A BIT OF SCIENCE
As Jimmie announced the willingness of the two lads to accompany the
German forces he was looking straight at Dave. The lad from the
Northwest thought he caught the slightest tremor of Jimmie's eyelid,
but was not positive. However, acting on the assumption that he was
correct and that Jimmie had some purpose in declaring in so positive a
manner his intentions, Dave thought best to offer no remonstrance.
With senses keenly alert the two boys watched closely the actions of
the group of officers and soldiers about them.
Their stay in this place would be short, for it would not take long to
change engines and have the troops moving westward again. A second
section of the train was following closely. The boys knew that no time
would be lost by those in charge of the movement of troop trains.
Therefore they were especially anxious to discover some means of
escape, if possible. None, it seemed, presented itself.
Hedged round by a ring of soldiers who were fully armed, the boys could
see others at a short distance patrolling the station grounds. An open
space of some considerable area was occupied just now by small groups
of soldiers who had left the train by permission and were walking about
for exercise. Electric lights were mounted on poles to give
illumination to the grounds.
The Kaiser and his party again resumed their interrupted progress
toward the rear of the train, leaving an officer with the boys.
"What are they waiting for, Jimmie?" asked Dave, peering about.
"Search me," replied the red-headed lad. "They've got the engine
coupled on, I guess, and I'm ready to go."
"Do you mean to go all the way to Verdun?" asked Dave anxiously.
"Not on your photograph done in oils," responded Jimmie with more vigor
than elegance. "We shake this bunch as soon as a chance comes!"
"Right-o!" was Dave's rejoinder. "That's what I say, you know."
"I don't know where the other boys have gone by this time, but it's a
cinch that they won't stray far from the line of railroad if their
gasoline holds out. If we can drop off between stops we can signal
them and maybe they'll find us. It ought to be easy."
"You jolly well keep up your spirit," said Dave admiringly. "I rather
think, don't you know, that I'm fortunate in finding you boys. It'll
be something to remember when I get back home."
"Thanks," returned Jimmie. "It's a good thing we can say the same. It
isn't often we meet up with fellows as full of grit as you."
"I haven't done anything at all yet," replied Dave modestly. "In fact,
I only made a bally mess of what I attempted. But you wait--"
"Listen!" commanded Jimmie, interrupting what Dave was about to say.
"I'm listening, don't you know," replied Dave.
"What do you hear?" asked The Wolf, with his head on one side.
"Why, bless my heart, it sounds quite like the exhaust of a motor. Now
I wonder what it can be. It's a petrol motor, too!"
"I know what it is!" Jimmie almost cried out loud. "It's an airship!"
"Can it be the boys coming back after us?" questioned Dave doubtingly.
"That doesn't sound like the exhaust from the Eagle," protested Jimmie
with a shake of his head. "She's got a dandy muffler."
Others of the party beside the train were now observing the noise that
the lads had noticed. An officer dashed across the open space on which
the soldiers were exercising. Running up to the group in which the
Kaiser walked, he saluted gravely and reported the circumstance.
Nearer and nearer came the sound. At length it appeared directly
overhead. Looking up, the boys could faintly make out a great gray
form at some distance above the train. For an instant only it
appeared, to vanish the next instant in the darkness. The clamor of
the motors, however, was not diminished.
"He's going to land near here," whispered Jimmie, grasping Dave's arm
in his excitement. "We'll soon see who and what he is."
The boy's prediction was correct. For a short time the aviator circled
about the station, evidently searching for a suitable place in which to
make a landing. In another moment it was seen clearly that he intended
to land as near the station as possible.
Of all the observers none was more interested than the two Boy Scouts
so strangely thrown into the company of this train load of fighting men
and their emperor. Jimmie was the first to discover the pilot's
intentions. Grasping Dave's arm, he dragged the other a short distance
away from the spot, to be clear of the descending plane.
A switch engine was bringing up a coach to attach it to the rear of the
train. The coach was evidently intended for the use of the Kaiser, for
it was stopped exactly opposite the little party surrounding him.
At a signal from the man whom the whole German army worshipped the
engine moved the coach a short distance down the track while the
emperor and his staff gave their attention to the daring aviator.
"Geewhillikins!" exclaimed Jimmie breathlessly. "Those fellows better
look out a little or they'll get run over!"
It truly appeared as if this contingency were about to occur, for the
soldiers made no attempt to clear the tiny parade ground. Instead they
waited for the approach of the speeding plane.
In another moment the machine was upon the ground and running along
upon its wheels. Many willing hands grasped portions of the framework
and assisted in bringing the machine to a halt.
Before the task of stopping the aeroplane was fairly accomplished the
pilot had leaped from his seat. He approached the group of officers
about the Kaiser with rather unsteady steps and gravely saluted.
The salute was returned by the entire party, who then stood at
attention. From the center of the party the Kaiser stepped forward.
A few short, brisk sentences were exchanged between the Kaiser and the
stranger who had descended so precipitately from the sky.
"Gee!" exclaimed Jimmie in disgust. "They're talking German, and I
can't understand it at all! What rotten luck!"
"Hush!" responded Dave. "I'm getting a word now and again. Perhaps I
can make out what it is the chap is reporting."
