GIRAFFE FACES A SERIOUS CHARGE
Consternation seized upon the boys when Giraffe was thus summarily
arrested, and, in so many words, charged with aiding the enemy in the
guise of a spy. Such a serious accusation is enough to frighten even the
most valiant heart; for in many cases it means a short shrift and a file
of soldiers, with a kneeling figure against a dead wall.
Thad managed to recover the use of his tongue. He faced the grim soldier
who wore the marks of a colonel, which he probably had won over in
Algiers or Morocco battling with dark-faced Moors or the tribes of the
desert.
“Pardon, M’sieu,” Thad had started to say, “there must be some terrible
mistake about this. We are all American boys, as we can prove without
any trouble. Please give us a chance to explain how we happen to come
here.”
The colonel frowned at first. Evidently he had it on the tip of his
tongue to say gruffly that there was no time to bother with
explanations, when at any moment his regiment might be engaged in a life
and death struggle with the invading foe, and that all of them must be
put in confinement until later on, when they could be placed on trial.
Just then it happened that the old soldier came under the magical
influence of Thad’s winning smile. He set his teeth harder together, as
though resisting the evident blandishment of that frank, eager, boyish
look; but it was no use. Perhaps memories rushed into his mind of some
favorite son or grandson at home. He shrugged his square shoulders,
nodded his head, and went on to say, in excellent English:
“I will give you a very brief opportunity to explain, as you call it,
young m’sieu. Lead them all to my temporary quarters!”
Several minutes later the four boys found themselves confronting the
colonel and several of his officers. A number of armed privates stood
alongside, where they could seize the boys should occasion arise. The
commanding officer looked at Thad, and he was still frowning as though
not sure that he should go to all this bother for just a quartette of
fairly grown lads in khaki, who could just as well be sent to the rear
under guard, to await his pleasure when he had less weighty affairs on
his mind.
“Please tell me of what my comrade is accused, M. le Colonel?” asked
Thad.
“It is all very simple,” replied the soldier, shortly. “This gentleman,
whom you see with me, happens to be a confidential agent of my
government. He has declared to me most positively that he certainly saw
yonder boy in close conversation with a notorious spy of the German
Government, and who has since been apprehended. This, he says, was just
two days before war was declared by Germany on France and while Paris
was feverish with excitement, for it was on the streets of the capital
he tells me this meeting took place. That justifies me in making an
arrest.”
Thad looked relieved. Grave as the accusation might be reckoned, he felt
sure of being able to clear Giraffe, if only the colonel showed any
inclination to be reasonable.
“I do not in the least doubt the intentions of the gentleman,” Thad went
on to say; “and, of course, he believes all he states to you; but at the
same time he has mistaken some other party for my chum here. In the
first place, we were away up on the Rhine when war was declared. We had
left the mother of this other chum at a famous sanitarium in Antwerp to
be treated, and we were making a trip down the Rhine in a small cruising
boat when we heard the thrilling news.”
Then Thad went on in a graphic fashion to narrate how they determined to
hasten to the Belgian seaport as fast as they could go; with what
perplexing difficulties their passage through that section of Belgium
had been attended, and how in the end they had been compelled to turn
back so as to go through the friendly Netherlands to Rotterdam in order
to get a boat that would take them to the city on the schedule.
Step by step he explained how they found that Mrs. Hawtree had hurriedly
left the city of Antwerp in the company of the doctors and nurses
connected with the sanitarium and started overland to Paris, where a
branch hospital existed; and also how they had followed.
Somehow Thad seemed to tell all this in such an interesting way that he
had the colonel spell-bound. Minutes were passing; the boom of bursting
shells could be heard all around them; the Germans were undoubtedly
coming closer and closer all the time, yet he stood there and let the
boy proceed to the very end, where he told of the chase along the road,
the destruction of the bridge, the coming of the Uhlans, the blowing up
of the ammunition wagon by the driver, and last, but not least, how the
field battery shelled the cavalrymen and saved the boys from a premature
end.
