CAPTAIN HARRY ANDERSON.
When Hal returned to consciousness he lay upon the hard ground and
Chester was bending over him. Shifting his position slightly the lad saw
what was left of his troop standing idly about. At the same moment he
felt a hand grasp his and heard a well-known voice exclaim:
"I owe my life to you, Hal. It seems that you bob up wherever you are
needed most."
Hal turned and gazed at the speaker. He was Captain Harry Anderson, of
His British Majesty's Royal Dragoons, whom the lad had last seen in the
hands of the Germans. Then the fight, the burning barn, and his
recognition of Anderson just before he had lost consciousness, all came
back to him in a flash, and he pressed the hand that grasped his.
"Lieutenant--I mean Captain Anderson!" he exclaimed. "I thought you were
safe in the hands of the Germans."
The lad arose slowly to his feet, supported by the captain's arm. He
staggered a trifle; but, after inhaling a few breaths of the cold,
invigorating air, was soon himself again.
"And I," said Captain Anderson, answering Hal's exclamation, "thought you
also were safe in the hands of the Germans."
"Well," said Hal, with a faint smile, "it seems that the enemy did wrong
to believe they had any of us safely."
"It does, indeed," the captain smiled back; "but come, tell me how you
escaped. I have asked Chester, but he has been so worried about you that
he has failed to do so."
"We haven't time now," replied Hal. "We are on a reconnaissance, and must
proceed immediately."
"It will be unnecessary," replied Anderson dryly. "I have just come from
that way and am in a position to tell you, or General French, either, for
that matter, all you desire to know."
"Are you sure?" asked Hal.
"Positive," replied the captain briefly.
"In that event," said Hal, "we may as well return, for we shall be
wasting time and possibly sacrificing men, to linger here longer."
He turned to his men. "Mount!" he ordered.
The troop sprang to the saddle. Ordering them to face about, the lad
commanded:
"Forward!"
The troop set off at a quick trot, Captain Anderson on a spare horse
riding between Hal and Chester at their head.
"Now," said the captain, "you can tell me about yourselves as we
ride along."
The two lads did so, and when he learned that the lads had seen active
service in the eastern theater of war, the captain was greatly surprised.
"And still I shouldn't be surprised at anything you do or may do," he
said. "You see I know you well."
"Come now, captain," said Chester, "tell us something of your own
experiences."
"Well," said Anderson, "I have had about as strenuous a time as you can
imagine, and I have been at the threshold of death more than once."
"Let's hear about it!" exclaimed Hal.
"You remember, of course," began the captain, "how we were captured, and
how badly I was wounded? You remember, also, that we were separated in
the German camp?"
The lads signified that they did, and the captain continued:
"All right, then. It seems that my wounds were more serious than was at
first supposed. A fever set in, and my German physician told me that I
was a dead man. I laughed at him. I told him I had too much work to do to
die yet awhile. He wanted to know what that work was and I told him it
was killing Germans. This made him angry, and--"
"I don't wonder," said Hal dryly.
"It's a wonder he didn't administer a dose of poison right then,"
said Chester.
"Yes," continued the captain, "it made him mad, and he informed me that I
might as well die, because if I didn't I would be shot anyhow."
"Shot!" ejaculated Chester. "What for?"
"That's what I asked him. He replied that I had been declared a spy, and
that I was to be put to death as soon as I was well enough to face a
firing squad. He said they didn't want to do it while I was so ill."
"Very considerate of them," commented Hal.
"Just what I told the surgeon. Well, naturally, with this sentence
hanging over my head I didn't get well any quicker than I had to. Every
day I could feel myself getting better, but I pretended to get worse. I
contracted all the ailments you ever heard of, and I was a sore puzzle to
the surgeon. He had several others look me over, but they couldn't agree
on what was the matter with me, although they did agree I was a very sick
man and had only a few days to linger on this earth. Yet all this time,
mind you, I was shamming and getting better every day."
"You must be a pretty good actor," said Chester.
"Well, I'm not so bad," replied Captain Anderson modestly. "But to
continue. I finally became afflicted with St. Vitus' dance, and later
with a queer ailment that wouldn't allow me to keep still. I'd hop out of
bed and wander about, with the surgeons or nurses on my heels, and then
I'd fall down in a fit. This continued for several days, and finally they
became tired of following me about, figuring, I suppose, that a man in my
condition couldn't go very far, anyhow."
