It occurred to Pariset that, so perfect was the German organisation, the
army besieging Liege might be informed within a few minutes of this
audacious raid upon one of their transport trains. He therefore swept
round in a wide circle southward, in order to approach the city from the
south-west.
Both he and Kenneth were deeply impressed with the enormous westward
movement of troops and transport which they saw in their flight. The
country beneath them seemed to be alive, like an anthill; with this
difference, however, that although there were cross currents the general
movement was all in one direction. Such might have been, in days long
past, the migrations of the Huns or of the Kalmuck Tartars.
Over the Meuse, which wound like a silver streak four thousand feet
beneath them, there appeared to be a number of pontoon bridges. Every
road was a continuous stream of moving objects. Far away to the right
they heard at times, above the whirr and hum of the engine, the dull
boom of heavy guns; and now and then patches of white and yellow
appeared in the air as from nowhere, spread into fantastic shapes, and
finally thinned away.
They had just passed over the little town of Verviers, and were bearing
away to the west-south-west, so as to pass round Forts Embourg and
Boncelles, when the engine suddenly stopped. It had behaved well in
their previous excursions, and had been thoroughly overhauled before
they started. There was only one thing to be done: to make a vol plane
and land as best they could. The aeroplane was very high, and there was
plenty of room, but little choice of a landing place. Pariset worked
the controls for a long spiral descent, and came down in a field between
a wood and a highroad, which he believed to be the main road between
Liege and Luxemburg.
There was no traffic at this spot, and they at once began to examine the
engine.
"The plugs are choked," said Pariset after a few moments. "Luckily it's
only a five minutes' job."
"Hadn't we better wheel the machine round the corner of the wood?"
suggested Kenneth. "We don't know but that some Germans may come up at
any moment."
"Come along then," said Pariset.
But they had hardly moved the machine three yards when they heard the
clatter of hoofs, and a patrol of Uhlans came dashing round a bend in
the road. Neither hedge nor dyke bordered the field, and the Uhlans
rode straight across it towards the aeroplane.
"We are in for it!" said Pariset, hastily adjusting his bandage. "For
goodness' sake try to bluff it out."
Kenneth went hot and cold; his brain seemed paralysed; and when the
Uhlans reined up a few yards away he had cudgelled his wits in vain for
something to say. A lead was given him by the lieutenant in command.
"Do you want any help, Herr Captain?" he said. "I saw you come down
suddenly, and guessed there was something wrong."
"Thanks; it is a mere trifle," replied Kenneth somewhat breathlessly.
"Two of the sparking plugs need cleaning. In five minutes we shall be
up again."
He bent down to assist Pariset, who had turned his back and was
unscrewing the plugs.
"Have you been hit?" asked the lieutenant, noticing the bandage.
"No, luckily; he ought to have gone to the dentist long ago, but
couldn't bear the idea of losing a moment at a time like this. A
swollen jaw is very painful; you can't eat with any comfort. The only
thing to do is to bandage it tightly. But he'll have to go to the
dentist."
"You're not attached to the 4th army corps, are you? I haven't noticed
you among our airmen."
"We are on special service," said Kenneth, feeling that matters were
getting warm in spite of the officer's apparent freedom from suspicion.
"You'll excuse me, won't you? we are anxious to get to Liege."
"Certainly."
He watched the two men at their work, remarking that it was a very dirty
job.
Meanwhile one of the troopers had been edging his horse close to the
aeroplane. Pariset, out of the corner of his eye, noticed him looking
at it critically. He bent down to examine one of the planes, gave a
grunt of satisfaction, and glanced at his officer, as if wondering
whether he might venture to address him directly. Concluding that this
might be a breach of discipline, he backed gently towards the
Wachtmeister--the sergeant-major through whom he might communicate with
the lieutenant without being snubbed.
This by-play escaped the notice of Kenneth, who was half-turned towards
the lieutenant. That officer, having satisfied his curiosity about the
nature of sparking plugs, bade him good-bye, saluted, and gave the order
to ride on. The patrol moved away before the trooper had finished his
communication to the Wachtmeister.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Pariset whispered:
"One of those fellows suspects something. If they ride back before we
have got these plugs in place we must bolt into the wood."
While speaking he kept his eye on the Uhlans without rising from his
stooping posture. They were only a hundred yards away when the
Wachtmeister rode alongside the lieutenant and spoke to him. The
officer gave the order to halt, reined up, and wheeled his horse.
"Get your revolver ready," whispered Pariset.
He reached for one of the smallest bombs, and fitting a short fuse
prepared to light it from the petrol lamp.
