me," he
said, then, giving them a kindly smile. "It will be a verbal message. You
are to repeat what I tell you to him without a change. And I suppose I
needn't tell you that you must give it to no one else?"
"No, sir," they chorused.
"Very well, then. You will tell him that trains will be waiting below
Surbiton, at precisely ten o'clock to-night. Runways will be built to let
the men climb the embankment, and they can entrain there. You will
remember that?"
"Yes, sir."
"You might as well understand what it's all about," said the major. "You
see, we're moving a lot of troops. And it is of the utmost importance for
the enemy to know all about the movement and, of course, just as important
for us to keep them from learning what they want to know. So we are
covering the movement as well as we can. Even if they learn some of the
troops that are going, we want to keep them from finding out everything.
Pages:
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57