"I believe I would," was the reply. "I guess I can stand it if Hal can."
"Then you shall," said Fritz, and the three turned toward the house, where Frau Schmidt stood in the doorway, calling to them that supper was ready.
CHAPTER X.
IN THE AIR.
The boys were busily engaged in disposing of a hearty supper when there came a knock at the door. Frau Schmidt answered the knock, and, returning a few moments later, placed before Hal an important-looking letter, bearing the official seal of the German government.
Hal opened the document and read.
"Great Scott!" he exploded, after a hasty perusal.
"What's the matter?" demanded Chester anxiously.
"Why, here is an order, commanding us to report to the commanding officer the first thing in the morning, so that we may be transported back to Berlin!"
"Berlin! What in the world do we want to go back to Berlin for?"
"We don't; but it looks as though there were no help for it. The letter says that, after an investigation of our case, it has been decided that we shall be sent back to Berlin and that, if we are to be allowed to leave the country, such arrangements must be made by the United States ambassador."
"Well, what do you think of that!"
"It's too bad," declared Fritz; "but an order is an order. I am afraid you must go!"
"You poor boys!" exclaimed Frau Schmidt "I can't see why they won't let you stay here."
"No more do I," declared Hal. "But I guess this letter means business."
"It sure looks like it," said Chester.
"That's what I call pretty tough luck," declared Hal, when the two boys were alone in their room that night, Fritz and his mother having retired.
"Tough? I should say it is tough," returned Chester. "After all the trouble we have had getting away from Berlin, then to have to go back. Tough is no name for it."
"Well," said Hal, "I guess there is no use kicking. We ran a good race, but we lost. It's back to Berlin for us."
Suddenly Chester sat bolt upright
"By George!" he exclaimed.
"What's the matter now?" asked Hal in surprise.
"I've an idea."
"Strange," replied Hal, with a smile; "but let's hear it."
"Well, in the first place, you took an airship ride to-day. How did you like it?"
"Like it? Oh, I liked it all right. Why?"
"You saw Fritz work the thing. Did you get the hang of it?"
Hal jumped to his feet with a subdued exclamation.
"I see what you are getting at!" he declared. "An airship! Why didn't I think of it myself?"
"There are only two objections I can see to the plan," said Chester.
"What are they?"
"Well, the first is, can you run the thing without spilling us out?"
"I am willing to take a chance if you are. Fritz explained the workings of the machine while we were aloft to-day. I am sure I can do it. What is the second reason?"
"The second reason is that it seems a shabby trick to play on Fritz, particularly after the way he has treated us."
"So it does," agreed Hal slowly, but, after a pause, he added: "However, I believe we had better do it. To me it looks like the survival of the fittest."
For a long time the boys debated this point, but the matter was finally settled when Hal said:
"Well, if we don't, we are likely to be stuck in Germany until the war is over; and there is no telling when that will be."
"As long as we are going to do it, then," returned Chester, "the sooner we start the better."
"Right," replied Hal. "Let's get busy."
"How are we to get the aeroplane out of the shop? You know the door is locked."
"Yes, but I know something else, too. I noticed it to-day, and wondered why those men who came after the key didn't take advantage of it."
"What is it?"
"The bolts in the hinges of the door can be lifted out easily, and we can take the doors off."
"But we must get rid of the two soldiers who keep guard at night."
"We will do that some way, all right."
"Come on, then; let's get started."
Chester opened the door of their room and peered out.
"Coast clear," he announced.
Softly the two boys stole from the room and crept along the hall. They tip-toed down the stairs, opened the door, and went out with scarcely a sound. Outside they stopped. In front of the workshop they could see the two guards in conversation.
"We must get to the rear of the shop without being seen," whispered Hal. "When one guard makes his rounds, we must grab him and prevent him from making an outcry. We can then dispose of the other. You wait here a minute, while I go back and get a piece of clothes-line, so we can tie them up."
He returned almost immediately with two pieces of rope.
"Careful, now," whispered Hal, as, keeping in the shadow of the house, they made a short detour.
Out of sight of the guards, they made a silent dash for the rear of the workshop, where they stood, silently awaiting the approach of the guard.
"I hate to do this," whispered Hal, as he heard the footsteps of the guard; "but it has to be done."
As the guard rounded the corner of the shop, Hal struck out. Swift and true was the blow; and struck upon the point of the chin, the man crumpled up without a sound.
The boys bound and gagged him quickly, using their handkerchiefs to stuff into his mouth. Then silently they ran to the opposite side of the shop and waited the approach of the second guard.
A moment later his footsteps were heard approaching. As he turned the corner, Hal again struck out swift and true, and the second man went to the ground. The boys bound and gagged him, and then hastened to the front of the shop.
As Hal had predicted, the doors were removed with little difficulty, and silently the lads rolled the huge machine into the open. Hal's experience with automobiles had taught him something of engines, so he had little trouble starting this one. Finding everything in working order, Hal climbed into the driver's seat, and Chester, not without a tremor, took his place beside him.
Hal's afternoon experience and his natural aptitude for mechanics now stood him in good stead. Reaching out he threw over a lever and the machine moved forward. There was a whirring sound as the plane skimmed over the ground. As the machine began to rise, Hal pressed another lever, and they shot into the air rapidly.
