THE COMING OF THE ZOUAVES.
"Why don't you give them a shot, Rod?" Hanky Panky was heard calling
just then, for apparently things had reached a crisis, and he expected
seeing one of the raiders come pushing through the opening the next
thing.
Rod was only holding back so as to keep his fire to the last extremity.
The boy was pale, and his teeth were set, but there was a blaze in his
eyes that boded no good for the first Uhlan who ventured to try to
enter.
Although the Motorcycle Boys in the start decided not to take sides if
such a thing could be avoided, they had found it impossible to control
their feelings in the matter. The cause of the Allies seemed to be
closer to American ideals than the militarist methods of the Kaiser's
men; and by degrees Rod and his chums had come to sympathize with the
French and Belgians until finally ready to openly declare that they were
for them heart and soul.
Rod hated the thought of shedding blood, even though his own life, as
well as those of his chums, seemed in deadly danger. Only as a very last
resort was Rod willing to use that weapon which had come into his
possession so strangely; and in his mind he had already determined to
only wound, if such a choice seemed possible.
The Uhlans without were exultant over the success they had already
attained. To continue their work and presently smash the door completely
in, they drew back the ladder which they were using as a battering ram.
Rod saw his chance to look out through the vent. What he saw was not of
a reassuring nature. There were five stout men in the uniform of the
reckless rough riders belonging to the German army; and they were
swinging that heavy ladder in a way that showed what delight they
experienced in just such work of destruction.
Rod did not class them as different from the soldiers of any army
raiding through the enemy's country. In fact he was not bothering his
head just then making comparisons, for he had enough to do in figuring
how he might further delay the crisis so as to give the coming zouaves a
little more time in which to arrive.
"I guess it's got to be done!" the boy was muttering to himself as he
peeped through that narrow slit of an opening and saw that the pack had
about reached the end of their swing, so that the forward rush was about
to begin.
It was easy enough to pick out the man who seemed to be the head and
brains of the bunch. He was of course in the van, and by his actions as
well as by his loudly shouted exclamations exerted a most important
influence on the others. In fact he served as the pilot of the little
group; when he gave the word they surged forward with whoops, meaning
this time to finish smashing that objectionable door.
Why the Uhlans did not attempt to force an entrance through the rear of
the house, which was absolutely undefended, Rod never could tell.
Perhaps they were of the "one-idea" class of men, who, having made up
their minds to do a thing in a certain way, could not deviate from the
plan they had laid out.
Rod saw his chance to break up that next assault if only his aim were
true. He thrust his weapon forward, finding plenty of room for his
purpose. While he did not claim to be much of a shot with such a clumsy
weapon as he now held, at the same time the boy knew considerable about
firearms in general, and that counted for a whole lot.
Besides, the distance was ridiculously scant, and really Rod would have
been deeply mortified had he missed his aim under the circumstances.
He meant to wound the leader by shooting him in the leg, and with that
intention in view aimed low when pulling the trigger. The five Uhlans
had actually started on the run at the time, so that they might strike
the tottering door a tremendous blow, and complete matters with one fell
swoop, which would give them entrance to the house.
Josh, who was peeping over Rod's shoulder, gave a howl of delight when
through the little puff of smoke that followed the feeble crack of the
revolver he saw the big leader suddenly crumple up, and, falling in a
heap, bring every one of his companions down in a struggling mass.
"A great shot, Rod, a magnificent hit!" was the burden of his shout;
"pinked the whole five at a clip! Splendid work, let me tell you, Rod!
However did you manage to do it?"
Apparently, Josh had allowed his enthusiasm to run away with his better
judgment, for he imagined that in some mysterious manner the missile
from Rod's weapon had split in sections, and scattered like a load of
bird shot, bringing down victims by the wholesale.
However that might be, Josh speedily realized his error, for a number of
the soldiers were already struggling to their feet. Only one remained on
the ground, and he was hugging his left leg as though in sudden anguish,
a fact that sent a qualm of regret through Rod's heart.
He hoped they would draw off now, and give up the attempt for a little
time at least. True, there were five more charges in his gun, and only
four of the Uhlans, so that it seemed as though he might be equal to the
task of holding them in check, but one victim was enough to satisfy him.
"They're going to try it again, Rod!" cried Josh, shrilly.
He was trembling violently with the excitement, and his face had taken
on the look of one wrought up to the fighting pitch. To tell the truth,
Josh had but a single regret just then, which was that he did not
possess the mate of the weapon his chum gripped in his hand.
"And I'd never have bothered just peppering 'em in their legs, either,"
he afterwards affirmed, when talking matters over with Hanky Panky;
"they were meaning to get us, and if the shoe happened to be on the
other foot who would be to blame?"
When Rod saw that the four men once more picked up the heavy ladder and
started to swing it forward he realized that it was up to him to try
again. By gradually reducing the number of their foes he must in the end
check their drive.
