CLEVERLY DONE
“My stars! it’s us they’re after, fellows!” Buster was heard to gurgle,
when the knocks ceased as suddenly as they had begun.
No one had to be told that, for they all knew it just as well as Buster.
George turned an anxious look on Josh; and then, perhaps unconsciously
placing their hopes on their leader, both of them wheeled to face Jack.
“I knew we’d be sorry if ever we tried stopping over at one of these
ratty little towns,” muttered George.
“But there they start to knocking again!” exclaimed Josh. “If we don’t
do something, and pretty quick at that, they’ll start to pulling this
shanty down over our heads, even if it is made of stones.”
Jack had to think fast. He knew Josh spoke the truth, and that so far as
offering resistance went they were practically helpless against the mob.
He could easily imagine how in some manner suspicion had been excited
against the four young strangers stopping over night at the river town.
One word would lead to another in these exciting times, until all sorts
of extravagant surmises must result; and finally some bold spirit must
have suggested that they proceed to the boathouse and drag the unknown
parties out, to question, perhaps hang them.
So far as trying to escape was concerned, it seemed equally hopeless.
Besides the double door there was also the small one, which the
proprietor had securely locked before leaving them. Both led to the
street.
To be sure, there were the water gates, but to leave in that way must
necessitate abandoning their motorboat, something the boys would be loth
to do. Further than this, there was no small boat handy, even if they
could manage to get it out on the river without being noticed and
pursued.
As to attempting to swim off, that was impossible, since they could not
make any headway with their clothes on, and leaving these behind was not
to be considered for a minute.
So Jack quickly decided that the only thing left for them was to throw
open the double doors and trust to their customary good luck to make
friends with the clamorous mob without.
“I’m going to open up, fellows,” he told the others. “You keep back of
me, and say nothing unless I ask you to speak. Leave it all to me to
manage.”
“You just bet we will, Jack,” assented Josh.
“I should say yes,” Buster hastily added.
“It’s a risky thing to do, Jack,” remarked George, “but seems that we
haven’t got much of a choice. We’re between the devil and the deep sea.
Go ahead, then, and let’s see how our luck holds good.”
Jack waited no longer. Indeed, it would have been dangerous to have held
the clamorous crowd in waiting much longer, for their pounding on the
door had assumed a more threatening phase, several having taken it upon
themselves to pick up heavy stones, with which they started to beat the
woodwork furiously, while all manner of loud cries arose.
Suddenly the double doors were swung wide open. The outcries ceased as
if by magic. Jack, looking out, saw that fully fifty people stood in the
moonlit street. Most of them were men and boys, though a sprinkling of
women could also be seen.
They were typical Hungarians, just such people as one would expect to
meet in a river town along the lower Danube. Some were flourishing what
appeared to be clubs, and the whole aspect of the mob looked
threatening indeed.
It required considerable nerve to calmly face this crowd, but Jack
actually smiled, and waved his hand in friendly greeting, while Buster
held his breath in very awe, and the other two trembled a little between
excitement and alarm.
One burly man in the front of the mob called out harshly. Jack could not
for a certainty know what he said, but it was easy to guess he must be
demanding who they were, where they came from, and what they were doing
in this part of the country in these perilous times.
So Jack, waving his hand to entreat silence, called out:
“Is there any one here who can talk English!”
Somehow his question created considerable surprise. Evidently the crowd
had suspected that they were Serbians or natives of Montenegro, both of
which states at the time were antagonistic to Austria-Hungary.
Several voices were heard announcing that they could understand and
speak the English language. Jack swept his eyes around to see who these
persons were, and, discovering that one of them stood in the front rank
of the crowd, he pointed at the man as he went on to say:
“Please push your way up here. We will tell you everything you want to
know, and you can explain to your friends.”
The man did so, looking very important. Perhaps that was the first time
in all his life that he had been called upon to act in such a capacity
as interpreter, and he felt as though placed upon a pedestal.
“Now, if you will please give me a chance, all of you,” continued Jack,
“I will with the greatest pleasure tell everything. In the first place,
we are not, as you think, English boys, but Americans. Of course, you
know about America, for we have many thousands of good Hungarians over
there working with us, who send millions on millions of dollars back
home every year for the old folks. Tell them what I have just said, will
you?”
The man had listened intently. He collected his wits, and then, turning
around so as to face the rest, commenced speaking. At the same time he
made good use of both hands, in the Hungarian fashion, to emphasize his
points.
Some few of the more unruly made remarks among themselves as he
proceeded, but on the whole the crowd listened intently. It was already
apparent to Jack that he had gone about the business in the right way,
and had succeeded in making a good impression.
He had read recently in a paper, whether it were true or not, that the
tens of thousands of Hungarians in the United States, men in the mines
and working on public improvements, and girls in service, sent back home
during the course of a year as much as a hundred and fifty million
dollars. Even if a third of that amount came across the sea it could be
understood that the people of the dual monarchy must have a very tender
spot in their hearts for _America_, where so many of their compatriots
were making big wages and happy.
“Keep it moving, Jack,” whispered Josh. “I tell you they’re already on
the run. Lay it on thick, and don’t spare the adjectives. They like to
hear things praised up to the skies. And say something nice about old
Francis Joseph, because, you know, they worship him.”
“Cut it out, Josh,” growled George; “leave Jack alone to run this game,
can’t you?”
The man had by now finished telling what Jack had said to him. He again
turned with a look of expectancy on his face, waiting for the second
“installment of the story,” as Josh afterwards called it.
