AN UNEXPECTED CAPTURE
The smiling Red Cross nurse had no need to mention the name of the
visitor. The boys knew him for Professor Snodgrass after that
description, which could fit no one else. And the little scientist it
proved to be a moment later.
"Ah, here you are, boys!" he murmured, as though he had just parted
from them half an hour before, and under ordinary circumstances,
instead of the great war being in the background. "I am glad to see
you. I want----"
He made a sudden motion toward the smiling, Red Cross nurse, and
instinctively she stepped back, with something of a look of alarm on
her face.
"One moment--please!" exclaimed the professor. "There is a most
beautiful and rare butterfly on your apron. I just want it for my
collection," and, a moment later, he had safe in one of his wire boxes
the fluttering _Papilio_.
"Oh, how beautiful!" murmured the nurse. "What are you going to do
with the poor thing?"
"Preserve it so that others may gaze on its beauty," answered the
professor with a bow. "It will also aid me in my studies. This
particular butterfly is one I have long sought, because of the
peculiar markings. It is most lucky that I came here to-day."
"Well, it might have been unlucky if you had happened to be hit by one
of the German air bombs," said Jerry. "But we're glad to see you. We
have good news for you about those two girls."
"Yes, so I understand from your letters. So that janitor has seen
them. Well, now I must follow them up and give them their share of the
fortune. I came on as soon as I could after hearing from you boys. I
thank you for having my interests at heart. Now where can I see this
Nick Schmouder and have a talk with him?"
The camp where the German prisoners were detained was not many miles
back of the hospital where Jerry had recovered from his wounds, and,
as he would be able to travel the next day, and as Bob and Ned could
get furloughs, it was decided that the four should make up a party and
seek out the former janitor, so that the professor might hear, at
first hand, all there was to be said.
These arrangements having been made, transportation provided and the
necessary permissions having been secured, the professor and the
three Motor Boys, several hours later, sat down to have a long chat
and exchange experiences. Professor Snodgrass told how he was
progressing with his work of studying the effects of battle noises on
insects, and the boys related their stories of fighting and battles.
"And we thought old Jerry was gone when we saw him go down outside the
dugout where we captured Schmouder," finished Ned, as a climax to his
story.
"I thought so myself," admitted the tall lad. "But I'm as well as
ever, and next week I'll be fighting again. What are your plans,
Professor?"
"I must try to find those two young ladies. The military authorities
have been very good to me. They have said I can go anywhere I like to
study the insects, provided I do nothing that would betray any army
secrets. And I have been very careful."
That is he was careful not to disobey his instructions, but that he
was anything but careful of himself the boys learned later. They heard
stories of how he went up to the very front lines of the fighting, so
he might be nearer the big guns, and he took with him cages of
insects, noting the effect of the concussions of the great cannons on
their nervous systems.
Professor Snodgrass would have laughed had you called him a brave man,
but he dared as much for his beloved science as others did for their
country's honor. And, moreover, only the age limit kept the professor
out of the army.
The journey to the prison camp where Nick Schmouder was held took
place the next day, and was accomplished without incident worthy of
note.
But if Professor Snodgrass hoped to obtain any more information from
the former janitor than the boys had about the two missing girls, he
was disappointed. For Nick Schmouder could only repeat what he had
already told. He was glad to see Professor Snodgrass, and it was quite
pathetic to hear the man tell his story about having always fired his
gun into the ground to avoid hurting any of those he called his
friends.
"I didn't believe there were any good Germans in Germany any more,"
said Jerry, "but I guess Nick is pretty near one."
So they listened to his stories, and Professor Snodgrass made notes
about the girls. He said he would try to get into communication with
them through the parents of the former janitor, though the latter did
not know, himself, whether his father and mother were still alive.
"Is it not terrible--awful--this war?" he cried. "I wish all my
countrymen were prisoners, and then they could no longer fight, and we
would have peace."
"Well, if it keeps on we'll soon have most of the Kaiser's army in a
cage like this," declared Ned. "Don't worry--we're going to make a
good clean-up of it."
"I hope you do," said Schmouder, and many of his fellow prisoners
agreed with him.
At present all the professor could do was to depend on some message
getting to the missing girls. As they were not prisoners of war it was
thought that perhaps some missive might reach them, though all
ordinary communication between Americans and Germany was held up.
The girls, though of Swedish parentage, were citizens of the United
States, as the fathers of both were naturalized; therefore, the
diplomatic channels of Sweden were closed to them, as the money had
been left in Professor Snodgrass' care. The Red Cross might aid, as a
last resort, and if that failed all that could be done was to wait
until after the war and then seek them out, if the two nieces were
still alive.
So, having dispatched several letters by different routes, Professor
Snodgrass prepared to spend some time with the boys.
"I might as well study the effect here of noises on insects, as to go
back where I was," he said. "Here I shall be nearer those two young
ladies, if I can ever find a chance to reach them. We are heading
toward Metz, are we not?"
"Yes, and we'll get there," declared Jerry, for by this time enough
of General Pershing's plans had developed to show that his armies had
this town for one of its objectives. But there was still a long way to
go.
True to his determination, Jerry went back to the front with his
chums, and Professor Snodgrass, by virtue of special permission,
accompanied them. The chums were welcomed by their comrades, and once
more took up the life of the trenches.
It was one afternoon, just before time for them to be relieved, that
Ned, Bob, and Jerry had their attention drawn to a stretch of No Man's
Land in front of them, by hearing some of their comrades say:
"Look at the bug-hunter! What in the name of Billie Bejinks is he
doing out there? He'll be bowled over by a German bullet just as sure
as guns!"
The three lads looked, and, to their surprise and horror, saw
Professor Snodgrass with something supported on his back and partly in
his arms, walking across No Man's Land in the direction of the German
trenches as unconcernedly as though peace had been declared.
"Look at him!" yelled Ned.
"We've got to get him back!" cried Jerry.
An officer, who had heard the commotion, came in from the nearest
dugout and asked:
"Who gave him permission to go out there? Is he deserting?"
[Illustration: THEY MARCHED STRAIGHT FOR THE AMERICAN LINES.
_Ned, Bob and Jerry on the Firing Line._ _Page 183_]
"Indeed he isn't, Sir," answered Ned. "I guess he must be trying some
experiment, or looking for bugs."
"Well it's likely to be his last experiment," was the grim comment,
"and about all he'll find will be bullets. Ah, I was afraid so. Look,
they are going to capture him!"
As he spoke the Americans, crouching in their trench, saw three German
soldiers leap out of their ditch and advance toward the professor. But
the latter did not seem in the least afraid. He walked on, for a
moment not observing his enemies, who were approaching from one side.
Then suddenly he noticed them.
But he did not run, nor did he show any sign of fear, and then the
most unexpected thing happened. The Germans suddenly dropped their
rifles. Up in the air went their hands, and then they turned and
marched straight for the American lines, the professor following
behind, and fairly driving them on in some mysterious way. He had made
a most unexpected capture.