“Say,” she directed, “that we have captured the town of V—— and that
they can come over and plant the flag.”
I must profess to a certain anxiety during the period of waiting that
followed. I felt keenly the necessity of leaving my dear Tish to capture
and hold the town alone. And various painful thoughts of Aggie added to
my uneasiness. Nor was my perturbation decreased by the reëntrance of
the lookout some half hour after he had gone out. Concealed behind
debris we listened to his footsteps as he ascended the tower, and could
distinctly hear his ferocious mutterings when he discovered that the
rope had been cut.
But strangely enough he did not call to the other man, cut off on the
platform above.
“I don’t believe there was another,” I whispered to Tish. But she was
confident that she had heard one, and she observed that very probably
the two had quarreled.
“It is a well-known tendency of two men, cut off from their kind,” she
said, “to become violently embittered toward each other. Listen. He is
coming down.”
I regret to say that he raised an immediate alarm, and that we were
forced to retire behind our sarcophagus in the cellar for some time.
During the search the enemy was close to us a number of times, and had
not one of them stepped on the nail which had served us so usefully I
fear to think what might have happened. He did so, however, and retired
snarling and limping.
I believe Tish has given nine o’clock in her report to G. H. Q. as the
time when she opened fire. It was therefore about eight forty-five when
I left the church. For some time before that the cellar across had been
filling up with the enemy, and the search for us had ceased. By Tish’s
instructions I kept to back ways, throwing a grenade here and there to
indicate that the attack was a strong one, and also firing my revolver.
On hearing the firing behind them the Germans in the advanced trenches
apparently considered that they had been cut off from the rear, and I
understand that practically all of them ran across to our lines and
surrendered. Indeed I was almost run down by three of them.
I was almost entirely out of breath when I reached our trenches, and had
I not had the presence of mind to shout “Kamerad,” which I had heard was
the customary thing, I dare say I should have been shot.
I remember that as I reached the trenches a soldier called out: “Damned
if the whole German Army isn’t surrendering!”
I then fell into the trench and was immediately caught in a very rude
manner. When I insisted that he let me go the man who had captured me
only yelled when I spoke, and dropped his gun.
“Hey!” he called. “Fellows! Come here! The boches have taken to fighting
their women.”
“Don’t be a fool!” I snapped. “We’ve taken V——, and I must see the
commanding officer at once.”
“You don’t happen to have it in your pocket, lady, have you?” he said.
He then turned a light on me and said: “Holy mackerel! It’s Miss Lizzie!
What’s this about V——?”
“Miss Carberry has taken V——,” I said.
“I believe you,” was all he said; and we started for headquarters.
I recall distinctly the scene in the general’s headquarters when we got
there. The general was sitting, and both Charlie Sands and Mr. Burton
were there, looking worried and unhappy. At first they did not see me,
and I was too much out of breath to speak.
“I have already told you both that I cannot be responsible for three
erratic spinsters. They are undoubtedly prisoners if they returned to
V——.”
“Prisoners!” said Charlie Sands. “If they were prisoners would they be
signaling from the church tower for help?”
“I have already heard that story. It’s ridiculous. Do you mean to tell
me that with that town full of Germans those women have held the church
tower since last night?”
Mr. Burton drew a piece of paper from his pocket.
“From eight o’clock to nine,” he said, “the signal was ‘Help,’ repeated
at frequent intervals; shortly after nine there was an attempt at a
connected message. Allowing for corrections and for the fact that the
light was growing dim, as though from an overused battery, the message
runs: ‘Help. Bring a ladder. They have cut the——’ I am sorry that the
light gave out just there, and the message was uncompleted.”
How terrible were my emotions at that time, to think that our dear Tish
had cut off Aggie’s only hope of escape.
The general got up.
“I am afraid you young gentlemen are indulging in a sense of humor at
my expense. Unfortunately I have no sense of humor, but you may find it
funny. Captain Sands to continue under arrest for last night’s escapade.
As Mr. Burton is a member of a welfare organization I do not find him
under my direct jurisdiction, but——”
“Then I shall go to V—— myself!” Mr. Burton said angrily. “I’ll
capture the whole damned town single-handed, and——”
I then entered the cellar and said: “Miss Carberry has captured V——,
general. She asks me to tell you that you may come over at any time and
plant the flag. The signaling is being done by Miss Pilkington, who is
at present holding the tower. I am acting as runner.”