ACROSS MACEDONIA.
"No," said Hal, "I am afraid to take a chance with our old airplane. It
hasn't been gone over thoroughly yet. If General Save is anxious for us
to go at once, Chester, you and Colonel Anderson go on ahead. I'll look
our machine over and follow you."
"Well, whatever you say," said Chester. "The general is anxious
that we start at once and perhaps the way you suggest will do as
well as another."
"I'm going with the first party," declared Ivan at this juncture. "I'm
tired of sitting about doing nothing. I want to be on the move. If
something doesn't happen pretty soon, I'm going back to the Albanian
Mountains."
"I'll be glad to have you go with me," said Chester. "Hal, you can bring
Stubbs and Nikol with you."
Hal nodded.
"All right. Then you had better see the general about a craft of
some kind."
Chester hastened away, but was back a few moments later with the
announcement that General Save would have a plane ready for them
within the hour.
Hal and Chester then examined a map of the country carefully and laid out
a course. It was agreed that Hal should follow the same course, for, as
Chester said, there was little likelihood of anything going wrong, but
coming along the same route the second craft would always have a chance
of rendering aid should it be needed. The lads agreed to meet at Saloniki
the following day.
It was nearly dark when the machine carrying Chester, Colonel Anderson
and Ivan soared in the air and headed south over Macedonia--once the
kingdom of Philip and Alexander the Great. Stubbs, Nikol and Hal watched
their friends disappear in the distance with some misgiving, which was
given expression by Stubbs.
"I hope they get there safely," he muttered, "but I have my doubts."
"See here, Mr. Stubbs," said Hal. "You've gone through a lot, but you are
still here, aren't you?"
"I am," said Stubbs calmly, "but I wish I were some place else."
"Well, give me an hour or two to look over our machine and you will soon
be some place else," said Hal.
"And the chances are I'd rather be some place than where I am likely to
be if I keep monkeying around in the air," replied the little man.
Hal raised both hands in a gesture of hopelessness.
"There's no use talking to you," he said. "I'll leave you both here while
I overhaul the plane."
He took himself off.
Chester, Colonel Anderson and Ivan sailed swiftly through the air.
Darkness fell, but it was a bright night and Chester, at the wheel,
could see without difficulty. The passengers were quite comfortable in
spite of the cold.
"Aren't you getting a bit too low?" asked Colonel Anderson after a couple
of hours flying in the darkness.
"Thousand feet," said Chester after a glance at the indicator.
"Doesn't seem like it to me," said the colonel. "Think I can see the
ground below."
"You shouldn't at this altitude," said Chester.
"I know it. Guess I was mistaken."
Half an hour later the colonel spoke again. "Have you come down
any, Chester?"
"No; why?"
"I'm sure I can see the ground below," returned the colonel.
Chester glanced over the side of the plane.
"By Jove! So can I," he exclaimed. He glanced at the indicator again. It
still read a trifle over a thousand feet. "Something wrong some place,"
he said to himself.
He tilted the elevating lever, but the plane did not answer by a sudden
rush upward. Chester gave a long whistle.
"What's the matter?" demanded Colonel Anderson.
"I don't know," returned Chester. "We're going down gradually, I know
that, but the indicator still reads a thousand feet and I can't move the
plane any higher."
"And you don't know what is wrong?"
"Haven't the slightest idea. I'm no airship expert."
"Then you shouldn't try to run one," declared Ivan.
"Now don't get worried, Ivan," said Chester with a laugh. "We'll get down
again all right."
"We'll probably get down," said Ivan, "but the thing that worries me is
whether it will be all right or not. I want to die with my feet on the
ground and not be dashed against the earth head first."
"I'm sure there is no danger," said Chester. "We're just sinking gently."
He cut off the engine and allowed the craft to volplane to earth more
abruptly. It came to rest on the ground as lightly as a bird.
"Well, what will we do now?" demanded Ivan.
"You have as much idea as I have," returned Chester. "I can't fix this
thing here in the darkness; in fact, I don't know whether I can fix it at
all. We'll either have to walk or stay here until I can have a look at
this craft in daylight--and maybe that won't do any good."
