Book: The Boy Allies in Great Peril

C >> Clair W. Hayes >> The Boy Allies in Great Peril




At the side of the squad, Hal leaped quickly from his horse, and plunging
directly into the squad, threw his arms about one of the prisoners.

"Chester!" he cried.

And Chester it was.

The latter returned his friend's embrace with gusto, and then freeing
himself, fell into the bear hug of Uncle John.

The latter was sniffling with joy; but at last released, Chester caught
sight of Colonel Anderson.

Again there was an affectionate greeting and then Hal heard a voice
in his ear.

"And haven't you anything to say to me, young man?"

Hal whirled about and caught sight of the smiling face of Anthony Stubbs,
war correspondent of the New York _Gazette_.

"Stubbs!" he cried, and his delight was so evident that the little man
flushed with pleasure.

Introductions followed all around now and then Colonel Anderson addressed
the officer in charge of the squad.

"Are these men prisoners?" he asked.

"No, sir," was the reply, "but General Ferrari instructed me to have them
taken to a place of safety."

"Then you can turn them over to me without question?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good! Then I shall relieve you of further responsibility."

The Italian saluted, ordered his men to "'Bout face" and marched off
toward the front.




CHAPTER XX.

THE ADVANCE.


The shrill, clear voice of a single bugle broke the stillness of the
early morning. There was a second of intense silence, and the call came
again. A second took it up, and a third, and many more, each less
distinct than the first, for they were farther away.

Hal, Chester, Uncle John and Anthony Stubbs, three of them accustomed as
they were to the life of the military camps, were upon their feet almost
before the sound of the first bugle had died away, and strained their
ears to catch a repetition.

They had spent the night in a large tent assigned them by Colonel
Anderson, not far from his own quarters, and had retired completely
exhausted as the result of the strenuous time they had gone through. But
they were all perfectly wide awake now and rushed from their tent with
the sound of the second call.

"A call to arms!" exclaimed Hal.

"Probably means an advance," said Chester quietly.

"I guess you are right," returned his chum. "And here we are, nothing but
spectators at the best."

"And that's where you are lucky," chimed in Stubbs. "Now take me, I've
got to get out among all this fighting and maybe I'll be killed. But I've
got to do it. You fellows can stay here where it is perfectly safe."

"Well, I'd much rather be in your place, then," said Chester.

"Same here," declared Hal.

The Italian camp had sprung to life as if by magic. Half-clothed sleepers
poured from the tents and formed into ranks in the darkness. Officers ran
hither and thither shouting hoarse orders. For a moment confusion
reigned, but this gave place almost immediately to perfect order. The
discipline of the Italian troops was remarkable. In almost less time than
it takes to tell it, the whole Italian army of the North, stretching out
as it did for mile after mile and mile after mile, was under arms,
eagerly awaiting the word that would send it against the strongly
entrenched Austrian columns ahead.

Less than a hundred rods away Hal made out the form of Colonel Anderson,
as he now stood at the head of his men; gazing steadily ahead except when
he turned to give an order to one of his subordinates. Far back, just
distinguishable in the now half light, could be seen the dense masses of
cavalry, unmounted as yet, but ready to leap to the saddle and dash
forward at command.

A gun boomed, shattering the almost oppressive stillness. Another
followed suit. More took up the work and the air was filled with their
thundering. It became apparent to Hal and Chester, to whom this was
nothing new, that the infantry would make the first advance, under the
support of the artillery.

"A good-sized job, if you ask me," declared the latter.

"Rather," replied Hal dryly. "Hey," breaking off suddenly, "where are
you going?"

"To the front," replied Stubbs, to whom the lad had addressed his remark,
pausing for a moment and glancing back over his shoulder. "Got to get a
little news, you know."

"You'd better look out or you are likely to get a little bullet,"
remarked Uncle John.

"Well, I'll have to take a chance," replied the little man.

With a wave of his hand he disappeared in the darkness.

"Forward!" came a clear voice from their rear.

Came the heavy tramp, tramp of marching feet, as the First Infantry
moved forward. Steadily they marched ahead, silently and with an air of
determination. They made an imposing appearance in the dim light of
early morning.

"A gallant body of men," muttered Hal. "They'll give a good account of
themselves."

Came a word of command from Colonel Anderson--the boys recognized his
voice--and more troops moved forward. As far as the eye could see dense
masses of men were marching rapidly toward the front. It became apparent
that this was to be no mere skirmish--no mere feeling-out process. It was
to be a battle, and as both lads realized, it might well last for days.

