AT CALAIS, ON THE CHANNEL
Of course, Bumpus was duly impressed with the amazing fact. He sat up
and craned his neck in imitation of Giraffe, as well as the difference
in their build permitted. Sure enough, the two boys were seen earnestly
talking with a man; and just as the watchful Giraffe had declared, he
did look a bit mysterious when one came to remember the surrounding
circumstances.
But Thad and Allan seemed to have no fear. In fact, they were apparently
on very good terms with the other, for while Giraffe looked he saw the
man actually shake hands with each in turn, as though he had some reason
to be grateful to them.
Well, Giraffe could stand it no longer. He feared some gigantic
catastrophe must be threatening the safety of his chums, and that it was
high time he hastened to their relief.
Accordingly, he told Bumpus to “sit tight” and watch their luggage.
“I’m bound to find out what all this means, don’t you see?” he
explained.
“Go to it, Giraffe; and don’t let that fellow kidnap our chums,” Bumpus
told him; and possibly there was a slight vein of sarcasm in the manner
of the speaker, though, as a rule, Bumpus was not given to making
cutting remarks.
Giraffe quickly joined the others.
“Glad you came, Giraffe,” said Allan, “for you’re just in time to chin
in and help a chap in distress. Come, pony up a dollar, and it’ll square
the account, both Thad and myself have hit that amount apiece, and he
needs three to get back home again from Calais.”
“W-w-why, w-what’s it all about?” gasped Giraffe, almost stunned when he
saw all his wonderful castles in the air connected with stealthy German
spies tumbling to the ground.
“Nothing out of the way,” explained Thad with a smile, for he understood
that Giraffe was up against the fence and pretty nearly “all in.” “You
see, this gentleman is Mr. Algernon Smikes. He’s a commercial traveler
from London, who, like some other people, chanced to be caught abroad
when the war broke out, and has been having a hard time trying to get
back to Old England. He’s shown us letters to prove all he says, too; so
there’s no doubt about it. His money has run low because of the many
delays; and thinking that we were English fellows, he ventured to speak
to us. We’ve set him straight about our nationality; but at the same
time loaned him eight francs, which he will return when he gets back
home again. How about you helping him out, Giraffe?”
Thereupon the drummer started in to beg that Giraffe would pardon him
for playing such a contemptible role as that of a “beggar,” something he
had never done before in all his life; but the conditions were
remarkable, and he did not know how else he could make the home port.
When Giraffe heard him speak he knew instantly that his suspicions had
been altogether unfounded, for no German spy could ever assume that
cockney brogue. Of course, when he thought the man was watching them in
the capacity of a secret agent, he had been only trying to pick up
courage enough to “touch” them for a small loan, under the impression
that they were also English.
So Giraffe, without a murmur, took out some money and handed it to the
other. He probably thought he owed Algernon that much for having so
unjustly suspected him of espionage when the poor drummer was only
worrying about his inability to cross the Channel after reaching Calais.
They had no further time for engaging in conversation, because the cry
went out that the train was about to start. So the boys hastened to join
Bumpus, who, in turn, must be told how the “suspect” had turned out to
be a most innocent chap indeed. Bumpus grinned a little, upon seeing
which Giraffe, with his face much redder than usual, tried to defend his
blunder.
“That’s all right,” he said, stoutly; “and I acknowledge the corn. I
_was_ mistaken, but, then, nobody can be perfect. I saw my duty, and I
did it. Who’s got any fault to find with that policy, tell me? A scout
must always keep his eyes open and see what’s going on around him. And
he oughtn’t to take things for granted, either. Better to make ten
mistakes than to overlook something important just once. And now let’s
forget all about it. A dollar was a small sum to pay for such an
experience.”
Evidently the lanky chum did not mean to alter his ways, for he was very
stubborn, and often remarked that a “giraffe can’t change his spots any
more than a leopard.”
Well, they were once more moving along at a fair speed and heading for
Calais, on the coast. Allan said it could not be far away, because he
could surely detect something like salt air when he sniffed in a knowing
way; and the others agreed that this was a fact.
In due time they arrived at Calais. Even before entering the city they
could understand that it was altered from the old Calais, where the most
exciting events of the day used to be the docking of the over-Channel
steamer from London and the arrival and departure of the Paris trains.
It was well along in the afternoon. All sorts of whistles could be
heard, as if an unusual number of motors on the railway might be
switching and making up extra trains for transporting the troops and
batteries and munitions that kept arriving from across the Channel in
increasing quantities.
They were soon in the bustle, and it thrilled them to actually see the
khaki uniforms of the British “Tommies” everywhere. Up to now, in their
wanderings over a part of Belgium, they had never happened to come
across any of King George’s soldiers, for the very good reason that none
were to be found in that region. But apparently a constant stream must
be coming over to join hands with the French in trying to save Paris
from the invading host.
