Then Tom and Jack described what they had seen, giving the location of the colored lights as nearly as they could, and the exact time they had noted them.
"How long would it take a shell to reach Paris, fired at a distance of eighty miles from the city?" asked the major.
The lieutenant made some calculations, and announced the result of his findings.
"Then," went on the commanding officer, "if a shell was fired from the big gun, say at the moment when these two scouts observed the tri-colored fire, it should have reached Paris at seven-fifty-three o'clock."
"As nearly as can be calculated, not knowing the exact speed of the projectile, yes," answered the lieutenant.
Major de Trouville picked up the telephone and asked to be connected with the wireless station.
"Have you had any reports of the bombarding of Paris this evening?" he asked. "Yes? What time did the first, or any particular shell, arrive? Ah, yes, thank you. That is all at present."
He turned to the others, after having listened to the reply and put the instrument away.
"One of the shells exploded in a Paris street at seven-fifty-two o'clock this evening," he said.
