CATCHING A SPY
It was past six o'clock that evening when they passed the outer guard
line of the great camp, and within five minutes they were in front of
the commandant's quarters where they were admitted without ceremony.
Roland was there, on duty, and when he found that they had just
returned from Wandre, he could not help but express his admiration, and
was not slow in telling the General of the boys' adventures.
"Oh, yes! We had the Uhlans after us. They blocked our road but we took
the next one and beat them," explained Ralph.
"Ralph had the advantage of me. He could see them, and I just had to
run the machine," said Alfred.
"You are both to be commended. But what is this?" he asked, as Pierre
handed him a large envelope.
The General opened the envelope. "From Waremme," he said. "So you have
started to do service the first day. This is, indeed, commendable."
"Please, sir," said Alfred, "can't we have uniforms?"
"You certainly shall have them. Lieutenant, see that the boys are
provided with the regulation suits." This was their first knowledge
that their friend Roland was a lieutenant in the service.
But now the great and crucial times came to the boys who only a week
before tried to reach their homes, but they were not thinking of that
now.
When they reached their quarters that evening, too tired for words,
they talked, and talked, rehearsing the scenes and incidents of the
day, and fell asleep, half undressed, where they found themselves in
the morning, lying across the bed.
Before they had time to dress a great commotion was heard in the camp.
They hurriedly dressed and rushed over to the main dining hall.
"What have you heard?" asked Ralph.
"Vise has been entirely destroyed, and the Germans are appearing in
great force at all points north of Liège," said one of the attendants.
Breakfast was soon disposed of, and they rushed over to see Roland.
"Have you heard the news?" they asked.
"Yes, and we have information that two large forces are now advancing,
presumably to take Brussels," answered Roland.
"We are to have uniforms, did you know it?" asked Ralph.
"Yes, and your arms are also ready for you. Wait until I get my
breakfast and we will go over and get the things," replied Roland.
"What, are the uniforms ready? What are they like?" said Alfred, as he
danced about in delight.
"Oh, yes! You will have the regulation Scout uniform, but it will have
the distinctive stripes on the arm to indicate that you are attached to
the staff in the messenger service," replied Roland.
You may be sure that two more impatient boys could not be found than
Ralph and Alfred, as they awaited the reappearance of Roland.
"Let us go over now and see our machines," said Ralph.
Alfred did not protest, you may be sure, and together they rushed
out the door, and across to the warehouse in which the machines were
placed. As they went in they saw an officer move away from the place
where the machines were kept.
His actions excited Ralph's suspicions. "I don't like the looks of that
man," he said.
The fact that the boys watched him narrowly, evidently excited the
man's suspicions, also, and he tried to appear unconcerned.
"I am going to bring Roland over," said Alfred, and he moved toward the
door.
As the man hurried his steps toward the rear of building out of sight,
Alfred ran quickly to the dining hall, and called out to Roland:
"There is a very suspicious-looking man at the warehouse. Come over at
once." Roland did not wait for a second call. With his breakfast hardly
begun, he jumped up, disregarding his hat, and followed Alfred. As they
neared the warehouse, they saw Ralph far beyond, keeping the officer
in sight.
"Good boy!" said Roland.
"There he is," said Ralph; "see him just turning the corner." With a
bound Roland crossed the intervening space, and rushed around the shed
in which the artillery was parked. He ran into the officer full face,
and greeted him.
"Who are you? What and where is your command?" he inquired.
The man attempted to answer in French, but his foreign accent was
readily detected.
Roland's revolver was in his hand, and he cried out: "Hold up your
hands instantly."
"Turn about: you are under arrest. Forward march," ordered Roland.
Then turning to the boys he said: "Go up to him on either side and
direct him down to headquarters. I will follow as a guard."
During the progress down the street a large crowd gathered and
followed. The cry of "spy" was heard on all sides. The commandant was
quickly advised of the cause of the commotion and he received and
questioned the man, who could give no satisfactory replies to any of
the questions put to him. He could not state where he obtained the
uniform he wore. This in itself was incriminating evidence, and made
him amenable to the laws governing the execution of spies.
