Book: The boy Allies at Liege

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Hal made a grimace.

"Is that what you call dinner, Uncle Billy?" he demanded. "Why, I'm so
hungry I could eat a fence rail."

Uncle Billy grinned widely.

"Yo'al will git a shore 'nuff dinnah 'fore long," he replied.

"Is everything all right?" asked Chester.

"Yassah, yassah. Everyt'ing am all right. Yo'al jes' do like I tell you,"
and the old darky hastened from the cell.

The four prisoners fell upon the single loaf of bread and devoured
it hungrily. Thirstily they gulped down the water, and then sat
down to wait.

The long hours passed slowly.

"Great Scott!" exclaimed Chester finally. "Won't nine o'clock ever come?"

"Hold your horses and don't get excited," ordered Lieutenant Anderson.
"Impatience won't get us anything."

Chester subsided, and for a time the four sat in silence.

Suddenly the stillness was broken by the faint sound of a distant bell.

The young lieutenant pulled his watch from his pocket. Then he closed the
case with a snap and rose to his feet.

"Nine o'clock!" he said briefly. "Time to be moving!"

Cautiously the four approached the cell door. Hal pressed his weight
against it, and slowly the huge door swung outward. Poking out his head,
Hal glanced up and down the corridor.

"No one in sight," he informed his companions, and softly the four
stepped outside, closing the door gently behind them.

Silently four shadows flitted along the corridor, out across the bridge
and to the wall beyond. They encountered no one.

"Your Uncle Billy is a jewel," declared the young Frenchman, in a
whisper.

"He is for a fact," whispered back the lieutenant.

Chester crept silently through the gate and peered in all directions.
Then he crept back to his companions.

"All safe!" he whispered.

"Now to get to the place where Uncle Billy said friends would be
waiting," said Hal.

"I guess we had better make it at a run," spoke up the Frenchman.

"Yes," said the lieutenant; "some one might happen along and we would
have to make a fight for it."

Passing through the entrance to the old castle, the four broke into a
run, and turning to the right in accordance with their instructions,
increased their speed.

For a considerable distance they sped along under the shelter of the
castle wall. Just as they reached the end of the wall a whispered voice
brought them to a halt.

"Hyah, sah!" came the unmistakable voice of Uncle Billy.

Turning, they saw the old negro, who had been hidden from their sight,
standing under the far wall of the castle.

"Follow me!" he whispered, and led the way a short distance along the
wall, to where were picketed four horses.

Turning, he motioned the companions to mount.

"Which way?" asked the lieutenant, when all were in the saddle.

"Straight north, I suppose," said the captain.

"No, sah, no, sah," broke in Uncle Billy. "Yo'al can't get free
that-a-way. Since de Emp'ror declared wah on Belgin an' Englan' dun
declare wah on Germany, all de no'th coast am hev'ly guarded."

"What!" exclaimed the French captain. "War on Belgium!"

"England has declared war?" asked the young lieutenant, in surprise.

"Yassah, yassah. I jes' hearn erbout it."

"Then which way shall we go?"

"Yo'al must go that-a-way," came the answer, and Uncle Billy pointed
toward the southwest, in the direction of the faraway frontier of The
Netherlands.

"But Holland is a long ways off, and the country between must be overrun
with troops," protested the Frenchman.

"Mos' all de troops am at de front," explained the old negro. "Dat am de
bes' way, sah."

"I believe we had better take Uncle Billy's word for it," declared Hal.

"I guess he is right," said the lieutenant. "Uncle Billy, we can never
thank you enough."

"No," agreed Captain Derevaux. "We can never thank you enough."

"Come," said the lieutenant, "let us ride," and he turned his horse's
head toward the southwest, and started off cautiously.

But Hal and Chester stopped for a further word with Uncle Billy.

"But how about you, Uncle Billy?" demanded Chester. "Won't you get in
trouble for aiding us to escape?"

"No, sah," replied the old negro. "There won't none o' dese hyah Germans
hurt ol' Uncle Billy!"

"Well, then, good-by," said the boys. "After the war is over we are
coming back to see you."

"After de wah am over," said the old negro slowly, "Ise gwine back ter
ol' Virginy!"

With another word of farewell the boys wheeled their horses and rode
after their companions, who were now some distance ahead.

"We shall have to go very slowly and feel our way until we have passed
the outposts of the town," said the lieutenant, as they rode along; and
for the first half hour their progress was slow.

Once they passed within a few yards of a German sentry, but so softly did
their horses step that the soldier did not turn in their direction.