The lieutenant was not yet riding back. He had taken out a pocket-book,
and was consulting one of its pages. Pretending to be still busy with
the engine, the airmen watched him anxiously. The Wachtmeister called
up the trooper, who, sitting his horse stiffly, saluted, and spoke in
answer to a question from the lieutenant.
"He's got a description of the aeroplane," whispered Kenneth.
"Yes--probably circulated to every patrol," said Pariset. "Run for dear
life if he comes this way."
As he spoke the lieutenant shut up his pocket-book, and began to canter
back.
"Now!" said Pariset, lighting the fuse, and laying the bomb swiftly but
gently behind the engine. Then, taking care to keep the aeroplane
between them and the Uhlans, the two dashed towards the wood, about a
hundred and twenty yards away.
The majority of the patrol, having received no order, had not turned
their horses, nor even ventured to glance round. Only the lieutenant,
the Wachtmeister, and the suspicious trooper had seen the flight of the
airmen during the first few seconds. But now the lieutenant shouted an
order, the men wheeled round, and galloped after their officer, who dug
his spurs into his horse and dashed after the fugitives, followed
closely by his two troopers.
He had plucked out his revolver, but the aeroplane stood between him and
the airmen, running like sprinters towards the wood. Swerving to the
left to get a clear field of fire, the lieutenant discharged all its
chambers one after another on the chance of a lucky shot. But the
fugitives, having made the most of their start, were out of range. They
gained the outer fringe of trees and plunged in, the lieutenant being
then about thirty yards behind them. He had drawn his sword. His men
were strung out at short intervals in his rear.
There was not much cover at the edge of the wood, and the airmen dashed
on towards the spot where the trees grew more densely, Pariset leading
by a few yards. By the time he reached it, Kenneth heard the
lieutenant's horse pounding the turf almost at his heels. It seemed
that in a second or two he must be ridden down. With instant decision
he dived to the right behind a large tree. The lieutenant, unable to
check his horse in time, galloped past, shouting to his men to catch the
spy. Kenneth took a flying shot at him, missed, and rushed after
Pariset, who at the sound of the shot turned and fired at the
Wachtmeister, now only a few yards behind his leader. There was a howl.
Neither of the airmen stayed to see the effect of the shot. They plunged
into the brushwood, which grew more and more densely as they proceeded,
and was more closely set with trees.
"They can't ride through this," Kenneth panted as he overtook Pariset.
"They would be swept from their saddles."
"Yes; we're as good as they on foot; we are safe for a while. Did you
hear the bomb?"
"Rather: it went off all right; the Taube must be blown to atoms."
The pursuing horsemen, on finding themselves checked by the undergrowth
and the trees, flung themselves from their saddles. They lost a few
minutes in tethering their horses, so that when they pushed on on foot,
the fugitives had been enabled to penetrate deeper into the wood.
"I hope they'll give it up soon," said Pariset, hearing the troopers'
movements in the rustling and crackling undergrowth. "To rout us out
they must beat the wood thoroughly."
"It's lucky they're only a patrol and not a whole squadron, or they
might encircle the wood," responded Kenneth in the same low tone.
They went still farther among the trees, moving as quietly as they
could. It was soon evident that they were being followed up. Every now
and then they heard the same sounds of movement, and shouts in different
directions behind them. Apparently the Uhlans were scattering to beat
the wood systematically.
"Our uniforms account for their perseverance," Pariset remarked. "The
Germans don't scruple to wear Belgian uniform, or to dress as civilians;
nothing makes them more angry than that we should do the same."
"And they know it was their own Taube, purloined at Cologne," said
Kenneth. "You may be sure they are particularly incensed at that."
"We are outstripping them," said Pariset a few moments later. "The
sounds are fainter."
"The question is, what shall we find at the other side of the wood? If
open fields, we shan't stand a dog's chance against their rifles.
Perhaps we had better dodge about among the trees."
"With the risk of tumbling up against one! No, we had better go
straight on."
Again they pressed forward in silence. The sounds behind them grew
still fainter, but they became aware in a few minutes that the number of
their pursuers had increased. There were more voices, distributed over
a wider area.
"The regiment has come up, I fancy," said Kenneth. "Very likely some of
them will ride round the wood. We're in a tight corner, Remi."
"Hurry on, man. Our one chance is to be first out."
From the continual diminution of the sounds it was plain that the Uhlans
were moving with great caution. No doubt they feared an enemy in every
bush. The fugitives, on the other hand, pressed on as fast as they
could, guarding against a circular course by means of the small compass
which Pariset wore in a strap on his wrist.
