MAKING READY FOR ANOTHER FORWARD DRIVE
After Stanley's sudden departure from the ruined chateau, the two boys
fretted ineffectually. Stanley was an observer, not a real pilot; he
might get into trouble; so worried first one and then the other.
"It seems to me, gentlemen," began Miss Daskam, "that instead of
fretting over this you better remain quiet and thus regain your
strength the sooner. We may need it yet."
"Allons, madame," began Brenda, speaking to the girl, yet carefully
refraining from looking at either of the boys, "we cannot tell what
time the Boches may break in on us. After that young man went up in
the German plane, I am sure I heard the sound of far-away explosions.
We are between the lines, yet off to one side, where the enemy are fond
of raiding. It was so a year ago when some of us still made our home
in or close to the chateau. We didn't mind the raiding. All they did
was to rob us of what little stock we had left. But now, since they
began the bombing that has finally ruined the Baron's home, nothing and
no one is safe. Ah -- what is that?"
But it was nothing much; yet it only typified the general nervousness
of the situation. Distant firing along the course they figured that
Stanley would take tended to make even the boys uncertain as to whether
he would get home or not.
"Anyhow, we may as well make up our minds to have to stick it out here
at least until tomorrow, or more likely tomorrow night. If they come
they must come in force, or we will never be able to make a get-away."
Thus spoke Erwin.
After more or less futile remonstrance, discussion and what not, they
finally settled down for the remainder of the night, the boys insisting
upon giving up the only habitable room to the women, though the latter
urged that the young men take at least a blanket or so along. Blaine,
being somewhat the stronger, declared that he would remain on watch for
the first two hours, adjuring Erwin to get all the sleep he could.
"Another thing; we haven't got much grub along. I don't know how much
the women have, but if it is scarce we must remember them."
In five minutes Orris was breathing heavily, taking full toll of
slumber, for he was not so very strong and the day's happenings had
exhausted him greatly. Blaine sought shelter under another angle of
the basement, and after a vigorous struggle against somnolence, finally
dropped off.
After that the old ruin was silent. Midnight passed. Unceasing
silence reigned. Suddenly there came a sound of planes coming down
from the upper air.
Finally a fretful voice rose up stridently, recklessly, saying through
a muffled megaphone:
"Ho, there -- below! Start up a flare -- a light, anything, so we can
know where and how to land."
Fortunately Erwin, who had really slept the longest, was roused by the
closing words. He heard the sound of wings above, and at once
apprehended. He had no flare, and no means at immediately to make a
light. What should he do? Suddenly he remembered that Blaine carried
a brilliant hand searchlight. In another instant he was rummaging
about among Blaine's personal effects where he lay snoring.
"G'way -- what you doin'? Who are ye, anyhow?"
While so ran the sleeper's drowsy remonstrances Erwin secured the
searchlight, and an instant later was sending its white rays upward. A
minute later the black shadow of a huge bi plane hovered in a circle
over the wide expanse of what once had been a trim lawn, but was now a
desert of dirt, ashes, and crumbling masonry loosened from the walls.
Meantime the added noise, further awakening Blaine, sent him scurrying
to rekindle the dying fire they had made earlier in the night. By the
time this was blazing one plane had alighted and the other was settling
down further out. From these big planes stepped Captain Byers and
Sergeant Brodno, both nervous, watchful, alert, and very wide awake.
To say the boys were pleased to see them would be to put it mildly. In
a few words the state in which Stanley and Bangs had reached the
Station was told, when Byers, evidently on edge by the peculiar
situation wherein they were now involved, spoke up sharply.
"Where is that Chicago girl with her attendant? Also those papers?
And how is it that I find you two so sleepy, way out here in the midst
of the Boches? Don't you know we've had all sorts of trouble dodging
in here so they wouldn't catch on? Oh -- h! Who is that?"
Captain Byers whirled and found that he was confronting a smiling young
girl, already bundled up as if for a journey. Behind her stood the
substantial form of Brenda, also well wrapped against the night's chill
and mist.
Confusedly Blaine presented the captain and Brodno, the latter grinning
amusedly. In fact, this affair had been more of a lark to the American
Pole than to Byers, who was oppressed with a sense of responsibility.
"We'll have to divide up, and at once," said the captain. "In fact,
ever since Erwin used that searchlight to show me the way down, I
haven't felt that we were safe here. Therefore I say all aboard just
as soon as we can be loaded in -- what is that?" as a sharp staccato of
shocks rose from Brodno's machine, the result of his tinkering with his
air-exhaust. Even as he made haste to stop them, time being all
important, Byers was placing the two women in his own plane, saying:
"It will be crowded, but you can stand that for a time, I guess. But
-- say! Hold on! I forgot. You have some important papers somewhere?"
"Yes. Brenda has them in her bosom. You may be sure we did not forget
those. Are they all right, Brenda?"
But here Brenda jumped up in the observer's manhole, and began hastily
fumbling among the folds of her ample garb. With a sudden half scream
she sprang out, seized the searchlight from the astonished Erwin and
made a dash for the basement again.
"Is what she is after important?" asked Erwin of Miss Daskam, who was
fidgeting uneasily. The girl nodded, adding:
"It may be; I cannot tell. How careless! Among those papers are some
very important plans that have reference, I think, to things our side
wished to do later on. Oh, dear! Will we ever get away?"
"God knows -- I hope so. It seems I hear sounds to the eastward. Ah
-- there they come again!"
Both Brenda and the captain, who had followed her, were returning. He
was stuffing a paper which Brenda had surrendered after some persuasion
into his breast pocket.
"All in!" called Byers. "No time to lose now."