"We may as well go forward a bit," said Hal.

Accordingly the three started out. Half an hour later they were suddenly
surrounded by a body of infantry, and, in some unaccountable manner, were
separated from Uncle John. In vain they looked, called and whistled for
him. He had disappeared.

"Well, I guess he will be able to find the way back," said Chester. "We'd
better see if we can find him."

They retraced their steps. For an hour and more they waited, but Uncle
John failed to put in an appearance. And all the time, from ahead, came
the dull roar of battle.

"Well, what shall we do?" asked Chester at length.

Hal shrugged his shoulders.

"Guess your peaceful Uncle John has gone on to the front," he said. "We
may as well do the same. He'll turn up sooner or later."

Chester was struck with a sudden idea.

"By Jove!" he exclaimed.

"What's the matter now?" demanded Hal, eyeing his chum in some surprise.

"I was just thinking," said Chester. "Say, let's see if we can't find a
couple of spare uniforms around here."

"H-m-m," muttered Hal, who knew what Chester meant. "Maybe we shouldn't
do anything like that."

"Maybe we shouldn't," agreed Chester, "but there is no one here to tell
us not to. Come on."

Hal followed him.

They looked into several tents, but their search met with no success, but
in the sixth tent they were more fortunate. Chester, rummaging around in
a corner, produced a lieutenant's uniform.

"Looks like it might fit," he said. "I'll try it on."

He did.

"Fits well enough," he said.

"All right," said Hal. "But where is mine?"

"Oh, we'll find you one, all right," said Chester.

And, after half an hour's further search, they did--a second lieutenant's
uniform. Hal donned it hurriedly.

"Might as well hunt up our horses," he said.

"Ours?" queried Chester.

"Well, mine and Uncle John's, or anybody else's, for that matter. It's a
long walk to the front."

They were fortunate enough to find two mounts without much trouble, and,
leaping to the saddles, they rode forward.

"Got a gun?" asked Chester.

"No," replied Hal. "Have you?"

"No such luck. Maybe we can find one further on."

This hope was realized.

As they rode forward the sights of battle became evident. Here and there
were fallen men, some dead and some dying, struck down by the long-range
artillery of the Austrians. Red Cross nurses and physicians were busy
attending to the wounded.

Hal leaped to the ground, and from the fingers of a dead officer took a
revolver. A second he removed from his holster. Then he unstrapped the
officer's sword belt and put it on himself.

"Well, I'm fixed," he said, leaning down and producing the unfortunate
officer's supply of ammunition.

"My turn next," said Chester.

Half a mile further along he relieved a second fallen officer of his
sword, revolvers and ammunition.

"Now," said he, "we are ready to go into battle?"

"We're ready," agreed Hal, "but we have no business there."

"Well, we won't do any fighting unless we have to," said Chester, "but
we'll go as far to the front as we can."

They rode forward more rapidly.

Meanwhile, the Italians pressed forward to the attack. With the first
shell hurled within their lines by the enemy's artillery, the Austrians
came to life. Weak spots in the long battle line were strengthened,
reinforcements were hurried forward all along the entire front. The
Austrian artillery opened fire and for an hour the long-range artillery
duel continued.

But now the Austrian officers grew greatly excited. From the shelter of
the distant Italian trenches rose a long line of men. Coolly they formed
under the Austrian fire, and stood awaiting the signal to advance. And a
moment later it came.

On came the Italians in spite of the withering fire of the Austrian
infantry and the still more deadly execution of the great guns, which
mowed them down by the hundreds.

But as fast as these gaps appeared, they were filled by others, and the
Italians continued to forge ahead.

An Austrian bugle spoke sharply, and there sallied forth from the
Austrian entrenchments masses of infantry at the double, closely followed
by cavalry.

Evidently the Austrian commander had determined not to put his entire
dependence upon his artillery.

The Italians sprang forward to meet the foe. They rushed as though hurled
from a catapult.

The solid lines of infantry met with a shock. Rifles flashed and
revolvers spoke sharply. Steel flashed in the air and hand grenades added
their deadly execution to the terrible work.

And now the Italian infantry parted suddenly in the center and from
behind at a furious pace came squadron upon squadron of cavalry,
possibly, all told, five thousand men.

