A Further Blow
The point at which the line to Aix had been broken was not far from the
Dutch frontier, and for an hour or so Max and the band he led made good
progress. Then their difficulties began. The alarm had clearly been
given, and a serious alarm it seemed to be. Bodies of troops, and
especially cavalry, were on the march in all directions, and it became a
matter of the utmost difficulty to avoid contact with them. Finally,
Max, as the day dawned, led his men right away into a wide expanse of
farm-land, and took them towards a solitary farm-house.
"What's the game now, laddie?" asked Corporal Shaw, as Max led them
boldly towards the farm-house, much to the surprise of the farmer and
his family, who came out to see what this strange visit of a body of
armed men might mean. "Doesn't this give us away to the enemy?"
"We must have rest and food, Corporal," replied Max seriously. "If we
surround the farm and keep prisoners all who are there, and detain all
who call, we shall be safe if no parties of German soldiers happen to
light upon us. If we can get through the day, I think we shall get
safely across the frontier. We are only seven miles away, and a few
hours of darkness will see us there."
"Good! You know your business, lad, I can see," replied Shaw briskly,
and he gave a quick order to his men to spread out at the double and
surround the farm. Max interpreted the order to the French soldiers, who
promptly followed suit. In a moment or two the farm had been surrounded,
and the men began to close in upon it.
The surprise and curiosity of the German farmer and his family quickly
turned to fear as the object of the move became apparent. They could now
see, too, the faces and equipment of the men converging upon them, and
knew that, whatever they might be, they were certainly not soldiers of
the Fatherland.
"You're a prisoner, mein Herr," cried Corporal Shaw cheerfully, as he
strode up to the burly farmer and slapped him familiarly on the
shoulder. "Be good, or it will be the worse for you."
Max interpreted his words, and added the information that neither he nor
any of his household were to stir outside the house, or even to look out
of the windows. They were to consider themselves close prisoners, and on
their good behaviour their own treatment would absolutely depend. The
farmer, as soon as he could recover from his astonishment, passed the
order on to his family and domestics with a peremptoriness no doubt
considerably enhanced by his own lively fears. The Germans filed into
the farm-house, followed by all the band except two. These were set on
the watch on the roofs of two barns a little distance away on opposite
sides of the building.
Max then called upon the farmer to provide a meal for them all,
promising him in return fair payment. Soon the whole band, in high good
humour, were deep in enjoyment of the best meal they had had since the
retreat from Mons and Charleroi began.
During the day there were occasional alarms as bodies of German soldiers
were observed scouring the country in the distance, but none approached
the farm-house. Several labourers, evidently missing the presence of the
farmer, called, and these were promptly made prisoners. At nightfall
everything was made ready for the last march.
The women were sent to their rooms and locked securely in. Then the men,
seven in number, were marshalled in line and informed that any attempt
to give warning to German troops or the authorities would result in
instant death. The order to march was given, and, in single file, Max
and the farmer leading, with the remainder of the prisoners in the
centre, the band moved across country towards the Dutch frontier.
With the aid of the farmer, Max led the band to a point opposite
Maastricht, where the frontier ran through a little wood. He hoped that
here there would be no difficulty in getting unmolested through the
barbed-wire fences everywhere erected along the frontier by the Germans.
A road ran across the frontier close by the wood and a post had been
established there by the enemy, but Max believed that, favoured by night
and the darkness of the wood, there would be no difficulty in eluding
observation.
They entered the wood unobserved, and Max halted the band and went
forward with Dale and one of the English soldiers to silence the sentry
and cut the wire. The sentry was an oldish man, of the Landwehr, and
entirely unsuspicious. He was seized by the throat from behind, his
rifle snatched from his hand, and his arms and legs securely pinioned.
Then his throat was released and his mouth securely gagged. It was all
over in ten minutes, and, leaving the soldier and Dale at work upon the
wire, Max went back to bring along the rest of the men.
To his consternation he found them on the move, the last files
disappearing from the wood in the direction of the German frontier post,
two men only being left behind in charge of the prisoners. Running after
them, Max caught up the rearmost men, and was told that they were about
to attack the Germans and root them out. Much hurt and angered at this
sudden reckless move, Max ran forward to the front of the column and
accosted Corporal Shaw.
"What is this, Corporal?" he cried. "It was to be my business to get you
over the frontier. I don't agree with your attacking the Germans here."
"That's all right, sir," replied Shaw, still pressing on. "We know what
we're about. We've reconnoitred the place, and can clear out the whole
lot without turning a hair. Come along, lad, and lend a hand."
