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[Illustration: Those boys would never forget that furious race.
It was impressed on their memories after a fashion that time
could not efface.
Page 60.]
THE BOY SCOUTS AFOOT IN FRANCE
Or
With the Red Cross Corps at the Marne
by
HERBERT CARTER
Author of
“The Boy Scouts at the Battle of Saratoga”
“The Boy Scouts Through the Big Timber”
“The Boy Scouts on Sturgeon Island”
“The Boy Scouts in the Blue Ridge”
“The Boy Scouts’ First Camp Fire”
“The Boy Scouts in the Rockies”
“The Boy Scouts on the Trail”
“The Boy Scouts on War Trails in Belgium”
“The Boy Scouts Down in Dixie”
“The Boy Scouts in the Maine Woods”
“The Boy Scouts Along the Susquehanna”
Copyright, 1917
By A. L. Burt Company
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I Landed in Antwerp 3
II Held Up on the Border 11
III Down the Slope 20
IV Giraffe on Guard 29
V At Calais, on the Channel 39
VI Caught Between the Lines 48
VII A Narrow Escape 58
VIII The Dangerous Crossing 65
IX With the French at the Front 76
X Giraffe Faces a Serious Charge 87
XI The Battle 98
XII The Wanderings of Bumpus 106
XIII A Thrilling Spectacle 114
XIV Back to the Firing Line 123
XV In the Service of the Red Cross 132
XVI At the French Hospital 141
XVII The Scouts Under Fire 151
XVIII Making History 162
XIX Thad Turns Magician 170
XX Running the Gantlet of Shells 178
XXI At Joffre’s Headquarters 189
XXII The Man Who Saved Paris 198
XXIII Where Victory Was Seized 207
XXIV Headed for Paris 216
XXV Giraffe Has a Narrow Escape 225
XXVI The Badge of Courage and Honor 234
XXVII Conclusion 244
THE BOY SCOUTS AFOOT IN FRANCE
CHAPTER I
LANDED IN ANTWERP
“Well, here we are, up the River Schelde at last, and landing at old
Antwerp, boys.”
“Yes, that’s right, Thad, and glad to set foot again on solid ground,
after that long trip over the North Sea from Rotterdam, away up in
Holland.”
“Of course Bumpus is happy, because he expects to join his mother here
at the Sanitarium. We all hope you’ll find her much improved, and ready
to start for the good old United States, where peace hangs out and folks
don’t dream of lining up in battle array like they’re all doing over
here in Europe.”
“Thank you, Thad, I am hugging that same wish to my heart myself right
along. Just as soon as we can get some sort of vehicle let’s head for
the Institution. I’m in a cold sweat for fear something may have
happened. It’s a long time since I heard from my poor mother, you know,
boys.”
“Yes, you worried all the time we were drifting down the Rhine on that
boat we chartered; and Bumpus, I really believe you’ve been thinking of
your mother every hour we spent trying our best to get through Belgium,
while running into so many snags at every turn that we finally had to go
into Holland and take a steamer here.”
“I admit all you say, Giraffe, I humbly do, for you see she’s the only
mother I’ve got. But please look for a vehicle, Thad, or you, Allan. I
have cold spells, and then flashes of fever by turns.”
“I’m thinking we may have considerable trouble finding any sort of
conveyance, because most horses and cars have been seized by the Belgian
military authorities. But we’ll do our best, and money generally talks
over here as it does in America.”
There were four of the boys in the bunch. All of them wore more or less
faded khaki suits, and had battered campaign hats on their heads, which
facts told louder than words could have done that they must belong to
that famous organization known as the Boy Scouts of America.
First, to introduce them in as short a space as possible, for the
convenience of any reader who may be making their acquaintance for the
first time, let it be set down that their names were Thad Brewster,
Allan Hollister, “Bumpus” Hawtree and “Giraffe” Stedman.
The Hawtree lad was once in a while known as “Cornelius Jasper”; and on
rare occasions he who answered to the family name of Stedman, a lanky
chap in the bargain, had “Conrad” tacked to his address; but never when
in the society of his comrades of the baseball or football field, or
when scouring the country in the company of those who wore the khaki.
These lads were all members of the Silver Fox Patrol connected with
Cranford Troop of Boy Scouts; and the enterprising town in which they
lived was located in the eastern part of the States.
They had seen many strange sights, and passed through a host of
experiences, both singular and thrilling, as any one who has read
previous volumes in this series can attest. Perhaps the most remarkable
of all their exploits had come to them during this summer upon finding
themselves in Germany when the Great War suddenly broke out, and they
had the time of their lives trying to get past the fiercely contending
Belgian and Teuton armies, in the endeavor to reach the city of Antwerp
on the River Schelde.[1]
A few words with regard to the reason for their being abroad would
perhaps not come in amiss here, in order that the reader may understand
what follows: It had come about that Mrs. Hawtree, being ill, was
recommended to go to Antwerp and stop for a season at a famous
Sanitarium, where celebrated physicians who had made a specialty of such
cases as hers would very likely be able to render her more or less
assistance, possibly effect a permanent cure.
Mr. Hawtree, being unable to accompany his wife on account of pressing
business engagements, sent his son instead. As Bumpus was usually an
“easy mark” on account of his good nature, it was arranged that his
faithful chums, Thad, Allan and Giraffe, accompany him, half of the
expense being paid by the Hawtrees.