It certainly made a thrilling story, and small blame to the colonel for
allowing himself to stand there and drink it in. A Frenchman loves to
hear of daring, because he himself is by nature adventurous. When Thad,
in addition, showed him various letters they had received, which all
went to prove his declaration to the effect that Giraffe would sooner
cut off his right hand than do anything to betray the interests of
France, evidently the colonel had made his mind up.
Turning to the secret agent, he conversed with him in low tones for a
brief time. Then he once more faced Thad and held out his hand.
“The gentleman is himself now convinced that he must have made a
mistake, though he still says it was a boy resembling your friend in a
remarkable degree whom he saw talking with the seized German spy. Let us
then forget it. What can I do to show you how French soldiers appreciate
their American cousins across the sea and also to make amends to you in
a measure for having put you to this trouble?”
Bumpus thereupon gave Thad an eager thump with his elbow, and managed to
say, half aloud:
“Don’t forget it’s nearly dinner-time, Thad, and we haven’t had hardly a
bite since last night in the bargain!”
“M’sieu le Colonel,” said Thad, paying no attention to this imperative
demand from the rear, “all we can hope for is that if we are sent back
at least allow us to see something of the battle from some friendly
hilltop. And, believe me, that all the while we watch from a distance we
shall be hoping that victory comes to those who are defending their
capital against the invaders. Our sympathies are with the lilies of
France!”
That quite completed the conquest of the doughty colonel. He gave Thad’s
hand an extra squeeze and hastened to say:
“I shall simply insist that you retire from the firing-line. After that
I wash my hands of you, young messieurs from our sister republic. You
shall see how my brave _enfants_ meet the rush of the army that has
broken its sacred treaties and swept across a neutral country thinking
to catch us asleep. Ah! and you will never forget what glorious deeds
the defenders of Paris expect to accomplish this day, and the next, and
the next, until the invader has been chased back to his strongholds
beyond the Rhine. I am from Alsace, and our hour has struck for revenge.
Yes, and I shall give orders also that you dine with my men in the
field. That is all. Adieu!”
Of course, all of them were greatly pleased with the outcome of the
affair. It had looked rather gloomy for Giraffe at one time, but, thanks
to the clever way in which Thad had managed, as well as his insinuating
manner of speech, they had come out of the trouble with honor. And to
Bumpus, one of the most pleasing features of the situation was that they
stood a good show now to break their fast.
Shortly afterward the boys were allowed to sit down with several minor
officers, who prepared to make a “short dinner” under fire. Soldiers can
show a contempt for danger on occasion; and the fact that an occasional
shell threw up the earth now and then within a hundred yards of where
they sat did not seem to interfere at all with the appetites of the
diners.
The boys had all they wanted of such food as the rations consisted. Two
of the Frenchmen could speak English, and so many questions were asked
and answered during the progress of the meal, Thad taking pleasure in
telling more concerning the adventures that had fallen to the lot of
himself and three comrades since they first learned that war had been
declared.
Afterward they were informed that they must start at once toward the
rear, as at any time that section of the front might witness a terribly
fierce charge on the part of the oncoming German hosts, so that unarmed
boys really had no business to be loitering there.
Recognizing that this was sound logic, Thad led his companions along
another road, that he had learned had its other terminus in Paris
itself. They might expect to meet many detachments of French recruits
hastening toward the front, fresh batteries on their way, together with
innumerable motor lorries, tractors drawing loads, ambulances, and other
petrol-driven army vehicles laden with stores or ammunition, all heading
toward the line where those men in the French blue waited calmly for a
new phase of the fight to open.
All of the boys were feeling fairly fresh now, and evidently that meal
had put new spirit in Bumpus for one, since he did not utter the
slightest complaint as he trudged valiantly along in the wake of his
more energetic chums.
Thad, after a while, began to keep his eyes about him, meaning to call a
halt if they should happen to come upon a knoll where a view might be
obtained of the lower country where those new trenches had been thrown
up so hurriedly. What he wanted to be able to say was that he and the
rest had actually seen with their own eyes some of the movements of the
two rival armies at this battle for the possession of Paris.
