PRISONERS
"Now what do you think of that?" Hal muttered to himself. "Must be a
German tank, I guess. Seems to know when it gets home. Well, what
now, Hal?" asked Chester.
"You know as much about it as I do," said Hal grimly. "See all that
merry gang outside dancing around us? Guess we'll have to surrender.
We can't fight with nothing to fight with."
"You're right, Sir," said one of the men. "No use staying here and
being blown up when we can't fight back."
As the occupants of the tank so far had made no signs of complying with
the German demand for surrender, bullets were still being rained upon
the tractor. Hal now took a handkerchief from his pocket, put it on
the end of his empty revolver, and poked it through the porthole.
A cry of triumph went up from the outside, and the firing ceased.
Chester threw open the door of the armored car, and, with Hal and the
four members of the crew, got to the ground. An officer approached
them and saluted.
"You are my prisoners, Sir," he said.
"So it seems, captain," said Hal with a smile. "Well, it can't be
helped now."
He passed over his empty revolver, the only weapon he possessed.
Chester followed suit. The members of the crew had no arms. They had
discarded their rifles when they entered the tank.
"I shall conduct you to Colonel Hertlitz," said the German captain.
"Come."
The four followed the German officer far back into the German lines,
where the officer ushered them into a tent where sat a German officer
whose insignia proclaimed him a colonel of infantry.
"These are the men who manned the armored car, sir," said the captain.
"Take the men and lock them up safely," was the reply. "Send my
orderly to attend me while I converse with these officers. See, too,
that the captured car is made safe."
The captain withdrew and the colonel's orderly entered, and stood at
attention. The four Canadian members of the tank's crew were ordered
to the rear, but for the night they would be kept in the lines behind
the trenches.
"You are brave young men," said the colonel to Hal. "I watched you
advance into our army single-handed. At the same time, it was a fool's
trick--or a youngster's."
"We're not so brave as you would think, sir," said Hal with a slight
smile. "Neither are we such fools. We would gladly have turned about,
but the thing wouldn't work; neither could I stop my engine."
"Oh-o! I see," said the colonel. "I took your deed for an act of
bravery, and for that reason I had planned to have you particularly
cared for, so it was only an accident, eh? Orderly, have these fellows
locked up with the others."
"We're officers in the United States Army, sir," Hal protested, "and,
as such, are entitled to treatment as becomes our rank."
"You are American pigs!" was the angry response. "So American troops
are really in France, eh? I never believed they would come. America
is a nation of cowards."
Hal took a threatening step forward.
The German did not move from his chair, but called to his orderly:
"Take them away."
A moment later a file of soldiers entered and Hal and Chester were
escorted from the colonel's quarters. An hour later they found
themselves in a tent behind the German trenches together with the four
Canadians who, such a short time before, had formed the crew of the
tank that had advanced single-handed into the German lines.
"You went and spoiled it, Hal," Chester muttered when they were left to
themselves again.
"Well, I was just trying to be honest. They say 'honesty is the best
policy,' you know."
"That's all right," said Chester, "but you don't have to go around
telling how honest you are."
"I'll admit I put my foot in it," Hal a I greed. "But here we are, six
of us, captured by the enemy with the chances that our days of fighting
are over."
"Never say die," said Chester. "We've been in some ticklish places
before now and we're still alive and kicking."
"We'll hold a council of war," Hal decided. "I don't know your names,"
he said to the Canadians, "but I take it you'll all be glad to get out
of here if possible."
"You bet," said one. "I've no hankering for a German prison, sir."
"Good! Now what are your names?"
"Crean, sir," said the man who had spoken.
"Yours?" said Hal, turning to the next man.
"Smith, sir."
The other two men admitted to the names of Jackson and Gregory.
Hal then introduced Chester and himself.
"This is not the first time we've been captured by the enemy," he
explained, "and we've found that because escape is looked upon as such
a remote possibility, it is much simpler than in days when wars did not
cover so much territory as the whole world."
"We're with you in anything you decide, sir," said Smith. I
"You can count upon us to the finish," Crean agreed.
"I was sure of it," said Hal quietly. "Now, we'll take stock. Of
course, we've no weapons."
"Nothing that looks like one," Chester agreed.
"The first thing, then," said Hal, "is to secure weapons. Makes a
fellow feel a bit more comfortable if he has a gun in his hand."
"Or even a sword, or a knife, sir," said Gregory.
"Well, I'm not much of a hand with a knife," Chester declared. "I have
been slashed a couple of times, but every time I think of a knife being
drawn through my flesh it makes me shudder. Now, a gun is another
matter."
"I agree with you, Chester," said Hal. "However, if we can't get guns
we won't turn down knives if we can get our hands on them."
"Right you are, sir," said Gregory. "Now, I've lived long enough in
the northwest to realize the value of a good knife when I get my hands
on it. A weapon is a weapon after all, sir."
"Only some are better than others," Smith interrupted.
"We won't argue about that," said Hal, "since we have decided that the
first thing we need are weapons. Of course, that means that first we
must have one weapon. One will mean others. Now, I'll suggest this:
I'm no pickpocket, but someone will come in here directly to give us
food or something, and I'm no good if I can't, relieve him of a gun or
a knife, providing I get close enough to him."
"And then what?" demanded Chester.
"One thing at a time, old man," said Hal. "We'll have to leave most of
this to chance."
"Anything suits me," Chester declared. "Listen, I think someone is
coming now."
Chester was right. A moment later the officer to whom the lads had
surrendered entered the tent. He greeted the lads with a smile.
"I've heard of your treatment," he said. "I won't presume to criticize
my superior officer, but I just want to say that I admire your bravery
no matter what brought you into our lines."
"Thanks," said Hal. "We appreciate it. I suppose I should have kept my
mouth shut, but I guess it won't make any difference in the long run.
What will be done with us, do you suppose?"
"Well, you are prisoners of war, of course," was the reply. "You'll
probably be sent to a prison camp until peace is declared--and nobody
knows when that will be."
"You're right on that score," said Hal. "Oh, well, I guess we should
consider ourselves fortunate that we are prisoners rather than dead
soldiers."'
"And yet you don't," said the German with a smile.
"Well, no, that's true," Hal admitted. "'I just said we should."
"I must be going now," said the young German, "So I'll say good-bye. I
hope I may see you when the war is over."
"Thanks," said Chester.
He extended a hand, which the German grasped. Hal pressed close to the
man's side with extended hand, which he offered as the German grasped
Chester's fingers.
As the lad stood close to the German, his left hand stole forth
cautiously, and dropped to the revolver which the German carried in a
holster at his side.
He removed the weapon so gently that the German did not feel his
touch. Quickly Hal slipped the revolver into his coat pocket, and then
grasped the man's hand as Chester released it.
"Good-bye," he said quietly. "I'm sure I second your wish."
The German bowed and left the tent.
Chester turned to Hal and said in a low voice:
"Get it?"
Hal nodded.
"You bet!" said he.