Bearing well to the south, they passed the long line of huts where they
had been captured the night before, at a considerable distance; and now,
feeling sure they had passed the last of the outposts, they urged their
horses into a quick trot.

"We will try and avoid all towns this time," declared Lieutenant
Anderson, "going just close enough to them to keep our bearings."

"A good scheme," said the Frenchman. "We would better avoid the highways
as much as possible also."

In almost a straight line, the direction in which the companions were now
headed eventually would put them into Holland a few miles north of the
Belgian frontier. Following the highways, their way would lead through
Prenzlau, Brunswick, and Detmold. But upon Captain Derevaux's advice,
they decided to skirt these towns, staying just close enough to the roads
to keep their sense of direction.

As the four rode along through the open fields, Hal and Chester continued
to talk of Uncle Billy.

"After the war," said Chester, "we'll come back and get him and take him
home with us."

But such was not to be; nor was the old Southern negro ever again to see
his Virginia home.

And because of the assistance he rendered Hal and Chester and their two
friends, it is fitting that here be related the fate of this old
plantation slave, who had come so nobly to the aid of our boys.

As the four companions rode away from the old castle, Uncle Billy, with
bared head, gazed lovingly after them.

"Praise de Lawd!" he exclaimed. "May dey git home in safety."

The riders disappeared in the distance, and the old negro, after one
last glance, turned toward his quarters in a broken-down wing of the
old castle.

There he threw himself to his knees, and for long minutes prayed in
silence. Then he arose, extinguished his light, and crawled into his
dirty cot.

Before sun-up he arose, and was soon about his duties of carrying food to
others imprisoned in the castle. Upon the order of General Steinberg he
went to the vacant cell with the firing squad that was to put an end to
the lives of the four companions whom he had aided to escape.

He opened the door, and then threw up his hands in well-feigned surprise.

"Dere gone!" he exclaimed.

"What!" exclaimed the officer in charge of the firing squad.
"Impossible!"

He brushed the old negro aside and peered into the cell. Then he turned
to Uncle Billy and laid his hand on his shoulder. "You are under
arrest!" he said.

"What fo', sah?"

"For aiding the prisoners to escape."

"But, but--"

"Silence! To the general's quarters!" he commanded his men.

Uncle Billy was led before General Steinberg.

"So!" thundered the latter, after the situation had been explained to
him. "A traitor, eh!"

Uncle Billy drew himself up proudly, and the years seemed to fall from
his shoulders.

"I is no traitor, sah!" he said quietly, "Is I a traitor, sah, because I
is willin' ter die fer two li'l chillun, who is so like mah young massa?"

"What!" shouted the general. "You admit it?"

"Yassah!"

General Steinberg's face grew purple and he waved his arms about angrily.

"Then you shall die in their stead!" he shouted. "Sergeant! Take that
black hound out and shoot him! See that my order is carried out at once!"

The sergeant saluted and turned to Uncle Billy.

"Come!" he said.

With bowed head the old negro walked slowly from the hut. Outside the
squad of soldiers encircled him, and he was led away.

With his back to a wall and the line of soldiers facing him, their
rifles grounded by their sides, Uncle Billy's face turned chalky, and
he trembled.

But, as the sergeant approached with a bandage for his eyes, the old
negro regained his composure.

For the last time he drew himself to his full height; imperiously he
waved the sergeant away, and his eyes met the gaze of his executioners
unflinchingly.

"Ready!" came the voice of the sergeant.

"Take aim!"

"Fire!"

Without a murmur, Uncle Billy slid gently to the ground, his body riddled
with bullets.

The sergeant hurried to his side, and placed a hand over his heart.
As he did so, the body of the old negro twitched, and he made an
effort to rise.

The sergeant caught the faint sound of his voice.

"I'se a-comin', massa; I'se a-co--" came the old voice in a low whisper;
and Uncle Billy's body fell back inert.

The sergeant straightened up, and lifted his cap from his head.

"He is dead!" he said softly.




CHAPTER VIII.

IN TROUBLE AGAIN.


All night long the four companions continued their way without adventure.
Twice they saw lights of nearby towns, and upon each occasion they bore
farther away from these signs of habitation.

The first gray dawn streaked the eastern sky before they drew rein at a
little brook, where they sat down to rest for a few moments, and to allow
their horses to quench their thirst.

"How far do you suppose we have come?" asked Hal.

"I don't know," replied the Frenchman; "but we have covered
considerable ground."

