While the cavalry action was being fought, the artillery fire had slackened perceptibly; but now the cavalry of each side—­what was left of it—­had returned to its own lines.

The big guns took up the duel anew with even greater vigor than before.

CHAPTER XVII.

The battle continues.

Hal, Chester and Colonel Anderson had watched the battle with the eyes of veterans; Stubbs had taken in the scene with the eye of a newspaper man in the search of news.  Nikol, the dwarf, had gazed at the struggling knot of horsemen in undisguised amazement.

As the Austrians, defeated, had withdrawn, each had drawn a deep breath.

“A terrible spectacle, when you stop to think of it,” said Hal slowly.

“Terrible, indeed,” agreed Colonel Anderson quietly; “and yet it must go on and on until the power of the Teuton allies has been crushed out forever.”

“Which it will be,” said Chester quietly.

All turned their eyes to the battlefield once more.

Even from where they stood they could discern a sudden activity in the Austrian lines.  The action of the big field pieces became more vigorous than before.  Hal, Chester and Colonel Anderson guessed the answer immediately, as, probably, did the officers of King Nicholas’ forces.

The next Austrian move was to be a grand assault under cover of artillery fire.  The problem to be solved was where it would be delivered—­in the center, on the right, or on the left flank.

For a brief instant Hal turned his eyes from the battlefield to the place where King Nicholas and his staff stood.  Officers were arriving and departing in haste, carrying orders to the various commanders.

The fire of the Montenegrin guns also became more violent; but it was evident that the Montenegrin staff had decided to take no action until they were confident of just where the Austrians would strike.

The noise of the cannonading was tremendous.  It was like the continual roar of the loudest peal of thunder.  The very ground trembled from the vibrations of the big guns.

From the Austrian trenches now poured thousands of men at the double—­poured in dense masses toward the Montenegrin center, the while the Austrian artillery shelled the Montenegrin center with greater energy than at any time since the battle began.

Apparently the enemy had determined upon the Montenegrin center as the objective of its grand assault.

In the open field, a small plateau, the Austrians reformed coolly, in spite of the death-dealing fire from the Montenegrin lines.  The field was packed closely with the enemy, now less than half a mile away.

At this distance the fire of the Montenegrin artillery was terribly effective, but the Austrian line did not waver.

Steadily forward it came; and now the Montenegrins moved to meet the attack.  Apparently satisfied that there was no question that the center was to be the main objective of the enemy, the Montenegrin staff ordered the bulk of the Balkan army massed there to beat back the foe.