“We are American boys,” continued Jack, “who have come over here on a
vacation. In our own country we own three motorboats, with which we
often cruise up and down the Mississippi River and others. So, having
heard so much about your beautiful blue Danube, we made up our minds to
spend a month or six weeks voyaging down it. This boat does not belong
to us. We hired it from a man in a town part-way between Vienna and
Budapest. We can show you the paper both parties signed proving how we
paid a certain sum in advance for the use of it until we reached the
Black Sea. Now tell them all that, please, while I get our American
passports ready to show you, as well as letters we have received from
our home while in Budapest.”
It took the interpreter a long time to translate all this. He struggled
heroically to master every detail, though Jack feared he might get mixed
more or less in his endeavor to find words to express the English
meaning.
The crowd listened intently.
It would have been amusing to watch their faces as seen in the bright
moonlight had the danger element been lacking. As it was, the boys were
still on the anxious seat, not knowing “which way the cat would jump.”
Jack was the exception, it may be said. He felt that his tactics and the
frank way he was taking the crowd into his confidence had already made
a favorable impression upon most of the men. They in turn would be apt
to suppress any of the more boisterous spirits who might feel like
getting out of bounds.
Truth to tell, it was as much the manner of Jack Stormways as what he
said that worked this change in the feelings of the populace. No one of
intelligence could very well look upon his smiling face and believe ill
of him.
By the time the man had managed to translate all that second batch
of explanations to his fellows Jack was ready for him again. He had
meanwhile collected from the other three their passports, properly vised
through the efforts of the American consul in Vienna, and also several
letters addressed to the general delivery at Budapest, with the American
stamps and postmarks to prove where they had come from.
These papers he now handed to the man who could speak and read English.
Each one Jack opened and explained, after asking Josh to fetch the lamp
forward so that its light could be utilized.
Meanwhile the crowd listened and pushed and gaped, some exchanging low
comments; but Buster was delighted to see that the threatening gestures
had stopped. From this he felt that Stormways’ stock was rising fast
and would soon bull the market.
It took a long time to go over the four passports with their seals, and
then read extracts from the letters. The man spoke several times, asking
questions, which proved that he meant to conduct his examination in a
thorough manner. Jack was in truth pleased to find that he had to deal
with so intelligent a party, for the travelers had really nothing to
conceal.
He even mentioned about the three Hungarian officers who had overtaken
them some miles below Budapest, coming in a speed launch, and how they
had parted the best of friends after looking the boys over.
Seeing that the crowd was becoming impatient, Jack cut his explanations
short and asked that the interpreter make his report to his friends. He
had taken the advice of shrewd Josh, and managed to speak highly of the
aged emperor; while this may have been done artfully as a stroke of
diplomacy, Jack really knew nothing but good of Francis Joseph, of whom
he had often read, so that he did not feel that he was attempting any
deception.
Still holding the sheaf of passports, the man started to harangue the
crowd. He seemed to improve as he gained new confidence, and Jack saw
that he was something of a crude born orator, able to sway others by
the force of his will and words.
Jack believed the best part of their luck lay in having picked on this
particular man. Another might have bungled things and made them worse
than they were originally.
It took a very long time to explain about the papers, the letters and
everything else. Jack even heard the man mention the emperor’s name, and
from this judged that he was repeating what the boy had said in order
to prove that the four strangers from America were favorable to the
Austrian side of the controversy.
“He’s got ’em whipped to a standstill, Jack,” muttered Josh in the ear
of the other. “They’ll do whatever he tells ’em, you mark me. I guess I
can read all the signs if I can’t understand the lingo.”
Jack himself believed the same thing. He no longer felt his heart heavy
within him, with the prospect of having their fine cruise broken off and
themselves thrown into some prison, from which it would take all the
efforts of the American Ambassador to release them.
Before the man who was speaking had finished there were desertions from
the mob, possibly some of those more ardent spirits who had hoped to
help hang a suspected Serbian spy and were grievously disappointed.
When the speaker closed with what seemed to be a fervent peroration
there followed a general shout and much waving of hands. Jack caught
the one word America, and judged that the cheers were intended for his
native land, for surely many of these people had good reason to think of
the haven of the oppressed as a Paradise flowing with gold, milk and
honey.
Then the mob began to disintegrate. A number who could speak English
came crowding around. They wished to shake hands with the four
stout-hearted lads who were not to be deterred from continuing their
hazardous voyage down the Danube by the mere fact that hostilities
had begun, and that there must be heavy firing between the Austrian
batteries and monitors and the hostile forces in Belgrade, the Serbian
capital, situated on the southern bank of the river.
By degrees they went away, after giving this popular demonstration.
Somehow Buster changed his mind completely after seeing how those same
shouting men could turn into friends. He even remarked afterwards that
he thought the Hungarians were a warm-hearted race, and that he was
growing to like them immensely; though when he first saw the mob he
believed they were a lot of cutthroats eager for the lives of helpless
American boys.
The interpreter was the last to go. Jack was seen to shake hands
heartily with him for the third time ere saying good-by.
“I reckon now, Jack,” remarked George, as they closed the double doors
once more, shutting out the bright moonlight, “you slipped a bill of
some kind in that fine fellow’s hand the last time you said good-by to
him?”
“Never mind about that, George,” retorted the other; “if I did, that’s
between the two of us, and nobody need know about it. It was worth ten
times as much just to see the way he swayed that crowd. From howling at
us they came to cheer us, and a good deal of the change was due to his
oratory.”
“As for me,” piped up Buster, with a great sigh of relief, “I never will
forget this experience. There was a time at first when I thought of
having my head put on a pike and carried in a procession around town,
just like the mob used to do in the French Revolution; or, if it wasn’t
that, I expected they’d get a rope and swing us all up, Wild Western
way. I tell you I’m shaking yet from being so anxious about you
fellows.”
Josh and George laughed at hearing this, and the whole of them went back
to their seats.