"No, Shaw, I'm not going to have this. I've breached the wire a few
yards away yonder and put the sentry out of action. All we have to do is
to walk through and we are safe. This mad attack right on the frontier
will----"
"No, no; our fellows will be disappointed if they don't get one more
fling at the Germans!" cried Shaw, pressing on as though anxious to get
away from Max's protests. "It'll all be over in----"
At this moment the German sentry in front of the building which housed
the frontier guard caught sight of dark shadows approaching. He
challenged, and almost simultaneously brought his rifle up to his
shoulder.
There was a flash and a report, and one of the men just behind Max gave
a gasp and staggered. He recovered himself, however, and with the rest
of the band charged madly down upon the sentry and the guard, who were
now rapidly tumbling out of the entrance of the building, rifle in hand.
The fight that ensued was to Max the most desperate he had ever seen.
The French and British soldiers, after all their discomforts and
privations and the terrible sights they had witnessed, were burning with
the desire to get to close quarters with the Germans and to try
conclusions with them. Like a whirlwind they flung themselves upon the
hated foe, and, scarcely firing a shot, stabbed and bayoneted with wild
and desperate energy.
The Germans who had poured outside the building were cut down in a
remarkably short space of time, and, without a pause, the men dashed
into the passage and up the stairs, every man striving to be the first
to close with the enemy. Against such reckless valour as this the German
Landwehr, although they outnumbered their assailants at least two to
one, could do nothing, and it could not have been more than eight
minutes from the first onrush before the last German had been cut down.
"Set a light to it, boys," commanded Shaw, highly excited with the
success of the combat. "Let's have a blaze to light our way across the
frontier, and to tell the Germans we bid them farewell."
"Now, boys, three good cheers for the Allies and down with the Germans!"
The huzzas were heartily given as the fire promptly kindled within
blazed up. Round the burning house the soldiers danced, flinging into
the fire the arms and equipment of their foes. Across the frontier, only
a few yards away, the soldiers of the Dutch guard had turned out, and
they watched the strange scene with an interest that to one at least of
the band of British and French was far from pleasing.
"Fall in!" commanded Shaw, and the men obeyed. "Form fours--right! Now,
boys, we've seen our last of Germany for a time, and are going to march
into Holland. Soon we shall be back in the armies of the Allies, ready
to take part in another march through Germany. Now, then, by the right,
quick----"
"One moment, Shaw," cried Max quickly. "You are making a big mistake if
you think you can march thus into Holland and also be free to join the
armies of the Allies."
"Why so?" cried Corporal Shaw impatiently. "Why can't we? Who's to stop
us?"
"The Dutch soldiers will stop you quick enough," replied Max. "Do you
think they will treat us as they do escaped prisoners or fugitives after
a battle at their very frontier?"
"Well, what will they treat us as?" cried Shaw sharply.
"As belligerents, of course. We shall be disarmed and interned, and our
fighting days will be over."
"Yes, Shaw," interposed Peck. "The lad's right, and we have played the
fool in lashing out at the Germans right agin the frontier. You're too
headstrong, Shaw. The lad was running this show. Why didn't you leave
him alone?"
"Pooh! If we drop our tools, and march across, the Dutchmen will let us
go," replied the discomfited Shaw apologetically. "Let's try it on
anyway."
"Nay, nay, Shaw," cried the Scot in a deep voice. "Ye've spoiled this
business, and ye'd better let be. The lad has the best heid, and let him
have his way over it. Come, lad, what say ye--what's oor next move?"
It was certainly time for a move of some sort. On both flanks of the
party desultory firing had commenced. The sentries posted along the
frontier had doubtless been attracted by the sound of the fighting at
their head-quarters and were straggling inwards, exchanging dropping
shots with the men on the outskirts of the band. As their numbers
increased, a regular battle would ensue, finally compelling the band to
surrender, or to cross the frontier and be interned.
Max had no mind to be interned, whatever Shaw felt on the subject. His
great task of guarding the Durend workshops was still waiting for him to
complete, and were he put out of action it was certain that no one else
would carry it on. Shaw had made a great mistake, but it was possibly
not irretrievable. At any rate, Max believed it could be set right by
prompt and resolute action.
"Come, then," he said firmly. "If you still wish to fight again for your
country, follow me, and I will do my best to keep you from losing the
chance. You must be silent and watchful and make the best speed
possible. Exert yourselves to the utmost for three or four hours, and
then I hope we may be safe again. Come--fall in in single file, with the
prisoners in the centre, and follow me. Exchange no shots unless I give
the word. If you are attacked, use the bayonet, and the bayonet only."
