GIRAFFE MAKES A BARGAIN.
"That's the stuff, Thad," declared Bumpus, enthusiastically.
No one considered this an odd remark for the stout boy to make, because
they knew from past experience that he was not an ardent pedestrian.
Bumpus was not built for action along those lines; he "het up" too
easily, as he was fond of explaining, and even now could be seen mopping
his perspiring brow with his bandanna handkerchief.
The man with the disabled car was so busily engaged that he did not
notice the approach of the four chums until they reached the spot.
Apparently he was about ready to give it up as a bad job, for he
scratched his head helplessly, and had a look of utter chagrin on his
face as he turned toward them.
Thad had previously asked Giraffe to conduct the negotiations, using his
best German to produce results.
The man was apparently some small tradesman in one of the towns so
thickly scattered about that region. He stared hard at the boys,
understanding immediately that they had a foreign look. Still the Rhine
country attracted many thousands of pilgrims each year, and myriads of
honest people helped out their living by what the tourists left behind
them; so he must have been used to seeing strangers.
Perhaps the news that had reached his ears concerning the breaking out
of war may have been the cause of his puzzled look.
While Giraffe engaged him in conversation, the others took a look at the
engine of the car. Both Thad and Allan had a fair smattering of
mechanical knowledge, and it did not take them long to size the
situation up, as the latter termed it.
"An old rattlebox, sure enough, Thad," observed Allan, knowing that the
owner could not very well understand what he was saying.
"I've seen a few worse machines, but I believe I could count them on the
fingers of one hand," the patrol leader admitted.
"It's easy to see what the matter is, though the man doesn't seem to
know," was what Allan remarked next.
"Yes, and so far as that goes it can be remedied without a great amount
of time and trouble," continued Thad.
"Would it pay us to make an offer for the discard?" asked Bumpus,
anxious to have a little say in the matter.
The other two exchanged looks.
"Let's take another squint at the thing before we decide," remarked
Thad.
"Agreed," his chum added. "I never did like to buy a pig in a poke, as
they used to say."
Once more they examined the engine, and then took a look at each of the
pretty well-used tires. Meanwhile Giraffe had exhausted his vocabulary,
and both he and the old German owner of the stranded car stood and
watched what the others were doing.
Bumpus bustled around like a busy beaver. From the way he poked his head
under the hood of the machine, touched this part of the machinery and
then that, one would have thought he might be an experienced mechanic;
and yet what Bumpus did not know about such things would fill many
volumes. But then it pleased him to look wise.
"Did you ask him if he cared to sell the old trap, Giraffe?" questioned
Thad.
"Yes," the other scout replied, "I put it up to him, and he told me he
didn't care if he did, providing he could get his price, and that it was
in cash."
"The cash part we could meet easily enough," continued the scout leader,
"but I'd want to know what sort of a price he means to put on the wreck.
It's of little use to him as it stands, for he can't do a thing with
it."
"I told him so," said Giraffe, "and that if we chose to buy the car it
would only be to have a little fun out of it, and then throw the old tub
in the discard."
"It's only fit for the scrap heap," ventured Bumpus, pompously.
"Well, get him to set a price on it, spot cash, and if it's too high
we'll step out with shank's mare again," Thad told the negotiator.
Accordingly Giraffe brushed up his high-school German and set to work.
The man listened to what he was saying, nodding his head meanwhile. His
eyes had a cunning look in them Thad thought, that seemed to tell of
covetousness.
"Whew!" they heard Giraffe say in an explosive way, after the other had
committed himself.
"What is his lowest figure in cash?" asked Thad.
"He nearly took my breath away," declared the other; "actually asks five
hundred marks for an old trap like this!"
"It's highway robbery, that's what!" commented Bumpus, in dismay.
"He says all the decent cars are being taken over by the military
authorities," continued Giraffe; "and that this sort of machine is the
only kind that it's safe to own."
"Well, so far as that goes he's right," admitted Allan.
"Yes, but he couldn't get twenty-five dollars for the tub if he put it
up at auction!" Bumpus asserted, just as though he were an authority on
all such subjects; "and here he asks a plump hundred for the bunch of
scrap iron."
All the same Bumpus kept an eager eye fastened on Thad, as though he
were in hopes the patrol leader might yet find some way to negotiate a
deal; for Bumpus would a thousand times rather travel in the slowest and
most uncertain car ever known than to walk.
"Offer him two hundred marks cash down," said Thad; "and that's a heap
more than it's worth. The balance is for the accommodation. We'll likely
throw it away after we've used it a bit."
"All right, just as you say, Thad," remarked Giraffe, and turning to the
German owner of the car he started in once more to dicker.