Again the women reentered the captain's machine, who at once started
off along the level, open ground, at the same time calling on the men
to use the searchlight so he might rise successfully. Up they went,
and right after them came Brodno, with Blaine and Orris, now in the
observer's seat, feeling more comfortable as be laid his hand on the
Lewis gun ready to his use. Brodno had another. Both were listening
to the sounds which Erwin had noticed when with Miss Aida. Byers
passed them with a gentle rustling as of wings.
"Boys," he called back, "our defense rests mainly upon you. I have not
only these women to see after but also papers -- papers most important
to our side in the next offensive. Of course I'll fight, if I have to.
But the main thing is to get safely back and --"
His further words were lost on the wind as the captain raced ahead,
bound as straight as possible for their own lines.
"We will keep right on his tail, boys," said Brodno. "That noise
behind is Fritzy starting on a raid, no doubt. If he gets too close we
must either keep him back or lead him off after us."
The noise of whirring propellers increased rapidly. Doubtless scouting
planes were out. As a rule, they are faster than the big biplanes. In
view of this, Byers presently began to mount higher, the rear plane
maintaining its level with a view of attracting the notice of the
pursuing Germans. Then came a spatter of machine gun bullets that
rattled about their ears until Blaine, from his rear position, opened
on the Boches in turn.
After that the pursuit of Byers ceased, for Blaine and Brodno, with
their two weapons, aided by Erwin, who manipulated a Lee-Enfield rifle,
kept the three scouts busy for a time. A plane is a shaky place from
which to aim a rifle, but Orris, having had much practice at the
training butts, soon laid out one lone pilot and his scout went
trailing guideless out of range and action.
But about this time there came the heavier rumble of Archies from
below, and presently shrapnel began tearing into the wings of the
biplane.
"Up we go, boys!" said Brodno. "I guess Byers must be well on over by
now."
But about this time they heard the sounds of gun spatter far up above,
and mounting rapidly they saw two more Fokker scouts trailing after
Byers, who not only mounted still higher, but put Pete at the aft
machine gun, taking Miss Aida over inside his own manhole.
We haven't said much about Pete, for he was really timid, and lay low
wherever he was placed, without a word. But when he came over where
Brenda was and that sturdy Belgian watched his timid attempts to fire
the machine gun, she was disgusted.
"Pete, you no good! Have you forgot how the Baron hated a coward? Let
me in there!" She shoved Pete aside, took charge of the gun herself
and presently Byers was gratified to hear its active rattle as Brenda
rather clumsily yet effectually opened upon the Germans. Pete
assisted, handing fresh sheaves of ammunition and otherwise making
himself useful.
"Where you been, Pete?" she asked. "Why you leave us all?"
"I wanted to learn to fly. Americaines, they give me a chance."
The other plane, now spiraling upward, came within range of the
Fokkers, and altogether the united firing from the two big biplanes was
too much for the Boches, so they gradually retired with a loss of one
plane, whose pilot Erwin had disposed of, as we have seen.
Half an hour later they quietly dropped down at the aerodrome. The
first gray hues of morning were just diffusing a lighter pallor and the
stars were already dimming when on the deserted levels in front of the
hangars the biplanes finally came to rest. Then out from a sentry box
came the captain's orderly, who seemed much astonished.
"Well, sir, I didn't look for you all back so soon. I rather feared
that you might have to remain away another day."
"We had ladies to look after," remarked Byers. "That made us hurry
back sooner. Here is Pete, of whom you thought such dreadful things.
Pete is learning. Now, while we take Miss Daskam and her maid to their
quarters, I want you to go to the through line to Dunkirk, and ask for
Baron Suvahl. He should be somewhere about there, if we have been
rightly informed."
After that the captain with characteristic courtesy took the two tired
yet grateful women to the women's Red Cross station and left them in
kindly, congenial company. It was here Senator Walsen and his
daughters were staying. When they and Miss Aida became acquainted at
breakfast next morning it was astonishing how many mutual acquaintances
they discovered, yet mostly back in the dear old country across the
ocean.
About the middle of the morning a tall, spare, resolute young man,
accompanied by a plainly garbed lady, his wife, met Captain Byers at
the latter's office. Simultaneously there came two other personages
plainly garbed in Belgian costume, yet most distinguished aside from
that.
There was a certain respect, almost deference, in the way Baron Suvahl
and his wife met the King, for one of the visitors was really King
Albert of Belgium. His wife, the queen, was even more democratic. In
fact, in the manner of all, including the Americans, was that which
marked them as fully tinctured with the true democratic spirit that
this war has so fully brought out among all the Allies.
Several of the British and French generals dropped in. And there were
sundry secret and semi-secret conferences, one result of which was the
sending out that night of a number of our airmen on secret scouting
trips, none of which, however, resulted in much aerial fighting but
embraced a deal of sly spying upon enemy positions and also various
"look-ins" behind the lines.
Among other things Erwin, Blaine, Bangs, Brodno and others were adjured
by both Captain Byers and Sergeant Anson to be ready with their
machines for real active service at any time.
On the second night came a quiet meeting between certain French,
British, and American commanders. As the boys in the aerodrome
sauntered about the grounds, noting the drawn shades in the windows of
the headquarters office, and marking the lateness of the hour before
the consultation closed, they felt that things were drawing to a head
on that sector, and that they, the eyes of the army, would be expected
to do their part and even more, if necessary.
Senator Walsen, instead of going back to the capital as he had
intended, was drawn into the conference, while the ladies remained
quiescent but more and more expectant, though of what they hardly knew.
Perhaps the good young queen expressed the general sentiment among her
sex, when she said to the small group gathered about her at the half
shabby quarters where she and the king temporarily received their
friends,
"We never know much as to what is about to go on, but we are always
warned never to be unduly surprised at anything. Always make the best
of everything -- that is all we can do and what we must do.