"Do you think we are out of danger?"

"We are never out of danger as long as we are in Germany," put in the
lieutenant. "We may be safe from pursuit, but we are not out of the woods
yet, by any means."

"How long should it take us to get out of the country?" asked Chester.

"With luck, five days."

"Well, let's hope for luck, then," said Hal. "I have had enough
excitement to last me for a long time to come."

"Same here," declared Chester.

They remained in their retreat for some time, and then, mounting, moved
forward once more. An hour later they succeeded in purchasing breakfast
at a farmhouse. As all were draining their second cup of coffee there
came from without the sound of galloping. The four jumped to their feet.

"What's that?" cried Chester, in alarm.

"We'll see," replied the young lieutenant briefly, and stepped to a
window. The others also advanced and peered over his shoulder.

"Looks to me like a body of Black Hussars," remarked Captain Derevaux.

"And so it is," said the lieutenant, as the horsemen drew closer to the
farmhouse.

"Do you suppose they are looking for us?" queried Chester.

"I do not think so. It's hardly likely they have heard of our escape
from Stettin."

"Had we better remain here and trust to their passing by, or shall we
make a run for it?"

"I believe we had better stay here. They may not stop."

And, indeed, it seemed that the lieutenant's prophecy would prove
correct.

The squadron came on without checking their speed; but, just as they
swept by the farmhouse, a squad of a dozen men, headed by an officer,
detached themselves from the main body, and headed toward the house.

"We are in for it again," remarked Hal, and drew his revolver.

"Put that away!" exclaimed the young captain quickly. "One shot and the
whole troop will be on us!"

Hal dropped his weapon back into his pocket.

At that instant there came a loud knock at the front door.

The good housewife hastened forward to answer the knock, but was
intercepted by the Frenchman.

"Do not answer!" he commanded.

The woman stared at him aghast.

"Why," she exclaimed, "it is probably my husband. He is a cavalry
officer, you know," and she smiled, and made as if to pass.

But the captain again blocked her way.

"Nevertheless," he said, "I must ask you not to go to the door."

The woman gazed at him a moment in astonishment; then a queer look passed
over her face.

"I see!" she exclaimed. "You are spies!"

With a scream she evaded the captain and rushed to the door.

"Come!" cried Captain Derevaux, his effort having failed. "I guess we
shall have to make a run for it!"

"Out the back door!" exclaimed Lieutenant Anderson, and the four ran
through the house, went down the steps three at a time, and rushed toward
their horses in the stable nearby.

Hardly had they leaped into their saddles and dashed from the stable,
when the woman and a German officer appeared in the back door of the
farmhouse, while from around the house came the dozen troopers afoot.

With a shout the riders charged directly at them, bowling the soldiers
over on all sides, and for a moment it looked as though they might make
their escape.

Then a shot rang out, and Chester's horse stumbled and went to his knees.
Chester was flung from his saddle, over his horse's head, and struck the
ground with stunning force. He lay still.

Hal leaped to the ground and stooped over Chester. The captain and the
young lieutenant pulled up their mounts.

As Hal tried to lift Chester to his feet, a second shot was heard, and a
bullet whistled over Hal's head. Hal dropped Chester to the ground, and
drew his revolver.

He turned his face toward the enemy.

"Come on!" he shouted, his eyes flashing, "I'll drop one or two of you
before you get me!"

But at that moment, the lieutenant's voice rang out.

"Don't shoot!" and Hal stayed his hand.

At the same instant, Captain Derevaux and Lieutenant Anderson raised
their hands in token of surrender; and it was well that they did so, for
by that time the entire body of troopers had their rifles leveled.

To have missed at that distance would have been impossible, and the
lieutenant had realized it.

"Throw your weapons on the ground," came a command, and the captain and
lieutenant obeyed.

Hal made as if to raise his revolver again, and the rifles of the
troopers were turned on him.

Again the lieutenant called:

"Don't be a fool. Throw that gun down!"

Hal obeyed.

The officer in command of the troop approached and spoke:

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Travelers," replied Lieutenant Anderson.

"Where are you going?"

"Brunswick."

"Why did you run at our approach?"

The lieutenant made no reply.

"Well," said the German officer, after a pause, "if you are bound for
Brunswick you will get there all right That is our destination."

Captain Derevaux and Lieutenant Anderson had dismounted, and by this time
Chester had recovered consciousness.

Calling two of his men, the German officer ordered the four companions
bound. Then Chester's saddle was taken from his wounded horse and put
upon another, which was brought from the stable. The four companions were
assisted to the backs of their animals, and the troop proceeded forward,
the prisoners in the center.