"I vote we walk," said Colonel Anderson. "There must be houses along here
some place. Maybe we can commandeer three horses, or an automobile or
something."
"Most likely what we'll commandeer will be trouble," grumbled Ivan.
"Now what are you kicking about?" demanded Chester. "You have been
hunting trouble ever since I have known you. Maybe you'll be satisfied
this time."
"Do you think so?" demanded Ivan eagerly.
"No, I don't," returned Chester. "If I did I'd sit right here. I don't
want to run into any trouble now if I can help it. We've got business on
hand, remember that. And we've got to hurry. Colonel Anderson, I guess
your suggestion is a good one. We'll walk on a ways."
They set out without a word. Striking across what appeared in the
darkness a large field, they eventually came to a road. They walked south
along this.
Half an hour later, in the darkness, there loomed up a house ahead of
them. A faint light glowed in the window.
"Told you there must be a house along here some place," said
Colonel Anderson.
Chester produced his watch and succeeded in reading the face after
some trouble.
"Lacks five minutes to midnight," he said. "Rather a late hour to be
making a call."
"Necessity knows no law," responded Colonel Anderson. "We won't bother
them much, if they can furnish us with some means of transportation."
"Hope they will be friendly," said Chester.
"No reason why they shouldn't be. I suppose we are still in Serbia."
"Well, I don't know whether we are or not. That's what worries me,"
said Chester.
"Why, where do you think we are?"
"I don't know. Might be Serbia, might be Greece, might be Bulgaria, or
Turkey or any old place. If the elevating apparatus on our plane was out
of whack, the steering apparatus may have been, too. Also I have mislaid
my compass. I won't know north from south until morning."
"Hm-m-m," muttered the colonel. "Well, shall we try this house?"
"May as well, I guess," said Chester.
He led the way to the front door and rapped sharply with his knuckles.
There was a sound of some one stirring within, but no face appeared at
the door in response to the lad's knock. He rapped sharply again. This
time there was not a sound from within.
Chester walked a little ways from the house and glanced at the window
through which a light had been visible a few moments before. It was
perfectly dark now. Apparently the light had been extinguished the moment
he had rapped on the door. All was dark within.
Chester moved toward the house again, thinking to rap on the door once
more. As he did so, there came the sound of a shot and Chester felt
something whistle by his ear.
"Wow!" he cried, and dashed toward the door where Colonel Anderson and
Ivan stood.
"Hit?" cried Colonel Anderson, as the lad dashed up.
"No," replied Chester. "But that bullet didn't miss me much. What'll
we do now?"
"I don't really know. We don't know where we are. Why not spend the
night here?"
"For one reason," said Chester grimly, "because they won't let us in."
"Oh, we can fix that. Break in the door."
"And get shot for our pains."
"No, I don't think so. My impression is that there is no more than a
single occupant of the house. That's the reason he was frightened when
we knocked. We'll just go in where it's warm and pay no further
attention to him."
"Well, whatever you say," said Chester. "Stand back there, till I blow
the lock off that door." He drew his revolver.
"Hold on," said Ivan. "I'll open it"
He stepped back a pace, then rushed forward. His huge shoulder came into
contact with the hard wood and there was a crash as the door gave way
beneath his weight.
Ivan went in unhesitatingly and the others followed him.
Inside Chester struck a match.
"Look out!" cried Colonel Anderson. "Want to get us all shot?"
"We've got to see where we are going," said Chester.
The glare of a match showed them a room to the right of the hall. Chester
led the way in, still holding the match above his head. On the stand in
the center of the room was a big lamp. Chester lighted it.
"Evidently," he said, "this is the same light we saw when we came up."
The three now pulled themselves close to a fire that glowed softly in an
open fireplace and made themselves comfortable.
"We might as well get a little sleep," said Chester. "Anderson, you take
first watch. Call me in two hours. I'm going to sleep here."
He closed his eyes, then opened them suddenly again. He had heard a
slight noise.
Stepping quickly across to a table at the far end of the room, he stooped
down and, thrusting his revolver under the table, called:
"Come out!"
There was a faint rustling and a sound as of some one crying. Then a
figure, rumpled and fearful, came from beneath the table; and
Chester cried:
"A girl!"