With impetuous bravery they dashed forward, throwing themselves upon the
bayonets of the Austrian infantry, which had braced to receive the shock.
But the enemy could not withstand this desperate charge. They faltered,
hesitated, broke and fled. In vain their officers sought to bring order
out of chaos. It was beyond their effort.

Straight in among the broken infantry plunged the Italian cavalry. Sabers
whirled in the air and descended with terrible effect. Horses trampled
fallen men, and bit at those who stood in their way, stamping and
striking at others with their feet.

Realizing that his infantry was completely demoralized, the Austrian
commander gave the word to send his own cavalry into the fray.

With a shout the horsemen charged. The Italians drew up their horses
sharply and braced themselves to meet this new attack.

Chester and Hal, who came within view of this deadly work at this moment,
stood spellbound.

Then Chester spoke.

"Now," he said, "you will see what I call real fighting. Look!"

The two bodies of horsemen met with a crash.




CHAPTER XXI.

THE BOYS GO INTO BATTLE.


Sitting their horses quietly, their lives endangered every moment by shot
and shell that dropped around them and whistled by their heads, Hal and
Chester watched keenly the hand-to-hand struggle that ensued.

The two bodies of horsemen met with a crash less than a quarter of a
mile from where the two lads had taken their places. With swords and
sabers flashing aloft, the Austrians had charged with a wild yell. The
Italian cavalry, stationary and braced for the shock, received their
foes silently.

Hal and Chester could see that the opposing bodies of horse were about
evenly matched; and they realized that skill, horsemanship and fighting
prowess would play important parts in the encounter.

The very fierceness of the Austrian charge swept away the front rank of
the Italian cavalry; and, over the fallen bodies of men and horses the
foe pressed on, taking no count of their own dead and injured that reeled
and fell from the saddles. The horses themselves became imbued with the
spirit of battle, and bit and struck at each other as their riders fought
with sword, saber and pistol.

It was a terrible sight, and the lads shuddered unconsciously. It was
more frightful to the spectator than it was to the struggling men
themselves, who, in the heat of battle, took no thought of the dead and
the dying and pressed forward bent only upon protecting themselves while
they sought the lives of their foes.

For an hour the fierce hand-to-hand struggle raged, with advantage
apparently first to one side and then to the other. In other sections of
the field, at least where Hal and Chester could see, operations had
ceased for the moment, each commander evidently loath to hurl forward
additional troops until the cavalry action had been decided. However, the
troops were engaged in other quarters of the field. Upon the right the
Italians had made no impression on the Austrian, but the Italian left
wing had had better success. The first line of trenches of the enemy had
fallen to the attacking forces after a fierce bayonet charge by the
infantry, and the left wing had now taken shelter in the trenches and was
preparing to beat off a counter attack which the Austrian commander even
now was about to make.

And in the center the cavalry still fought sullenly and fiercely.

Suddenly Hal uttered an exclamation of dismay.

From a quarter of a mile to the left of the struggling cavalry, a second
body of Austrian horsemen appeared. These men had been ordered to make a
detour and fall upon the Italian horse from the left. They now charged
with a shout.

Apparently this had taken the Italian commander by surprise, for no
additional Italian troops were for the moment hurled forward to the
support of the cavalry. Beset by this new foe, the Italians were forced
back slowly, fighting every minute, however, and contesting every foot of
ground as they retreated.

Hal and Chester now realized for the first time that they were directly
in the line of retreat.

"We'd better move, Hal," said Chester, "or we shall have to fight whether
we want to or not."

Hal signified his assent with a nod of his head, and they turned their
horses' heads to ride out of harm's way.

But they had delayed too long.

From behind them came a loud, terrible, blood-curdling shout, and gazing
quickly about, the lads saw that they were directly in the road of large
cavalry reinforcements that were being rushed forward to the support of
the hard-pressed men in front.

"Quick, Chester!" cried Hal, and put spurs to his horse.

But it was too late.

The Italian cavalry was upon them, and rather than be thrown down and
trampled, the lads were forced to turn their horses in with the troop;
and thus they were carried along like a whirlwind in the very front rank
of the charge, and Hal, glancing to his left, felt a sudden sense of
satisfaction as he saw that the man who led this desperate charge was
none other than Colonel Harry Anderson, his old companion in arms, the
man by whose side both he and Chester had faced death more than once.

Hal's hand dropped to his belt, and his revolver came forth in his left
hand. The reins he allowed to fall loose upon his horse's neck, while
with his right hand he drew his sword. Chester, with the light of battle
in his eyes, was already prepared.