The country through which they now traveled was rough and hilly, and
rapid progress was impossible. From time to time they passed detachments
of troops hurrying in the opposite direction. They did not overtake the
main body, of which their captors were a part, until they reached
Prenzlau, where the troop was quartered.

There the prisoners were led before the commanding officer, Colonel
Waldstein. Lieutenant Anderson spoke.

"Colonel," he said, "I am Lieutenant Anderson, of the British army, and
this," indicating the young captain, "is Captain Derevaux, of the
French army." Then, pointing to Hal and Chester: "These two boys are in
no way concerned in our affairs, and I hope that you will see fit to
release them."

"How do they come to be in your company, then?" asked the colonel.

The lieutenant explained the circumstances.

The German officer was silent for some moments, meditating. Then he
turned to an aide.

"Summon Lieutenant Schmidt!" he ordered.

Presently an old soldier entered the general's quarters and saluted.

"Lieutenant," said Colonel Waldstein, "take these two lads," indicating
Hal and Chester, "and quarter them in your home. You may remain here," he
told the boys, "until I have made inquiries and learned what to do with
you. You are so young that I can hardly believe you are spies."

"Thank you, colonel," said Lieutenant Anderson.

"But, as for you two," continued Colonel Waldstein, speaking to Captain
Derevaux and Lieutenant Anderson, and his voice grew grave, "the fact
that I have found you within our lines in civilian attire would justify
me in having you shot at once. But I shall not dispose of your cases
until we reach Brunswick, for which place we leave to-night by train. You
may have valuable information. I shall turn your cases over to my
superiors."

Hal and Chester shook hands with their two friends.

"I don't know why you should do this for us," said Hal; "but we
appreciate your self-sacrifice more than we can tell you."

"Indeed we do," agreed Chester.

"That's all right, boys," replied the lieutenant. "Now, take my advice,
and make no further efforts to get out of the country until you are given
a safe escort, which, I am sure, will be within the course of a week."

"That is excellent advice," agreed the young captain. "To get through the
country now is practically impossible, as we have proved."

"But what will they do with you?" asked Hal.

The Frenchman shrugged his shoulders.

"Shoot us, I suppose."

Up to this moment the colonel had not interfered with the conversation,
but now he called a halt.

"That's talk enough," he declared. "Take the prisoners away."

Hal and Chester followed the old lieutenant from the tent.

"Good-by, good-by!" they called to their two friends, as they passed out.

"Good-by," was the response; "remember our advice."

The lieutenant escorted the boys some distance into the town, then
turning into a lane, marched them into a yard, in which, far back, sat a
large frame house.

"This is my home," he said; "and as long as you stay you will be welcome.
My wife is fond of boys, and will be glad to see you. You will have the
freedom of the grounds, but remember, any attempt to leave the town
without a permit probably will end in your being shot. Take my advice and
don't try it"




CHAPTER IX.

A NEW FRIEND.


"Frau Schmidt is certainly a nice old lady," said Chester.

"She certainly is," agreed Hal. "If it wasn't for the fact that I
wanted to get out of the country so badly, I wouldn't mind spending a
few weeks here."

"Nor I; and Fritz is a likable fellow."

"He sure is."

The boys had spent two days in the Schmidt home when this conversation
took place. In Frau Schmidt they had found a lovable and motherly woman,
well along in years.

She had made them welcome from the first, and had set before them the
best she had. Their room was next to that of her son, Fritz, a young man
probably six years older than Hal.

Now, Fritz was of a mechanical turn of mind, and all day and well into
the night he was at work in his shop behind the house. From bits of
conversation, the boys gathered that Fritz was engaged in the task of
building an aeroplane, and they were greatly interested.

The fact that no one was allowed in Fritz's workshop unless he
accompanied them, and the additional fact that at night two soldiers were
stationed at the door at first caused the boys some surprise. However,
Fritz had explained:

"You see, the government has taken over all aircraft in process of
construction, no matter how crude and amateurish, and has appointed a
commission to investigate all patents. Of course, it was known that I
was building an airship, and, as a result, I am working under
government orders.

"If my craft should come up to expectations it will mean a great deal to
me, and I probably shall either be put to work building more, or, better
still, be made a member of one of the aeroplane corps."

"Yes," said Chester again, "Fritz is a fine fellow. Do you suppose his
aeroplane will be a success?"