There was a murmur of general assent and a quick bustle as the men fell
in. Several were slightly wounded, but only two sufficiently so to need
any assistance. Two men took their stand by each of these, and as Max
led the way inland from the frontier, through the open country, these
assisted them to keep up with the others.
Max kept the German farmer close by his side. The man knew the country
well, and Max gave him to understand that his comrades would be very
glad indeed of an excuse to strafe him. The man certainly had no reason
to disbelieve him. The wild, fierce looks of the men, the assured way in
which they marched through an enemy's country, and the pitched battle,
ending in the burning of a German post, just fought were enough to
convince him that he had to deal with men who were nothing if not
determined. At any rate, Max had no trouble with him, and found him a
ready and reliable guide all through the night.
For nearly two hours the band moved obliquely inland. Then Max turned
and aimed once more at the frontier at a point at least ten miles away
from the place where the previous attempt had been made.
The German patrols were fewer here, and with only one mishap they
reached the frontier. This mishap took place while the party was
crossing a high road. Scouts had reported all clear, and all had crossed
except the men at the rear, who were helping the wounded along. These
were in the middle of the road, when a motorcar, moving at high speed,
turned a corner a short distance away and ran rapidly down upon them.
The powerful headlights of the motor of course revealed the little group
of men in the roadway. Brakes were applied, and the machine came to a
standstill a yard or two away.
"Who are you? What do you here?" came in the deep peremptory tones of a
man who was evidently a German officer.
For the moment the party in the road, half-blinded by the powerful
lights, stopped stupidly where they were. None of them understood what
was said, and none made a move either to fly or to resist capture.
Max, the instant he saw the headlights approaching, ran back to the
roadway and was just in time to hear the officer's demand. It was too
late for flight--too late for anything but attack--and, calling to the
men nearest him, he sprang towards the car.
Two revolvers flashed in the darkness. One of the bullets cut through
the side of his jacket and grazed his side. The other missed altogether.
In another moment he was alongside the car and using the rifle and
bayonet he carried with hearty goodwill.
The car contained four German officers and a soldier chauffeur. For a
fraction of a second Max attacked them single-handed. Then other men
sprang to his assistance, and from both sides of the car the Germans
were assaulted with an energy they doubtless had never experienced
before. It was quickly over. All the men were bayoneted, and left for
dead, and, without waiting to do more than dash out the headlights and
overturn the car in a ditch, Max again led the band forward to the
frontier.
Day was breaking as the band neared the frontier, at a point where it
was crossed by a railway. In a little copse at the side of the track Max
halted his men and allowed them a short rest while he went with Shaw to
reconnoitre and determine the best means of making the actual crossing.
They found, of course, the line well guarded, and with a strong post at
the frontier to watch the gap necessarily left in the great barbed-wire
fence. The post consisted of about thirty men of the Landwehr, and the
band of British and French fugitives could have rushed and destroyed it
with the greatest ease. But, should they do this, Max feared that they
could not cross into Holland and retain their freedom. They would, he
felt sure, be treated as soldiers and be interned for the duration of
the war. None of them had any desire for that; all wished to be free to
strike again at the foe.
From the frontier back to a busy little station, two miles inland, Max
and Shaw continued their search. Then they returned to the place where
they had left the rest of the band in hiding.
"Well, Max, what do you think of it?" asked Dale. "D'ye think we can get
through anywhere about here without too much of a rumpus?"
"I hope so. I've thought of something that seems to promise."
"What is it, old man?"
"Take forcible possession of yon station in the middle of the night and
collar the first train that arrives _en route_ to the frontier. We ought
then to be able to run her successfully through the Dutch frontier
guards."
"Phew!" cried Dale in amazement.
Shaw gave a prolonged chuckle of intense delight. "Train-snatching--eh?"
he cried at last. "That'll suit the boys, I give you my word."
"It's not so easy as it sounds," responded Max soberly. "It needs
careful planning, for it must be done like clockwork if we are not to
make a mess of it."
"Well, we can do that, I suppose?" replied Shaw confidently. "You found
the clockwork all right in that raid on the railway? You plan it out and
you'll find we shan't fail you."
"No, I don't think you will, Shaw. Well, it must be done about an hour
after nightfall, so we must lose no time. This is how I think it ought
to be done," and Max unfolded the plan as it had so far framed itself in
his mind.
For an hour or two the three discussed the affair earnestly together.
Then they broached the scheme to their waiting comrades. As they
anticipated, it met with rapturous approval, and it was in a fever of
impatience--for the hour of their deliverance or their defeat was close
at hand--that the whole of the band awaited the closing in of night.