The horses of the two boys darted forward with the rest of the troop,
their ears standing straight up, their manes bristling, their
nostrils extended.

Now the troop came close upon the cavalry already engaged; and these men,
despite their seeming confusion, parted as though by a prearranged plan,
and the reinforcements passed through, and fell upon the enemy with an
impact that was not to be denied. Behind, the first troop reformed and
now came forward in support.

And once more Hal and Chester found themselves in the midst of battle.

Just before the impact, and as Colonel Anderson brandished his sword
aloft and urged his men on with a shouted command, Hal discharged his
revolver at a tall Austrian who had taken deliberate aim at Colonel
Anderson. The man threw up his hands and with a wild yell toppled beneath
the feet of the plunging horses, there to be trampled to death if Hal's
bullet had not been enough.

One volley was poured into the Austrians at a command from Colonel
Anderson, and then the Italians were upon the foe with drawn sabers. A
single volley from the Austrians proved ineffective; Hal and Chester and
the commander of the troop were unscathed and the Austrians had no time
for another.

Chester parried a blow aimed at him by an Austrian cavalryman, and
raising his pistol quickly, toppled him from his horse with a bullet. A
second ploughed its way through the chest of another trooper and with his
sword the lad caught a blow that at that moment would have descended upon
Hal's head.

And so the fighting went, cut, thrust, parry and strike, with an
occasional revolver shot in between; and Hal, Chester, and Colonel
Anderson, in some miraculous manner, escaping injury.

The Austrians fought bravely, giving blow for blow, and in the center
succeeded in breaking through. It was but a mere handful of men who
succeeded in this venture, however, and they were immediately cut off
from their friends. A demand to surrender went unheeded; and a moment
later they had gone down.

A bugle sounded in the Austrian rear. The enemy drew off. It was first
blood to the Italians and the troops raised a loud cheer as they dashed
forward in pursuit of the foe, who now turned their horses about
sharply and fled.

For a hundred yards the Italians pursued, doing great execution with
their heavy cavalry swords; and then Colonel Anderson called a halt, for
he feared he might be rushing into a trap.

When two hundred yards separated the opposing forces, the Austrian
artillery suddenly broke loose again. A shell struck squarely in the
center of the Italian horsemen, doing frightful execution. Colonel
Anderson hurriedly gave the order to fall back.

The colonel turned to Hal and Chester.

"What are you two doing here?" he demanded. "I thought you told me your
fighting days were over?"

"We thought so, too," replied Hal, with a smile, "but you fellows
swooped down on us so suddenly that we didn't have a chance to get out
of the way."

"And it seemed pretty good," said Chester, "just like old times."

"You both gave good accounts of yourselves," declared the colonel. "I'll
have a word to say about you in my report."

"No use of--" began Chester and broke off with an ejaculation: "Hello!"

"What's up?" demanded Anderson.

For answer, Chester pointed to the left and slightly ahead. There,
overlooked in some way, a small body of Italian troops was engaged
silently with a larger number of Austrians and the Italians were getting
the worst of the encounter.

Colonel Anderson made his decision in a moment, and in spite of the
Austrian artillery shells that were flying overhead and dropping on all
sides, the cavalry rushed to the aid of their countrymen.

But the Austrians didn't wait to receive this new attack. They turned and
took to their heels; and as they hastened away, Hal caught the sound of a
voice coming from their midst:

"Hal! Chester!" it came. "Help!"

"By George! it's Uncle John!" exclaimed Chester, and urged his horse
forward faster than before.

"Uncle John--and a prisoner," ejaculated Hal, and also spurred forward.

But a heavy hand was laid on the bridle of each.

"Here! what's the matter with you fellows?" demanded Colonel Anderson's
gruff voice. "Want to get yourselves killed?"

"But we've got to get Uncle John out of this mess," declared Chester.

"You won't get him out by getting yourselves killed," was the reply.
"He's safe enough now. He's a prisoner and they won't hurt him."

"But they'll keep him prisoner," was Chester's exclamation.

"Well, what of it?" demanded the colonel.

"Well, I don't know," said Chester slowly.

"I'll speak to the general," said Colonel Anderson. "Perhaps he will see
his way clear to making representations for his release."

"Do you think he will?" asked Hal eagerly.

"To tell you the truth, I don't, but I'll speak to him, anyhow."