"I don't know. For his sake, I hope so. As he says, it means a whole
lot to him."

"So do I. And I will bet Fritz would be of great help to his country. He
is a pretty shrewd chap."

"You bet he--Hello! What's that?"

A sudden cry had come from the direction of the kitchen, and the sounds
of a struggle followed.

"Come on!" shouted Chester. "Somebody is in trouble!"

The two boys ran madly around the house.

Dashing through the door into the kitchen, a terrible sight met
their eyes.

Huddled into a corner was Frau Schmidt, and over her, with a naked
knife, stood a man, ragged and unkempt. A second man was ransacking the
drawers of a dresser in the room beyond. The boys could see him through
the open door.

Just as they dashed in the door, the man with the knife snarled in a
low voice:

"Give me the key to the workshop, I tell you. We mean business!"

"You mean business, do you!" shouted Hal, striding toward him.
"Well, so do I!"

The man turned at the sound of Hal's voice, and, with upraised knife,
awaited the lad's attack.

"You cowardly ruffian!" cried Hal, "to attack a defenseless old woman!"

As he spoke, he leaped upon the man, dodging the blow the latter aimed at
him with the wicked-looking knife. Before the latter could recover his
balance, Hal seized the arm that held the knife.

A sharp twist and the knife went spinning across the floor. Both leaped
for it, but Hal was quicker than his opponent, and placed his foot upon
the weapon. With a snarl the man sprang upon him.

Chester had entered the room upon Hal's heels; and, as his friend jumped
for the first intruder, Chester rushed at the man in the next room. The
latter heard him advance, and, stepping back, picked up a chair, which he
brandished over his head. Taking a rapid stride forward, he swung his
improvised weapon at Chester's head.

Chester avoided the blow with a quick, backward leap, and the chair was
smashed to fragments against the door. Then Chester jumped forward and
closed with his opponent.

With a rapid movement he placed his knee behind the other's leg and
pushed suddenly. The man went over backward, with Chester on top of him.
As the intruder fell, his head came into contact with the sharp
projection of the bureau, and when he struck the floor he lay still.
Chester rose to his feet.

As Hal's opponent sprang toward him, the lad stepped in close and
delivered a stinging short-arm blow over the other's heart. He staggered
back, and, as Hal took another step forward, Chester, having disposed of
his adversary, threw his arms about the man from behind, and bore him to
the floor, where both boys piled on top of him.

While the three were struggling on the floor, a voice from the doorway
exclaimed:

"What is going on here?" and Fritz rushed into the room.

He took in the situation at a glance, and, rushing forward, lent a hand
in subduing the boys' opponent.

The struggle was over quickly, and, seizing a strong rope, which hung
from the wall, Fritz soon had the two men safely bound. Then he turned to
his mother, who still sat huddled on the chair, where she had been when
the boys entered the room. The excitement had been too much for her, and
she had fainted.

She was soon revived, however, and, when she was strong enough to sit up,
jumped to her feet, and, throwing her arms around Hal, kissed him loudly.
Then she turned her attention to Chester, and repeated the operation.

"My preservers!" she cried, laughing and crying at the same time. "Fritz,
but for these two boys your old mother would now be dead."

Rapidly and somewhat incoherently she related what had occurred, and
Fritz was no less warm in his praise for the actions of the two boys.

"Those men are undoubtedly spies," he declared. "They most certainly had
designs upon my biplane, which they evidently knew had been completed. I
shall turn them over to the military authorities."

He left the house, and in a few moments returned with a squad of
soldiers, who took the assailants in charge. Fritz explained to the
officer how the two men had been captured, and the German officer
complimented the boys highly for their prompt action.

After the two prisoners had been led away, Hal bethought himself of the
remark Fritz had made concerning his biplane.

"Do you mean to say your aeroplane is ready for use?" he asked.

"Yes; I am going to make a short flight this afternoon. Would you care to
watch me?"

"Would we!" exclaimed Hal. "You can just bet we would!"

"All right, then; come on."

The two lads followed Fritz to his workshop. Inside the boys approached
the large aircraft, which rested lightly on its wheels at the end of the
speedway. The huge planes which served as wings stretched out on either
side like two great box kites, while underneath the aviator's seat the
gearing could be plainly seen.

The aviator looked at the machine with great pride, and spoke of the
improvements he had made in the propellers and in the system of power
transmission. He explained to the boys that, by this direct system, he
had gained twenty per cent more velocity; and, now that the war had
begun, he hoped to be able to prove this to the army experts.

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