So swiftly did they go up that their breath was almost taken away.
"Great Scott!" gasped Chester. "This is more than I bargained for!"
With the lights of the village like pin points below him, Hal, who had not for a moment lost his presence of mind, checked the rise of the machine, and headed toward the southwest, gauging his direction by a compass before him, the moonlight luckily permitting him to see.
As the machine settled down to its flight, Chester regained his composure.
"This is more like it," he said. "For a moment I was afraid it was all up with us."
"I was scared for a minute myself," replied Hal. "But you must remember this is not my first trip aloft."
"I guess it's all right after you get used to it," was the answer, "but the way I feel right now, if I ever get my foot on terra firma again I am going to stay there."
Hal laughed.
"Oh, you will be all right directly," he said. "For my part, I like it."
"How fast do you suppose we are going?"
"About fifty miles an hour."
"Great Scott! That's going some!"
The machine was skimming at great speed through the air, flying low, as
Hal did not wish to lose sight of the ground entirely.
"This is high enough for me," he explained. "I might want to go down suddenly, and I want to see where I am going. Of course, if it is necessary, we will go higher."
"I guess we might as well fall ten miles as to fall from here," remarked
Chester. "If anything went wrong it would be good night for us."
For a time they flew along in silence.
Suddenly there was the sound of a shot from below, and a bullet whizzed by the flying aeroplane.
Hal sent the machine higher into the air with a jump, and Chester let out an exclamation as he was almost thrown from his seat.
"That was too close for comfort!" cried Hal.
"Well, the next time you decide to shoot up like that, let me know first!" exclaimed Chester. "You almost lost me that time!"
"Hang on tight!" shouted Hal. "You never can tell what will happen with me running this thing, so don't take any chances."
"I'll hang on tight in the future, never fear," was the reply. "What do you suppose that shot was?"
"Some sentry, I suppose. I guess he knew no machine was supposed to be flying around here. That's probably why he took a shot at us. We were flying too low, anyhow. We will stay up here, where we can't be so easily seen or heard."
For some time the boys sailed along without a word, and then, just as Chester opened his mouth to ask Hal where he supposed they were, there was the sound of rushing wings, and, turning in his seat, Chester beheld a huge shape rushing after them.
"Speed up, Hal!" cried Chester. "We are pursued!"
Without stopping to ask questions, Hal threw the speed lever over, and the machine leaped forward like some live thing.
At the same moment there came the crack of a rifle, and, as Hal dropped one arm from the steering wheel the aeroplane rocked crazily and dived toward the ground.
The bullet had grazed Hal's left shoulder.
With a desperate effort, the lad righted the machine with his one good arm, and it shot upward again.
"What's the matter?" gasped Chester. "Are you hurt?"
"Hit in the shoulder," replied Hal briefly. "I suppose whoever fired aimed at the machine. I just happened to be in the way, that's all."
"But you can't drive with one arm! Hadn't we better—"
"Can't!" exclaimed Hal. "I've got to!"
At that moment both boys were almost blinded by the glare of a dazzling light directly ahead!
CHAPTER XI.
OVER THE FRONTIER.
"What's that?" cried Chester, in consternation.
"I haven't any idea," replied Hal; "but it looks like a searchlight."
"Hadn't you better slow down?"
"With our pursuers just behind? I guess not."
And, with a touch of the lever, Hal sent the machine forward even faster than before.
For a moment they were in the center of the blinding glare, and then they had passed beyond it. Then Hal spoke.
"I can tell you now what it is," he said.
"What?"
"A lighthouse."
"Lighthouse? What do you mean?"
"Why, that brilliant light we just passed through came from the ground. The powerful flares are used for the guidance of war aviators, or airship men, during the night. They prevent the aviator from getting lost, and denote a safe landing,"
"I see what you mean; but it gave me a scare for a minute."
"And me; at first I thought it was the searchlight of another airship."
"But why should such lighthouses be in use here? I should imagine they would be used only in places of danger."
"Maybe that is the reason."
"Surely there can be no danger for a German airship around here."
"I don't know about that. We have traveled a considerable distance.
Perhaps we are closer to the border than we think."
"Well, we can't get across it any too soon to suit me," declared Chester.
Hal did not reply, and the flight was continued in silence. For more than an hour the huge machine sailed swiftly through the air. At length Hal said:
"I guess we had better drop down a bit. Perhaps we may be able to see something."
Suiting the action to the word, he let the machine glide slowly downward, until the distant shadow of the earth could once more be seen. Then the craft sped out on its straightaway course again.
The twinkling of faraway lights drew the boys' attention.
"I wonder what that is?" asked Chester.
"We'll see," was the brief reply.
The machine dropped still lower.
"An army camp!" exclaimed Hal, when he was at last able to make out the objects below. He shut off his engine, and for a few moments both boys gave their attention to the awe-inspiring sight.
Dimly they could discern the outlines of the great camp. With its thousands upon thousands of huts, it spread out like a great fan, extending almost as far as the eye could see.
"Great Scott!" exclaimed Chester. "There must be a million men down there!"
