INTO THE MOUNTAINS.
Nicholas, king of the Montenegrins, came forward slowly, his head bowed
as though in grief, and it seemed for a moment as though he would pass
Hal, Chester and the others without seeing them. But even as he drew
abreast of the five, he looked up suddenly. His gaze rested upon Colonel
Edwards and the Englishman bowed low. Colonel Anderson did likewise. Hal,
Chester and Stubbs remained erect.
The king smiled slightly at Colonel Edwards, whom he plainly knew, and
glanced inquiringly at the others.
Colonel Edwards approached him.
"Your majesty," he said, "I would crave your permission to present
another of my countrymen and three Americans, who have seen service with
your allies in the western theater of war."
The king nodded his head affirmatively and Colonel Edwards motioned the
others to approach. The king extended a hand to each and spoke a few
pleasant words.
"I hope," he said, "that you will make yourselves perfectly at home in my
camp. I am sorry I have no better to offer you." He turned to Edwards. "I
have faith in you English," he said, "and for that reason I was about to
summon you this morning. I have a mission of importance, and some danger,
I would have you undertake."
"I shall be pleased, sire" replied Colonel Edwards with a bow.
The king smiled.
"I knew you would be," he said. "Now this mission will necessitate
probably more than a single man. You shall pick the others. It seems
simple, but I can assure you it is not. Among the Albanian tribesmen, I
am told, there is a disposition to doubt the justice of our cause and the
cause of our allies. A spirit of unrest is rife there. I would have it
looked into. I have faith in the majority of the Albanians, but a few
agitators could do much harm right now. The reason I say one man could
hardly undertake the task is that he would hardly have time to cover the
necessary ground. Two might do; even more would be better."
At this point Colonel Anderson stepped forward.
"If you please, your majesty," he said, and hesitated.
"Speak, sir," said the king.
"If you please, your majesty," Colonel Anderson repeated, "it would give
me, and my friends here, the utmost pleasure to be of some slight
service to you. With your permission, we shall offer our services to
Colonel Edwards."
A smile stole over the king's rugged face.
"I have always said," he declared, "that the British and the Americans
come nearer to being like my own people than any others. You have my
permission, sir, for yourself and your friends, and I have no doubt of
the success of the mission." He turned again to Colonel Edwards. "You
will make all possible haste?"
"What we may, with caution," was the reply.
"Good. Then I shall expect you back within the week."
Again all bowed before the king and after a few words of farewell the
Montenegrin monarch resumed his walk.
"Well, I feel better now," declared Hal. "We've got something to do, so
we won't feel as though we had no business here."
"My sentiments, exactly," agreed Chester.
"Well, they are not mine," declared Stubbs. "Say! what's the matter with
you fellows, anyhow? Look at all the trouble we had finding a safe place
to come down, and now you are running around looking for more trouble.
You are not going to get Anthony Stubbs into any Albanian mountains, I
can tell you that."
"You don't have to go if you don't want to, I'm sure," said Colonel
Anderson stiffly. "I had no idea you were afraid."
"Afraid!" echoed Stubbs. "And why shouldn't I be afraid, I ask you? Why
shouldn't I be afraid, eh? I don't know anything about mountains. I don't
know anything about mountaineers. I don't want to know anything about any
of them. All I want to do is--"
"Get a little news for the _New York Gazette_," Chester interrupted.
"Eh?" exclaimed Stubbs. "What's that? News? Sure, I've got to get some
news. By George! Might be a good feature story up in those mountains."
He turned to Colonel Edwards. "Count me in on this little trip, will
you?" he said.
Colonel Edwards hesitated. He didn't know Stubbs as well as the others.
"Well--" he began.
"Oh, he's all right, Colonel," said Hal. "It's just his way. He's no
coward. He is no more afraid than you are."
"Don't you believe it, Colonel," said Stubbs. "I assure you I am scared
to death. But I am more afraid of losing my job with the _New York
Gazette_ than I am of these Albanian mountaineers, so if I go I am just
choosing the lesser of two evils. I want to go with you fellows. But
please remember one thing: I'm no fighter. If it comes to a fight, you
can count me out; but if it's a question of run--well, you'll find me
with you, or far ahead."
"Then if the others have no objections, I am sure that I shall be pleased
to have you accompany us," said Colonel Edwards.
