A PERILOUS SITUATION.
"Come on, Hal. Let's stroll about a few minutes. We've lots of time
before the train pulls out."
It was Chester who spoke. Mrs. Paine and the two boys were sitting in
their compartment of the Brussels express, in the station at Berlin. It
still lacked ten minutes of the time set for departure.
"You don't mind, do you, mother?" said Hal.
"No; if you do not go too far," was the answer.
The boys descended from the car, and wandered toward the entrance of the
station. Just as they were about to step on to the street, a German
military officer swung into the doorway. Hal, who was directly in his
path, stepped aside, but not quickly enough to entirely avoid him.
With one outstretched arm the officer shoved him violently to one side,
and then stopped.
"What do you mean by blocking my way?" he demanded. "Do you know
who I am?"
Hal's temper was aroused.
"No, I don't; and I don't care," was his reply.
"Well, I'll give you something to care about," and, raising his hand, the
officer made as though to strike Hal across the face.
"Don't you strike me," said Hal quietly. "I'm an American citizen, and I
give you warning."
"Warning!" sneered the officer. "You young American upstart! I'll have
you whipped!" and he turned as though to call someone.
At that moment there was a sudden cry of "All aboard!" and the officer,
after taking a threatening step toward Hal, made a dash for the train.
"I guess that is our train, Hal," said Chester. "We had better hurry."
The lads retraced their steps toward their train. Reaching the shed, they
saw the German officer disappearing into a compartment on the train.
"That looks like our compartment to me," said Hal. "I hope we don't have
to ride with him."
"I hope not," agreed Chester, and then broke into a run, as he shouted:
"Hurry! The train is moving!"
It was true. The boys had wasted too much time.
The door to one compartment was all that stood open, and that was the one
in which Mrs. Paine could be seen gesticulating to them.
"We just made it," panted Hal, as they reached the open door, and started
to climb aboard.
At that instant a uniformed arm appeared through the door and
pushed Hal away.
"Go away, you American puppy," came a voice.
Hal slipped, and but for the prompt action of Chester, who caught him by
the arm, would have fallen beneath the train.
The train gathered momentum, as the boys raced along beside it, in vain
seeking an open door by which they might climb aboard. There was none but
their own compartment, and that had passed them. It was impossible for
them to overtake it, and there was not a train guard in sight.
The boys stopped running and stood still as the remainder of the train
slipped past.
On ahead they could see Mrs. Paine and the big German officer, both
gazing back toward them, the former gesticulating violently.
Hal stamped his foot with rage.
"I'd like to get my hands on that big lout!" he shouted. "I'd--"
"Come, come, old fellow," interrupted Chester, "never mind that, now. I
don't blame you, but you can see it's impossible. You'll have to wait."
"You are right, of course," replied Hal. "The thing to do now is to send
mother a telegram to the first station and tell her not to worry, that we
shall be along on the next train. But, just the same, I'd like to get my
hands on that--"
"Come, now," Chester interrupted again, "let's send that telegram and
find out when the next train leaves."
They found the telegraph office, and Hal prepared a message, which he
handed through the window.
The clerk glanced at it, and then passed it back.
"Can't be sent," he informed Hal.
"Can't be sent! Why not?"
"Nothing can be sent over this wire but military messages from this time
on," said the clerk.
"But we missed the train, and I want to send this message to my mother,
so she won't worry," pleaded Hal.
"I'm sorry," the clerk returned kindly, "but it is impossible. I must
obey my orders."
Hal and Chester were nonplused.
"What shall we do?" questioned Chester.
"The only thing I know to do," replied Hal, "is to take the next train
without telegraphing. Mother is sure to be at the Brussels station. I
guess she knows we have enough sense to get there."
"All right Let's find out when the next train leaves."
On their way to the ticket window, Hal stopped suddenly.
"What's the matter" asked Chester.
"Matter!" exclaimed Hal. "The matter is I haven't any money. All I have
was enough to send that telegram, and that amount won't get us to
Brussels."
Chester reached in his pocket, and a startled expression came over his
face.
"Neither have I," he exclaimed, feeling first one pocket and then
another. "I have lost my pocketbook. All I have is a little change."
The lads looked at each other in silence for several minutes.
"What shall we do?" Chester asked finally.
"I don't know what to do," replied Hal; "but we have got to do something.
I guess the best thing is to go back to the embassy and see if we can't
raise the price of a couple of tickets. I am sure the ambassador will let
us have it."
"A good idea," said Chester. "I guess the sooner we get there the
better. Come on."
The ambassador received them immediately.
"I'm awfully sorry, boys," he said, after listening to their troubles,
"but I am afraid I can do nothing for you."
"Can't you lend us enough money to get to Brussels?" asked Hal in
surprise. "You'll get it back, all right."