"Hardly that many," laughed Hal; "but there are a few. I guess we had better go a little higher. We might be seen, and a chance bullet might bring us down in the middle of them."
The machine rose gently again; but, as the airship headed once more upon its course, there was a muffled explosion, and the machine rocked dangerously.
"What on earth is the matter now?" demanded Chester.
Hal bent over his engine.
"I don't know what has blown out," he replied. "But the engine has gone dead."
"Dead!" exclaimed Chester.
"Yes."
"Can you fix it?"
"Not up here. It is impossible. I am not familiar enough with it."
"What shall we do, then?" cried Chester, in alarm.
"We shall have to go down."
"What! And land right in the middle of the German camp?"
"I am afraid so. There is no help for it. However, I shall sail just as far as possible before we hit the earth."
Slowly the machine dropped, its strong planes still holding it on its forward course. So gentle was the fall that it was almost imperceptible; but presently the distant earth below could be seen; and then Chester cried:
"Look! We are almost beyond the camp. We shall clear it when we hit the ground."
Hal glanced down.
"So we shall," he agreed, and there was hope in his voice…. "Maybe I will be able to fix the engine before we are discovered."
Nearer and nearer to the ground glided the huge machine. They were now well beyond the farthest outposts of the camp, and consequently had recovered their good spirits.
The airship came gently to earth, and the boys jumped out. As they did so, there came the faint sound of a command and a rifle cracked.
"We are discovered!" shouted Hal. "Quick! To the woods!" And the boys made a dash toward a clump of trees that could be seen in the distance.
Desperately the two lads ran toward the woods, and, as they ran, the first single rifle shot was followed by a volley; but, thanks to the semi-darkness, the boys gained the shelter of the woods unscathed.
Once under the friendly shelter of the trees the boys did not diminish their speed. Rather, if possible, they ran faster. Then, suddenly they stopped; and the cause of their abrupt halt was this:
A heavy crashing in front of them gave evidence of the approach of a large body of men. For a moment the lads stood as if frozen to the spot; then Hal cried:
"Up in this tree, quick! It's our only chance!"
Acting upon the instant, the two lads swung themselves into the crotch of the great tree under which they stood; then climbed noiselessly higher up among the branches. Just as they had succeeded in screening themselves from possible discovery, a body of horsemen burst in among the trees.
"Caught right in between them," whispered Hal.
"Yes; and, if we get out of this fix alive, we are in luck," Chester whispered back.
The horsemen below them did not pause in their march, but continued on through the woods.
"Evidently a scouting party returning," whispered Hal.
And still the long line of horsemen pressed on beneath them.
Suddenly there came the sharp crack, crack, of many rifles; and from beneath the two lads came the hoarse command of an officer:
"Forward!"
The line of horsemen quickened their pace; and then the firing ahead broke into a loud and steady roar.
For many minutes, it seemed to the two lads, the stream of horsemen poured on beneath them. Then the sound of firing became less distinct, and Hal and Chester dropped to the ground.
"At last! At last we are safe!" cried Hal.
"Safe?" repeated Chester. "How do you mean we are safe?"
"Why, you chump, doesn't that fighting going on there mean anything to you?"
"Do you mean that you believe the troop that just passed us are French?"
"Yes; French, Belgians, or English, I don't know which. But, anyhow, they are friends. Hurrah!"
"Hurrah!" repeated Chester, throwing his cap in the air with delight.
Suddenly the beat of the feet of many horses was heard and the sound of firing became more audible. Several riderless horses broke into the woods, followed by the cavalry.
"Grab one of those horses, Chester!" cried Hal, as he jumped forward and seized the bridle of the one nearest him. Chester followed suit, and both lads were soon in the saddle.
At that moment a large body of horsemen broke through the woods from the direction in which they had so recently gone, retiring slowly, turning every now and then to fire.
"It's a retreat!" cried Chester. "They have been driven back! Let us get away from here or we shall be shot down!"
But, even as they turned to flee, a mounted officer laid his hand upon the bridle of Hal's horse.
"Who are you?" he demanded in French. "What do you here?"
Briefly Hal explained that they had just escaped through the German lines, and then asked:
"Where are we? What troops are these?"
"This is a troop of Belgian light cavalry," came the reply, "a reconnoitering force. We were attacked by a strong force of the enemy, and are falling back upon our lines."
"But where are we?"
"About five miles from Liège."
"Liège!"
"Yes; where did you think you were?"
"We had not the faintest idea, other than that we were beyond the
German lines."
All this time the troop had been retreating slowly, firing as they went, the boys being led along by the officer.
"It will be necessary for me to place you under arrest," declared the Belgian officer. "I shall turn you over to the commanding general when we regain our lines."
Hal and Chester were stricken almost speechless.
"Great Scott!" Chester finally exclaimed. "After all the trouble we have had getting out of Germany, then to be arrested at the end!"
"I am sorry," replied the officer, "but I can do nothing else. You are sure to be looked upon with suspicion, having been found as you were, and, unless you can give a good account of yourselves, I fear you are in a serious predicament."
