A FRIEND IN NEED.
"What do you suppose is going to happen now?" asked Chester breathlessly.
"It's too deep for me," replied Hal. "I can't imagine what he
wants with us."
"But who is he? That's what I would like to know," demanded Chester.
"I haven't the faintest idea, but he must be someone of importance."
"Oh, he's important enough, all right. You noticed his command was
obeyed."
"Well, I guess we shall find out in good time who he is," returned Hal.
The lads were taken to a large hut in the center of a great camp. The hut
was luxuriously appointed, and it was plainly evident that the man who
had saved them was one of the foremost of the huge German host.
The general himself had not arrived yet. But, after a long wait, he came
in, alone. He motioned their guards away, and then turned on the boys
with a scowl.
"Do you remember me?" he demanded.
The two lads nodded affirmatively. They were, for the moment,
beyond speech.
"And I remember you," went on the general. "You," he continued, pointing
to Hal, "are the American upstart who almost knocked me over in the
station at Berlin. I said I would have you whipped. Well, my time has
come. Now, you just sit quiet," he said loudly, as Hal and Chester took a
step forward. "I will write out your sentence right now," and he turned
toward a table.
"I won't be whipped!" cried Hal to Chester. "They will have to kill
me first!"
The general paid no attention to this remark, but continued to write in
silence. Finally he arose, with a paper in his hand.
"Here is your sentence," he said, turning to Hal. "Read, and see what you
think of it."
Hal took the paper the general extended to him. As he read an expression
of amazement passed over his face.
Hal passed the paper to Chester without a word, and, as Chester read, he
also grew amazed. And no wonder.
For what the general had written was a safe-conduct for both lads to the
Belgian lines; and the signature at the bottom was that of General Count
Von Moltke, commander-in-chief of all the German armies!
Hal stepped forward.
"General," he stammered, "we--I--we don't know how to thank you."
The general raised a hand and said gruffly:
"Never mind that." The faint shadow of a smile flitted over his stern
countenance. "I suppose," he continued, "that you are wondering why I do
this, after what occurred in the station at Berlin. It is so, is it not?"
"It is very strange," muttered Chester, and Hal nodded his head in
assent.
"Well, I'll tell you," said the general. "You remember when I pushed you
away from the train?" he queried, turning to Hal.
Hal nodded.
"When I turned round after that, feeling greatly pleased with myself, I
noticed, for the first time, the presence of a lady in my compartment.
She looked at me in the greatest contempt. It confused me; and I am not
easily confused.
"Then she told me that she was your mother, and, you may believe, berated
me most wonderfully. She didn't cry, nor go into hysterics, which made a
great impression on me. Most mothers would. I felt decidedly
uncomfortable.
"I realized that I had acted like a boor. We had gone some distance, but
I had the train stopped and backed into the station. You were not there.
I telephoned your ambassador. You had been there and gone. We were unable
to find you.
"I prevailed upon your mother to continue her journey to Brussels. I
issued an order to all my generals to keep a lookout for you and give you
safe-conduct into Belgium. It seems, however, that none of them
recognized you, or that you kept out of sight.
"I promised your mother I would get you out of the country in some way,
and she was greatly relieved. She knew I would do it. That's all there is
to the story. Now, I don't know what you lads were doing when you were
captured, and I don't want to know. If you are mixed up in this war in
any way, I don't want to know anything about it; but, if you are, take my
advice and go home to America. As I say, I don't want to know what you
have been doing since you left Berlin. It might force me to change my
attitude. I promised your mother I would get you out of Germany, and I
shall do it."
Hal and Chester were greatly surprised by this recital, and both boys
thanked the general as well as they could.
The general stepped to the entrance of his hut, and raised his hand. An
officer entered and came to a salute.
"I have given these two lads safe-conduct into the Belgian lines," said
the general. "See that they get there in safety."
"Yes, general," said the officer.
The general turned to the two boys.
"You would better go now," he said.
