noon
There was no time when right and left they could not see a myriad of interesting things . Most of them pertained to warfare -- marching troops ; strings of prisoners being led to the rear ; broken caissons and abandoned guns ; wrecked bicycles , and even motorcycles cast aside when of no further service to the retreating Germans ; cooking outfits that had been wonderful contrivances before being utterly smashed on their late owners finding they could not be taken along ; and other things too numerous to mention . Rod himself was of the opinion that the enterprising peasants might manage to partly indemnify themselves for their losses by taking possession of some of the various things abandoned , and renewing their usefulness . It was now getting well on toward noon . Hanky Panky had even been heard to call out that he felt hungry , though Rod could see little hope of appeasing their appetites in that country , so thoroughly cleaned out by the enemy . Suddenly there came an outburst of heavy firing close at hand . It was so furious that the three boys involuntarily stopped short , and huddled together to compare notes , so that they might decide upon the safest course for them to pursue .