Of course all the boys were intensely interested in the wonderful sights
they saw on every hand. They drank them in eagerly, and Bumpus was
round-eyed with a greedy avidity as he tried to watch both sides of the
street while they were going to find a hotel.
At the same time, Thad did not mean to neglect their own mission,
although realizing more than ever the stupendous difficulties that were
bound to confront them as soon as they tried to find a means for
reaching Paris.
Of course every train that pulled out would be filled to overflowing
with troops, and if there chanced to be room for any regular passengers
those who lived in the French capital would be favored first of all.
Excitement filled the air. Music could be heard, for soldiers will show
a certain amount of gaiety even though facing a terrible battle on the
morrow. And whichever way one looked it was to see marching men in
khaki. Bumpus reckoned that there must be thousands of them in Calais.
“They’ll need to be many times over what the British army boasts, to
stand up before the millions of the Kaiser,” Giraffe told him; for, as
may be remembered, he had a strain of that same Teuton blood in his
veins himself, though claiming to be American to the backbone.
They were fortunate enough to find lodging in a private house, for the
hotels could not accommodate another person, being filled to
overflowing. When this had been finally accomplished Thad and Allan left
the others and sauntered out to discover what chance there was of the
journey to Paris being carried through.
They were not long in determining that nothing could be done, that day
at least. Bumpus would be grievously disappointed, but it could not be
helped. Lots of other folks besides the four chums were being held up
there and unable to reach their intended destinations, and Thad soon
learned that many of these people were burning with anxiety, since their
homes lay directly along the path taken by the German army in making for
Paris. Of course they pictured the most terrible things as coming to
pass, so the two boys agreed that at least they had something to be
thankful for.
They did manage to find a little encouragement, and this led them to
hope they might get away on the following morning. A train would be
pulling out, and unless another boat came in meanwhile, laden with fresh
troops, there might be room for them.
That was a very long night to poor Bumpus. And what made it even worse
was the fact that they heard how many thousands of people were quitting
the French capital by every sort of conveyance, anticipating that the
Germans would soon be surrounding Paris, and another terrible siege
would be on like that of ’71. Even the official headquarters and members
of the National Legislature had gone south so as to prepare for the
worst. And there would always be a possibility that Mrs. Hawtree might
have accompanied the staff of the sanitarium to some city in the south
of France.
With the coming of morning the boys were astir. Hardly waiting to devour
a hasty breakfast, Thad and Allan, together with Giraffe this time, set
out to ascertain what the chances might be for an early departure. Luck
was with them, since they managed to book for the capital, though duly
warned that the train might have to be abandoned long before it reached
its intended destination, since one of the three great tidal waves of
invaders was said to be threatening communications by way of that very
line.
A little thing like that could not deter the boys, and, accordingly,
when the train pulled out on schedule time, they were aboard, with
Bumpus exceedingly hopeful, though at times also given to serious
doubts.
Every mile passed over they knew was taking them closer to where the two
hostile armies were maneuvring, each trying to flank the other and gain
some decided advantage. At every stop on the way Giraffe could be seen
thrusting his head out of the window and evidently straining his
hearing.
“I’m almost dead sure I could catch a queer distant rumbling sound when
the little wind there is came from out of the southeast,” he remarked
after one of these occasions.
“You mean it may have been thunder or big guns working, don’t you,
Giraffe?” asked Bumpus, deeply interested himself.
“There’s some sort of a battle on, as sure as you live!” declared the
other.
Thad knew he spoke the truth, for he, too, had caught that same low
mutter that could mean only one thing, for there was not a cloud in the
sky to tell of rain. From the hour the Kaiser’s hosts had crossed the
French border there had started a series of earth quakings that would
never cease as long as one invader’s foot remained on French soil, no
matter if it took years to eject them.
Some time later the train came to a small village and stopped. The boys
quickly realized that something had happened, for the guards came along
telling the passengers to alight.
“We dare go no further,” Thad told his comrades after listening to what
was being said by the chattering throng. “It seems that they’ve got word
a portion of one of the great divisions of the German army is
overrunning the line ahead of us. It is no longer possible to get to
Paris this way. We are just a day too late!”
Bumpus was tugging at Thad’s sleeve immediately.
“But do we have to give it up altogether, Thad?” he asked in a quivering
voice. “Isn’t there some sort of way in which we might get around the
Germans and come in on Paris from the southwest?”
“Well, we can do our level best and try,” the other assured him. “You
know we’ve never been the fellows to give up anything easily, Bumpus. So
let’s hustle around to see what sort of conveyance we can strike. And as
beggars shouldn’t be choosers we’ll be glad to take whatever comes
along.”