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[Illustration: "Faster! Thad, squeeze a little more speed
out of the poor old thing."
_The Boy Scouts on War Trails in Belgium._ _Page 66_]
THE BOY SCOUTS ON WAR TRAILS IN BELGIUM
Or
Caught Between Hostile Armies
by
HERBERT CARTER
Author of
"The Boy Scouts First Campfire," "The Boy
Scouts in the Blue Ridge," "The Boy Scouts
on the Trail," "The Boy Scouts in the
Maine Woods," "The Boy Scouts
Through the Big Timber,"
"The Boy Scouts in the
Rockies," "The Boy
Scouts Along the
Susquehanna."
Etc.,
Copyright, 1916
By A. L. Burt Company
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. The News That Reached the Rhine. 3
II. A Bold Undertaking. 12
III. Giraffe Makes a Bargain. 19
IV. The Blocked Way to the Border. 28
V. At the Ferry. 37
VI. Scout Tactics. 45
VII. Dodging Trouble. 54
VIII. The Country of Windmills. 63
IX. At a Wayside Belgian Inn. 71
X. The Throb in the Night Breeze. 80
XI. Warned Off. 89
XII. The Penalty of Meddling. 98
XIII. Repentant Bumpus. 106
XIV. More Hard Luck. 115
XV. At the End of a Tow Line. 124
XVI. The German Raiders. 132
XVII. A Man in the Tree Top. 141
XVIII. Good Samaritans. 149
XIX. The Battle at the Bridge. 158
XX. Victory in Defeat. 167
XXI. The Call for Help. 176
XXII. Up from the Depths. 184
XXIII. "A Tempest in a Teapot." 193
XXIV. The Ambuscade. 202
XXV. The Scouts' Camp Fire. 210
XXVI. A Tattooed Fugitive. 219
XXVII. The Uhlan Hold-up. 228
XXVIII. Turned Back. 236
XXIX. A Change of Plans--Conclusion. 245
THE BOY SCOUTS ON WAR TRAILS IN BELGIUM.
CHAPTER I.
THE NEWS THAT REACHED THE RHINE.
"It strikes me Allan's a pretty long time coming with those letters,
Thad."
"Oh! perhaps he's struck some exciting news worth picking up; you know
he's a correspondent for a newspaper at home in the good old United
States, and must always be on the lookout for happenings. Have a little
more patience, Bumpus."
"But you see I didn't sleep ten winks last night, Thad. After our lovely
quiet trip down the Rhine by boat from Mainz this place seemed just as
noisy as any boiler factory."
"No wonder, Bumpus, with trains pouring in from the east and north,
every one loaded down with German first-line troops, field artillery,
cavalry horses, aeroplane supplies, and all sorts of war toggery."
"Yes, but, Giraffe, I took notice that _you_ slept like a top through it
all, just as if we were camping again in the Maine woods, or down in
that Louisiana swamp where we had such a roaring good time."
The boy who answered to the peculiar nick-name of "Giraffe" laughed when
the stout, auburn-haired member of the trio, known as Bumpus Hawtree,
made this assertion.
"Oh! I've got it down to a fine point, Bumpus," he remarked with a touch
of boyish pride in his voice; "I've found out how to make mind win over
matter. When I lay me down to sleep I just tell myself to forget all
troubles; and after counting a hundred sheep jumping over a fence I lose
myself the finest way you ever saw. Try it yourself, Bumpus, and see how
it works."
"As a rule I don't have any trouble getting my forty winks, and you know
that, Giraffe," the fat boy continued, sadly; "but just now I'm terribly
worried about my mother back there in Antwerp. Whatever would she do if
this war does break out, so helpless to get away by herself, because of
that paralysis she's trying to have cured by a specialist?"
"We've given you our promise, Bumpus," said the one called Thad, "that
we'd stick by you through thick and thin, and do everything in our power
to get to Antwerp. So cherk up and try to feel that it's all going to
come out right in the end."
"Thad, a scout never had a better chum than you've always been to me,"
Bumpus acknowledged, with a trace of tears in his eyes, as he laid his
hand on the other's khaki sleeve; "and I'm going to do my level best to
see the silver lining of the cloud. But it's tough being hemmed in by a
whole army like we are, and given to understand that it's impossible to
enter Belgium again until the skies clear."
These three boys who wore the well-known uniform of scouts were seated
in a boat that had apparently been used as a means for descending the
historic Rhine.
Thad Brewster was the leader of the patrol to which the others belonged.
It was known as the Silver Fox, and formed a part of Cranford Troop. He
had worked his way up until his field of experience was so broad that it
entitled him to take the place of the regular scout master of the troop
when the latter could not accompany the boys on their outings.
Giraffe was really known to his teachers in school as Conrad Stedman.
His ancestors had come from this same Rhine country long ago, and as the
boy had made a specialty of German in school he was able to jabber
fairly well during their trip down the beautiful river. Giraffe came by
his nick-name honestly. He had been given an abnormally long neck by a
bountiful Nature, and on occasion it seemed as if the boy could even
stretch this out to an astonishing extent, just as the giraffe does. He
never complained because every one of his mates called him by such a
name, for if it hadn't been that he must surely have been dubbed
"Rubber-neck," which would have been infinitely worse.
