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"Overhead the flock was growing.” THE STORY SO FAR: Intelllgenes Officer Brnnlnf Kisrned In Mexico City that 200.000 foreign troops under Van Haaaek were poiaed aloni the Rio Grande tor an Invaalon of Ute United Staten. He aucceeded In Kalnins the confidence of Fincke and Bravot, two enemy officer*, before returning to * CHAPTER VIII * * INSTALLMENT EIGHT Washington. FlagwIU, acting chief of Military Intolllgence, told him that forces wera also reported massing In the Medi­ terranean and the Far East. Benning continued to pose as an enemy agent when Fincke later appeared In the cap­ ital. Without warning, four southern cit­ ies were attacked from the air. Wash- «*•••• put an officer of lesser mettle in a dizzy whirl. Inventory disclosed that the Sec­ ond Division had escaped the sud­ den storm with loss of forty-odd car­ go trucks, seventeen men, five offi­ cers, and two pieces of artillery. Having given the Second its orders to assemble and march on Kirk. I Brill set about his final tactical I plans. From time to time Brill and his staff were interrupted by reports of air disasters over New Orleans, Galveston, and Houston. Total losses there aggregated twelve hundred. General Bril] directed his senior aide to get General Hague at Wash­ ington on the long-distance. The hour was nearing three o'clock when the Chief of Staff of the Army reported ready to talk. "My best judgment is to pull out of here," Brill said, after he had re­ ported latest developments in Tex­ as. "We're too thin to make a fight for San Antonio, but we can do some good delaying back of the Colorado and Brazos while you get troops enough into the Fort Worth country to make a stand.” The Hague voice responded with quiet firmness, “You'll proceed at once against the enemy, Brill, and make a stand in front of San An­ tonio with your Second Division.” Brill groaned. "But Hague, are you sure you understand the whole situation down here? It's simply in­ viting a lot of nasty losses to no purpose. I haven't force enough to—” “Let's not debate the matter,” General Hague interrupted stoutly. "Is that clear, Brill?" "Perfectly, sir.” There was nei­ ther remonstrance nor equivocation in the area commander's voice now. In a calm voice Brill repeated the Hague decision to his staff. He of­ fered no comment. Without speak­ ing, the staff went to work on its new plan. Circling to the south. Brill found the due-south road to Kirk, which was under military traffic control, and sped to the vHlage, where he found Genera) Mole, division com­ mander. Mole was a thin bit of military hickory now nearing retire­ ment age. General Mole received his superi­ or's battle orders with a monosylla­ ble of acquiescence, as if to hoard his jaded energies, and promptly set to work with his staff. The division staff was familiar with the country and made prompt plans for organi­ zation of a defensive position. Or­ ders were ready within half an hour, and since there was no enemy im­ mediately in prospect, the regiments proceeded to their positions in their cargo trucks. General Bril) stood In the growing dawn gravely watching the Second pass out to its battle lines. A force of 10.837 enlisted men and two war­ rant officers, led by 546 officers. Captain Franklin Boll, In com­ mand of two outpost companies of the 11th United States Infantry in the vicinity of Laredo, had patrols along the Rio Grande watching for the first Van Hassek wave. Word had flashed through of the bombing of San Antonio and Boll knew that the land invasion must be shaping itself already for a vital blow at Texas when daylight came. Colonel Denn had spent a fretful night, well knowing the tight pinch in which he might And his regiment at dawn. His regiment was at peace strength, rifle companies running as low as seventy, total strength 1,132 officers and men. No artillery sup­ port had been sent him from Fort Sam Houston, his only supporting weapons were the 37-millimeter and small mortars of his weapons com­ panies. His ammunition supply was less than one day of Are. Such a thing as interdicting sus­ pected points of enemy river cross­ ing was out of the question. He had given Boll, in outpost, eight machine guns and some light mortars. Lightning flashed in the distance. A shrill screech came plowing through the night. High explosives crashed in to turn night into bed­ lam. Fragments found a victim who fell witii a howl of pain. The crew of a machine gun was dropped. Men acattered, lay flat on their faces, helpless against this hurricane of destruction that howled down upon them across the Rio Grande. All existence was now engulfed by ti>e seething uproar of artillery Boll saw that the regiment was claiming the fullest force of Van Hassek's rage. Half an hour and Boll's casualties were twenty. Patrols had been sight­ ed, an increasing number of skulk­ ers were reported closing in. Boll saw that his position was becoming untenable. He started his men slowly to the rear, with two squads covering his withdrawal. The enemy, suspicious of a possible trap in the night, fol­ lowed cautiously. From this Boll guessed that only the first scatter­ ing bridgehead troops were in ac­ tion. But, having guessed that the Americans were without benefit of artillery, the Van Hassek officers now would use the main bridge and move across the Rio Grande in force. Boll had covered less than two hundred yards when a runner ar­ rived from Colonel Denn. "The colonel says get back as fast as you can!" the messenger pant­ ed. "Regiment Is pulling out right away for the Nueces." Half an hour later, Boll panted into the regimental position. Cap­ tain March, assistant plans and training officer, came hurrying up from a vacated regimental position "Regiment pulled out twenty min­ utes ago," March reported to Boll "You're to follow at once as rear As Captain Boll sprang into his guard Trucks are ready behind this station wagon with his lieutenants, hill. Colonel Denn left you some and sped to the head of his truck baldollers of extra ammunition, but column to set the pace, his eye we ought to get back of the Nueces caught the flash of light that turned before we light. Second Division is the waning night into day some taking position somewhere back miles ahead of him. there. Hurry your men along. Cap­ "Step on her!” he barked at his tain!" driver. "They'll spot us tn a min­ By jamming his men seventeen to , ute—and we're still in artillery the truck. Boll got his command on range.” wheels. Two trucks went to the Boll sat with hands gripping his wounded, one to his three remain ing machine guns He studied the knees while he observed the bursts luminous dial of his watch, an anx­ Luckily they were striking to the ious scowl on his face as his convoy right and doing no damage. But made ready to pull out. The hour shortly the firing ceased, the air ob­ server roared by again with a flare, was a little past three o'clock. and rushed off to radio correction to A plane shot overhead, traveling the distant gunners. high and fast Its shrilling motors He saw that there was the first sent a chill down the captam's spine touch of gray in the air, dawn only "It'U be just too bad for us if we're not at the Nueces by day­ a matter of minutes. It would be a miracle If he reached the Nueces light’’ he muttered to Captain March. "And with light dua in half with half of his men and trucks. As the night thinned out. he caught an hour. I'm afraid we just can t make itl" Major General Brill, area com­ mander, kept bis head through tan­ <^