Fighting every inch of the way, the Belgian cavalry continued its retreat, being hard pressed by the Germans, who were continually reinforced. From the rear the firing became heavier, and then there was heard the sound of a galloping body of horsemen.
"Halt!" cried the Belgian officer in command, and the retreating horsemen came to a stand.
"About face!" And at the command they wheeled to meet the charge of a force of Uhlans.
The Germans came on bravely; but, just as they hurled themselves upon their foe, there came from the Belgian rear a fierce hail of rifle shots. Reinforcements had arrived.
The Germans halted in their fierce charge, and then drew off, shooting as they went. At the same instant a regiment of Belgian infantry rushed forward on the run. They pursued the flying Germans for some distance, and then turned back.
Then the Belgians resumed their retreat to their own lines.
Hal and Chester bore up bravely during this—their first time—under fire. Unable to take part in the fighting themselves, being without weapons, they watched with interest the maneuvers of the officers and the gallantry with which the Belgian cavalry stood up against what at first were plainly overwhelming odds.
Once in the Belgian lines the boys breathed easier.
"Well, here we are at last," said Hal. "I guess we will be able to explain our presence in the woods satisfactorily."
"I hope so," replied Chester.
At this moment the officer who had placed them under arrest approached.
"Come with me," he ordered.
The boys accompanied him to the headquarters of the commanding officer, where their position was explained to the latter.
He listened quietly to Hal's account of their adventures since leaving Berlin, and it was plain to both boys that as he listened he became more and more incredulous.
Hal finished his recital, and for some minutes the general sat silent.
Finally he said:
"You have told me a strange story—one that I find it very hard to believe. I must have proof. It must be substantiated. You will consider yourselves prisoners until the matter has been investigated, unless in the meantime there should be someone here who will vouch for your honesty and the truth of this remarkable tale."
"I will vouch for it, general," came a voice.
Turning, the boys beheld in the entrance to the general's hut the smiling face of Captain Raoul Derevaux.
CHAPTER XII.
LIÈGE.
Hal and Chester started forward.
"Captain Derevaux!" they exclaimed simultaneously.
The gallant captain smiled.
"Even so," he returned. Then turning to the general: "I will vouch for the truth of the story told by these boys, sir," he said.
"You know them, then?" questioned the general.
"Yes, sir." And the young captain recounted his first meeting with Hal and Chester and their subsequent adventures. Concluding, he said:
"And I wish to say, sir, that two braver and more resourceful lads it has never been my fortune to encounter."
"Very well, then," said the general. "They are free. I leave them in your charge, captain."
The captain and the two boys left the hut.
"I will take you to my quarters," said the captain, leading the way.
In the captain's hut, seated on a camp-stool, Hal demanded:
"How did you escape? I was sure you and Lieutenant Anderson were doomed to die. And where is the lieutenant?"
"He has returned to England," replied the captain, answering the last question first. "But my story can wait. Tell me about yourselves."
Chester related their experiences after the four had been separated.
"You are certainly a pair of wonderful youngsters," remarked the captain, when Chester had concluded.
"But how did you escape?" demanded Hal again.
"Practically the same as you did," replied the captain. "Airship. Believing that we could not possibly escape, we were left too loosely guarded. Condemned to be shot as spies, we were placed under guard near one of the outposts.
"It was along in the evening that an airship descended within a few yards of us. It had been disabled, and the aviator had alighted to make repairs. When the aviator had thoroughly overhauled the machine, he made his way to the quarters of the commanding general to report.
"As I said, our hut was but a short distance away, and, believing there could be no possibility of our escape, our guards had relaxed their vigilance. Anderson and I stepped to the entrance and looked out. The guards paid no attention.
"Suddenly Anderson shouted: 'Come on!' and we went. There was no one about the machine, and we started it quickly. But, just as the machine was skimming over the ground, the guards noticed our absence, and, running to the open, took a shot at us.
"I had taken the aviator's place, having had some experience with aeroplanes. Anderson was winged at the first shot, but was not badly wounded. By the time the second volley was fired we were high in the air, and the rapidity with which we traveled made accurate shooting impossible. We reached the Belgian frontier without trouble."
"But how does it happen you have not returned to France?" asked Chester.
"When I arrived at Liège I communicated with my government, and was ordered to remain here. I am attached to the Royal French Lancers, the only body of French troops yet in Belgium. The Lancers were ordered here immediately war was declared, to help check the advance of the invader."
"I suppose the best thing for us to do," said Hal, "is to go on to
Brussels and try and find mother."
"It is impossible," declared the lieutenant. "Right now you would not be allowed to go. And, in the second place, I took the trouble to inquire, when I first reached Liège, whether your mother was in Brussels. Your ambassador, Mr. Brand Whitlock, informed me that she had left the country."
"What? Gone and left us behind?"
"Yes; but not because she wanted to. It was either a case of leave
Brussels then, or run a chance of being held there indefinitely."
"Then what are we going to do? There is no use going to Brussels."
Chester clapped his hands.
"I have it!" he exclaimed.
Hal looked at him in surprise.
"What?" he demanded.
"Why, what we are going to do."
"Well, what is it?"
"Fight!"
"Fight? What do you mean?"
"Join the army!"
