The La Jara chronicle., 1906-05-11
SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAP
TERS.

9an1ss Adams, graduate Of W<st Point, ana
Enyope1n representative OF .fs1eyIeaT many
[aclxyers, is Paris at the 0eIing of me ts'aJ-
bettuee1, France and Germany He engages fn
an air ship reeoHnai55aHec Tor tie French and
narrowly escapes capture BY hs Germans.
The air ship IS tp'eeked ar the ChafeaH LagH-
nay .4lanrs rs FeSened, and rs HHrsea BY the
Counts danejEtet, dimee, rviti iehom he L1lis
in kope Tie Germans adUaHee and take The
Chateau TOR headquarters. adams GeteHds
4fnee zea,nst irsuh BY COL GrfeSmaH and is
knocked aotyn by tie Kaiser. FEARING treat
,reuf as a French syqt1LJ!iEer he enters a yegY-
,nenf of Rxss1ys ngler his friend COL L0lpeH-
berp 4 spy is eatfHyea and turns ont 10 be
Lafoar a Pzrisfan eIH5 LiteHa of adams.
. arrangement are ni.sas for ,if'se 70 Dc taken
array 10 the home ofA cousin. The German
army mOves ;ue5f, ieavfng GyfesmaH in charge
of.he Chateau, iphike adams and his regiment
ambush a French column. Report reaches him
rnat .1in:ee has left, taking ruth her Lafoi,,
tie spy. GrfesmaH goes iH pursuit ruth orders
10 shoot. adams and a Sergeant FkefSchnHaHH
steal an automobile and go 10 Gefena .iinee.
CHAPTER ".
I suddenly found myself riding among a
great concourse of mounted officers. To
left and to right, through the fields, the
regiments were pushing ahead. At inter
walls groups of officers left the road and
struck out toward the northwest, joining
their troops And we settled down to a
steady trot, Lowenburg explained to me
the movement then under way.
The bulk of the German army lay at this
time between the Mcuse and the confluence
of the Aire and the Aisue rivers. These
two streams run in n generally northwest
direction, and almost parallel, for some
fifty miles, being nowhere more than ten
miles apart. Between them. aud extend
ing for perhaps thirty miles, lies the Forest
of Argonne, rugged anu densely wooded
area, consisting mainly of single line of
Irregular hills, varying in height, and end
Ing ut the river junction in bold, precipi-
tous headland. on the east the Aire,
fRthpr small but deem has. in the
course of Its centuries of dow, cut sharply
into the hillside. on the west, the hills
slope gradually to the Alsne, forming n
pleasant valley. from one to three miles
wide. and under high state of cultivation.
At the foot of the hills hne road winds
northward. following generally the course
Of the river.
According to the main plan of invasion.
the Germans intended TO skirt the nor
thern end of he Argonne Forest, cross the
Aisns at Its junction with the Alre, and
proceed west to Relus. The French Were
their great camp near Chalons-sur- Marine to
bar the German advance, to assist In which
operation strong detachment. under Cen
eral Messonier, was moving northwest from
Barbecue, following the road through
the Argonne Valley. This latter move WIS
intended as a coup; but so perfect We're
the German sources OF Information that it
became known on the second day. The
Emperor Issued orders for an Immediate
advance of the left wing, then resting south
OF the Chateau, and consisting entirely of
heavy cavalry, to push directly west, cross
the Argonne Forest. and fan upon the
French column.
To Lowenberg, with his magnificent hus-
bars, was assigned this important duty.
In addition to his own command We're three
regiments of cuirassiers, three of mounted
Infantry, and two of lancers-in all about
eight thousand men. These We're well
mounted and were armed with sabre, re-
volver, and new magazine carblne, carry
ing sixteen shells of high power, each
bullet being so constructed that upon leav-
ing the barrel it split into five smaller bull
lot vrfn nj nf ha nt opl-
however, was panic and dispersal, rather
than annihilatlon, as producing a more dis
aStrous effect upon the main French army.
An hour after midnight we reached the
Aisne river which had been bridged some
hours before by a pontoon corps. In the
shadow of high Argonne hills 1t was In