midnight
Such shells as these they had never been built to withstand , and it was not long before they succumbed , thus opening a way for the invaders towards the town itself . Forts Evegnée and Barchon soon shared the same fate , and the Belgian field army , which had continued to maintain an heroic resistance , began to fall back on the town . Max and Dale had not been allowed to see much of these events . Before midnight they were accosted by a patrol and ordered to return to the safety of the town . Early the following day , before the fall of the forts and the retreat of the Belgian army , Max and Dale carried out their intention of presenting themselves at the casting-shops and lending a hand in the making of shells . To their satisfaction they found the work going forward with splendid energy and smoothness , and , with their own ardour kindled by the sights they had seen the previous night , they joined zealously in the work . Presently it came home to Max that there had been considerable changes in the personnel of the shop since he had last worked there .