Captain Derevaux leaped to his feet.
"I will not hear of it!" he exclaimed.
But the idea caught Hal's fancy.
"Good boy, Chester!" he exclaimed. "That's just what we will do!"
"It is impossible," exclaimed the young captain. "In the first place, it would not be possible, at your age, to enlist. But I will tell you what I will do for you."
"What is it?" asked the two lads eagerly.
"In times such as these," explained the captain, "young fellows like you may be useful in many ways without running the risk of going into battle—scouting expeditions and the like. I will speak to the general about you and see what I can do. Understand, I wouldn't do this did I not know that if I didn't you would get mixed up in trouble in some other way, and in a way that would be much more dangerous."
"We are willing to take our chances," replied Hal.
"Of course we are," agreed Chester.
"Oh, I know that," replied the captain, "and what I am proposing is not without danger. But what I have in mind calls for quick wits rather than for strong arms, although I know you have both. I will go now and speak to the general."
"All right," replied Hal. "In the meantime, Chester and I will go out and look around the town."
Everywhere, as the boys strolled about the streets, preparations to withstand a siege were being made; but everything was being done quietly and without confusion. The great steel forts, some of them practically isolated, were subjects of great interest to the lads.
"I'll bet the Germans have a hard time capturing this place," remarked
Hal, as they examined one of the forts.
"Yes," agreed Chester, "as the battle of the Monitor and the Merrimac, in Hampton Roads, in our own civil war was the first battle between iron ships, so will an attack on these forts be the first in which such impregnable defenses will be tried out. I was reading about them long before war was declared."
"And I believe the Germans are making a sad mistake when they say the
Belgians can't fight," said Hal.
"You bet they are. They will fight till the last. Do they look like people who would give up without a struggle? Look at the way those fellows who captured us turned to face the Uhlans, knowing that, unless reinforced, they were bound to be slaughtered."
"Right. Which reminds me we were in a ticklish position ourselves for a few minutes."
"You bet we were."
As the boys continued their walk, almost on every hand they were mistaken for English, and time after time they were accosted with the question:
"When are the English coming?"
Suddenly the lads were attracted by the sounds of great confusion down a side street.
"Let's see what is going on," cried Hal, and, quickening their pace, they were soon in the midst of an excited crowd.
In the center of the mob a lone man struggled desperately to shake off the many hands that grasped him.
"Hang him!" came a voice from the crowd.
Other voices took up the cry immediately.
"Hang him! Hang him!"
Hal turned to a man in the crowd.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Matter? Why, the man was caught spying near one of the forts."
"How do you know he was spying?"
"He is a German. Why else should he be prowling around, if not to spy?" And their informant rushed into the thick of the crowd, gesticulating violently, and adding his voice to the din.
"Great Scott! We can't stand for this!" exclaimed Chester. "Come on!"
Together the two lads rushed into the thick of the mob. Elbowing and pushing men to right and left they made their way through the mass of humanity.
The cause of all the confusion had now freed himself from the clutches of the angry mob, and was laying about him furiously with his cane. He cleared a space before him. But those in front were pushed forward by the men in the rear of the crowd, and once more surged to the attack, just as Hal and Chester, with a final effort, burst through.
The lads took their places, one on each side of the fighting German, and
Chester raised a hand to check the mob.
"Get back!" he shouted. "Shame upon you to attack a single man like this.
Is this Belgian bravery?"
For a moment the crowd hung back, then rushed forward again, and the three were soon fighting desperately against fearful odds.
But the boys this time had tackled a task that was beyond them. They struck out rapidly, as did the man to whose aid they had rushed, but the sheer weight of numbers finally told.
Chester, Hal and the stranger all went down at last, and were in imminent danger of being beaten into insensibility.
But at that moment the sound of a bugle rang out, and the crowd scattered in all directions. A troop of cavalry was hurrying to the scene.
Hal, Chester and the stranger picked themselves up and brushed the dirt from their clothes. A cavalry officer dismounted and came up to them.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.
Chester explained.
The officer turned to the German.
"Come with me," he ordered.
The German obeyed and the troop continued on their journey.
Hal and Chester returned to the captain's quarters. The captain was already there.
"Did you see the general?" asked Hal.
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"It's all fixed, boys," replied the captain, smiling at their eagerness.
"You mean that the general has consented to the plan?" asked Hal.
"Yes."
"Hurrah!" shouted Chester.
"Hurrah!" cried Hal.
"Yes," continued the captain, "you are ordered to hold yourselves subject to the command of your superior officer," and he concluded smilingly, "which is me."
"And we couldn't have a better!" exclaimed both lads in a single voice.
CHAPTER XIII.
CHESTER SAVES THE DAY.
The day was at its noon!
From the first break of dawn the battle had raged; now, at mid-day, it was at its height. Hour after hour the fighting had continued under a shadowless sky, blue as steel, hard as a sheet of brass. The Germans had attacked the Belgians and French with the first streak of light.
Circling, sweeping, silently, swiftly, a marvelous whirlwind of force, the Germans had rushed on. Swift, as though wind-driven, they moved. An instant, and the Allies broke into violent movement. Half-clothed sleepers poured out. Perfect discipline did the rest.