"If you can understand that awful bunch of noises they call a language
you're going some!" declared Jimmie, half to himself.
"Just a moment now," said Dave. "He's unburdening himself of a long
talk about the movement of some troops, I take it. Now he is saying,"
the boy went on, "that he has seen or some one has seen a strange
aeroplane near here. It is supposed to be one of the French machines
that has somehow got past the lines and is scouting."
"Let him report that stuff all he wants to," was Jimmie's comment in an
uninterested manner. "We should worry a lot about that!"
"But suppose it is the Eagle he has sighted?"
"Ah!" was the lad's quick ejaculation. "It can't be the Eagle."
"Why not?" asked Dave. "Isn't it entirely possible?"
"Well, come to think of it, you are right. It might be the Eagle he
has seen and is reporting. What can we do to stop him if he should
take a soldier or two with him now and start out to plug the little old
Eagle and her crew full of bullet holes?"
"I can't imagine, you know," was Dave's puzzled reply, "unless we
prevent his getting away at all. I don't see how that is to be done.'"
A sudden resolve came to the red-headed lad as he pondered over the
situation. Glancing quickly about to observe whether the two were
under surveillance, he drew from his pocket several small objects.
"Stay just about here, Dave," he said. "I'm going over to the machine
and see what I can do to fix it so they can't run very well. If I'm
successful it may mean that we can save the boys on the Eagle. If I'm
caught at it I'll take part in a little shooting-fest myself, and I'll
act the part of the shootee. Keep your eyes peeled, and if anyone
comes this way put me wise by whistling."
"Don't try anything rash, now," was Dave's remark at this statement.
"If they catch you doing tricks to their machine it'll go hard."
"I'm going to take a long chance," Jimmie answered, with the peculiar
setting of his jaws that his comrades had learned so well to understand
meant a resolve that nothing could swerve. "Keep your eyes open."
"But, I say," was Dave's further objection, "it won't do any good to
drain his gasoline. There's likely a supply right here and he can
reload in a few minutes. Use all your caution, Jimmie!"
"All right, I'll use all my caution and something else," was the answer
as the lad moved slowly toward the aeroplane, as if to casually examine
the rigging out of a boy's natural curiosity.
For some moments Dave stood fairly torn by his emotions. He was
fearful that Jimmie would be discovered meddling with the mechanism and
that the consequences of such discovery would be dire.
Glancing alertly from side to side, the lad stood at his post in a
fever of excitement. He strove to keep his hands from trembling. His
knees seemed scarcely able to support the weight of his body.
Presently the group of officers about the Kaiser seemed to have
questioned the aviator to their complete satisfaction, for several
turned and walked down the track toward the coach waiting for the use
of the Kaiser. Others walked briskly away across the parade ground,
while the aviator himself and the Kaiser walked together along the
track toward the aeroplane that had brought the man to earth.
Dave was about to signal Jimmie that danger was near, when he saw that
the lad was coming back. So interested were the aviator and his
auditor in the conversation that was going on that they apparently did
not notice the boy leaving the vicinity of the machine.
Jimmie joined Dave with an air of extreme boredness.
"What did you do, Jimmie?" asked Dave breathlessly.
"I fixed his clock, all right!" was the answer. Jimmie pointed to one
of the electric lights swinging from a pole not far away.
"See that electric light?" he asked. "Well, that's the greatest
invention of man. Without it the whole world would lose lots of time."
"What has that to do with the aeroplane?" asked Dave wonderingly.
"Nothing. I just wanted to get your mind off the subject. You're
trembling like a leaf," answered Jimmie. "If they see you it'll be a
dead give-away. Can't you stop shaking so? What's the matter?"
"I'm going to stop. I was just thinking about what would happen to you
if they saw you at the machine. I'm all right now."
"You'd better be. If they start any questions, just remember that you
never saw an aeroplane nor a Boy Scout in your life."
"There he is now," said Dave, pointing toward the machine.
"He's going to try to make a start," said Jimmie. "But for goodness'
sake," the boy went on, "get your mind off it. Look away."
By this time the aviator had reached the machine and was preparing for
another flight. Willing hands had been stretched forth from the crowd
of soldiers who had but a moment before ignored the machine entirely,
and the plane was turned about and headed away from the station.
A preliminary explosion or two from the motors announced to all that
the aviator intended leaving the place. Other explosions rapidly
succeeded the first. Then came a silence. The aviator was examining
his machine, evidently seeking for the cause of some trouble.
The exhausts of his motor had been regular, but something had gone
wrong, and he was trying to locate the difficulty.
Presently he again started the engine in an effort to warm it up.
Becoming impatient at his failure to readily locate the cause of the
uneven running of his motor, the aviator turned on full power.
For an instant the clatter of the motor drowned all other sounds.
Throughout the roar of the exhaust the sharp ears of the two boys could
discover a strange vibration that told of trouble.
Before they could again turn to examine the aeroplane that had been
wheeled along the ground for some distance, there came a crash,
followed by a rending, tearing sound. Then all was still again.
As Jimmie and Dave turned they saw the aeroplane lying a wreck, torn by
its own propellers.