So he coolly picked out the next victim. As before, it had to be one of
those in front, so as to bring confusion to the charge, as the rest were
bound to trip over him should he fall.
All this while there arose from different quarters loud outcries and
shouts of laughter from the spoilers, filled with the mad desire to
inflict a reign of terror and frightfulness upon the natives. Shots were
also heard at intervals, women screamed, children shrieked, dogs barked,
and taken in all it was a combination of sounds never to be forgotten by
those who happened to be in the little French village.
Well, Rod was just as successful with that second shot of his as he had
been on the former occasion. With the report of his weapon he could see
the man start, and give every evidence of being hard hit. He managed to
keep from falling, however, being sustained by his grip on the ladder,
as well as the impetus of his companions' advance.
It might have altered things somewhat had Rod been given an opportunity
to discharge a third shot, this time selecting the other fellow in the
van; but before he could really grasp the immensity of this idea it was
too late.
The heavy ladder struck the already weakened door, and such was the
force with which it was hurled forward that it tore the latter from its
hinges and sent it to the floor, the end of the ladder projecting
several feet into the room.
Rod, seeing what was about to happen, had swept his two comrades back so
that none of them chanced to be struck by the falling door. There was
now a wide gap, and the three uninjured Uhlans might easily rush through
this. They would find, however, that the resistance of the inmates did
not end with the breaking in of the door; for there was Rod holding
himself in readiness to shoot again, Josh with his upraised poker, Hanky
Panky also in line with a club, and the old man who had secured the
revered gun that had hung on the wall since '71, waiting for this day,
had its sword bayonet adjusted so as to pin the first German who dared
venture across that threshold.
Fortunately there was no necessity for further action on the part of the
valiant defenders of the village home, for just at that moment there
arose a series of the wildest shouts Rod had ever heard. They were
shouting in unison, those zouaves, as they spread through the village
looking for Uhlans to spit upon their hungry bayonets. Hanky Panky in
times past had more than once ventured to make fun of certain phrases
which he had heard spoken in French; but he was now ready to confess
that there was no language on the face of the earth to be compared with
the French as falling from the bearded lips of men who wore those baggy
red trousers of the famous zouaves.
"They've come, Rod, they've really got here!" he cried, in a paroxysm of
delight.
Josh too was equally satisfied, though he should always deeply regret
that it had not fallen to his lot to strike _one_ blow for the
cause, and that all the honors had gone to Rod.
Rod, seeing that none of the Uhlans seemed disposed to renew the attack,
managed to look out; and the others were speedily at his side.
The danger, in so far as it related to the inmates of the village
houses, was past; but evidently it had only begun for the Uhlans. They
had mounted their already tired horses in hot haste, that is, all those
capable of doing so, and were trying to get out of the village, turning
and firing back at the French with reckless abandon as they went
galloping away.
Rod saw one man trying to help another mount a prancing horse. He had
his arm about the wounded man and seemed to ignore his own danger in the
desire to fetch his comrade safely away.
"That's the fellow you pinked the first time!" cried Josh,
understandingly.
Rod had already guessed as much. He hoped deep down in his heart that
the Uhlan would manage to regain his saddle and ride to safety, for the
boy did not want to feel that through any act of his the raider might be
finally brought down.
Half a minute later and the two were galloping off. Once the injured man
sat in his saddle he seemed capable of taking care of himself, though
unless his wound were attended to shortly he must become too weak from
loss of blood to continue on his way, and would find it necessary to
allow himself to be taken prisoner by the French in order to save his
life.
All around the active zouaves were running madly, and shouting in their
wild excitement. The Uhlans had not attempted to make any sort of a
stand, for they realized they were vastly outnumbered, and that it was
"safety first" with them.
From the crackling of guns that continued for some time Rod felt assured
that all of the raiders who had so boldly entered the French village
could not have gone out of it again. Some there must be caught in a
trap, for it seemed that the first of the zouaves arriving had started
to encircle the place, with the idea of cutting off the retreat of the
pillagers when they took the alarm.
Josh first of all insisted in shaking hands with each of his chums, and
then with the three valiant old men who had shown such grit. Rod, more
practical, knew that there was other work to be done.
"Here, we must find buckets, and put out that fire before it gets too
big a headway!" he told both of his companions, upon which they
bestirred themselves; and some of the zouaves coming to their
assistance, they presently had the flames completely smothered.
Things began to assume a settled appearance in the village as the sun
sank low in the west, seen through the breaks in the clouds. There was
wailing in a few of the houses over the destruction that had been
wrought during the temporary occupation of the place by the enemy.
Luckily, however, no one of the inhabitants had been killed, or even
seriously injured. Two buildings were burned, several dogs shot because
they had dared bark at the invaders, a few slight wounds received; but
on the whole every one felt that they had good reason for congratulating
themselves on the fact that things were no worse. Other French villages
did not fare so well when overrun by the invaders.