"Yes, I can lend it to you, and I am not afraid of not getting it back."
"Then why can't you help us?"
"The reason is this," the ambassador explained, "this morning's train to
Brussels was the last upon which foreigners were allowed to depart. The
German government has given orders that all foreigners now in Germany
must remain until mobilization is completed. So you see you are up
against it"
Hal and Chester looked at each other, and both smiled faintly.
"I see we are," said Chester.
"Now, I'll tell you what I can do," continued the ambassador. "I can let
you have enough money to keep you until such a time as you will be
allowed to leave the country; or, better still, you can come and live
with me. What do you say?"
"I'm sure we appreciate your kindness very much," said Hal, "and we
may be forced to take advantage of it. We shall look about the city
this afternoon, and, if nothing else turns up, we shall be glad to
stay with you."
"Let me hear from you before night, anyhow," said the ambassador, rising.
"We certainly shall. Come, Chester, let's go out and look around a bit."
The boys left the embassy.
The streets of the city were even more densely thronged than they had
been the night before. Thousands and thousands of people paraded up and
down--war the sole topic of their conversation.
Late in the afternoon, as Hal and Chester were walking along Strassburga
Strasse, a hand was suddenly laid on the former's arm, and a voice
exclaimed:
"I thought you boys were on your way to Brussels. How does it happen you
are still in Berlin?"
Turning, Hal perceived that the person who had accosted him was none
other than Lieutenant Anderson, and with him was Captain Derevaux.
All four expressed their pleasure at this unexpected meeting, and the
boys explained their misfortune.
"How is it you and Captain Derevaux didn't get away?" Chester
finally asked.
Captain Derevaux smiled.
"We were so unfortunate as to be recognized by a member of the German
general staff at the station this morning," he explained, "and we were
detained. But," he added grimly, "we are not figuring upon remaining in
Berlin overnight."
"What do you propose to do?" asked Hal and Chester in a breath.
"Oh, Anderson and I have a little plan whereby we shall make ourselves
scarce on this side of the border," answered the captain. "We are
planning to get out of Berlin soon after nightfall."
"How?" asked Hal.
"Well," said Lieutenant Anderson, "we haven't perfected our plans yet,
but we have an idea that we believe will take us safely out of
Germany. It may be successful, and it may not. But we are going to
take a chance at it."
"Is it dangerous?" questioned Chester.
"That all depends upon how you look at it," replied the lieutenant, with
a smile. "It may mean a fight," he added seriously, "but we are prepared
for that," tapping the pocket of his civilian coat significantly.
"Yes, it may mean a fight," agreed the French captain, "but an officer of
the French army will not shirk an encounter with these German
aggressors."
"No, nor an English officer," declared the lieutenant. "War between
England and Germany has not been declared yet, but it seems only a
question of hours until it will be."
Hal was suddenly struck with an idea. He turned to the lieutenant.
"Why cannot we go with you?" he asked. "We must get to Brussels as soon
as possible. If we wait here until after the mobilization of all the
German forces, and are unable to send a message to mother, she will be
frantic. Why cannot we go with you?"
The lieutenant was taken aback.
"Why, I know no reason," he said, "except that your presence in our
company, if ill fortune should befall us, would probably mean your arrest
as enemies of Germany. You might even be convicted as spies, and shot."
"We are willing to take any chances necessary to get us to Brussels
and put an end to mother's worries," declared Hal stoutly. "Aren't
we, Chester?"
"You bet we are," replied Chester.
The lieutenant turned to Captain Derevaux. "What do you say?" he asked.
The captain shook his head.
"It's a bad business," he replied slowly. "If we are caught it will go
hard with our young friends, I am afraid. Of course, I am willing to do
anything in my power to aid them, but this--this, I fear, is impossible."
"Don't say no," implored Hal. "Just think how mother must be worrying.
Why, we would go through anything to save her pain. Besides, you don't
expect to be captured, do you?"
The captain shook his head.
"You have a good plan of escape, I am sure, or you would not tackle it.
Isn't that so?" continued Hal.
The captain admitted it.
"Would our presence make it more dangerous for you?"
"No."
"Then, I ask you again, if you won't allow us to go with you, sharing
whatever dangers may arise. Besides," and Hal smiled, "you know that four
are sometimes better than two."
The captain reflected.
"You are right," he said at length. "If Anderson is agreeable, I shall be
glad of your company; yes, and your aid," he added, after a pause.
"I agree with the boys," said the lieutenant. "Four are sometimes better
than two, and in an adventure, such as this promises to be, four are
always better than two. I say, let them come with us, by all means."
And so it was decided. A meeting-place was arranged for eight o'clock
that night, and, with this parting injunction, the officers left:
"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.