THE CHUMS ON A CANAL BOAT
“No need to go for Billy or to tell him what has happened,” said a
voice behind Button, “for I have heard it all.” Turning around, Button
saw Billy standing under the window.
“Billy!” the three exclaimed in one breath. “Where did you come from?”
“The town where I was to meet you. I waited and waited and at last made
up my mind that something must have happened to you, so I went back to
the hospital, or at least I got nearly there last night when I saw ten
or fifteen aeroplanes circling over the hospital. I made out that half
were German planes and half American. The Germans evidently were trying
to blow up the hospital by dropping bombs on it, and the Americans were
trying to fight them off. As I looked, I heard a terrible explosion and
by the light of the fire that followed I saw a big building go up in
smoke and flames, and as I watched I saw distinctly two human figures
outlined on the sky, flying up in the air with the débris. But when
the smoke cleared away, I saw that the hospital still stood there and
that it was the big barn they had blown up. So the two figures I saw
must have been those of the two spies who were going to try to bomb the
hospital--those whose eyes you scratched out, Button. So you see they
got their just deserts and were blown up themselves just as they had
planned to blow up others. I was so thankful to see that it was the
barn instead of the hospital that I ran straight on regardless of bombs
dropping all around me. All I thought of was to see if Stubby was still
in the hospital, and trying to save him, but before I reached there
the American aeroplanes had driven off the Germans, and I saw three of
their machines lying in wrecks on the ground, the work of the Americans.
“I went on to the hospital, and ran straight to Stubby’s ward to see if
he was there, well knowing that in the confusion nobody would molest
me. I passed the cook on the stairs and he was so excited and scared he
did not pay the slightest attention to me. When I reached your ward,
Stubby, I found your bed empty so took it for granted that you had
started to meet me and that I had missed you somewhere on the road. So
I started back, stopping at every farm I passed to look the place over
to see if I could hear or see anything of any of you. A rooster at the
next farm told me he had seen two dogs and a black cat pass their place
at sunrise five days ago. Then I knew that you were either prisoners
somewhere or I had passed you on your way to meet me. Now tell me how
it happens that you two dogs are locked in and Button still running
outside.”
Between them they told Billy all that had happened since he left them,
ending by relating how they were to be carried to headquarters early
the next morning.
“Well, I guess not! Not if my name is Billy Whiskers will you two stay
prisoners another minute. I’ll just hook the glass out of this window
and you two can crawl out and then we will make a merry chase for the
next village.”
[Illustration]
Billy did this, and as they passed the house, the soft-hearted Stubby
said to the farmer and his wife, “I am sorry to make you lose your
reward for my capture, as you have been very good to all of us. But
even for you I can’t be a prisoner just so you can get some money by
delivering me to headquarters. So _au revoir_, old friends!”
“Good-by,” meowed Button. “And may you have better luck the next time
you try to catch a black cat! Had you only remembered that black cats
are said to bring bad luck, you would not have wasted so much valuable
time in trying to capture me.”
“And many, many thanks for the good meals you gave us,” barked Duke.
Then the four passed on into the darkness and were lost to the farmer
forever.
“I think the best thing we can do,” said Billy, “is to push on to Paris
just as fast as we can, and that won’t be very rapidly, as we shall
have to travel by night most of the time and lie hidden in the daytime,
since there are so many looking for us who are sparing no expense in
advertising and searching for us. We are like regular escaped prisoners
with a price on our heads.”
“The nearer we get to Paris,” said Duke, “the harder it will be to keep
hidden, for the country is very thickly populated for miles and miles
outside the city. But an idea just flashed across my mind that, if
carried out, would get us inside Paris without much trouble.”
“What is it?” asked Billy.
“It is this: that we enter Paris by boat instead of on foot.”
“And how can we do that?” inquired Stubby.
“I’ll tell you. We will go to the banks of the river Seine, about five
miles out of Paris, and try to get on one of the flat canal boats that
run right into the heart of the city, and we might be lucky enough to
get on a boat that would pass right through Paris and continue on to
the sea, where we could embark for America, as the river empties into
the sea at a very large shipping port called the city of Havre. From
this port there are big merchant ships sailing to all parts of the
world, and we would get on one bound for America. If we could only
accomplish this it would save us all that long, tiresome walk of about
one hundred and twenty-five miles.”
“Gee!” exclaimed Button. “Your plans sound good to me! Saving a hundred
and twenty-five mile walk, dodging people, bad boys and troublesome
dogs, is worth trying.”
“I should think it did sound good!” said Billy, “and I feel quite
sure we can carry it out, for Stubby, Button and I have had lots of
experience sneaking on ocean-going vessels, steamers, and so on. We
have stolen on board a vessel going from Japan to America, and on still
another sailing from Boston for Constantinople, and another plying up
and down the Mississippi River, with others too numerous to mention. So
I guess we can manage to get aboard a slow going canal boat.”
“Of course we can!” said Stubby. “I feel like thanking you for thinking
of such a plan. It is such a good one for us all but more especially
for me with my lame leg.”
“About how far do you think we are from Paris now?”
“I should say fully twenty-five miles. But only about seven from the
river if we take a straight line to the east until we come to it.”
“Then me for the straight line to the river!” declared Billy.
“Same here!” said Button.
“And I follow wherever you lead,” avowed Stubby.
The four made such good time that by daybreak they were in sight of the
river, catching their first glimpse of it from the top of a high hill.
And joy! they saw straight ahead of them a small town at whose dock
lay a long white-and-green boat with a flat top. It was so early in
the morning that no one was astir in the town when they reached it, so
they were not molested as they ran through it straight for the boat.
