IN THE NICK OF TIME.
Hal, at the right of the barrier, confined his attention to that side of
the road, leaving Chester to deal with the enemy rushing forward on the
left. Three times the weapon of each lad spoke, and at each shot an
Austrian fell to the ground. Firing coolly and deliberately at such
close quarters, a miss was absolutely impossible.
But the lads did not have time to fire again. The enemy was at the
barrier; but, instead of hurling themselves over it, as both lads had
expected they would, they dropped to the ground on the opposite side of
the big rocks, and there they remained.
It was indeed a peculiar situation--the enemies less than six feet
apart, separated only by a few rocks. Still the Austrians, in spite of
their losses, outnumbered the lads three to one.
Now the rocks of the barrier began to move inward toward the lads.
"Great Scott!" cried Chester. "They are trying to push these rocks over
on us. If they tumble this barrier over, we can't hope to account for
all six of them."
The lads braced themselves against the rocks; but the strength of the
two was not as great as the strength of the six. Such a contest could
have but one ending. The boys realized this as well as did their foes.
"Well," said Hal calmly, "it looks as though they had us. All ready for
a last stand, Chester?"
"All ready," replied Chester calmly.
"When I say jump," instructed Hal, "leap backward!"
Chester nodded in understanding of this plan.
"Now!" cried Hal. "Jump!"
Both lads leaped quickly backward, and as they did so, the
barrier--freed of their supporting shoulders--tumbled inward, while the
six Austrians sprawled on the ground. For a moment the lads had the
advantage and they made the best of it.
Hal's revolver spoke and one Austrian straightened out in the act of
rising. Chester accounted for another, and then both lads sprang in
close upon the foe, thus precluding the use of the foe's firearms.
Hal, grappling with two of the enemy, was giving a good account of
himself; but Chester, weak from the loss of blood, was unable to hold
his own. A blow from the butt of one of the Austrian's revolvers and he
went to the ground.
At that moment, from their rear, came the sound of rapidly galloping
hoofs. Around the bend some distance away dashed a troop of Cossacks,
Alexis himself at their head. The giant Cossack took in the situation
with one comprehensive glance and put spurs to his horse. The two
Austrians who had attacked Chester saw the advancing Cossacks, and,
turning, took to their heels.
The two with whom Hal struggled, however, were too busily occupied to
notice the approach of reenforcements and sorely, each trying to bring
his revolver to bear.
Alexis now jumped from his horse and dashed forward toward the three. He
stretched forth two mighty hands and plucked the Austrians off the lad.
Raising each high in the air, he stretched wide his arms, and then
brought them together with great force. There was a crunch as the heads
of the two met with terrific force. Then they hung limp in the giant's
hands. He hurled them from him with a disdainful gesture, and, snatching
his revolver from its holster, dropped to his knee and fired two shots
in quick succession at the two remaining enemy, who were fleeing down
the road.
His aim was true, and as the last of the Austrians bit the dust, Alexis
turned to where Chester lay and picked him up gently in his arms. From
his canteen he poured water over the lad's face and soon came signs of
returning consciousness. Then he laid him gently on the ground and
turned to Hal.
He gazed first at the lad, then at the dead bodies of the enemy and then
back to Hal.
"Hm-m-m," he said gruffly. "Quite a fight. But where would you have been
if Alexis had not arrived so opportunely?"
"Dead, I guess," replied Hal quietly. "We owe you our lives, but there
is no need to tell you that we are grateful."
"Not a bit," said Alexis. "Thanks from one brave man to another are
never necessary; but did you see how easily I disposed of those four
Austrians?"
"It was very pretty," replied Hal.
"Wasn't it?" cried the giant gleefully. "Still, it was a trifle. I
remember the time that I----"
Hal walked over to Chester's side and bent down and so did not hear the
story of Alexis' might. The giant looked sorrowfully after him for a
moment, muttered to himself and then he walked after him.
