Book: The boy Allies at Liege

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"Say nothing to anyone. Do not talk, even between yourselves, and, if you
can, buy a revolver apiece," for the purchase of which the lieutenant
tendered Hal a bill.




CHAPTER III.

TOWARD THE FRONTIER.


It was a long afternoon for Hal and Chester, and they waited impatiently
for the time when they were to meet the two young men who were to be
their companions on the journey.

After several futile attempts the lads finally gave up their attempt to
buy revolvers, as it caused too many questions, and, in spite of their
eagerness to get away, it was with no little anxiety that they made their
way to the rendezvous that night.

Captain Derevaux and Lieutenant Anderson were waiting when the
lads arrived.

"I am glad you are prompt," said the former. "We must hurry. Even now we
may be followed," and he glanced about furtively.

"Which way do we go?" asked Hal, of the young Englishman, as the four
moved along the street.

"North," was the reply. "We are heading for Kolberg, on the Baltic Sea.
From there we will try to get across into Denmark. The thing to do is to
get out of Germany at the earliest possible moment, and, with good luck
in getting a boat of some kind at Kolberg, that is the quickest route."

"Won't we have trouble getting a boat?"

"I am afraid we shall; but we must leave something to chance."

"Well, I guess we won't be any worse off in Kolberg than in Berlin," said
Hal. "How do you figure to get there?"

"Automobile! We have arranged for a car to pick us up on the northern
outskirts of the city, just inside the line."

"Won't the place be guarded?"

"Of course; but, by a little ingenuity and a bold dash, we should be able
to get through. If not--"

The lieutenant shrugged his shoulders expressively.

"Well," said Hal, "I won't object to a little excitement."

"Don't worry," replied the young officer; "you will have all the
excitement you want, and more, too, or I miss my guess."

They continued their walk in silence.

Beyond getting into Denmark, the young officers had formulated no plan.
But, once out of Germany, the rest would be easy. A ship to England,
and from there into France for the young Frenchman, and the two
American boys would telegraph to their mother, or continue their
journey alone. Lieutenant Anderson was bound direct for London, where
he would join his regiment.

The officers had decided to make their attempt at escape by way of
Denmark because, in all likelihood, the country between Berlin and
Kolberg would be less closely guarded than any other part of the German
Empire. Troops were being rushed to the French and Russian borders, and
they realized it was practically impossible for them to journey in those
directions without being captured. Also the southern route offered little
hope of success.

The streets became more and more deserted as the four friends continued
their walk toward the northern outskirts. They passed several detachments
of rapidly moving troops, but they were unchallenged.

Suddenly the young Englishman called a halt.

"The automobile is waiting at the next corner," he explained. "Just
beyond is the northern limit of the city. Go quietly and we may not be
molested."

Hal and Chester were greatly excited by this time, but they obeyed
instructions as well as they could, and climbed into the big car that was
waiting for them, without even being seen. The driver immediately started
the machine, and our boys were on their way at last.

On toward the city line the big car rushed, and it was just as the four
friends were breathing a sigh of relief at having passed the first danger
safely, that a harsh voice rang out:

"Halt!"

Almost directly ahead stood a squad of armed men, their rifles leveled
straight at the occupants of the oncoming car.

"The patrol!" exclaimed Captain Derevaux, as the auto came to a stop.

An officer approached the side of the machine.

"Give an account of yourselves," he demanded. "Your passports, please."

"We have none," replied Captain Anderson. "We are just taking a
little spin."

"You cannot pass here," said the officer. "Either return at once, or I
shall be forced to place you under arrest."

There was no use arguing.

"Home it is, then," said the young Englishman aloud, and then in a
whisper to the driver: "Ahead! Full speed!"

"To the bottom of the car!" he cried, as the machine jumped forward
with a lurch.

He dived to the floor of the car, the young Frenchman and Hal following
his example.

Chester, however, had been so surprised at the suddenness of this
maneuver, that for a moment he was unable to move; but, while his
momentary inaction placed him in great danger, it nevertheless saved his
companions from capture, or even death.

As the automobile lunged away, hurling the officer to the side of the
street, the latter shouted a command:

"Fire! Shoot the driver!"

One man only was in a position to obey. The others were forced to jump
for their lives, as the machine bore down on them. This one man, however,
raised his rifle and aimed at the driver, just as the car swept by.

