A RACE FOR LIFE.
Hal and Chester walked slowly along the road. It was just beginning to
grow light and the lads were tired out. All night they had been on their
journey toward Louvain, carrying a second communication to General Givet
from the Belgian commander at Liège.
Unlike their previous trip, the country now was known to be overrun by
Germans, and their second mission was much more perilous than had been
their first. For this reason they had taken a different route, and so did
not pass the farmhouse where Chester had been wounded some days before.
"What is that ahead?" asked Chester suddenly.
Hal strained his eyes, peering into the distance.
"I don't know," he replied.
They continued their advance, and suddenly Chester exclaimed:
"Why, it looks like an old-time provision wagon."
"So it is," replied Hal; "I wonder what it can be doing here?"
As the boys drew nearer they perceived their surmise had been correct. A
dilapidated old wagon it was, standing beside the road. To it were
hitched two mules. There was not a soul about.
"I thought these things had gone out of date," said Hal, indicating the
wagon. "It looks like an old prairie schooner."
"It certainly does," answered Chester. "The only reason I can account for
such a relic being in use is that every available vehicle has been
impressed into service."
"I suppose that is the reason, but it certainly reminds me of the wild
and woolly days we have read about in America. If this is not a
regulation prairie schooner, I never saw one."
And indeed it seemed that the lads were right. The wagon was covered
with a canvas top, which came down over the back, leaving a little
opening in the rear.
"What is the reason we can't get in this thing and ride?" asked Chester.
"I can see none," was Hal's reply. "We might as well do it. Then, too, we
can make better time."
Accordingly the lads climbed in, and soon were riding slowly along the
road. When about five or six miles from Louvain, Hal, glancing behind,
saw three horsemen approaching.
He grabbed Chester by the arm.
"Look there!" he said, pointing.
"Germans, by George!" exclaimed Chester, who was driving, and he
immediately started the mules on a dead run.
"Hold on," said Hal; "maybe they are Belgians."
"No, no," replied Chester. "I know they are Germans!"
"Well," replied Hal, "I am going to see," and, stepping out on the
footboard and holding to the side of the wagon, he looked back over the
top of the wagon. The horsemen were closer now, and Hal could make out
their uniforms.
"They are Germans, aren't they?" asked Chester.
"Yes," replied Hal, "and they are coming like the wind!"
"Well," said Chester, "maybe we can get away. You do what fighting is
necessary, and I'll do the driving."
"All right," said Hal. Crawling back in the wagon, he drew his two
revolvers, and in response to his command, Chester turned his two pistols
over to him also.
Hal had hardly reached his place at the back of the wagon when Chester,
between yells to the mules, cried out:
"How far off are they now, Hal?"
Hal answered him as well as he could, and Chester renewed his lashing of
the mules and his yelling.
Once more Chester inquired the distance between pursued and pursuing,
but, before Hal could answer, two shots were fired from behind,
accompanied by a shouted command to halt. The bullets from the rifles
passed through the wagon between the two lads, but did no damage; and
almost instantly the Germans charged down on them. Three shots rang out
as they passed the wagon, but the boys were not touched.
The Germans passed on, and then, circling back, prepared for another
charge. Hal had fired at them several times, but, owing to the bumping of
the wagon, his shots had not found a mark. But, if the bumping of the
wagon had spoiled his aim, it had probably saved the lads' lives, for it
made accurate shooting by the Germans impossible.
Down came the Germans again, shooting as they passed by. And again the
boys were unharmed. Hal and Chester were now yelling at the top of their
voices--why, they never knew.
Hal, crawling to the back end of the wagon and, looking out, saw the
Germans ready to charge down on them again. One man, however, was jogging
along close behind the wagon, his revolver held in his hand.
As Hal looked out, the German stopped his horse and fired. Hal dodged
back sideways. The bullet whizzed through the hole in the canvas in the
rear, grazed Hal's head, and struck the back of the seat near Chester.
Chester did not even turn, but, with cries and blows, continued to urge
the mules on.
As quick as he could, Hal rushed to the hole and fired at his opponent,
but failed to hit him. At the same instant another bullet came through
the side of the wagon, and struck his revolver, and the weapon fell to
the road. Hal dodged back inside.
Then the Germans bore down on them again, firing into the wagon as they
passed it. Hal sprang to the front of the wagon. One German had stopped
and was taking aim at Chester. Hal raised his revolver, and, taking a
snap shot, fired. The bullet went true, and the German fell to the road.
"I've hit one of them, Chester!" called Hal.
"Bully for you!" came back the response, and Chester continued to ply his
whip on the backs of the galloping mules.
Once more the remaining two Germans turned and came back, but this time
they did not fire as they passed the wagon. Hal rushed back to the rear
of the wagon and looked out.... One German rode close behind and to the
right of the wagon.
Bracing himself, Hal quickly stuck his revolver through the hole, but
before he could fire, the German flopped over on one side of his horse,
and all that could be seen of him was his arm around the animal's neck,
and from the knee down, one leg.
Hal did not fire, but waited for him to come up--he could almost hit the
horse's head with his hand, so closely was he running. Suddenly he saw
his enemy's hand move, and he dodged back just in time. A bullet sped
past his head.
Up came the German, and Hal stuck his revolver through the hole, and,
without taking aim, fired. The ball struck the German in the breast, and,
with a cry, he threw up his hands, and toppled from his horse.
"I got another one, Chester!" cried Hal.
"Good!" came the reply, but Chester was too busy to say more.
The bullet with which Hal had disposed of the second German had been his
last, and the boys were now without firearms.
Along they bowled, and once more the last German passed the wagon. He had
learned the boys were without weapons. But the German now had also
disposed of his last cartridge, so the lads were on even terms.
Suddenly Chester called:
"He is crowding the mules off the road!"
It was true. The pursuer was riding close to the mules, trying to push
them from the road. The animal on the near side was jumping frantically
and gradually pushing the other mule toward the edge of the road.
The German kept close to the mule, in spite of several attempts Hal made
to scare him off by pointing his empty revolver at him. The German
refused to scare.
Grasping the side of the wagon, Hal took the revolver by the barrel and
hurled it at the German. The latter tried to dodge, but it was too late.
The revolver struck him in the face, and he fell to the ground.
He was up in a moment, however, and, picking up his sword, was soon in
the saddle again; and a moment later the mules again were being crowded
off the road.
The German was within striking distance, but Hal had nothing with which
to hit him. His other empty revolvers had already been thrown.
"Hit him with the whip!" he cried to Chester. "Hit him with the whip!"
Chester, suiting the action to the word, simply diverted one of the blows
intended for the mules, and struck the German fair across the face.
The whip had a knot on the end of it, to keep it from unraveling, and
this knot hit the German in the eye. The German dropped his sword, put
his hands to his face, and rubbed his eyes; then, putting spurs to his
horse, he made off rapidly over the road which they had come.
The boys now caught the first glimpse of the town of Louvain, and the
glad sight of Belgian troops could be discerned--the outposts
guarding the town.
Chester let the mules slow down.
"That was some ride," he declared.
"You bet," was Hal's answer. "I thought we were gone that time, sure."
"Well, let's get out and walk the rest of the way," said Chester. "I have
had enough of this riding to last me a lifetime. The wagon jolted so much
I must be black and blue all over."
Chester stopped the mules, and the boys climbed to the ground; and, just
as they started to resume their walk, Hal sank suddenly to the ground!