THE BROKEN BRIDGE
The Army boys had no idea where the road led to. It might be to the
American lines or to the German lines. But they knew that certain death
was behind them and possible life in front of them, and they ran as
though their feet had wings.
But swift as they were, the horses were of course swifter, and before
long they knew that their pursuers were gaining.
"Throw away your rifles," panted Frank. "We'll still have our knives and
grenades."
They threw the heavy rifles aside, and, relieved of their weight, they
bounded ahead with renewed speed.
For a short time their desperate efforts held their pursuers even, but
soon the gap again began to close.
At a turn of the road they halted, gasping for breath.
"Give them the grenades," ordered Frank, getting his own ready. "They
won't be expecting them and it may upset them. Throw yours at the same
time I do mine."
They waited until the horsemen were within fifty feet. Then four
stalwart arms hurled the grenades against the front ranks.
There was a tremendous explosion as the shells all seemed to go off at
the same instant, and the first rank of horsemen went down in a heap.
Those behind drew their beasts back on their haunches so as not to
override their fellows, and in that moment another volley came among
them with deadly effect.
Without waiting any longer, the boys renewed their flight. They knew
that the Germans would be mad with rage at their check by so small a
force, and they were not foolish enough to believe for a moment that the
chase would be abandoned.
But a new exultation was in their hearts as they ran. They might be
killed, but they would at least have sold their lives dearly. There
would be little that the Uhlans would have to boast of in their story of
that night's work.
Their breath came in short gasps and their laboring lungs felt as though
they were ready to burst. Frank, a little in the van, reached out a
warning hand and they slowed up.
"We'll make faster time if we give ourselves a minute's rest," he
panted. "When we start in again we'll have our second wind. They haven't
got out of that mix-up yet. Besides, they'll come on more cautiously
now. They won't know how many grenades we have left."
"I haven't any," gasped Tom.
Billy was too far gone to speak, but he drew his last grenade from his
sack. Bart and Frank also were down to their last one, for the work on
the previous day had almost used up the stock with which they had
started out. They had a chance for one last throw, and then if it came
to a hand to hand fight they had nothing to rely on but their knives.
They rested for a minute or two, and then again upon the wind came the
sound of hurrying hoofs.
Instinctively the boys reached out and grasped one another's hands.
There was no need for words. They knew what it meant. To some of them
this might prove the last lap of the last race they would ever run.
On came their pursuers, and the boys, summoning up every ounce of
strength they possessed, set out at the pace of hunted deer.
Not two minutes had elapsed before their feet struck the boards of a
bridge. Below they saw the gleam of the moon in the dark water that ran
beneath.
They took heart at the sight and put on a new burst of speed. Who knew
but what the American troops were camped on the further side?
Twenty feet further they stopped abruptly. The bridge was broken. The
boards had been torn up, though the shattered timbers of the sides
projected a few feet further over the current. But fully a hundred feet
of black water stretched between them and the farther shore.
They stopped, panting and perplexed. And just at that moment they heard
the hoofs of horses on the wood of the bridge.
They were trapped. To turn back was certain captivity or death. To
plunge into that black current might also mean death. Their choice was
made on the instant.
"Over we go, boys!" shouted Frank, throwing off his coat. "But we
mustn't waste those last grenades. Let them have them."
They turned and threw, and without waiting to see the result dived
headforemost into the stream. The roar of the explosion was in their
ears as they struck the water.
They were all good swimmers, and when they came to the surface they
found themselves within a few feet of each other.
"To the other bank, fellows!" exclaimed Frank, as he shook the water
from his eyes. "And keep as low in the water as you can. They'll send a
volley after us."
They struck out lustily for the farther shore while, as Frank had
predicted, bullets zipped around them. But in the darkness their foes
could take no aim and they reached the shore unscathed.
The bank was steep, with long reeds growing down to the water's edge.
The fugitives grasped these and rested before they attempted to climb
the bank.
"I'm all in," gasped Tom.
Frank reached out a supporting hand.
"I guess we all are," he replied. "It's lucky this river isn't wider.
But we're safe now."
"I don't know about that," said Bart. "Listen!"
There was a tramp of many feet upon the bank.
"They've heard the shooting," whispered Billy. "If it's our boys we're
all right. If it isn't----"
The sentence was never finished. Above the bank they saw a crowd of
helmeted figures. A light was flashed into their faces, nearly blinding
them, and a hoarse voice cried:
"_Wer da!_"
A score of hands reached down and grasped them. Unarmed, dripping,
utterly exhausted, they found themselves in the hands of the soldiers of
the Kaiser!