THE END OF MATIN
"You have done well, sirs. President Poincare shall hear of this."
The speaker was General Petain. Before him stood Hal, Chester and Anthony
Stubbs. Hal, acting as spokesman, had just concluded an account of their
adventures within the enemy lines, a venture from which they had returned
successfully and safely only an hour before.
For, after the aeroplane had descended above the French lines and headed
for the French positions, the journey had been without important event.
True, there had been a brush with one enemy aircraft; but this had been
worsted. A second, which had given chase, was distanced with ease and the
three friends had returned to the French lines unscathed.
"So!" said General Petain, "you blew up the enemy's ammunition depot, eh?
The explosion was felt even here. We knew the foe had suffered some hard
blow, but I had no idea that it had been delivered by your hand."
Both lads flushed at the praise of General Petain. Stubbs was pleased.
"Now tell me what else you did, if anything," said the general. "Did you
get the information after which you went?"
"We did, sir," returned Hal.
He passed to the general the documents he had taken from the young German
aide. General Petain scanned them carefully.
"These will be invaluable to me," he said quietly.
Then Chester told the French commander of the conversation he had
overheard in the quarters of the German Crown Prince.
"Now that I have escaped," the lad concluded, "it may be possible, of
course, that the German plans will be altered."
"You have done well," said the general again, "and as I have said, your
work shall be brought to the personal attention of the President." He
turned to Stubbs. "You, sir," he said, "are not a soldier, yet I have to
thank you for your part in this mission."
Stubbs blushed like a school boy.
"I didn't do anything deserving of credit, sir," he said. "My young
friends here were the directing heads and performed all the
dangerous work."
"Nevertheless," returned the general, "you are deserving of praise and if
there is anything I can do for you, you have but to ask it."
Stubbs hesitated. There was something he wanted very much but he did not
know whether to make the request or not. General Petain saw the little
man's indecision, and said with a smile:
"You have something on your mind, sir. Come, out with it. Be sure it will
be granted if it lies in my power."
Still Stubbs hesitated. Chester stepped forward, smiling.
"I believe I can tell you what it is, sir," he said.
"Speak," said the general.
"Why, sir," said Chester, "Mr. Stubbs would have your permission to send
an account of the great explosion to his newspaper uncensored. He would
have the people of the United States know, through his paper, of the
severe blow the enemy has suffered."
"H-m-m-m," muttered the general. "The United States will hear of the
disaster, of course. Mr. Stubbs, with the other correspondents, will be
allowed to file his despatches after the official report has been made."
"But that's the point, sir," said Stubbs, stepping forward. "I would like
to have my paper get the news first."
"Oho! I see," exclaimed General Petain. "You want for your paper what you
Americans' call a--a--a--"
"Scoop."
Chester supplied the word.
"Exactly," said Stubbs.
The general considered the matter for a moment. Then he threw wide his
arms in a gesture of consent.
"It shall be done," he said.
"Thank you, General," said Stubbs. "Then, with your permission, I will
retire to my own quarters to prepare my despatches."
"One minute, Stubbs," said Chester. "You may perhaps remember that until
a short time ago you shared quarters with Hal and me. We would like to
have you come back."
Stubbs grinned.
"That was before the discovery of the great conspiracy," he said. "By the
way, General, may I make so bold as to ask what has been done toward
crushing the move?"
"It has been crushed, sir," replied General Petain, quietly. "That shall
have to suffice. And, by the way, Mr. Stubbs, I must tell you that if you
refer to that matter in your despatches they will be strictly censored."
"I shall not mention the matter, General."
Stubbs bowed and took his departure, first stopping to say to Hal
and Chester:
"You'll find me back in our old quarters when you arrive."
"Now, boys," said General Petain, after Stubbs had gone, "you are
relieved of duty for the rest of the day. To-morrow morning, however, I
shall have need of you; for to-morrow--and I am telling you something few
know--we shall launch a new drive, basing our attacks upon the
information which you have just now furnished me. Good-bye until
to-morrow."
The general walked to the door of the tent with the two boys and waved a
hand to them as they turned away.
"Well," said Hal, as they walked along, "we apparently have accomplished
something worth while."
"To hear the general talk you would think we had," agreed Chester, "and
still we didn't do so much, after all."
"That's what I think."