With this the lads were forced to be content, for they realized that
Colonel Anderson would not permit them to go forward by themselves;
besides, they recognized the folly of such an act.

The battle was over for the moment. The Italian left wing retained the
ground won despite several counter assaults and the right wing had also
been pushed forward after vigorous fighting. The Italians held their
dearly gained victory in the center.

"Come with me," said Colonel Anderson to Hal and Chester. "We'll have a
talk with the general."

The two lads followed him.




CHAPTER XXII.

OFF ON A MISSION.


"I regret to say that what you ask is impossible."

The speaker was General Ferrari, commander of the Italian army of the
North--the army that later was to attempt an invasion of Austrian
territory by way of the Alps.

Colonel Anderson had just put before the general the question of trying
to gain the freedom of Uncle John. The general turned to Hal and Chester.

"I am not unmindful of the great help you rendered Italy in Rome," he
said; "but, at the same time, I cannot grant your present request. I
am sorry."

"Why, that's all right, sir," said Chester quietly. "The idea was Colonel
Anderson's, and if it cannot be done, that settles it, of course. Uncle
John will have to take his chances, the same as the rest of us."

"I am glad you are so sensible about it," replied the general. "Now,"
turning to Colonel Anderson, "I have a matter to discuss with you."

Hal and Chester took their departure, telling Colonel Anderson they would
await him without. Half an hour later the colonel joined them.

"It's too bad you fellows are not in the fighting business any
more," he said.

"Why?" demanded both lads in one voice.

"Because I am now confronted with a piece of work in which I should be
glad to have your aid."

"What kind of work?" asked Chester.

"Oh, just a little mission that would take us into the Austrian lines.
General Ferrari wants a little information, and he has selected me to go
after it. I've got to have a couple of companions."

"By Jove, Chester! Here's a chance for us," declared Hal. "We'll go
along, and who knows, perhaps we may have a chance to help Uncle
John, too."

"Good!" agreed Chester. "What do you say, colonel?"

"I am afraid the general would not hear of it," replied the colonel, with
a slight smile. "For my part, if you are willing I should be glad to have
you with me. I know you are to be depended upon and I have great
confidence in your resourcefulness."

"Let's go and see the general," said Chester.

Colonel Anderson offered no protest to this and a few moments later
Chester put his request to General Ferrari.

"H-m-m," said the general, musing for a while. Then he gave his decision.
"All right," he said; "but first, I want to impress one thing upon you.
Your work of trying to release your Uncle John, as you call him, must be
a secondary matter. The mission you are undertaking will permit of no
delay. Do you agree to that?"

"Yes, sir," replied both lads, without an instant's hesitation.

"You say you hold commissions in the Belgian army?" asked the general.

"Yes, and I can vouch for the fact that they were both attached to the
staff of General Sir John French," put in Colonel Anderson.

"Very well, then," returned the general. "You may go, and my only
instructions are that the work be done with the greatest possible haste."

"It shall be done, sir," declared the colonel. "Come, boys."

The three saluted and made their way from the general's quarters.

In Colonel Anderson's tent they talked over their plans.

"Just what is it we are supposed to find out?" asked Hal.

"First, the enemy's strength at this point," replied the colonel. "The
lay of the land, the strength of the enemy's position, how his army is
laid out, and, lastly, the feasibility of a quick dash over the Alps."

"Not such a little job, after all," commented Hal dryly.

"And," said Chester, "just how do you figure we are going to get within
the Austrian lines?"

"That's the problem," said the colonel. "We'll have to figure that out.
One thing, we've got to get there, and at least one of us has got to get
back again. Luckily, I speak German fluently. I don't believe Austrian
will be necessary."

"Not much difference, is there?" asked Hal.

"Some. But German will do us."

"Well," said Chester, "one thing is certain; we shall have to discard our
uniforms."

"In which event," said Hal, "we shall be shot if captured."

"That can't be helped," said the colonel. "We'll have to don
civilian garb."

"But how to get across?"

"Say, look here, I've got a plan," said Chester.

"Let's have it," said Hal.

"Listen, then. We'll put on civilian clothes. We'll tell the Italian
officer in command of the farthest outpost what we are about to do. We'll
get horses and we'll have a squadron of Italian cavalry chase us,
shooting--but over our heads. That will attract the enemy, and they'll
come forward to help us. Then we'll get there."

"But what reason will we give for wanting to get into the Austrian
lines?" asked Hal.

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