The muzzle was right at the side of the car, and a miss would have been
almost impossible.

But, before he could fire, Chester sprang to his feet, and, leaning out,
grasped the barrel of the weapon in both hands. With a desperate effort,
he wrenched it from the soldier's hands, just as he was about to pull
the trigger.

Then, at a second command from Lieutenant Anderson, he dropped beside his
friends in the bottom of the car, and it was well that he did so.

A volley rang out from behind. The hum of bullets could be heard
overhead, and there was the sound of splintering wood, as others crashed
into the rear of the auto, but the machine sped on.

Then came a second volley, and the automobile swerved suddenly to one
side. The chauffeur groaned, but the car immediately righted itself and
continued on its way.

Unmindful of the bullets flying about, Hal sprang to his feet and
climbed into the front seat, where the chauffeur was making heroic
efforts to keep the car steady, a stream of blood the while pouring from
a wound in his head.

"Give me the wheel!" cried Hal, as the car lurched from one side of the
road to the other, at the imminent risk of turning over.

He climbed in front of the chauffeur and his strong hands grasped the
steering wheel just as the man's body relaxed and he fell back
unconscious.

Bullets were still flying thick and fast, but the range was too great now
for accurate shooting. Still, there was always the chance that one of the
leaden messengers would hit Hal and end disastrously the career of the
flying machine.

Without even checking the speed of the auto, Hal called to Chester:

"The chauffeur is badly wounded. Pull him into the rear of the car!"

"Slow down!" came the answer. "We can't pull him from beneath you while
going at this terrific speed."

"Slow down nothing!" shouted Hal. "We don't want to be captured after
this. You'll have to pull him out!"

It was no small task, this driving a flying automobile, while a man in
whose lap he was almost sitting was being pulled from under him by hands
from behind.

Once Hal lost his balance. Throwing out one hand, he grasped the side of
the car, and that alone saved him and his friends, too, for that matter.

The car swerved to one side of the road, and just at that instant a sharp
curve came into view.

With a desperate effort Hal regained his balance, steadied the
machine, and, without even trying to slacken his speed, took the curve
on two wheels.

"Whew!" he muttered to himself. "That was a close shave!"

By this time the body of the chauffeur had been pulled into the back of
the car, and Hal slid into his seat.

"Are you all right?" came Chester's voice from the rear.

"All right now," replied Hal.

"You can slow down a bit," shouted Lieutenant Anderson. "We are out of
range. We are safe enough now."

"We are safe from bullets, but we are not safe from pursuit," Hal called
back. "Do I keep to this road?"

"Yes," came the reply, "if you don't run into a ditch or a
telegraph pole."

"Oh, I'll run it, all right; and I'll run it on the road, too," Hal
answered grimly. "I've made a record on a worse road than this."

"Is the chauffeur badly hurt?" he called back after a few minutes.

"No, I don't think so," replied the French captain's voice. "Just a
scalp wound. He has lost a lot of blood, and is still unconscious, but I
think he will come around all right presently."

Hal settled back in his seat and gave his entire attention to the
road ahead.

The big car flashed through several small towns, and the dim lights in
the homes looked like a string of brilliant spots, so swiftly did they go
by. For almost half an hour the terrific speed was continued, and then,
at a shouted command from Lieutenant Anderson, Hal slowed down.

"We should be nearing Angermunde by this time," the lieutenant explained,
"and it will never do to go through there at this speed."

"Do you suppose our would-be captors have communicated with the
authorities at Angermunde?" asked the Frenchman.

"I would not be surprised," replied the lieutenant; "but we must risk it.
One thing I am sure of, however, is that our pursuers are not far behind.
They will never rest till we are caught. And, for that reason, we cannot
afford to waste much time."

"You are right," said the captain. "We must get through Angermunde as
quickly and as quietly as possible."

Then to Hal he shouted: "Don't lose your nerve, and keep cool. Be ready
to make a dash if you get the word."

"Don't you worry about my nerve," Hal replied grimly. "I'll run right
through a thousand Germans, if you say so."

"I guess that will not be necessary," broke in the lieutenant, with a
laugh, "but you never can tell what may happen."

Hal reduced the speed of the machine even more, and slowly approached the
town, the lights of which could be seen in the distance.

It was now nearly midnight, and, as Captain Derevaux suggested, it would
be wise to go through the town without attracting attention, if possible.

But this was not to be.