"This was what I had been waiting for, but I didn't put the plan I had
decided upon into execution at once. I waited for a good chance. At last,
it came. The surgeon was a young chap and smooth shaven, which was lucky
for me. Also he was about my build, and there was some slight resemblance
between us. This day he was with me alone. Not a soul was present save us
two. As he turned his back to look into his medicine case, I struck him
heavily in the back of the neck.
"He toppled over without a sound. Quickly I exchanged clothes with him
and put his body in my bed, after which I picked up his case and walked
boldly out of the hospital."
"Great Scott!" cried Chester. "You had plenty of nerve!"
"Well," continued the captain, "no one interfered with me and I walked
about at will. I kept edging closer and closer to the firing line,
figuring that I would make a break for liberty at the first opportunity.
It came sooner than I expected.
"There had been a big battle, and all surgeons and nurses were rushed to
the front to look after the wounded. I went along. The battle was over,
and we immediately went forth to attend to the wounded. Again I went
along, only this time I didn't stop going. When I figured I was far
enough ahead I broke into a run.
"But I wasn't to get away so easily. A surgeon who had been near me saw
me take to my heels, and instead of attending to the wounded as he should
have done, he raised an alarm. Immediately a troop of horsemen dashed
after me. I managed to reach a little woods directly ahead of me in
safety and climbed up a tree. The Germans were unable to find me, so when
night came I descended from my perch and continued my journey.
"Soon after daylight I came upon a house, where I asked for food. I still
wore the German surgeon's uniform, and here this worked to my
disadvantage."
"How was that?" asked Chester.
"It seems that the family were Belgians, and I hadn't thought of that.
They gave me food and drink all right, but they spilled a little drug of
some kind in the drink. The next thing I knew I was bound and gagged and
was looking down the muzzle of a revolver held by a ferocious-looking
Belgian peasant. He informed me my time had come. I told him I was
English, and explained my capture and escape. He listened patiently, but
when I finished he informed me that he wasn't going to take any chances.
I had just five minutes to live, he said."
"Great Scott!" cried Hal. "That was pretty close. How did you escape?"
"More by good luck than anything else," was the reply. "There was some
kind of a noise behind the peasant and he turned to investigate. At that
moment I kicked out with my foot and the toe of my boot caught him
squarely under the chin. He went down with a thump. I don't know whether
I killed him or not."
"But how did you free your hands?" asked Hal.
"Well, I had quite a little trouble, but I managed to drag my chair over
to the fire, and held my hands over the blaze until the cord was burned."
"And didn't you burn your hands?"
"A little," was the quiet response; "but it had to be done. Then I untied
my legs and removed the gag, after which I took to my heels as fast as I
could. I didn't care for any more Belgian hospitality to one who wore a
German uniform.
"In the road I came upon a dead British soldier. I took his uniform and
discarded that of the German surgeon. I now began to feel that I was
reasonably safe, and I lay down at night and slept like a log, in spite
of the cold.
"I was awakened a little before daylight by the sounds of approaching
footsteps. I saw the marchers before they saw me, but still not quite
quick enough. They were the same men from whose hands you rescued me only
a short while ago.
"I had been confined in that hospital so long that I was still somewhat
weak and I couldn't run fast enough to get away from them. I tried, but
it was no use. Then I took a couple of shots at them, and got two or
three, I think. I'm not sure, though. Anyhow, I saw this barn ahead, and
dashed into it, figuring that I might possibly hold them off.
"When they set fire to the barn, and I realized I couldn't get out, I
gave up. I did shoot one through a crack, but a moment later a shot came
through and caught me in the side. That's the last I remember until I
returned to consciousness and learned that you had saved me."
"Well," said Chester, "you certainly have had an eventful time."
"There is no question about that," Hal agreed. "But how do you feel
now, captain?"
"Tip top. And you?"
"First rate."
The troop continued at a trot, and Hal now believed that they were out of
danger--that there was no likelihood of encountering a force of the
enemy--and turned to his friends, remarking:
"Well, we might as well--Hello!"
He broke off suddenly and checked the pace of his horse.
"What's up?" demanded Chester, doing likewise.
For answer Hal pointed down the road. A man was approaching them at
a dead run.