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BOY SCOUTS MYSTERIOUS SIGNAL
Or
Perils of the Black Bear Patrol
by
G. HARVEY RALPHSON
[Frontispiece: The Forces Finished a Brilliant Attack]
M. A. Donohue & Company
Chicago -------- New York
Copyright, 1916
M. A. Donohue & Co.
Chicago
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I. AN UNWILLING RECRUIT
II. A FRIEND APPEARS
III. OUT OF THE FLAMES
IV. BURIED ALIVE
V. A GUARD IN DISGRACE
VI. A MYSTERIOUS SIGNAL
VII. A SUSPECTED SPY
VIII. FRUSTRATED PLANS
IX. ABANDONING A REGIMENT
X. AN EAGLE'S TALONS
XI. THE FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE
XII. TEMPTATIONS
XIII. A GREAT SURPRISE
XIV. BAFFLED PURSUERS
XV. A BIT OF SCIENCE
XVI. UNDER FALSE COLORS
XVII. ACCUSED
XVIII. PURSUIT
XIX. LESE MAJESTY
XX. CAPTURED
XXI. ESCAPED PRISONERS
XXII. HELD UP!
XXIII. TABLES TURNED
XXIV. A STERN CHASE
XXV. ESCAPE
Boy Scouts Mysterious Signal
Or
Perils of the Black-Bear Patrol
AN UNWILLING RECRUIT
CHAPTER I
"But I say it's not fair!" cried a red-headed lad, drawing himself up
to his full height. "You're not playing fair with us!"
"Ach, it is not so!" protested the one to whom the boy spoke. "We find
you an enemy in our city, and you must take the consequences!"
"Just because you wear an officer's uniform," retorted the boy,
beginning to lose his temper and gazing fearlessly into the pale blue
eyes of the other, "is no sign you know more than we do. You may think
that helmet and those stripes on your arm give you more brains than the
common run of people, but it isn't so! I say I protest!"
"And much good your protest may do you at this time and place," was the
calm answer. Then, drawing his eyebrows down until the blue eyes were
scarcely able to peer beneath them, he continued: "I, Heinrich von
Liebknecht, Captain in His Imperial Majesty's army in command of a
detachment sent forward to capture this city, have decided that it is
better that you remain with us. There is nothing more to say."
"But there is a great deal more to say!" stormed the boy.
"Jimmie," cautioned another lad, stepping forward and laying a hand on
the arm of the red-headed boy, "perhaps it would be better to say no
more just at this time. There must be some way out of this."
"Silence!" commanded the man who had called himself von Liebknecht.
"The decision has been made. I leave you now, but will return in a few
moments. By that time you will have said farewell to your friends and
be ready to accompany me for service under the Kaiser!"
The lad addressed as Jimmie could scarcely restrain a sneer as the
other finished speaking. His contempt was unbounded, and he did not
seem to be making any great effort to conceal his emotion.
Just as the door was closing behind the departing man Jimmie permitted
himself to wrinkle his freckled nose in that direction and accompanied
the gesture with a motion indicative of great disgust and contempt well
known to many.
The scene was one unusual in the extreme. Four young boys were
standing in a room from which the ceiling had been partly removed by an
exploding shell from a cannon. They were in one of the houses that had
only partly escaped destruction during the bombardment of Peremysl by
the Germans on that memorable first day of June, 1915.
Three of the boys were about eighteen years of age and wore the
well-known uniforms of the Boy Scouts of America. The eldest, Ned
Nestor, was slightly older than the others and wore insignia that
denoted his rank as patrol leader of the Wolf Patrol, New York City.
Jack Bosworth and Harry Stevens stood beside Ned, their uniforms
slightly the worse for wear, due to the extremely active experiences
they had just undergone. These boys were members of the Black Bear
Patrol of New York City, and were fast friends of Ned Nestor and his
red-headed chum, Jimmie McGraw, the fourth member of the group.
Just now Jimmie was not wearing the Boy Scout uniform. Instead he was
dressed in the uniform of a Russian Cossack, and this was the immediate
reason for the controversy that had arisen between the boy and the
German officer. Those of our readers who have followed the adventures
of the boys as related in previous volumes of this series, and
particularly that entitled "Boy Scouts with the Cossacks, or Poland
Recaptured," will at once recall the exciting circumstances that
resulted in Jimmie's donning the Cossack uniform and the reason for the
presence of the four boys in Peremysl at this time.
Jimmie seemed to be too much overcome by his emotion at what he
considered rank injustice to be able to carry on rational conversation.
"I tell you, Ned," he sputtered, "just because I happen to have on some
clothes a little different from others they needn't think I'm any
different myself! I'll fix his clock, all right!"
"Don't forget about using slang, Jimmie!" cautioned Ned, half laughing.
"But you see the German officer, von Liebknecht, is really more than a
little bit right at that."
"How's that?" inquired Jimmie in astonishment.
"They say clothes don't make the man," replied Ned, "but in a great
many cases clothes are like one's reputation--they play an important
part in other people's estimate of us. In this case, for instance, the
Germans have just captured this city from the Russians. You are
discovered wearing a Russian Cossack uniform, and they naturally and
almost excusably conclude that the wearer of the uniform is a subject
of the country it represents."
"Oh, I see," slowly replied the lad, nodding his red head.
"Yes, Jimmie," put in Harry Stevens, "you see it pays to 'Be Prepared,'
just as our motto says. We never can tell just when we'll be required
to depend upon our reputation or our uniform for a favorable opinion
from those who see us or hear of us."
"That's all very well," interrupted Jack Bosworth, "but how are we to
get Jimmie out of this predicament? General or Captain von Liebknecht
seems to think that he's going to make a German soldier out of Jimmie
just to keep him out of harm's way, and I don't like it."