Chester now sat up and looked about. His eyes rested on the dead bodies.
"Looks like Alexis had been here," he muttered, for he had not yet seen
the giant.
Alexis heard him and his face glowed with pleasure.
"He is here," he said, stepping forward.
Chester's face lighted up.
"By Jove!" he exclaimed. "It is good to see you. We have wished several
times in the last hour that you were with us. We needed you badly.
However, you arrived just in time."
Alexis blushed like a schoolboy, for he was not used to hearing others
praise his prowess.
"Yes, I did arrive in the nick of time," he said awkwardly. "But come,
we must get away from here."
"Have you learned the strength of the enemy in the mountains?" asked Hal
a few minutes later, as they rode along down the pass.
"I learned enough to make sure that, without infantry and artillery
support, the cavalry will probably be annihilated," replied Alexis
briefly. "By a dash, we might be able to reach the plains of Hungary,
but without support we should end our days there. I shall counsel
retreat."
"But I thought you would never counsel retreat?" said Hal, smiling.
"For myself, never!" replied the giant. "But there are more lives than
mine depending upon this. Therefore I say retreat."
Alexis was as good as his word. Upon their return to the main column,
Alexis was called into consultation with the commanding officer. He
recounted what he had learned, and urged that the retreat be begun at
once.
"There are half a million men in these hills," he informed his
commander, "and they are trying to draw us on. We will be allowed to go
so far, and then they will close in on us. One hundred or two hundred
thousand, I don't mind. We could whip them with ease; but half a million
are too many for sixty thousand. If we had not outdistanced our infantry
and artillery, we might do it, but without them, no."
"Still," said the commanding officer, "I have set my heart on striking
one more blow at the enemy. Would you counsel against it?"
"I am always in favor of striking one more blow at the enemy," replied
Alexis. "I suppose I should counsel against it, but I will not."
"Good!" exclaimed his commander. "One decisive blow to the enemy in the
hills, and then we shall fall back into Galicia. Now, where are the
Austrians massed?"
"It will be extremely hazardous," said Alexis slowly, "but I guess it
can be done. Fifteen miles straight along this mountain pass you come to
a small plateau. I advanced that far myself. Encamped there are in the
neighborhood of one hundred thousand of the enemy. By a quick and silent
dash and a night attack, we may be able to deal them a crushing blow;
but even so, we must fall back immediately. Even then we shall be
greatly harassed by the foe."
"Well," said the commander, "we shall make the attack, come what may
afterward."
Alexis saluted his commander and returned to where he had left the two
lads, where he repeated his interview. Then he turned to Chester.
"It is too bad," he said, "that you will be unable to take part in the
battle."
"But I shall take part in it," exclaimed the lad. "You don't think I am
going to sit idle while there is fighting going on, do you?"
"I am afraid you cannot help yourself," replied Hal. "You will go with
the advance, of course; but you will be kept well in the rear."
In vain did Chester protest. His commanding officer overruled all of his
complaints, and at last the lad was forced to make his way to the rear
of the Russian army. All that day the army rested, and it was not until
the following afternoon that the signal was given for the advance, for
the Russian commander had so timed his movement that he would come upon
the enemy after nightfall.
It was indeed an imposing sight, these 60,000 men, able to march
scarcely six abreast through the narrow mountain pass, moving hurriedly
through the midst of the wild Carpathians. For miles they stretched out,
but they advanced rapidly, and long before night the advance guard was
within sight of the Austrian position.
This was made known to the Russian commander by his scouts; and still
out of sight, the Cossacks halted.
The pass was considerably wider here, and the men spread out somewhat.
Outposts were thrown out to guard against a counter surprise attack, and
the men allowed to lie down and rest.
The battle formation was preserved, however, and the men fell to sleep
upon their arms, each and every one ready to spring up and dash forward
at a moment's notice.
And still the Austrians were unaware of their approach.