A FIGHT FOR A BED.
With a word to the sergeant to order an immediate retreat, Hal crossed
the room and shook His Lordship roughly.
"Get up!" he shouted.
His Lordship opened one eye sleepily.
"What's that?" he demanded.
"Get up!" repeated Hal.
"Not on your life," said His Lordship slowly, and closed his eyes again.
"Quick!" shouted Hal. "We must retreat! A whole German regiment is about
to attack us."
"All right," came the reply, and His Lordship did not take the trouble to
open his eyes.
Once more the lad shook him roughly, and Chester added his voice.
"Get up out of here," he commanded sharply. "A German regiment is upon
us."
"I don't care if it is the whole German army," replied His Lordship, with
some heat--and it was the first time in his life that he had ever been
aroused--"they won't get my bed."
"I order you--" Hal began.
But His Lordship calmly shut his eyes, turned on his other side, and went
peacefully to sleep.
"Now, what do you think of that?" demanded Hal of Chester.
"Well," said Hal, "there is nothing we can do. It's up to us to save our
own skins. We have done the best we can for him."
He stepped to the door and Chester followed him. They looked about for
some sign of their men, but the latter had gone, and Hal, Chester and His
Lordship were left alone in the house.
"We might as well make a dash for it," said Hal. "Come on!"
He stepped from the door, but, as he would have started ahead, something
whistled by his head. He started back with an exclamation, and, jumping
back into the house, closed the door.
"Too late," he said briefly.
For a moment he stood listening.
"What are we going to do?" demanded Chester.
Hal considered.
"Follow me," he said at length.
He led the way beyond where His Lordship was sleeping, and, swinging
himself out of a rear window, quickly clambered into the house next door.
"Maybe they won't look for us here," he said. "Then, when they have gone,
we can escape."
"Maybe," said Chester dubiously, "but I don't think so."
The boys approached the front of the house and looked out the window,
taking care to keep out of sight from the street. But just then there
came a sound of a shot.
"Wonder what that is for?" asked Hal.
He peered through the window. At the far end of the street he beheld a
squad of German troops gazing toward the house they had just left.
"Guess they are afraid we'll take a shot at 'em if they rush us," said
Chester. "They don't know we have left."
At that moment, from the house they had so recently quitted, there came
the sound of a shot. A German soldier tumbled in his tracks.
The enemy was just beyond the town, and the others, instead of rushing
forward when their companion hit the ground, scattered and took refuge
behind the nearest possible shelter.
Another shot rang out from the next house, and a second German trooper,
who had exposed his head for a moment, toppled over.
"Great Scott!" exclaimed Chester. "That's pretty good shooting, if you
ask me. Wonder who's doing it?"
"There is not much question about that," said Hal dryly. "That is His
Lordship, fighting for his bed."
"By Jove!" cried Chester. "I'll bet that's just who it is."
The lads were right.
No sooner had they left the room in which His Lordship lay asleep than he
arose and peered forth. His eyes fell upon the Germans in the distance.
His Lordship muttered to himself: "Why can't they let a man sleep?"
It was at that moment that one of the Germans, thinking to draw a fire
from whoever chanced to be in the house, fired through the window. The
bullet whistled close to His Lordship's head and moved him to action.
"Shoot at me while I'm trying to take a nap, will you?" he said to
himself. "Well, if you want my bed you'll have to come and take it."
He reached for his rifle, which stood near the bed, and, dropping on his
knee at the window, brought it to bear upon the first German. A crack
and a puff of smoke and the Teuton was no more. A second one met the
same fate.
These were the two shots whose effect the lads had witnessed from the
house next door. Now His Lordship calmly left the window and dragged the
bed right up against it. Then he climbed in and lay down flat, still
keeping his hand upon the rifle, which protruded through the window. As
he glanced over the sights he rested.
Several German bullets crashed through the window and sped above his
head; but to these he paid no heed, nor did he fire until he drew a bead
upon a vital spot of some German. Then there would be a sharp crack and
the result would be one enemy less.
Hal and Chester also were able to pick off an occasional enemy when one
happened to expose himself. But the Germans became more cautious now.
"It's only a question of time until they get us," said Hal quietly.
"Certainly they will not allow us to remain here and pick them off
like that."
"True," replied Chester. "But I guess we'll be able to pick off a few
more before they get us."
From the next house came a hail in His Lordship's languid voice:
"You fellows hold 'em off a little while," it said. "I'm going to
take a nap!"
"Great Scott!" exclaimed Chester. "Do you hear that?"
"Oh, I heard it, all right," replied Hal, and he was forced to smile a
little to himself.
There came no further shot from the next house, even when a German
exposed himself. Had His Lordship been on guard he could have picked him
off with ease.
"He's asleep, all right," said Hal briefly. "We need look for no
help there."
But in this the lad was mistaken, as he was soon to learn.
The silence from His Lordship's station evidently had caused the
Germans to believe that one of their bullets must have gone home, for
they came into the open and appeared to be ready to make a dash upon
Hal and Chester.
Immediately both lads opened upon them, and several fell. In spite of
this, however, the Germans came on. But, as they drew closer to the
house, and the lads continued to pour lead into them, there came several
quick flashes from the window next door, and as many Germans dropped in
their tracks.
His Lordship's repeating rifle was at work once more. The Germans drew
off.
His Lordship pumped lead into them right and left as they dashed for the
nearest shelter, and by the time they reached it half the number who had
rushed forward lay upon the ground.
Now, from the distance, came the sound of trampling hoofs. The sound came
from the rear, and in another second the Germans broke from behind their
shelter and fled swiftly.
A force of French cavalry dashed into view around the house.
Both lads heaved a sigh of relief and left their refuge.
"May as well go in and tell His Lordship he can finish his nap," said
Hal.
But there was no need for this. When the lads entered the room His
Lordship lay sleeping peacefully, one hand still grasping his rifle.
"Well," said Chester, "he's the limit. However, he's some fighter, too.
You'll have to give him credit for that."
A few moments later the squadron of British, which had advanced again in
the wake of the cavalry, came into sight. The sergeant dashed rapidly
toward the house where he had left the boys.
The latter greeted him at the door.
"We didn't miss you until we had gone too far to come back," said the
sergeant. "I feared you had been killed."
"We are all right," replied Hal, "but there is no telling what might have
happened to us had it not been for His Lordship, who is sleeping in the
next room."
"What! His Lordship sleeping while all this was going on?" exclaimed
the sergeant, pointing to the bodies of the dead Germans that lay
scattered about.
"Oh, that!" exclaimed Chester. "His Lordship did most of that
between naps!"
The Allies were now in force enough to hold the town, which they did all
that day with Hal and Chester in command. With the coming of night,
however, an officer appeared to relieve them. He also informed them that
General Joffre desired their presence immediately.
Accordingly the lads left the little village, and midnight found them
back in their own quarters. They retired immediately to rest, for General
Joffre had left word that he would postpone his interview with them until
the morrow.
Bright and early the next morning, however, the lads were admitted to
his presence.
"This," said the French commander, placing a paper in Hal's hands, "is an
important communication for the French prime minister. I have selected
you two lads to place it in his hands immediately. Since you told me of
the plot to kidnap the President, I have investigated. From a prisoner I
have learned additional facts, which I have put into the paper you hold."
"The prime minister is in Paris, is he not?" asked Hal.
"He is. I have informed the prime minister, by wireless, that you are on
the way with the message; also, that if there is any work to be done, he
could not do better than to give you chaps a hand in it."
"Thank you, sir," said both lads in one voice.
"Make all possible haste," said General Joffre, waving them from
his presence.