With marvelous and matchless swiftness and precision they got under arms.
There were but fifteen hundred or so in all—six squadrons of French
Lancers, the only French troops yet to reach Belgian soil, and a small
body of infantry, without artillery.
Yet, rapid as the action of the Allies was, it was not as rapid as the downward sweep of the German horde that rushed to meet them.
There was a crash, as if rock were hurled upon rock, as the Lancers, the flower of the French cavalry, scarce seated in the saddle, rushed forward to save the pickets, to encounter the first blind ford of the attack and to give the Belgian infantry, farther in, time to prepare for defense.
The hoofs of rearing chargers struck each other's breasts, and these bit and tore at each other's throats and manes, while their riders reeled down dead. The outer wings of the Germans were spared the shock, and swept on to meet the bayonets of the infantry.
The cavalry was enveloped in the overwhelming numbers of the center. It was a frightful tangling of men and brutes.
The Lancers could not charge; they were hemmed in, packed between bodies of horsemen that pressed them together as between iron plates; now and then they cut their way through clear enough to reach their comrades, but as often as they did so, so often the overwhelming numbers of the Germans surged in on them afresh like a flood, and closed upon them, and drove them back.
It was bitter, stifling, cruel work; with their mouths choked with dust, with their throats caked with thirst, with their eyes blind with smoke; while the steel was thrust through nerve and sinew, or the shot plowed through bone and flesh.
The answering fire of the infantry kept the Germans farther at bay, and mowed them down faster—but in the Lancers' quarter of the field—parted from the rest of their comrades, as they had been by the rush of that broken charge with which they had sought to save the town and arrest the foe—the worst pressure of the attack was felt, and the fiercest of the slaughter fell.
The general in command of the cavalry had been shot dead as they had first swept out to encounter the advance of the German horsemen; one by one the officers had been cut down, singled out by the keen eyes of their enemy, and throwing themselves into the deadliest of the carnage with impetuous self-devotion characteristic of their service.
At the last there remained but a bare handful of the brilliant squadrons of 600 men that had galloped down in the gray of dawn to meet the whirlwind of German fury. At their head was Captain Derevaux, and beside him rode Hal.
It was not the gallant captain's fault that Hal was thus in the thick of the battle. This had been an accident, and had come about in this manner:
Late the night before Hal and Chester had been called to the quarters of the commanding general and dispatched on separate missions. Their ways led past the outposts—even beyond the farthest—where the six squadrons of French Lancers and a small body of infantry had been thrown out, under orders, to make a reconnaissance in force in the morning. Advancing beyond this line, Hal had turned east and Chester west.
His mission accomplished, Hal had just reached the Allies' line upon his return, when the Germans bore down on them. Hal saw that his one chance for safety lay in throwing in his fortunes with the troops.
Accordingly he turned his horse, just as the Lancers swept past on their first charge, and reined in beside Captain Derevaux. The latter had recognized the danger and realized that the boy's keen wit had detected his one hope of life. He had greeted him with a smile; nor had he blamed him for his choice.
And so Hal had swept forward in the charge. Seizing a sword from a falling trooper, Hal, riding at the captain's side, was soon in the thick of the terrible carnage, and, in spite of the terrible fighting, had escaped injury.
Two horses had been killed under Captain Derevaux. Twice he had thrown himself across fresh, unwounded chargers, whose riders had fallen in the fray, and at whose bridles he caught as he shook himself free of the dead animal's stirrups. His head was uncovered; his uniform, hurriedly thrown on, had been torn aside, and his chest was bare; he was drenched with blood, not his own, that had rained on him as he fought, and his face and hands were black with smoke and with powder.
Hal could not see a yard in front of him; he could not tell how the day went anywhere save in that corner where the Lancers were hemmed in. As fast as they beat the enemy back, and forced themselves to some clearer space, the Germans closed in afresh.
No orders reached the little troop, and Hal could not tell whether the Belgian battalions were holding their own or had been cut utterly to pieces under the immense numerical superiority of their foes.
Glancing about the field, Captain Derevaux could see that every officer of the Lancers save himself was down, and that, unless he took the vacant place and rallied them, the few troopers still left would scatter.
With Hal at his side, he spurred the horse he had just mounted against the dense crowd opposing him—against the hard black wall of dust and smoke and steel and savage faces, which were all that either could see. He thrust his horse against the mob, while he waved his sword above his head:
"En avant!" he shouted.
His voice reached the troopers, clear and ringing in its appeal. Hal, turning in his saddle at this moment, caught from the hands of a reeling trooper the Eagle of France, and as he raised it aloft, the light, flashing upon the golden wings, brought an answering shout from those that remained of the troop.
"En avant!" came the rallying cry.
The young French captain glanced back on this little troop, guarding his head the while from the blows that were rained on him, and his voice rang out:
"Charge!"
Like arrows launched from a hundred bows they charged, Hal and the young captain still slightly in advance, Hal striking aside the steel aimed at him, as they pushed on, and with the other hand holding high the Eagle of France.
The effort was superb.
Dense bodies of Germans parted them in the front from the part of the field where the infantry still was engaged, harassed them in the rear with flying shots and forced down on them on either side, like the closing jaws of a trap.