So they had left the lady in Antwerp, and then started out to put a
long-cherished plan into operation. At a certain city on the Upper Rhine
they chartered a boat, aboard which they began to descend the
wonderfully beautiful river, admiring the famous old castles on its
banks, and having a “simply glorious time,” as Bumpus himself always put
it.
Then came the thunderbolt when they learned how war had suddenly broken
out, with the great German military machine pouring troops over the
Belgian border by tens and hundreds of thousands, thinking to catch
France totally unprepared, so that Paris could be taken, and the country
forced to its knees.
The boys had hastily abandoned their cruise on the Rhine, and, securing
an old rattletrap of a car, for fear a good one might be taken from
them, they started for the border, in hopes of getting across, and
finally reaching Antwerp.
But after many adventures they had finally been forced to change their
plans, retreating to Holland instead, and then coming around by way of
the North Sea. So here they were, safe at last at their destination, and
glad to know that they had broken down all obstacles to their progress.
Thad Brewster was the leader. He held the position by virtue of his
commanding nature, as well as the fact that he was at the head of the
Silver Fox Patrol, and indeed often served as scout-master of the troop
in the absence of the duly authorized gentleman who occupied that lofty
office.
On his part Allan Hollister could claim to be the best-posted member of
the troop when it came to a knowledge of woodcraft and an acquaintance
with the denizens of the wilderness in the shape of fur, fin and
feather, for he was a Maine boy, and that stands for a great deal.
Giraffe, he of the long “rubber-neck,” was a master hand at several
things, though it must be admitted that he took more pride in his
ability to start a fire in a dozen different ways than concerning
anything else he did.
As for Bumpus, he did not claim to excel in anything, unless it was a
remarkably good judgment with various kinds of food and ways in which to
prepare them so as to arouse the appetites of his mates.
It happened that they found little difficulty in securing the services
of a driver, since they had made up their minds not to scorn any sort of
vehicle so long as it got them to the Sanitarium on that August morning.
As they bundled in with their scanty luggage and started off from the
quay at which the steamer from Rotterdam had tied up, the boys naturally
found themselves keenly interested in all they saw. Antwerp under war
conditions was quite a different city from the rather quiet, staid place
they had thought it before. Indeed, all of them admitted that it fairly
_seethed_ with excitement, and was full of most thrilling sights just
then.
Men in soldierly garments could be seen on the streets, all apparently
hurrying toward some central point of mobilization. Twice the boys heard
the clatter of many horses’ hoofs as their carriage was drawn hastily
aside to allow a battery of field-pieces to pass by with a whirl. These
were possibly heading for the front, where the Belgians still heroically
resisted this forced invasion of their country by their powerful and
unscrupulous northern neighbor, one of the countries guaranteeing the
neutrality of Belgium at that.
Cars shot this way and that like hurrying meteors. Often they could see
that officers of rank occupied them. For all they knew the boys may have
been looking on the King of the Belgians himself, though it was more
probable that Albert kept much closer to the firing line while his men
were sacrificing themselves for the national honor.
“Honest to goodness!” Giraffe was heard saying as they surveyed all
these interesting sights, turning their heads constantly from side to
side like boys in a “three-ringed” circus. “I kind-a hate to get away
from here while things are booming this way. It’s a chance in a
life-time to see what war means. I seem to feel something strange
stirring within me every time I think of how these brave Belgians are
trying to hold the Kaiser’s terrible military machine in check, and
somehow I imagine it may be hero-worship that ails me.”
“Huh!” grunted the more practical Bumpus, “more’n likely it’s that
cucumber salad you had aboard the steamer for supper last night. It gave
me a few spasms myself, and you know I’m nearly fool-proof.”
“Well, there’s the Sanitarium ahead of us,” suggested Thad just then,
and of course Bumpus had nothing more to say; though his face again
assumed that anxious expression so foreign to its usually calm and
satisfied condition.
Holding the vehicle at their service, the four boys hastened to enter
the grounds of the big and famous institution. Somehow it struck Thad as
though there was lacking considerable of the bustle he had noticed when
there before. He fell to wondering what that sign could mean, and if
poor Bumpus was to have a bitter disappointment after all his trouble.
Gaining the office they found that instead of the pompous individual
whom they had met before, a rather obscure-looking party now held forth,
undoubtedly a subordinate. Bumpus hastened to push forward, and they saw
him talking with this party, who evidently was able to comprehend and
speak English. Indeed, many of the patients came from foreign parts,
even distant America, so it was only natural that those in charge must
be linguists.
Bumpus looked as though far from happy, Thad noticed. The official,
after satisfying himself that the stout, red-cheeked boy was the party
he claimed to be, had produced a letter, which he handed over. This
Bumpus had opened with trembling hands and was seen to devour greedily.
“There’s something gone wrong, take it from me,” remarked Giraffe, as
they saw the other starting toward them, still gripping his letter and
looking pretty pale. “What’s hit you, Bumpus?” he continued, not coldly,
but really with a touch of brotherly sympathy in his voice.
“Oh! what do you think!” exclaimed Bumpus, bitterly; “my mother has gone
to Paris with the head doctor, most of the staff and some of the
patients, and she wants me to join her there.”