He had hardly gotten part-way through his speech before the others saw a
broad smile appear on the red face of the man, who began to nod his head
eagerly. At the same time he thrust out his hand toward Thad.
"What d'ye think of that, boys!" exclaimed Giraffe, apparently both
surprised and disgusted; "he snapped me up like a flash. Two hundred
marks it is, Thad, and the trap is ours for keeps."
"Oh! why didn't we set it at a hundred," groaned Bumpus; "a fine lot of
traders we are, I think. No David Harums in this bunch. We're easy
marks."
"Yes, two hundred of them," chuckled Allan.
Thad meanwhile, fearful lest the man might change his mind, counted out
some bills and handed them over to Giraffe.
"Write out a receipt in German, Giraffe, and have him sign the same
before you give him the money," he told the go-between.
This Giraffe soon did, and the man signed it without hesitation. Then
clutching the money, he said something to Giraffe, nodded his head
several times to the rest of the boys, and hurried away.
Somehow his actions, coupled with the way he glanced back over his
shoulder several times caused the four scouts to look at each other in
surprise.
"What do you think he means to do, now he's got the money?" Bumpus
asked.
"Oh! put for home and hide it away in a stocking, most likely," Allan
laughingly remarked.
"He acted as if he was afraid we'd repent, and want the money back,"
suggested the patrol leader. "That price was about twice as much as the
rattle-trap is worth, you see."
"You don't think he's hurrying off to get into town and report that
there are suspicious characters on the road who talk English, and may be
spies from across the Channel?" ventured Giraffe, uneasily.
"Worse than that, it may be," said Bumpus mysteriously.
"Explain what you mean, then," demanded Giraffe.
"Mebbe he _stole_ the car somewhere," suggested the other, "and before
we know it we'll be hauled up for the job."
The thought was far from pleasant. In the present disturbed state of the
Rhine country any one who did not have the stamp of the Fatherland on
his face and in his tongue was apt to fare harshly if placed under a
cloud by any circumstances.
"Well, the sooner we get busy and fix up our new purchase the better, I
should say, no matter where the man got it," Allan went on to remark.
Thad thought the idea so good that, taking off his coat, he started in
to working at the engine. He had enough experience to know what was
wrong, and how to go about fixing the defect, with Allan at his back to
give occasional bits of advice which helped out considerably.
Bumpus and Giraffe hovered around. They could not be of any material
assistance, and did not want to get in the way so as to delay things. So
they talked matters over, and every now and then would step closer to
see how the workers might be getting along.
"I only hope she holds out till we're safe over the border, don't you,
Giraffe?" remarked the fat boy, fanning himself with his hat, for the
August day was pretty warm, and there did not happen to be a breath of
wind blowing at the time.
"Yes," replied the tall scout, "because once we get beyond where the
fighting is we can move around without being held under suspicion."
"There, Thad seems to be fixing things up, and I do believe he's going
to try the engine to see if it works!" exclaimed Bumpus.
It took several efforts to get the result Thad was after, but all at
once the loud thumping told that he had succeeded.
"Hurrah!" cried Bumpus, showing signs of excitement.
"All aboard!" exclaimed Thad.
Fortunately the car happened to be headed in the direction they wished
to go, so there was no necessity for turning, which might not have been
an easy task. All of them soon stowed themselves away in the body of the
car, though it required some crowding, due principally to the fact that
one of their number took up enough space for two ordinary fellows. Of
course that was not the fault of poor Bumpus, who was willing to squeeze
himself into as small a cavity as he possibly could.
When Thad started the car they actually found themselves moving along at
what seemed to be a fair rate of speed, after their recent slow progress
afoot.
Bumpus almost held his breath for a short time. He acted as though he
feared he must be dreaming, and that he would presently awaken to a
bitter disappointment.
After they had actually covered a full mile, and the machine was still
moving ahead, Bumpus could restrain his exultation no longer.
"Ha! this is the life!" he exclaimed with a broad smile on his happy
face. "A fellow would be a fool to walk when he could sit here in his
own private car and whirl along the highway at this dizzy pace of five
miles an hour. Thad, that was a dandy idea of yours about buying the
wreck; and Giraffe, I want to give you great credit for doing the
bargaining. Here we are headed for Belgium in fine shape, and with our
cares yet to come."
Being boys, and with abounding spirits, they did not believe in crossing
bridges before they came to them. So while unaware of what the uncertain
future might hold for them they did not mean to worry. It was enough, as
Bumpus said, that the present looked sunny, with not a cloud on the
horizon.
In that jolly frame of mind they started to do the next mile with
slightly increased speed, as the engine "got its second wind," as
Giraffe called it.