"Perhaps we can find some of the other uniforms or clothes of some sort
for Jimmie to change into," suggested Harry eagerly.
Ned shook his head in a despondent manner.
"I'm afraid that wouldn't work, boys," he said presently. "We would
only be caught at it and all tried for spies, and maybe find ourselves
in a worse predicament than we now are. Perhaps the German officer
will listen to reason when he returns."
"Yes," scorned Jimmie. "Perhaps the sun will shine at midnight, or
water will start running uphill, or something like that will happen!"
"You don't seem to have much faith in the German ability to change the
mind?" inquired Jack. "Maybe this fellow'll be different."
"No, sir!" pursued Jimmie gloomily. "The average German is a pretty
decent fellow in a great many ways, but when it comes to changing his
mind--why, it 'can't be did,' because it's impossible."
"Hush!" commanded Ned. "Here he comes. I'll talk to him."
But, though Ned endeavored by every art of conversation at his command
to influence the German Captain to change his mind, that individual
insisted that since Jimmie had been found in the captured city wearing
the uniform of a Russian Cossack he must be treated as one. The only
alternative he would admit was that Jimmie must give evidence of his
claim that he was not a Russian by enlisting in the German army.
"So," decided the German, "you haf been to riding horses accustomed.
Goot. You shall now ride a horse for der Kaiser, und," he added
meaningly, "you shall do it vell. You may now say goot bye to dese
odder poys und come mit me. Der oath ve vill administer."
Several soldiers fully armed, standing about, stepped forward at the
Captain's signal. Placing themselves between Jimmie and his chums,
they advanced, fairly compelling the lad to accompany them.
Thunderstruck at the proceedings, but unable to render any assistance
to their comrade, the three lads watched Jimmie disappear through the
doorway. Then, as they were left quite alone, they turned to one
another with an air of dejection.
"What shall we do, Ned?" inquired Jack presently.
"Yes, Ned," put in Harry, with something very like a catch in his
voice, "let's have your ideas. You are always ready with some
suggestion in an emergency. What shall we do?"
"In the first place, boys," answered Ned, "I'm mighty glad to hear you
ask questions like that. It shows me that you are ready for action
instead of wanting to sit down and give way to despair. I'm ready for
action this minute if I could only decide what should be done."
"I move we hunt around and find some guns and go hold that bunch of
Germans up and take Jimmie away from them!" said Harry impulsively.
"Do you suppose the Captain will make good on his threat of making
Jimmie enlist in their cavalry regiment?" asked Jack, ignoring Harry's
suggestion. "If they do, can't he slip away some night?"
"What if he does?" inquired Harry. "Where would he slip to, and where
shall we get to help him? It seems to me that every minute counts now.
If they get him into a cavalry regiment they'll want to be on the move
right away. At times like these, with Germany fighting the whole of
Europe, they can't afford to let a regiment remain idle."
"That's very true," nodded Ned thoughtfully. "Germany has won a
victory over Russia, and that may relieve some of her forces in the
east, at least temporarily, until Russia gathers enough of an army to
make another assault. In that case they might send the cavalry
regiment toward the western front in Prance or Belgium, where Germany
is meeting the French, English and other troops."
"Do you think they will make Jimmie go along and fight the allies?"
questioned Jack. "If they do that, he may get killed."
"Perhaps that would suit the German Captain as well as anything else,"
observed Ned. "It would save him the trouble and responsibility of
ordering the red-head shot immediately."
"Then in that case," continued Jack, "I second Harry's motion and hope
it is carried unanimously. Let's get busy and get the boy."
"I think you are right," agreed Ned. "Now, if we can have some plan of
action we'll be able to make more headway than without it."
"Right you are, Scout Master!" cried Jack. "What is your plan?"
"Well," began Ned, glancing at his comrades, "it seems almost too bold
a thing to try just at first thought, but I can't think of anything
better than to try to get away from this place in the Eagle, and then
watch our chance to kidnap Jimmie from those fellows."
"A fine idea!" was Harry's almost cheerful response. "Ned, there's
nothing too bold to try once, anyway. Maybe we can get Jimmie out of
their hands. If we ever do--"
Harry's clenched first, which he shook at the door out of which the
Germans had led Jimmie, spoke more eloquently than his unfinished
sentence. Plainly he was ready for action.
"Let's slip out of here while we have a chance," suggested Ned.
"Just the thing!" agreed Jack. "It's the best time we'll ever find.
The incoming army is pretty busy just now and won't see us."
With one accord the three lads moved toward the door. Ned glanced
around the partially wrecked apartment in the hope of discovering
something that would be of use to them in their endeavor to help Jimmie
escape. An object in one corner caught his attention.
As Ned stepped forward to examine the object he had seen, he was
startled to hear a cry from Jack, who had been looking from a window.
"Look!" cried the boy, pointing toward the street. "They're actually
making Jimmie take an oath of enlistment!"
Quickly joining Jack, Ned and Harry saw Jimmie standing in the street,
surrounded by German soldiers wearing the uniforms of Uhlans. Directly
behind the lad stood one of the soldiers with the muzzle of a gun
pressed against Jimmie's back. Before him an officer stood, apparently
administering some form of oath. The three boys could see Jimmie's
lips move in response to the prompting of the officer.
Directly the ceremony was ended and the soldiers turned as if preparing
to mount their horses, standing near.
"There's a bunch coming back to this house!" declared Jack.
"Wonder what they want?" mused Harry in a puzzled manner.
"I think they have decided they want three more recruits!"
"Good night!" was the lad's startled ejaculation. "Let's go!"
"Come over here," directed Ned, springing toward a corner of the room.
"I think I've found something that will help us out."