THE GERMAN RAIDERS.
The moon was well up in the heavens and this made it almost as light as
day out there in the open. Both the scouts could see that scores and
scores of men mounted on fine horses had halted for a breathing spell.
Down by the pump as many horses as could gather around were drinking
their fill at the very trough where only a few hours before the animals
drawing the guns of the Belgians had stood, according to what Giraffe
had told them.
Crouching there in the window the boys stared and listened and took it
all in. It happened that the moon was on the other side of the inn so
that the wall here was well in shadow. This prevented Thad and Allan
from being noticed, and they had the good sense to remain perfectly
still so as not to attract undue attention.
There could be no telling what these hard-riding Uhlans might do.
Doubtless nine-tenths of all the terrible stories told about their cruel
work could be set down as pure fiction; but even then some among them
might be reckless enough to fire a shot at a shrinking figure, half seen
in a window, under the impression that it might turn out to be a
"sniper" getting ready to shoot into their ranks.
The landlord had come out, and was now talking with one of those who
seemed to be in charge of the band. None of the boys had known up to
this time he could speak German; and Giraffe in particular would be
surprised to know it, for had he only been aware of the fact on his
previous visit it would have saved him much time and effort.
When Thad remembered about the Belgian battery having been on the
identical spot such a short time before he was strongly impressed with
the strange vicissitudes and contrasts of war. And had that same battery
but lingered in hiding it would have been in a position to strike a blow
at the invaders not often encountered.
Remembering that they had companions in the other room Thad started to
creep through the connecting door, with the intention of waking them.
Then they too could afterwards boast of having looked upon a band of
those dashing hard riders known as Uhlans, and who with the Russian
Cossacks have had the reputation of being the most terrible fighters of
all Europe.
He had his trouble for his pains, for he found the bed in the other room
empty, with Giraffe and Bumpus over at the window watching all that was
going on below.
"Keep quiet, and don't draw any attention if you can help it," Thad
whispered to the others as he reached the spot where they crouched.
"Some of the officers are coming inside," said Giraffe; "I reckon
they've ordered the landlord to fetch up his best wines. It would be
just like them to make him clean up his wine cellar for the benefit of
the troop. And just our luck not to have paid our bill yet; for he's
bound to make good his losses on his guests."
"Oh! let us hope they won't think to set fire to the inn, because his
stock of drinks gives out," whimpered Bumpus, doubtless already
picturing in his mind what sort of work he could make of climbing out of
the window and down the water pipe, in case such a dreadful catastrophe
did come about.
"Here, you're shivering at the window, fellows," whispered Thad; "and
I'd advise you to go and get a blanket over your shoulders, if you want
to stay and see all that happens."
"You don't think they'll burn the house, do you, Thad?" asked Bumpus; "I
want to know, because it'd take me some little time making a rope ladder
out of the sheets. That's the best way to get down from here, because
it'd be too big a drop for a fellow like me."
"Oh! don't worry about that," Giraffe told him; "there won't be any
burning done. You stand more chance of freezing to death right now; so
get that blanket, Bumpus. Hold on, stay where you are, and I'll fetch
one for you; it isn't safe to have you moving around so much."
Thad soon went back to his own room and provided himself with the bed
covers which he divided with Allan. There was really nothing new to
report. More men and horses kept pushing up to the pump and the water
trough. The handle of the former kept up a continual groaning as strong
arms worked it constantly, to keep the trough from running dry.
"Here the officers come out again," remarked Allan; "they've had their
wine, and mean to let the landlord off easy this time. Perhaps they're
in too big a hurry to stay long in one place. That was the call to mount
we just heard. And, Thad, this is about as thrilling a scene as we've
ever looked at."
"Yes," added the other, "and inside of a week half of those fine
strapping big fellows may be dead, for all we know. They take their
lives in their hands when they go galloping across an enemy's country
this way. Any hour they are likely to find themselves in a trap, with
deadly rapid-fire guns pouring a hail of bullets into the troop, cutting
down horses and men. It's terrible just to think of it."
They saw the Uhlans begin to gallop away, with a sense of great relief.
The little pennons at the ends of their long lances fluttered in the
night air. Seen in the mellow moonlight it was an inspiring picture that
made the hearts of the onlookers beat faster than usual.
"I don't like that, though," Thad was muttering as he watched, with the
last of the troop leaving the watering trough.
"What is it, Thad," demanded Allan, who had just barely caught the low
words.
"Don't you see which way they're going?" asked the patrol leader.
"Why, they seem to have come into town from the left-hand road, and are
leaving by the one that runs toward the southwest," replied Allan.
"Well, that's our course to-morrow, you know," Thad continued, with a
meaning in his voice that could not well be mistaken.
Allan gave a low whistle.
"I see now what you mean, Thad," he remarked. "It begins to look as if
that Belgian gunner Giraffe talked with knew what he was saying when he
said we didn't have more than one chance in ten to slip through. If
there are many more detachments of Uhlans like this floating around, so
as to fairly cover the country, we'll be hauled up as sure as anything,
and chased back."