After a quarter of an hour's hot exertion they came suddenly to the
farther edge of the wood. The country immediately in front was open and
level, dotted about with single trees and small clumps. In the distance
they saw a farmhouse, and still farther away, a picturesque chateau on
the side of a hill.
"Shall we make a run for it?" said Kenneth, as they paused a moment
before leaving the shelter of the trees.
For answer, Pariset caught him by the sleeve, and drew him back.
"Cut off?" asked Kenneth.
"Yes; a troop of Uhlans are galloping along the edge of the wood away
there to the left; nearly a mile away, thank goodness!"
"Fairly trapped!" said Kenneth, with nervous twitching of his eyebrow.
In the excitement of the last half hour their thoughts had been too busy
to give them time for apprehension. But now, with Uhlans on foot spread
out in the wood behind them, a troop on horseback approaching on their
left, possibly another on their right, they began to realise what it was
like to be hunted. They felt as if inexorable walls were closing upon
them to crush them. It would be madness to take to the open. The
impulse to turn to the right in the wood, away from the galloping
Uhlans, was dulled by the fear that a second troop had been sent to head
them off in that direction. They adopted the wisest course in such a
situation: remained where they were, some few yards from the outer
fringe of trees, and tried to think out their problem calmly.
"It will be safer to let them pass us," said Pariset presently. "They
will expect to see us emerge; let us go to meet them. Can you hear the
fellows behind us in the wood?"
They stood listening.
"No," said Kenneth. "I daresay they are stealing up quietly."
"We must keep our ears open. Now, as quickly as possible."
They threaded their way cautiously through the wood towards the oncoming
Uhlans. Very soon they heard the thuds of the horses' hoofs to their
right. Among the trees they could neither see nor be seen. The sound
ceased suddenly. Then came the muffled murmur of voices. Apparently the
Uhlans had drawn rein almost at the spot where the fugitives had
intended to break cover.
"A clever lot!" whispered Pariset. "They calculated to a yard or two
where we should be likely to come out. A good thing we turned this
way."
The Uhlans, in fact, only about two hundred yards away, had dismounted,
and leaving their horses tethered in the charge of two of their number,
had entered the wood, spread out, and begun to beat the coverts in the
direction of their comrades advancing from the farther side.
The fugitives pressed on rapidly, parallel with the edge of the wood,
hoping that they would not meet the men at the extremity of the
far-extended line. There was no sound to guide them or give warning.
Presently they ventured to draw a little nearer to the edge, where the
trees were sparser and they could move more quickly. Pariset constantly
consulted his compass. Their course was northward, in the direction of
Liege.
For twenty minutes or more they jogged on, careful not to lose their
wind. Then they discovered that the wood was narrowing, and a few more
minutes brought them within sight of its end, the apex of a triangle.
Peering out cautiously through the trees, they saw a little way ahead
the fork of two roads. That to the left was evidently the main road
near which the aeroplane had landed. That to the right must be the
byroad along which the Uhlans had ridden to cut them off. Beyond, on
either side, were open fields.
They halted in perplexity, anxious though they were to lose no time. A
false move, an unfortunate decision, and they were lost.
"If we dash across country we may be seen," said Pariset. "If we take
to the road we may meet more troops. But we can't stay in the wood. The
Uhlans will beat it thoroughly."
"Could we climb a tree and hide in the foliage?" suggested Kenneth.
"We mightn't be as lucky as your Merry Monarch," said Pariset. "The
fellows are capable of burning down the whole wood if they can't find
us. And in a very short time they are sure to draw a cordon round it.
We must get out, somehow or other. If only the roads were hedged, like
your English country roads, we should stand a chance."
They were still discussing their quandary when they heard the rumble of
an approaching cart. Looking eagerly ahead, they saw a large wagon
piled with loose hay. The driver appeared to be a Belgian peasant.
Beside him sat an armed soldier in the bluish grey German uniform. They
seemed only half awake. The two horses were plodding slowly, with
drooping heads. The appearance of men and beasts suggested that they
had been travelling all night.
There was a gleam in Kenneth's eyes as he turned to Pariset.
"Into the hay?" he whispered.
"The wagon will pass the Uhlans," Pariset replied.
"So much the better."
"But the hay may be for their horses."
"Not very likely. It must have been definitely requisitioned, and they
wouldn't dare to touch it."
Pariset pondered. A faint sound came from the depths of the wood.
"It's our only chance," he said, "but in ten minutes we may have lances
or bullets through us. A la bonne heure!"