Bumpus Hawtree also had another more dignified name, that of Cornelius
Jasper, but it was utterly unknown among his comrades. Whether on the
baseball field, in camp, on the trail, in a boat, or any other place
where boys might gather it was always plain Bumpus. No one knew exactly
why that peculiar name had been given to the fat boy, except that being
clumsy he was always stumbling into trouble, and given to bumping
against his chums.
These boys, with some others connected with the Cranford Troop of
scouts, had seen considerable in the way of adventure since the first
day they organized their Silver Fox Patrol. Wonderful opportunities had
come to them whereby they were allowed to visit the Blue Ridge country
down in North Carolina; go to the Maine woods on an outing; cross the
continent to the great Rockies and enjoy a hunt for big game in the
wilderness; and even take a trip down into the Sunny South, where amidst
the swamps of Louisiana they had encountered numerous remarkable
adventures.
No matter what difficulties beset them, Thad Brewster and his chums had
always met emergencies as became true-hearted scouts, and as a rule
managed to emerge from the encounter in triumph. Earlier in the same
summer that we see them so far away from their home town of Cranford
they had been concerned in a wonderful hunt for a valuable missing paper
that took them along the banks of the Susquehanna River, and brought
them in contact with a number of thrilling happenings, all of which have
been fully described in the volume preceding this.
Bumpus Hawtree's father was the president of the bank, and known to be a
wealthy man. The boy's mother had suffered from a paralytic stroke, and
urged to go abroad to be treated by an eminent specialist, this trip had
suddenly been thrust upon the chums.
Circumstances having arisen whereby Mr. Hawtree could not leave his
business, he had entrusted the care of the invalid to Bumpus, and even
agreed to stand for half of the expense of having his three comrades
accompany him.
Thad and Allan Hollister had long hoped to some day take a boat trip
down the Rhine, and when they learned that Bumpus was going this fever
had attacked them more furiously than ever. Then came Giraffe with the
suggestion that he join with them, making a party of four.
It proved to be an irresistible temptation. If Mrs. Hawtree had to
remain for a month or so at the sanitarium of the specialist in Antwerp
what was to hinder the four chums from carrying out their cherished
scheme?
At that time there seemed to be no cloud on the sky of European
politics. Servia had indeed put a match under the magazine when some
scoundrel assassinated the heir to the Austrian throne, and the Dual
Monarchy was demanding redress; but nearly every one supposed it would
end in Servia backing completely down, and doing whatever her big
neighbor insisted upon.
So the trip had been made, the invalid left comfortably in the Belgian
city on the Scheldt, after which the quartette of wide-awake American
boys hurried across to the German city of Mainz, where they managed to
hire a boat that would answer their purposes.
This was fixed up the best way possible for cruising, and they had taken
their own good time drifting down the beautiful Rhine. At night when
away from any city or town the boys would proceed to camp just as though
they were over in America, and navigating the waters of the Mississippi
or the Susquehanna.
It would perhaps take a book to tell of the many interesting things they
saw and experienced while on this voyage along the German waterway. The
task would be a most pleasant one, too; but there are too many more
stirring scenes lying ahead of Thad and his friends and awaiting our
immediate attention to linger here.
Bumpus had been greatly worried of late. The reports had grown more and
more serious the nearer they approached Cologne, and evidences
multiplied that went to tell them the great German nation was taking no
chances of a sudden invasion from the French border.
They had seen trainloads of soldiers all sweeping toward the west and
south. Heavy traction engines had been noticed moving slowly along
country roads, and drawing enormous guns behind them. Thousands of motor
trucks, each also loaded to the limit with men in helmets, had been seen
scurrying along.
All these things pointed to a growing fear that some terrible calamity
was impending over poor Europe, so that possibly the long talked of
World's War might be nearer than most people across the Atlantic dreamed
of.
To comfort Bumpus, Thad had solemnly promised him that no matter what
happened they would do everything in their power to forge ahead and
reach Antwerp. When he made that brotherly promise Thad could not have
foreseen one-tenth of the tremendous difficulties that would have to be
surmounted before it could ever be carried into execution; but once it
was given he had such a tenacious will that the leader of the Silver Fox
Patrol was bound to try and keep his word.
Their other comrade, Allan Hollister, had gone into the city for any
mail that might be awaiting their arrival at Cologne. Sitting there with
the magnificent twin spires of the famous cathedral in plain sight, the
others were impatiently awaiting his return.
It may have been ten minutes after the little talk occurred with which
this chapter opens that a boy was discovered hurrying toward the boat.
From the fact of his wearing a khaki suit like the ones Thad and his
other two chums sported, it could be set down for granted that this must
be Allan Hollister.
As he drew nearer, all of them could see that his face was grave. This
gave Bumpus a new pang, for he feared he would never be able to make the
journey across Belgium, and join his invalid mother, who would be
waiting for him in Antwerp.
Allan silently handed each of them some mail, but after a glance at his
Thad voiced the feelings of his other two allies when he said:
"You're bringing us bad news, Allan; it's written on your face, and
there's no use keeping it back any longer. What's happened?"
Allan was the second in control of the patrol, a good woodsman, and a
stout-hearted scout. He braced himself with an effort, and after drawing
a big breath went on to tell them the thrilling news he had heard when
getting the mail.
"The war is on--German armies have crossed the frontier into
Belgium--King Albert has refused to let them pass through his country,
and there is a terrible battle being fought at Liége, with thousands of
men killed and wounded on both sides. The whole of Germany and Austria
have flamed up, and it's going to be a fight to the death with the
biggest nations of Europe on the battle line!"