"And when shall we start?" asked Hal.
"Just as soon as we can."
"Walk, ride, or what?"
"Horses, until we reach the top of the mountains. Then we'll walk. Also,
we will discard our uniforms--anyhow, I don't imagine you like the cut of
those Austrian garments."
"I don't, and that's the truth," Hal agreed.
"Good. We'll change immediately. You go to my quarters and wait. I'll
rustle up some civilian clothes and have them sent you. Also I'll arrange
for our mounts and other details. I'll meet you here two hours from now."
With this Colonel Edwards betook himself away and the others returned to
his quarters.
Half an hour later the clothes arrived and the four friends hastened to
climb into them, Stubbs the while muttering to himself.
"Great Scott, Stubbs!" said Hal at last. "Quit your grumbling. Any one
would think you were going to a funeral."
"And so I am--maybe," returned the little man. "And what worries me is
that it is likely to be my own."
"You are a cheerful sort of a companion, I must say," declared Chester.
"What's the use of yelling before you are hurt?"
"Because I probably won't be able to afterwards," was the reply.
Colonel Edwards was waiting when the four made their way to the appointed
spot. The horses were picketed nearby.
"All ready?" asked the colonel. "Guns? Ammunition?"
All nodded.
"Then there is no use waiting longer. We may as well be moving."
He led the way to the horses and leaped lightly to the saddle. The others
followed suit. Edwards waited until all were mounted and then headed his
horse toward the north.
"Let us ride," he said.
All through the morning hours and well into the afternoon they rode
along without adventure. They were challenged several times by
Montenegrin outposts, but were allowed to proceed after an explanation
by Colonel Edwards.
It was four o'clock by Hal's watch when Colonel Edwards at last drew rein
in the far outskirts of a tiny mountain village.
"We'll leave our horses here," said the colonel, dismounting.
He led the way to a small barn near a smaller hut. Approaching the hut
he gave a loud whistle. A man emerged and Colonel Edwards engaged him
in conversation. At length the man nodded. Colonel Edwards turned to
the others.
"We'll turn our horses over to him," he said. "I told him we would be
back within seven days and wanted him to keep the animals here for us. He
has agreed."
"But will he?" asked Hal.
Colonel Edwards shrugged his shoulders.
"You know as much about it as I do," he replied. "However, we have
no choice."
"Well, they might come in handy if we get back," declared Stubbs. "When
we return this far we are liable to be in considerable of a hurry, and if
the horses were not here it would be a terrible disappointment for us, at
least. If we come back, we'll probably come on the run."
"And why will we come on the run?" Chester wanted to know.
"Bayonets behind," returned Stubbs briefly. "Rifles, revolvers and
whatnots. Oh, yes, we'll--"
"Stubbs," said Hal severely, "you would be a kill-joy at any feast. When
it comes to plain, downright pessimism, you take the cake. Your equal
does not exist."
"I'm glad to hear you say I'm good for something," muttered Stubbs.
"Well, if a pessimist is good for anything, you come first always,"
said Chester.
By this time the mountaineer had stabled their horses. Colonel Edwards
gave him a piece of money, and mumbling his thanks, the man moved away.
"Which way?" asked Colonel Anderson.
Colonel Edwards drew a small map from his pocket, which he consulted for
some moments.
"About five miles straight along this mountain road," he said at last.
"There we cross the Albanian frontier, and there, also, we part company,
or some of us do. Some of us will strike off to the right and the others
to the left. You know what his majesty said. We would not learn much if
we all went together."
"True," returned Hal. "Well, let's be moving."
They trudged along the rough, hilly road at a fair gait; but the walking
was difficult and it was almost two hours later that Colonel Edwards
again called a halt at what appeared to be a fork in the mountain pass.
"We'll split up here," he said briefly.
"And how?" asked Chester.
"That's up to you fellows. Of course, I'll take charge of one party, and
I suppose Colonel Anderson should be entrusted with the other."
"Of course," said Chester. "I'll go with Colonel Anderson. Hal and Stubbs
can go with you."
"One way as well as another," was the reply.
And so it was decided. There was a last handshake all around and the two
parties went their separate ways--Colonel Anderson and Chester taking the
more level trail to the right, and Colonel Edwards, Hal and Stubbs moving
off along the rough pass to the left, leading more abruptly upward.