The automobile entered the town, and had proceeded some distance, when
Hal called back:

"I guess we will get through without any trouble, all right."

"Don't be too sure," replied the Englishman. "Always be ready for the
unexpected."

The words were hardly out of his mouth, when, rounding a sharp turn, Hal
saw a line of cavalrymen blocking the street some distance ahead.

"The road is blocked with troops," he called back to his friends, as he
reduced his speed. "Their rifles seem pointed right at us. Shall I speed
up and run through them?"

His three companions arose and peered over his shoulder. The cavalrymen
were plainly discernible in the glare of an electric street light.

"It's impossible," replied the lieutenant. "We shall have to stop. They
would shoot us to pieces before we could get through. Here," turning to
Chester and Captain Derevaux, "cover up the chauffeur with these rugs
and lay him in the bottom of the car. It would never do for an officer
to see him. It may be that our friends behind have not tipped off our
present enemy, but the sight of this wounded chauffeur would give it all
away." The car was slowly nearing the line of troops. "Halt!" came the
command. "Halt, or we fire!" The car came to a stop within a few feet of
the soldiers.




CHAPTER IV.

IN DANGER STILL.


It was with no small trepidation that the occupants of the automobile saw
the officer in command approach.

"Keep your wits and say nothing unless you have to," was the young
lieutenant's whispered advice. "Leave the talking to me."

"Where are you from?" asked the officer.

"Berlin," replied the Englishman.

"Where are you bound?"

"Stettin."

"Your business?"

"Our business is purely private. Two of my companions are young American
lads and the third is a Belgian gentleman. I am an Englishman. You will
interfere with us at your peril."

"In times of war we interfere with whom we choose. A state of war exists
in Germany, as you know."

"There is no state of war between your country and ours."

"Perhaps not, but I am not sure of it; there may be by this time. You
have no passports, I take it?"

"We have not."

"Then I must ask you to leave your machine and come with me."

"For what reason?"

"Because I command it. You are my prisoners."

Turning to an aide, the German officer commanded:

"Call a guard of four men!"

The aide saluted and did as he was ordered. Four of the troopers who
blocked the road dismounted and ranged themselves beside the car.

"Order Lieutenant Myers to take his men and report to Major Von Volk,"
commanded the German officer of his aide.

The troopers, with the exception of the four who guarded the car, wheeled
and rode away.

The officer turned again to the automobile.

"Leave the car," he ordered the four occupants.

"He evidently hasn't been tipped off," whispered Lieutenant Anderson to
his companions, as they left the machine.

"No," Hal whispered back, "but the others are likely to be along in a
few minutes."

"Right," came the reply. "We must watch our chance, and, if one comes,
make the most of it."

The four stepped from the automobile, and were immediately surrounded by
their guards.

"See what they have in the machine," the officer ordered one of the men.

"Great Scott!" ejaculated Chester. "We are in for it now!"

Exploring the front of the auto first, the soldier found nothing. Then he
turned his attention to the back. He lifted up the rugs that had been
thrown over the chauffeur, and started back with a cry.

"A dead man!" he exclaimed, and added: "At least he appears to be dead.
He has a bullet hole in the back of his head."

"What!" demanded the officer, and hurried to the side of the car.

He drew his sword and waved it at his men.

"Guard them closely!" he exclaimed, indicating his four prisoners.

"Pretty ticklish situation," whispered Hal to Chester, who stood beside
him. "We have got to do something."

"You bet," replied Chester, "and we've got to do it now."

He took off his cap, twirled it about a few seconds, and let it fall to
the ground.

Chester stooped to pick it up. Rising suddenly, he came up under the
guard of his nearest captor, and with his head butted him with all his
force under the chin.

The blow was more than flesh and blood could stand. The soldier fell to
the ground with a groan of pain, his tongue almost bitten off. Without a
pause, Chester turned upon another of his captors, and, with two
well-directed blows of his fist, sent him staggering.

The suddenness of Chester's attack had not taken Hal by surprise. When
Chester dropped his cap, Hal divined his purpose, and, as his friend
butted his first victim, Hal acted. Turning upon his nearest guard, he
seized the latter's rifle, at the same time delivering a well-directed
kick at his enemy's shin. The man released his hold on the rifle, and, as
he stooped unconsciously to rub his shin, the pain of which was almost
unbearable, he met Hal's right fist, which, sent into his face with
stunning force, knocked him cold.