Their fierce charge was, for a moment, irresistible; it bore headlong all before it. For a moment the Germans gave way, shaken and confused. For a moment they recoiled under the shock of that desperate charge.
As Captain Derevaux spurred his horse against the enemy, twenty blades glittered against him. The first would have pierced his chest had not Hal struck up the blade with a quick move.
To pause was impossible. Though the French horses were forced through a bristling forest of steel, the charge availed little.
Hal waved the Eagle aloft, as the captain looked around at the few who were left and shouted:
"You are the sons of the Old Guard! Die like them!"
"Surrender!" came a cry from in front.
Hal looked back once more on the fragment of the troop, and raised the flag higher aloft, as he muttered to himself:
"This will be the end. I wish I could have seen Chester once more; good old Chester!"
Hot and blinded, with an open gash in his shoulder where a sword had struck a moment before, but with his eyes flashing and a smile on his lips, the young captain cried his reply to the command to surrender:
"Have we fought so poorly that you think we shall give up now?"
Then, with upraised swords, the troop awaited the onward rush of the Germans; and, as they waited the young captain found time to murmur to Hal:
"I am sorry to see you here now, but you are a fighter after my own heart."
Hal was unable to speak. He put out his hand and the young Frenchman grasped it warmly.
"I guess it is good-by," he said quietly.
Then came the shock. With a yell the Germans threw themselves forward. A moment more and the onrushing horde would have massacred them like cattle. But, even at the moment of impact a voice rang out over the field:
"Forward! Charge!"
Above the din of shouting and rifle shots it came; and from behind came a full troop of Belgian light cavalry; and in front, with drawn sword, rode Chester.
The troop came on at a whirlwind rush; and, even as they did so, Captain Derevaux urged his men into another charge, and pressed forward into the thickest of the conflict. And Hal rode by his side.
Blow after blow was aimed at them, but none found its mark. Parrying and striking, they pushed on; and then a German bugle sounded a recall, and the enemy drew off.
Panting, Chester rode to Hal's side.
"I was afraid we would be too late!" he exclaimed.
"I am not even scratched," returned Hal, grasping his friend's hand.
A Belgian officer hurried up to Captain Derevaux.
"You have this lad to thank for our opportune arrival," he declared, indicating Chester. "He told us of your plight, or we would not have arrived in time."
The captain grasped Chester's hand.
"You saved the day!" he said simply.
CHAPTER XIV.
A DANGEROUS MISSION.
Chester was embarrassed.
"I did nothing," he said. "I only rode fast."
The hurrahs of the men who heard him drowned his words.
"The general will think differently," returned the captain.
"How does it happen you arrived so opportunely, Chester?" asked Hal.
"It's very simple. I was returning from my mission, and was riding between you and the outposts. I heard firing and rode forward to see what was going on. I saw how things were with you. Even from where I was I thought I could recognize you in the front rank.
"At first I thought I would ride directly toward you, but then I knew that I could be of greater service by hurrying back and summoning aid. When I told the general of your perilous position, he acted at once, and I came with the reinforcements. That's all there is to it. You, Hal, are the one deserving of praise."
"And I shall see that he is rewarded for it!" exclaimed the captain. "But your gallant conduct also shall be made known. Certainly I made two good friends when I met you two boys. At some time I hope to be able to repay you in some slight measure, although I know I can never entirely cancel my indebtedness to you both."
In the hut of the officer commanding the division Captain Derevaux went into detail concerning the gallant actions of our two boys.
The general congratulated them.
"I shall see that your conduct is brought to the personal attention of the King," he declared. "You shall both be rewarded if I live long enough to write out my report."
"Thank you, general," both lads replied, and then accompanied Captain Derevaux to his quarters, where his wound, which was found to be slight, was attended to.
It was the next afternoon that the general again summoned the lads to his hut.
"I have a mission of importance," he said, "and I am seeking volunteers. It is somewhat dangerous, and I am loath to order anyone to go. But in view of your gallant conduct, I thought I would give you the first chance."
"We shall gladly undertake it, general, no matter what it is," replied Hal.
"Yes, sir," agreed Chester, "we shall always be glad to aid the cause of the Allies, no matter what the dangers."
"Well, then," replied the general, taking a paper from his desk. "I want this paper put into the hands of General Givet, at Louvain. If there is any danger of your being captured, destroy it. It contains information that would be invaluable to the enemy.
"In view of your past resourcefulness, I am putting great confidence in your ability to get through. The country between here and Louvain, while not precisely in the hands of the Germans, is being constantly overrun with parties of raiders. You will bring General Givet's reply to me here."
The lads saluted and departed.
"You certainly have made a great impression upon the general," said Captain Derevaux, when the boys informed him of their mission. "Just keep as cool as you have been in the past, and I am sure you will get through without trouble."
It was late that night when the lads made their way from the young captain's quarters, passed beyond the outposts, and made their way into the forest beyond, following the road, but keeping well within the shadow of the trees.
"This is the best summer vacation we have ever had," declared Hal, as they went slowly along.