The early September sun was more than half way down toward the horizon
when the scout leader believed he had found the place he was looking
for. True, the elevation did not amount to a great deal, for which,
incidentally, Bumpus was grateful, because he did hate the worst kind to
climb hills; but it seemed to offer them what Thad called a “coign of
vantage.” Possibly his chums had only a dim idea as to just what that
wonderful expression meant; but nevertheless, they asked no questions;
accepting things as they found them.
Really, it was quite a fine view that opened around them. The line of
vision was not obstructed to any extent, particularly toward the north.
Here and there, to be sure, lay fields of drifting smoke, showing where
a battery was at work. Smaller patches of the same might indicate the
explosion of great shells; while higher in the air shrapnel patches
could be seen, looking strangely white in comparison with the rest.
“Just the place for us to spend the rest of the afternoon,” Bumpus
hastened to remark, fearful lest his silence might be misconstrued, and
that the others would figure on looking further.
No one contradicted him, and so it seemed settled that they would remain
there until toward nightfall, at any rate.
The road was far from deserted, because any number of vehicles kept
coming forward and ascending the rise with accelerated speed. Often at
the crown the deeply interested drivers would pause, not to rest their
motors, but to stare across that stretch of country to where the roar of
guns was ever increasing.
Then, as though some high sense of duty urged them on, they would
suddenly start down the descent and speed away for the front. Perhaps
for aught they knew much of the success or failure of the French in
holding the oncoming Teuton hosts in check might depend on the prompt
delivery of the cargo of ammunition which their particular van was
fetching up for the big guns.
Just then Thad would have given a great deal for a good field-glass, but
since they lacked such an aid to vision, owing to a robbery some time
back, they must get on the best they could without. Giraffe would suffer
less than any of the best because of his extraordinary sight; and he
promptly promised to pass along any startling discoveries his advantage
in that line might give him.
It may have been half an hour after the four chums located on the crown
of that low hill when a sudden increase in the near-by thunder told them
a new phase of the operations must have broken out.
Giraffe had been down at a spring they had noticed at the foot of the
hill in order to quench his thirst, for the day was pretty warm; and so
many vehicles passing along the road caused considerable dust to float
in the air, all of which seemed to irritate that long throat of the tall
scout.
He came leaping up to the lookout, his face filled with eagerness. The
others were already straining their eyes to discover what this uproar
meant; but after all it was the sharp vision of Giraffe that first made
an important discovery.
“Sure as you live, the battle is on, fellows!” he exclaimed, excitedly.
“Look over there near that ridge and you’ll see what resembles a running
torrent pouring over the crowd. Well, instead of water, that’s made up
of a never-ending stream of men, all in the Kaiser’s gray uniforms.
Whee! they’re beginning to show in three other places, too. The woods
are full of ’em, seems like, tens and tens of thousands, and every man
of ’em pushing right on through shot and shell!”
Almost stunned by the thrilling spectacle, the four lads stood there and
watched while, doubtless, their hearts pounded like mad against their
ribs. Indeed, it would have to be a strange sort of a boy who could
witness such a wonderful sight without unusual emotion.
Presently Giraffe again broke out. It was as if he could not restrain
himself, and this way of telling his mates what he saw served as an
escape valve for his surcharged feelings.
“Now you can see that the French have got busy and are sending every
kind of missile right into the midst of the masses of Germans. Every
time a shell breaks it leaves a horrible gap, but only for a second,
because the living close it up like magic. Oh! what madness for them to
charge in such mass formations in these days of machine guns and
shrapnel and big shells. But that’s the way they’ve been taught, to go
forward shoulder to shoulder; and Germans couldn’t fight like our men
do, each on his own initiative. Oh! just see them coming on still, will
you? I believe there must be a million of ’em pouring over that ridge.
But the French don’t seem to be giving way a yard, do they?” And then,
overcome by his emotions, Giraffe fell silent, though never for a second
did he take his eyes off the thrilling drama that was being enacted not
more than two miles away.