All this happened in the smallest fraction of the time it takes to tell
it, and, before the German officer and the soldier who were exploring the
interior of the automobile could realize what was happening and go to the
aid of their companions.

Captain Derevaux and Lieutenant Anderson had acted with almost as much
celerity as had Hal, in spite of the fact that Chester's attack had taken
them by surprise. Almost at the same moment Hal seized the weapon of his
guard Captain Derevaux closed with the third man, and, with his fingers
at his throat, was attempting to choke him into unconsciousness.

At the same moment the German commanding officer and his troops ran to
the aid of their fellows.

"Shoot them!" shouted the officer, drawing his revolver and rushing to
take part in the fray. He already held his sword in his hand.

The soldier drew a revolver.

Hal, having disposed of one enemy, clubbed the rifle he had wrenched
from him, and, before either the German officer or his man could fire,
was in the thick of the melee. Lieutenant Anderson, having picked up a
rifle dropped by one of the German soldiers, was already there, his
weapon also clubbed.

The officer and the trooper were unable to bring their revolvers to bear,
and rushed into the fight with their weapons clubbed.

With a single blow Hal crushed the skull of the soldier, and then turned
upon the officer who was engaging Anderson.

Lieutenant Anderson and his opponent were still battling desperately for
the possession of the latter's gun, and Captain Derevaux and the
remaining German trooper were rolling about upon the ground, the
captain's finger still pressed into his enemy's throat. Chester had gone
to the captain's aid.

Warding off the officer's sword, Anderson suddenly dropped his rifle,
and, stepping inside the other's guard, placed the officer hors de combat
with several well-directed and lightning-like blows to the face and jaw.

At that moment Captain Derevaux's opponent succeeded in shaking off the
captain's grip, and, springing to his feet, leveled his rifle, which he
snatched from the ground as he arose, squarely at the young Frenchman.

With a shout Chester sprang forward, picking up a rifle as he leaped, and
aimed a smashing blow at the man's head. The clubbed weapon found its
mark with a crushing impact, and the man threw up his arms, spun around
two or three times, and then fell in a heap.

And it was not a moment too soon. For, as the last German measured his
length upon the ground, there was a sudden shout, and a body of cavalry,
attracted by the sounds of the conflict, bore down upon the victors.

"Quick!" shouted the lieutenant. "To the machine!" And, with Hal and
Captain Derevaux, he made a rush for the auto.

Chester had stopped to gather up the two revolvers that lay on the
ground.

"Go ahead!" he shouted. "I'm coming!" And, picking up the last revolver,
he ran up to the automobile and swung himself aboard, just as Hal, who
had climbed into the driver's seat, threw in the clutch, and the machine
leaped forward.

At that moment a volley of shots rang out. The whizzing bullets again
flew around the car, and there was again the sound of splintering wood,
as they smashed into the rear of the auto.

All but Hal dived into the bottom of the car, and he bent as low as
possible over the steering wheel.

Soon the sound of firing became less audible, and finally ceased
altogether.

Chester, Lieutenant Anderson and Captain Derevaux arose from the bottom
of the car and resumed their seats.

"That's what I call great work, boys," declared the lieutenant, putting
his hand on Hal's shoulder. "If it hadn't been for you, I guess the
captain and I would be locked up by this time. Isn't that so, captain?"

"It certainly is," was the reply. "And had it not been for the prompt
action of Chester in that encounter, France would have lost a captain
of rifles."

Hal and Chester were embarrassed by all this praise.

"That's all right," Hal called over his shoulder. "You would have done
the same for us."

At this moment the chauffeur, who had been almost forgotten in the
excitement, stirred.

"Hello," ejaculated the captain. "Our friend is getting better. Guess we
had better see what we can do for him."

He raised the head of the wounded man to his lap, and wiped the blood
stains from his face, while the lieutenant prepared a bandage. In a few
minutes the chauffeur had recovered sufficiently to drink a little water
and to eat several sandwiches the lieutenant produced from a small but
well-filled hamper.

"Well, I guess we are safe for a little while, at any rate,"
remarked Hal.

"It looks like it," replied the lieutenant; "but, as I said before, you
never can tell."

They rode cautiously along in silence for a long time; in fact, until the
first streak of dawn appeared in the east. Then, suddenly, the sound of
chug-chugging came from behind.