"By the way," said Chester, "I'm going to hunt up Stubbs' old quarters.
Perhaps he hasn't moved his things yet. I'll lend a hand."
"All right," said Hal. "I'll go along without you. I'll probably be
taking a nap when you reach our quarters. Don't awaken me. I'm tired."
The lads parted and Hal continued on his way to his quarters.
Stubbs had not yet arrived. Hal sat down on the edge of his cot to remove
his shoes. As he did so he thought he heard a sound from behind him. He
whirled suddenly and there, a few feet away, his revolver trained right
upon Hal's heart, stood Matin, the French soldier who already had tried
once to kill him.
"A visitor, I see," said Hal, quietly. "You will pardon me a moment while
I remove my shoes. That is what I started to do and when I start a thing
I always like to finish it."
"Take them off if you want to," returned Matin, grinning evilly. "You
won't need to put them on again."
"Think not?" said Hal. "You never can tell about those things, Matin."
"Trying to be funny, are you?" returned Matin. "Well, go ahead. You won't
lie funny long--not to anyone but me. I'm going to shoot you."
"Don't suppose you would let me draw my own gun first, would you?"
asked Hal.
"No. What do you think I am?"
"Just a coward; that's all," said Hal, quietly.
"Coward, am I?" exclaimed Matin, taking a quick step forward.
"Correct," replied Hal. "It's about your size to shoot a man in the
back. I have had dealings with your kind before. You're afraid to take
an even chance."
"It's not that I'm afraid," said Matin. "It's just that I want to make
sure. I failed twice before."
"Then it was you who tried to shoot me in here one night, eh?" asked Hal.
"Yes; and I would have succeeded had it not been for your friend. When I
have disposed of you I shall settle with him also."
"I don't think so, Matin."
"You don't? What's to prevent me?"
"Why," said Hal, "when I am through with you, you will be in no condition
to settle with anyone. Now, if you will take my advice, you'll put that
gun in your pocket and leave this tent."
"Talk pretty big, don't you?" said Matin, with a sneer. "Well, I'll
show you!"
He raised his revolver so that the muzzle pointed squarely between Hal's
eyes. His finger tightened on the trigger.
"One moment, Matin," said Hal, quietly. "Don't you know that before you
can pull the trigger my friend in the doorway will kill you?"
A look of fright and disappointment passed over Matin's face. Slowly he
lowered his revolver and turned toward the doorway. It was the moment for
which Hal had been waiting.
With a bound he leaped upon Matin and with his left hand seized Matin's
right wrist. Matin uttered a snarl of rage.
"Tricked me, did you?" he shouted. "You shall pay for it."
It had been Hal's intention at first simply to wrest the revolver
from his opponent's hands and then turn the man over to the officer
of the guard.
But Matin's strength was greater than the lad had imagined; also he was
wild with rage. With his free hand he struck viciously at Hal, while he
kicked with his feet and sought to bury his teeth in Hal's arm.
But Hal held him back.
Vainly, Matin sought to move his right arm around so as to bring the
muzzle upon Hal's heart. With a quick move Hal suddenly released his hold
upon Matin's pistol wrist and seized the pistol hand. His finger covered
Matin's finger on the trigger.
Matin's hand at that moment was extended straight from him. Slowly now,
as Hal exerted his utmost pressure, the arm described a semicircle. Now
it pointed almost straight forward. Then, as Hal brought more strength
into play, the arm curved inward; and directly the revolver pointed
squarely at Matin's heart.
The perspiration stood out in great beads on Matin's forehead. He was
panting and gasping for breath. Hal was breathing easily, though the
manner in which the sinews on his forehead and arms stood out showed to
what extent he had extended himself.
When the mouth of the revolver pointed at Matin's heart, Hal said
quietly:
"Now, Matin, if you will release your hold on this gun I will let
you go free."
Matin's answer was a snarl of rage.
Whether the man went suddenly insane or whether he knew fully what he was
about, Hal can not say to this day; but under his own finger, the finger
on the trigger tightened. There was a flash, a muffled report and the
form of Matin fell limp in the lad's arms. Hal stepped back and Matin
slid to the floor. Hal stooped over and laid a hand over the man's heart.
"Dead!" the lad exclaimed, and added: "but not by my hand. He pressed the
trigger himself!"