When they came close to the dock they proceeded more cautiously and hid
behind boxes and barrels until they could find out what kind of people
were on the boat. But no one appearing and the dock being deserted at
this time of the morning, they decided to chance finding nice people
on board, and crept on deck. This they did easily as the owner had
neglected to pull in his gangplank before he went to bed.
“It looks as if our good angel was with us and it was intended we were
to make this trip in this way,” remarked Stubby.
“Now we must all secrete ourselves and keep hid until the boat is
loaded and pushed off shore. Then they will have to take us with them
until they reach the next stopping place, and if the worst comes to the
worst we can jump overboard and swim, for it is not far to shore and
the boat is not high above the water line.”
Billy secreted himself behind a pile of bags filled with hops, while
Stubby and Button climbed on top of them and hid themselves between two
of the top bags, and Duke squeezed himself under them in a hole made
by two of the bags which had not been packed closely. So by the time
the sun was well up and the people began to arise, they were all stowed
away as comfortably as could be.
The first person on deck proved to be a big, comfortable looking fat
man, followed by his grandson, a little fellow with curly, flaxen hair
and big, blue eyes, whom it was easy to see the grandfather fairly
worshiped.
Then three men came up from below and began fussing around on deck.
About this time the delicious odor of boiling coffee, fried potatoes
and bacon was wafted up the hatchway.
“Gee! The fumes from that cooking make me hungry as a bear!” said
Button.
“Me too!” agreed Stubby.
“And it reminds me that none of us has had a bite to eat for hours. We
were so busy getting away from our pursuers that we forgot to stop to
look for something to eat,” said Duke.
“That may smell good to you fellows, but that white clover beside the
dock, with the dew still on it, smells better to me. And when they go
in to breakfast, if they still keep that gangplank out, I am going to
come out of this hiding place, skip ashore and eat a mouthful or two
before any of the people on board are through their meal and come up on
deck again,” said Billy.
“You are lucky that you can live on grass and green things,” replied
Duke. “I wish _I_ could.”
“That is the only trouble dogs and cats have when traveling,” said
Stubby; “this matter of food. One has to steal it, or eat it raw, and
run the risk of being clubbed or stoned unless he falls in with some
one who is kind to animals and doesn’t think it is too much trouble to
feed and water them.”
“Most people seem to forget that animals have to eat and drink the same
as human beings. They know better, but they just do not think,” said
Button.
Billy did as he had planned and slipped off the boat and made a hearty
breakfast of clover and took a good drink of water out of the river.
Then he was fixed for the day if need be.
“Mew! Mew! Mew!”
“Hark! I hear a cat mewing!” whispered Button to Stubby who were close
together upon the pile of hops.
“I see her,” said Stubby. “It is only a little kitten. Sh-sh-sh! Here
comes a woman up from below with a plate of food for the kitten.”
“Kitty! Kitty! Kitty!” called the woman, looking around for the cat and
paying no attention to the mewing kitten at her feet.
“Evidently she is looking for the mother of the kitten,” whispered
Button.
As they watched, they saw a big yellow cat jump out from a pile of rope
up near the prow of the boat and walk lazily toward her. A black and
white spotted cat also came running from the opposite side of the deck.
“They seem to have a whole family on board,” remarked Stubby.
When the woman saw them coming, she set down a heaping plate of food
for them and said, “Well, lazybones,” addressing the yellow cat, “did
you catch that big wharf rat I saw run on board last night? If you did
not, you better hustle and get him if you want any more to eat from
me. I am not going to feed you anything until that rat is killed. Do
you hear me? Old Mouser has been doing all the work lately in catching
the rats and mice, and it is time you did something, for we want no
free lazy passengers on this boat. Baby,” addressing the kitten, “stop
crying and mewing around my heels. If you are hungry, eat something
on the plate. Oh, I forgot, you are too young to care for meat and
potatoes. Come with me and I will get you some milk to drink,” and she
picked up the kitten and went below.
The cats were evidently not very hungry, for they scarcely touched the
food on the plate, but walked off and left it, the spotted cat going
down the hatchway and the yellow cat back to the pile of rope up front.
[Illustration]
“Now is our chance, Stubby,” whispered Button, “before any one comes up
from breakfast!”
The two of them climbed down from the hops and made a good meal of what
the cats had left, as the woman had brought up a plate heaping full.
“Tell you what, that tasted good!” said Button.
“Indeed it did!” replied Stubby. “I did not know I was so hungry. But
I was as thirsty as the very dickens. I hate to chance going off the
boat for a drink, but I’ve simply got to have water. I think I can
chance it to run off and lap a few mouthsful before they come up and
pull in the gangplank. I am going to try it anyway. Are you coming?”
“No; cats drink very little water, and I do not feel the least bit
thirsty now.”
Stubby succeeded in getting his drink and was safely back on board
before any one appeared. But he did not have a minute to spare as his
short, stubby tail only just disappeared out of sight when all the men,
including the Captain, came on deck. Then the Captain bawled out in his
big voice for them to heave in the gangplank and cut loose. In less
than fifteen minutes the old boat was out in the middle of the river,
floating down toward Paris on the swift moving current.
“Gee, it seems good to be in a safe place once more,” said Billy,
“where one can sleep without keeping one eye open for fear of capture
or of being blown sky high by a carelessly dropped German bomb. I am
just going to sleep and sleep and sleep while on this trip and get good
and rested.”
“And I am going to do the same,” replied Duke.