"Yes, because they'd be afraid we might carry important news to the
enemy, and set the Belgians on their trail," Thad went on to say.
They had no further reason for staying up in the chilly night air, with
a comfortable bed so close at hand, and a few minutes later the two
chums were tucked under the covers once more.
"You don't think they bothered our car, do you, Thad?" asked Allan, as
he prepared to coax further sleep to visit his eyes.
"I hope not," he was told. "I did see several of the men go into the
shed and move around the stables, but they must have been looking for
sound horses, and not broken-down wrecks of cars. As they didn't carry
off any horses that I could see I reckon all the good ones have already
been taken for the Belgian cavalry and field batteries."
When eventually morning came it found all the scouts up bright and
early. Even Bumpus astonished his mates by showing no desire to remain
in bed after being aroused.
"Course we're going on, boys," he decided, as they were dressing; "just
because there's a bunch of German rough-riders cruising around these
parts isn't enough to make us back down and show the white feather, I
hope."
They all assured him that so far no one thought of doing such a thing,
which information doubtless gave Bumpus more or less satisfaction.
"I wouldn't like to promise that we'll be able to break through, though,
Bumpus," Thad warned him. "It's all going to depend on how the Germans
have scattered over the country down in that direction. If we have a lot
of luck we'll escape them; but don't forget that we've still another
scheme up our sleeve in case this one fails."
This fleeting visit by a troop of the enemy had aroused the Belgian
village as nothing that had ever before occurred could have done. The
women were out gossiping over the low fences, or else gabbling in groups
in front of the houses. Boys, old men, and those who from some physical
defect were debarred from participating in the active service of the
army could be seen talking in knots.
Although as yet they had not heard the crash of gun, and seen men
falling in scores before the modern rapid-fire guns, or those using
shrapnel, it was getting pretty close to the border line with them. To
have two rival forces visit the quaint and peaceful place only a few
hours apart brought the war home to those who dwelt in the little
Belgian town.
Giraffe had been greatly impressed. He was by nature a pugnacious sort
of a boy, and it had always been a hard thing for him to subdue his
passion when he first subscribed to the twelve cardinal rules that
govern the life of a scout. Now and then that old spirit would persist
in cropping out again, in defiance to the law of the scouts.
"Tell you what," he was saying this morning, when, after eating
breakfast at the inn, the boys started out in a bunch with an empty
five-gallon can, determined to pick up enough petrol in small lots to
serve to carry them over a good many miles of Belgian territory; "tell
you what, fellows, I'll be pretty much disappointed and broken-hearted
if after being so near the firing line I don't get a chance to glimpse
just one solitary battle between these Belgians end the Germans. Somehow
I've got a hunch that King Albert and his boys can put up a good article
of scrap; and from what we've heard they're giving the Kaiser the
surprise of his life over at Liége right now."
Thad told him he was foolish to wish that, because a battle was a
terrible thing, and apt to give him a fit of the horrors every time he
remembered what he saw.
"General Sherman knew what war was when he called it a pretty hard
name," the scout master continued, "and it's silly for a boy to want to
see men shot down as if they were ripe grain. A scout should know better
than that, Giraffe, you want to remember."
Giraffe did not make any reply, but from his manner it was plain to be
seen that he was far from being convinced by Thad's logic. What was bred
in the bone it was very hard to beat out of the flesh; and in other days
Giraffe had even owned a game rooster which he had proudly boasted could
whip any barnyard fowl in and around Cranford.
They first got a few hints from the landlord, and then started out to
try and get enough petrol to give them a fair start. Sometimes they met
with luck, and then again their mission proved just as fruitless as had
Giraffe's on the preceding evening when on the way to this same town.
Still, when half an hour passed and they had managed to buy four gallons
they considered that they were doing very well indeed.
"If we can double that in the same length of time we'll consider
ourselves pretty lucky," said Thad; "but no matter how we come out we're
going to start about that time. Every chance we get on the road we can
stop and hold up the little sign our friend the landlord has made for
us, and which reads: 'We want to buy a gallon or more of petrol, and
will pay twice the regular price for it. We are American Boy Scouts
trying to reach Antwerp. Help us out.'"
They took turns in carrying the can which was by this time beginning to
feel rather weighty. Even Bumpus insisted on taking his regular spell,
for when they tried to spare him from doing his share of things he
always grew indignant, and wanted to know why they tried to make him out
to be a baby. Bumpus was getting to be exceedingly touchy on such
matters, it seemed, for his pride received a severe jolt every time it
happened.
When the next half hour had expired and Thad told them they must go back
to the inn so as to make a start they had close on seven gallons of
petrol. Apparently the fluid famine had already started in that part of
little Belgium, and it was certain to get worse continually as the
bitter war went on.
The scouts quitted their refuge of the night, feeling that they had
passed through another novel experience in watching the coming and going
of the raiding Uhlan troop.