The Guns of Europe   By: Joseph Alexander Altsheler (1862-1919)

THE GUNS OF EUROPE

by

JOSEPH A. ALTSHELER

Author of "The Guns of Bull Run", "The Texan Triumph", etc.

Illustrated by Charles Wrenn

D. Appleton and Company New York and London 1915

THE CIVIL WAR SERIES

The Star of Gettysburg The Guns of Bull Run The Scouts of Stonewall The Guns of Shiloh The Sword of Antietam The Rock of Chickamauga (In preparation)

THE WORLD WAR SERIES

The Guns of Europe The Hosts of the Air The Forest of Swords

THE YOUNG TRAILERS SERIES

The Young Trailers The Riflemen of the Ohio The Forest Runners The Scouts of the Valley The Free Rangers The Border Watch

THE TEXAN SERIES

The Texan Star The Texan Scouts The Texan Triumph

Apache Gold A Soldier of Manhattan The Quest of the Four The Sun of Saratoga The Last of the Chiefs A Herald of the West In Circling Camps The Wilderness Road My Captive

[Illustration: "Their careering machine made but a single target while they could fire into the pursuing mass."]

FOREWORD

"The Guns of Europe" is the first of three connected romances, of which "The Forest of Swords" and "The Hosts of the Air" are to be respectively the second and third, dealing with the world war in Europe.

It was the singular fortune of the author to be present at the beginning of this, the most gigantic struggle in the history of our globe. He was in Vienna the day Austria Hungary declared war upon Servia, thus setting the torch that lighted the general conflagration. Returning westward, he reached Munich the day Germany declared war upon Russia. He remained in Germany nearly a month, having witnessed in turn the Austrian and German mobilizations, and then arrived in England in time to see the gathering of the British Empire's armed hosts.

He was also, upon his return, in Quebec when the greatest colony of the British was rallying to their support. Such an experience at such an extraordinary crisis makes ineffaceable impressions, and through his characters, the author has striven his best to reproduce them in these three romances.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I. THE SISTINE MADONNA CHAPTER II. THE THUNDERBOLT CHAPTER III. THE REFUGE CHAPTER IV. THE THRILLING ESCAPE CHAPTER V. THE FIGHT IN THE BLUE CHAPTER VI. ABOVE THE STORM CHAPTER VII. THE ZEPPELIN CHAPTER VIII. THE FRENCH DEFENSE CHAPTER IX. THE RIDE OF THREE CHAPTER X. THE DRAGONS OF THE AIR CHAPTER XI. THE ARMORED CAR CHAPTER XII. THE ABANDONED CHÂTEAU CHAPTER XIII. ON THE ROOF CHAPTER XIV. THE GERMAN HOST CHAPTER XV. THE GIANT GUN

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"Their careering machine made but a single target while they could fire into the pursuing mass."

"A second shot came presently from the forty two centimeter."

"Overhead the aeroplanes swooped lower and lower, like gigantic birds."

"A vast red whirlwind in which the faces of men shone and steel glittered."

THE GUNS OF EUROPE

CHAPTER I

THE SISTINE MADONNA

John turned a little to the left, going nearer to the window, where he could gain a better view of the Madonna, which he had heard so often was the most famous picture in the world. He was no technical judge of painting he was far too young for such knowledge but he always considered the effect of the whole upon himself, and he was satisfied with that method, feeling perhaps that he gained more from it than if he had been able to tear the master work to pieces, merely in order to see how Raphael had made it.