Chester turned his head and jumped to his feet with a cry:

"We are pursued! Speed up, Hal! Speed up!"

It was true. Far back could be seen a pursuing automobile, and, even from
that distance, it was apparent it was gaining.

Hal "speeded up" and in a short time the pursuing car was out of sight.
Nevertheless, the speed was not diminished.

"I guess they have learned that we can travel some, anyhow," remarked
Hal happily.

And just at that moment there was a loud explosion--the car rocked
crazily, and Hal brought it to a stop.

"Tire blown out," exclaimed the French captain, in despair. "Now we are
up against it. What shall we do?"

"Fix it," retained Chester briefly.

He got out, and the rest, including the wounded chauffeur, followed suit.

At that moment Chester bethought himself of the pursuing machine, and
said:

"We haven't time. Our pursuers will be upon us."

"You are right," said the captain, "but I have an idea."

The place in which they had stopped was shaded upon both sides by great
trees. As far as could be seen the woods continued. A hundred yards back
over the road they had traversed was a sharp curve, hiding any
approaching vehicle from sight. Ahead, the road stretched out in a
straight line for a considerable distance.

"I figure this way," said the captain hurriedly, "the machine as it is is
doing us no good, is it?"

"It certainly is not," replied the lieutenant.

"And, if we wait here long enough to fix it it won't do us any good
either, will it?"

"Certainly not."

"Then my idea is this: Head the machine straight down the road, lash
the wheel fast and start her off. If I am not mistaken, it will run
along the road at least to the next curve. Even from here you can see
the steep embankment at the curve. When the machine hits that curve it
will go over.

"Now, if that embankment is as steep as it looks, the car, when it hits
the bottom, will be out of sight. In the meantime, we hide here until our
pursuers pass. The chances are they will continue past the curve, never
seeing the wreckage at the bottom of the embankment, believing we are
still ahead of them. Then we can continue our journey afoot. What do you
think of that idea?"

"I think it is first-rate," declared Hal, and the others agreed with him.

"But won't they discover, when they reach the next town, that we haven't
passed through?" asked Chester.

"They probably will," was the reply; "but we will cross that bridge when
we come to it. Besides, there is little doubt in my mind that the
authorities in the next town know of our coming. We couldn't be so
fortunate a second time."

Accordingly the plan suggested was carried out. Hal elected to get in the
car and start it, and, as it took a flying leap forward, he hurled
himself from the machine to the soft grass beside the road. He was
considerably shaken up, but not badly hurt.

Then the five stood and watched the car in its mad flight down the road.

"I hope that the fact of a tire being bursted won't stop it's sticking to
the road," said Chester.

Fortunately the car continued its journey in as straight a line as the
best chauffeur in the world could have driven, and the five companions
strained their eyes as it neared the distant curve.

"It's almost there!" cried Hal. "I hope it makes a good jump; and I hope
that embankment is steep."

"And I hope that she makes her leap before our pursuers heave in sight,
which is more to the point," declared Chester.

Again they strained their eyes, watching the flight of the mad car. And
then the car reached the embankment.

"There she goes!" cried Chester, and the big machine, as though making a
desperate leap, hurled itself into space, where it soared for a moment
like a huge bird, and then disappeared from sight.

"Well, it's gone," said the lieutenant sorrowfully; "and now it's up to
us to hoof it, to the next town, at least."

The five moved into the woods and just as they gained the first dense
covering there was a sound from the road over which they had come.

Dropping to the ground, they peered between the trees. Presently a second
huge car, in which could be caught a glimpse of uniforms, rounded the
curve, flashed by, and disappeared down the road.

"Let's go farther into the woods," urged Chester. "We might be
seen here."

Going deeper and deeper in among the trees the five continued their
journey; and, when they felt sure they had penetrated far enough to avoid
any chance of detection, they turned their faces northward and set out at
a brisk pace.




CHAPTER V.

CAPTURED.


All morning the journey through the woods continued. At intervals the big
trees became more sparse, and the party took all precautions against
being seen, as they flitted through the open places.

About noon, Lieutenant Anderson made a foraging expedition, and returned
with a basket of food, which he had purchased from a nearby farmhouse.
Hungrily the five disposed of it, quenching their thirst from a sparkling
brook of cool water. Then they resumed their march.

Night was falling when the travelers at length emerged from the woods.
Half a mile ahead could be seen the lights of a town.

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