"You are right, there," replied Chester. "Of course, war is a terrible thing, but as long as there is a war I would rather be over here where I can see what is going on than to be sitting home reading about it in the newspapers."
"Yes; and then you couldn't be exactly sure you were getting the facts."
Shortly after sunrise the boys came upon a large farmhouse.
"It's pretty early," remarked Hal, "but perhaps we can find some one and get a bite to eat."
They approached and found the household already astir. As they ascended the steps, a young girl, probably sixteen years of age, came out on the porch.
"Can you provide us with a little something to eat?" asked Hal politely in French, doffing his cap.
The girl glanced at him, a puzzled expression coming over her face.
"I don't understand French very well," she said, in English.
"By George!" exclaimed Hal. "I thought so. That is," he apologized for his exclamation, "I was sure you were not French."
This time Hal had spoken in English, and a look of surprise had come over her face, followed by an expression of delight.
"I was sure you were Americans!" she exclaimed, and then added hesitatingly, "or are you—can it be you are English?"
"No; we are Americans, all right," Chester broke in; "but we certainly didn't expect to run into an American girl in this corner of the world."
"No; particularly at a time like this," agreed Hal.
"Oh, I am perfectly safe here," replied the girl "Uncle, who is a Belgian officer, has joined his regiment, and I am here with only two servants. He wanted me to go to Liège with him, but I preferred to remain here. No one will harm me."
"But the Germans may come through here at any time, and then you would be in danger."
"Oh, no. Several German regiments already have passed by, and some of the officers were here. They assured me I would not be molested."
"Nevertheless, you are likely to be. You can't tell what may happen."
"I am not afraid," replied the girl. "The Germans won't bother an
American."
Remembering their own experiences, Hal and Chester looked at each other and smiled.
"I am not so sure," replied Hal; "but if you have decided to stay,
I suppose you will. You see," smiling, "I know something of
American girls."
The girl also smiled.
"I suppose you wonder who I am," she said. "I am Edna Johnson, and I live in Chicago. Mother was here with me, but she went home just before war was declared. I suppose she is worried to death about me, but I believe it is safer here than elsewhere, and I have heard Americans are having great difficulties getting home."
Hal and Chester introduced themselves.
After a few minutes Edna suddenly exclaimed:
"Here I am, keeping you chatting, when I know you must be awfully hungry.
Come with me and we shall have some breakfast."
The boys followed her into the house, where a hearty meal was soon set in the dining-room, and the three fell to with a will.
Hardly had they satisfied their appetites when there was the sound of many feet upon the porch. Miss Johnson glanced through the door.
"Germans," she said, with a smile; "but they won't bother us."
Hal and Chester jumped to their feet.
"We must hide, Miss Johnson," exclaimed Hal. "If we fall into the hands of the Germans it may mean death to us."
"What!" exclaimed the girl.
"Exactly. I neglected to tell you that we are attached to the Belgian forces and our capture would not only mean trouble for us, but would be a blow to the cause of the Allies."
The girl looked at the lads in amazement, but there was no time for words. There was a loud knock at the door, followed almost immediately by the tramp of feet within the house.
Edna acted promptly. Rushing to the side of the room, she pulled open a door to what appeared to be a closet and motioned to the boys.
"In here, quick!" she cried, and closed the door tightly.
As they passed through the door the boys saw a flight of steps leading apparently to the cellar. Hardly had the door closed behind them ere the steps of the Germans were heard in the room they had just left.
They also heard the girl greet them pleasantly, and the gruff demand for breakfast. Edna called one of her servants, and gave an order that breakfast for the Germans be prepared immediately.
"It is too cramped here," whispered Chester. "Let's go down these stairs.
If we were to make a move here, they would surely hear us."
The boys descended the steps. At the bottom they emerged into what, upon inspection, proved to be a wine cellar. At the far side they saw another passageway and moved toward it.
As they did so, they heard the door to the closet through which they had recently passed open again, and a voice exclaim:
"I know these high and mighty Belgian gentlemen too well. There is always wine in the cellar. Come, Franz, we shall explore."
Heavy footsteps descended the stairs, and two German officers hove in sight. The boys, in the dimness of the cellar, were not seen.
"Quick!" whispered Chester, "into the passageway."
As Hal followed Chester into the darkness of the passageway, he tripped over some obstacle in the dark, which gave forth the sound of tinkling glass. The boys stopped stock still.
"What was that?" demanded one of the officers.
"I didn't hear anything," was the reply.
"I thought I heard something moving in the cellar."
"Probably a rat. Here is what we came after. Let's go back upstairs."
The boys heard the sound of retreating footsteps, and presently the door above slammed once more.
Hal and Chester breathed easier.
"Pretty close," remarked Chester, in a low tone.
"You bet it was close," was the reply. "For a minute I thought it was all off."
"Well, I guess we are safe enough now."
"Yes, I guess so. But we must wait here until the Germans have left the house."
"I suppose they will go as soon as they have finished their breakfast."
"I hope so; we haven't any time to waste."
The boys sat down and waited.
What seemed like hours later, the door to the closet above again opened, and the voice of the girl floated down the stairway.
"It's all right, now," she exclaimed. "They have gone. You can come up."