He extended his hand, and both boys grasped it heartily.
"Good luck to you," he called, as they followed the officer from the hut;
"my regards to your mother."
And that was the last the boys saw of the commander-in-chief of all the
armed hosts of Germany.
Straight through the great German camp the officer led the boys swiftly.
At the farthest outposts he halted, and signaled another officer.
"Lieutenant," he commanded, "take a flag of truce and escort these
boys to the Belgian lines. They have been given safe-conduct by
General Von Moltke."
The officer saluted, and the boys followed him. Under a flag of truce
they traversed the distance between the Belgian lines.
Out of danger at last, the two lads hastened to the quarters of
the commanding general, and reported. The general was genuinely
glad to see them.
"I had about given you up for lost," he said. "But you have arrived in
the nick of time. A concerted German advance is expected momentarily, and
without the reply you have brought we would have been at a great
disadvantage."
Their mission successfully completed, the lads now hunted up Captain
Derevaux. They found the young captain in his quarters. He jumped up as
the two boys entered, ran hurriedly forward and greeted them effusively.
"Believe me, I am glad to see you again," he exclaimed. "I had made
certain I would never see you alive."
"Oh, we are hard to get rid of," replied Hal, with a smile. "I guess
we'll continue to stick around for some time yet."
"Well, you don't know how glad I am to see you back safely," continued
the Frenchman. "But come in and tell me all about your journey."
For a long time the three talked; and then Hal bethought himself to ask
concerning the situation in Liège.
"We are expecting an attack in force at almost any minute," explained the
young captain; "and we are prepared to give a good account of ourselves.
In spite of the fact that we are sure to be greatly outnumbered, there is
no doubt that we can hold the forts. Of the city itself, I am not so
certain, although these Belgians will fight to the last.
"Everything that can be done to strengthen our position has already been
done, and all we can do now is to wait for the attack that must come
soon. Already the German forces have delayed longer than had been
anticipated, but every hour of delay makes our position that much
stronger.
"British troops have been landed in France, and French and English both
are hurrying to the support of the Belgians. It is impossible for them to
arrive in time to take part in the coming fight, but it is the plan of
the Belgians to delay the German advance as long as possible. Believe me,
the Germans will find the Belgian defense such a stumbling-block as they
have not counted upon."
"There is no question that they will fight to the last?" asked Hal.
"Not the slightest," was the reply, "Their resentment of the violation of
Belgian neutrality knows no bounds. They will fight to the last drop of
blood in them."
"Then I suppose the battle of Liège will be one of the bloodiest in
history," declared Chester.
"Undoubtedly," replied the captain; "and, if I mistake not, it is only a
matter of hours until it begins. The troops are sleeping on their arms,
and at the first word of a German advance the entire Belgian army will be
hurled into the battle."
"Do you really believe the Belgians will be able to check the
German advance?"
"I do. These great steel forts are practically impregnable. They can
successfully withstand the fire of the big German guns for weeks; and for
the Germans to try and take them by storm will mean annihilation. But a
successful charge would put the city proper into their hands."
"But in that event is there any likelihood of the forts surrendering?"
"I think not. In fact, I am positive of it. But come, boys, we have
talked enough, and it is getting late. I guess we would better turn in.
There is no telling when we may get to sleep again."
Accordingly, almost fully dressed, the three threw themselves down, and
soon were fast asleep.
To Hal and Chester it seemed they had hardly closed their eyes when they
were rudely awakened. It was the sound of a cannon that had aroused them,
but for the moment they could not tell what it was.
The boys sat up and rubbed their eyes sleepily. Outside it was light. The
gray dawn crept through the entrance, dispelling the shadows of the
darkened hut.
"What was it?" cried Chester.
And, even as he spoke, it came again, the heavy boom of a single huge
cannon, followed almost immediately by the crash of thousands upon
thousands of rifles. The machine and rapid-fire guns broke loose with
their leaden messengers of death, and a bugle sounded:
"To arms!"