HELP FOR THE STRANDED ONE.
"I'm as thirsty as a fish out of water, Rod!" called out Josh some time
after they had started moving along the road; "must have been that ham
we had for breakfast which was some salty, if fine. And unless I miss my
guess there's a roadside spring ahead of us there. You can see that foot
traveler taking a drink right now."
Rod had of course already noticed this for himself. Possibly he would
have given the stop signal, even had Josh not pleaded with him to do so.
They pulled up close by and dismounted. The man at the spring watched
them with what seemed to be uncommon interest; but then that was not so
strange, considering what splendid machines they were riding. A trio of
such wheels must make almost any one take notice.
Josh surveyed the other curiously as they approached him. It seemed to
the boy that he hardly looked like a native of the soil; for he wore
clothes far better than the average French farmer could afford; and
there was also something about his appearance that suggested his being a
foreigner.
To the astonishment of the boys he immediately addressed them in
English.
"Your motorcycles I see are American made," he remarked; "and from that
fact I guess you must be like myself from the other side of the ocean.
It is strange that we should meet here in this war-stricken country."
"Then you are an American, too?" asked Josh, before Rod could say a
word.
"I am a naturalized citizen of your great and glorious republic,"
explained the man. "I was born in Switzerland, but my people emigrated
while I was a child. My name it is Oscar William Tell."
"Oh! you don't mean to tell me that you spring from the original William
Tell, the famous archer who defied the tyrant Gessler, and shot the
apple from the head of his own son?" cried Hanky Panky, in delight.
"So I have been told," replied the other, modestly. "But just now I am
more concerned how I may get out of this country of the fighting armies
than what my dead and gone ancestors may have been. I have been caught
napping, as they say, and for days now have been trying to reach Paris,
where I hope to secure some funds, and start back across the ocean to my
far-away home."
The boys exchanged glances. Somehow, although the man had not as yet
mentioned such a thing plainly, they could read between the lines, and
understand that he was hinting about assistance.
"We could supply you with the little money you may need to pay for your
food until you get into Paris," said Rod, promptly.
"That is indeed very kind of you," continued the other, eagerly, while
his eyes fairly sparkled with satisfaction; "but my greatest need is to
be helped on my way a few miles. My feet are so sore I can hardly walk;
and I have been told that a short distance ahead there is a railway line
over which I might get transportation to the French capital, which
cannot be more than fifteen miles away at the most."
Josh lost no time in offering to take him along. He had often carried a
passenger, and never had an accident thus far. Had it been Hanky Panky
now, or the still more clumsy Rooster, the undertaking might have
assumed a more serious aspect.
"Sure, you are welcome to a seat with me," he told the other, promptly,
right from the depths of his generous heart; "that is, if you think you
could hold on, and do the grand balance act."
The man who claimed to be an American took him at his word so eagerly
that there was no chance for Josh to change his mind, even had he wanted
to do so.
"I'll accept that offer, my young friend, and with thanks," he
announced. "Yes, I have been on a motorcycle before now, so I trust you
will not think I am endangering your safety. And it will be a great help
to me if I can stay with you for a short time."
The boys each took turns in securing the needed drink, while Oscar
curiously examined their machines. Josh, once more a little suspicious,
kept an eye on the other while this was going on. It may have suddenly
occurred to him that since the man admitted a knowledge of riding on one
of the machines possibly he might be seized with a sudden mad impulse to
jump into the saddle and try to get away with a mount.
Nothing of the kind happened, however, and Josh was doubtless a little
ashamed of his suspicions. At any rate he went to some pains to let the
other get seated behind him, as though to make amends for his secret
thoughts.
Rod led the way again. So far as he could see there was nothing strange
about the plight of the said Oscar. Hundreds of American tourists must
have been caught stranded in strange lands when the war broke so
suddenly; and when they finally reached home they would have all sorts
of remarkable stories to tell concerning their experiences and
sufferings. Not all of them could have the great luck, like the
motorcycle boys, to carry magical documents signed by the king of the
heroic Belgians, and calling on all the Allies to favor the bearers as
far as was possible.
They covered several miles of the road. The thunder of the guns grew
louder all the while, and Rod fully expected to come upon marching
regiments at any time, although the thoroughfare they were following
seemed to be singularly free from troops heading toward the scene of the
battle.
There was no railway line in sight as yet, though they had covered much
more than the distance mentioned by Oscar Tell. But then he may have
been misinformed as to distances, which was always possible.
In this fashion they came to a little rise which Rod chose, as
customary, to ride up slowly and carefully, not knowing what sort of a
surprise might await them at the top.
It was while they were proceeding toward the crown of the hill that Josh
suddenly found his machine toppling over. He did not know of any
obstacle which he could have run across, for the road seemed absolutely
free from stones and such things; and even as he struggled desperately
to keep the heavy machine from smashing to the ground he felt a
suspicion flash through his brain that in some manner his passenger
might have been responsible for the unexpected catastrophe.
Both of them fell off, but beyond the shock, and perhaps a few minor
scratches, Josh was not hurt. Indeed, boylike he immediately showed much
more concern over a possible injury to his motorcycle than he gave any
thought to himself.
Rod heard the crash, as well as the exclamation of dismay springing from
Hanky Panky, who was put to some quick work in order to pull up in time
to avoid running the unfortunates down.
Rod immediately reached the ground, and laying his machine down hurried
back.
"Nothing serious, I hope, Josh?" he inquired, Hanky Panky bustling
around, while Oscar was hopping up and down, as though he might have
received a bruise on his leg that was painful to a degree.
Josh was frowning dreadfully. Truth to tell his suspicions were growing
stronger and stronger all the while; and he even believed the man to
whom he had extended the courtesies of the road had purposely brought
about the accident at such a particular moment when the fall would be
apt to prove less serious than when they were whizzing along at twenty
miles an hour.
"I don't know yet whether the machine is knocked out of commission or
not," muttered Josh, disconsolately, as he proceeded to hastily examine
into matters; "but it would be exasperating for us if that happened,
just when we're close to the battle line, and want to get around so
lively. Hang the luck, I say!"
He glared in the direction of the apparent cause of all the trouble; but
as Oscar was now raising his trouser leg, as if meaning to examine into
the state of his own injuries, of course the look was wasted so far as
he was concerned.
Rod frowned also. Up to then he had not allowed himself to suspect that
the so-called Switzer-American could be other than he so frankly
claimed; but somehow it began to dawn upon Rod that there may have been
a method in his madness. What if it were all a part of a deep-laid
scheme calculated to delay them, for some dark purpose or other?
The thought made him angry. Now that it was too late he felt that they
should have seen through the scheme of the other, when he asked to be
given a lift on his way. He had claimed boldly to have such sore feet
that he could hardly bear to stand his weight upon them; yet here he was
now dancing around as lightly as any one could.
"But what object could he have in view?" Rod was asking himself, even
while continuing to keep a cautious eye on Oscar, though he pretended to
be tending over Josh, still examining his wheel.
Like a flash it shot through Rod's mind that this same Oscar might be in
league with the man who was devoting all his talents and energies to the
task of getting a certain paper out of their possession--Jules Baggott.
He had already shown himself to be possessed of considerable skill at
planning, and the story told by Oscar may have all been made up out of
whole cloth, just to cause them delay, and give the plotter another
opportunity to rob them.
It was well that these thoughts should have raced through Rod's mind
just then; for they caused him to take exact note of what the stranger
was doing. Josh chanced to be too busily engaged at the time to observe
anything; as for Hanky Panky, really he was not to be depended on. And
that his sudden suspicions were well founded Rod presently had positive
evidence.