WITH THE ARMY AGAIN.
In the dimness of the little woods in which they stood, the boys, at
first, could not see the man who had accosted them.
At a word from Hal the little party came to a halt.
"Who goes there?" came the question from the darkness.
"Friends!" replied Hal in German, which he spoke like a native.
"Advance!" came the reply, and the shadow of a German soldier, with
his rifle raised, ready to fire, suddenly appeared before them.
It was too dark for the German soldier to make out their uniforms
until the English were upon him. Then he started back with a cry.
"English!" he exclaimed in surprise.
His amazement, slight though it was, proved his undoing. For as he
staggered back Hal sprang forward, and the butt of his upraised rifle
fell with stunning force upon the German's head. The soldier dropped
to the ground with a slight moan.
"We'll have to get away from here quick!" exclaimed Chester. "Come
on, men, follow us!"
Silently the little party, bearing off slightly to the right, went
forward. Suddenly Chester stopped and clutched Hal by the arm.
"Great Scott!" he whispered. "Look! We are right in the middle of
them!"
It was true. Ahead of them, in a long line running in each direction,
the boys could see figures sprawled on the ground. It was a German
force sleeping. There was not the sign of a light, a tent, or a hut.
Here and there the boys could make out the dim form of a sentry
flitting about.
"We have certainly got into a mess," whispered Hal.
"We have that," replied Chester. "Shall we make another detour?"
Hal thought for a few moments.
"I believe the best way is to try and go right through them without
being seen," he replied at length. "There is no telling how far this
line stretches out, and if we didn't get around them by daylight it
would be all off with us."
"But the sentries?" asked Chester.
"Well, we shall have to dispose of anyone who sees us without being
heard. That's all there is about it."
"All right, then," said Chester. "We might as well move at once."
The plan was outlined to the men and they went forward. A moment and
they were in the midst of the sleeping Germans. It was plain now that
the line of sleepers stretched out for some distance, but that it was
not very deep. Three minutes undiscovered and they would be through
safely.
Silently they crept between the sleeping soldiers. There was a
certain amount of safety in the very boldness of the plan, for it was
unlikely, should a sentry see them moving about, he would take them
for English; and even if he did now, they would be able to make a dash
with some hope of success. The German soldiers, tired and completely
exhausted, slept heavily, and not one so much as moved in his sleep.
The little party was now at the last line of sleepers, and just as
Hal, believing they had accomplished their difficult task, drew a
breath of relief, a form suddenly appeared from the darkness before
them. It was a German sentry.
Before he could make an outcry Chester and Hal both leaped forward.
The former's hands grasped the German by the throat, stifling the
sound of his voice, and Hal quickly delivered two hard blows to the
man's face. The German fell limply into Chester's arms, and the boy
laid him quietly on the ground.
Then they moved forward again. The sounds of the scuffle had aroused
no one. But suddenly there was the sound of a fall behind. Turning
his head quickly, Hal perceived the cause of this commotion which
caused such a racket in the stillness of the night.
One of the English soldiers had tripped over the body of a sleeping
German and had fallen across him. He was up in a moment, but so was
the German, sleepily hurling imprecations at the disturber of his
slumber.
Before the German soldier was able to arouse himself, the Englishman
dealt him a heavy blow over the head with his rifle butt. But the
noise had brought another to the scene. There was the sharp crack of a
rifle, and the English soldier who had caused all the trouble pitched
to the ground. To the right Hal and Chester saw another sentry, a
smoking rifle in his hands.
At the sound of the shot the whole German camp sprang to life as if by
magic; and at the same instant Hal shouted:
"Run!"
At full speed the little party, only nine now, dashed forward. The
other man lay dead in the German camp. There was a hoarse German cry
of command, and a hail of bullets followed the fugitives into the
woods. No man fell, though two groaned, and one dropped his rifle. The
darkness made accurate shooting by the Germans impossible.
Not pausing to return the fire of the enemy, the fugitives stumbled on
through the woods. Another and another volley came from the pursuing
Germans, but they were firing at random now, and the fact that Hal and
Chester had led the way well to the right augured well for their
chance of safety.
But as the darkness made accurate shooting by the Germans impossible,
so it made speed by the fugitives impossible also. They stumbled along
as well as they could, now and then tripping over a fallen limb or
tumbling into a hole. Tired and almost exhausted, they at length
emerged into the open, and broke into a weary run.
"We have got to get under cover of some kind before they reach the
edge of the woods, or we are gone goslings," panted Hal.
Suddenly, in the darkness, they came upon another clump of trees, and
as they stumbled into their shelter another volley rang out. One man
groaned and stumbled. A comrade lent a supporting hand and dragged him
into the woods.
"We'll stop here a moment and pick off a few of 'em," said Hal grimly.
The Germans were now advancing across the open space. Lying upon the
ground, the nine opened fire. They aimed carefully and not a shot was
wasted, and so rapid was their fire that the Germans halted.
"They don't know how many of us there are," said Hal, "and they are
afraid to take a chance. One more volley, men, and then up and run for
it again."
A final volley was delivered with telling effect, and the English
sprang to their feet and darted through the woods. The Germans gave
them a parting shot, but there was no pursuit.
"That was pretty close," said Chester.
"It was, indeed," replied Hal, "and there is one more of our men gone.
Was anyone wounded?" he asked, turning to the others.
"Shot in the shoulder, sir," replied a man named Brown.
"They got me in the arm," said another.
"Anyone else?" questioned Hal.
There was no reply, and Hal asked:
"Are you two men able to go on without assistance?"
"Yes," was the reply.
"Good! Then come on."
All night long the little party continued on their march, and it was
not until the first gray streak of dawn showed them, in the distance,
the first British line that the boys felt entirely safe.
Their report made, they were returning, later in the day, to their
quarters to seek a much needed rest, when a well known voice
exclaimed:
"Well, boys, how are you?"
The lads turned quickly about; then each gave a cry of delight and
grabbed the man who had accosted them by the hand.
"Captain Derevaux!" they exclaimed in a single voice.
"No," replied the gallant Frenchman, with a smile. "Major Derevaux, if
you please!"