He was found guilty, principally on his own confession, and executed
within an hour of the trial.
When Alfred learned of the man's fate, he was greatly affected. He
had been the cause of the man's death--the direct cause. How he now
abhorred the shedding of blood. Some days prior to this, he had taken a
gun in his hand, and shot with the intention of killing. But this was
different. He had detected a spy; and the spy was shot.
Roland found him at his room, gloomy, and with his lips quivering, and
quickly divined the cause.
"You feel sorry for him. That is natural. I felt like a murderer when
I arrested him, because I knew from his actions that he was a spy and
I felt sure that I was leading him to his death. But you must remember
that he was doing things which will bring more misery on us than his
death could ever atone for. It was my duty and your duty, to bring him
to justice."
An orderly appeared and explained that the boys were wanted at
headquarters. They went at once, and Roland accompanied them.
The General came forward as they entered. "I must thank you in behalf
of the King, for the great service you have rendered," he said, as he
took Alfred and Ralph by the hand.
Alfred plainly showed his emotion, and Ralph and Roland turned away for
a moment to tell the General how the boy felt.
The arms of the strong man went about the boy, and he said: "It is no
discredit to you to feel that way. And now where are your uniforms?" he
added.
"Oh! we are going to get them now. We were waiting for Roland," said
Ralph.
The General smiled, as he said: "You mean the Lieutenant."
Ralph looked down abashed for a moment, and then slyly corrected
himself, while Roland apologized. But the General needed no one to
smooth down that little wrinkle; he also had boys, and he knew that
these little informalities did not show want of respect.
"Get those uniforms at once; I want to see how they will look," he
remarked to Roland, as the latter turned to obey.
The boys needed no more of an intimation as to their first duty. The
uniforms as furnished were trim fitting suits of a greenish-gray, bound
with a very narrow gold braid. The coats were close-fitting and rather
short but were well adapted for service and the proper fits were soon
obtained.
The whole of Belgium did not contain two prouder boys than these two,
as they marched to headquarters, to thank the General for his kindness.
As they were about to leave, the General remarked: "I am happy to tell
you that Belgian boys also are doing their duty nobly. Day before
yesterday, two boys near the frontier, rescued two of our soldiers
from four Uhlans who had captured them, and yesterday, one of the boy
scouts, west of Liège, named Niston, captured two German spies. It is
such work that is appreciated, and shows that they are trying to do
their duty to their country. The work you and those boys are doing is
of great service. If the spy you caught had been permitted to escape it
might mean our death or capture. It is one of the things in war, which
must be guarded against, and all who volunteer to become spies know
that death is the penalty of detection."
As they were going to their quarters, Alfred asked: "Why did the
General say that the Belgian uniform condemned the spy?"
"The wearing of any disguise is reprehensible. That fact alone, even
though the wearer may not have done an act or thing which could be
condemned, would be sufficient to warrant his execution."
"But suppose a German should get into the camp, or through our lines in
his regular uniform, and be captured, would not that man be a spy?"
"No, for the reason that he is trying to get the information in the
avowed character of an enemy, and not by attempting to deceive."
Alfred sighed as he weighed the distinction in his mind. He was
thinking of the rules of war, which he had learned during the past
ten days and he wondered whether there was really anything which was
honorable in armed conflict, or which was observed in the game of war.
But the boys' feelings were very much allayed, when they learned that
during the day two more spies had been caught within the camp, and that
now a corps of detectives had been employed to ferret out that class of
men.
During the investigation that followed it was found that several were
disguised in the uniforms of gendarmes, some wore the regulation suits
of the civil guards, and others were employed as hucksters who brought
in the daily provisions.
Automobiles were in evidence everywhere, and on every road fixed
patrols halted and examined all who passed. Machines were constantly
going and coming, and there were motorcycles in abundance. Added to
this were contrasting uniforms, indicating the kinds of service in
which the men were engaged, and the scene was at all times animated and
full of activity.
Ralph's arm was now healing so rapidly that the machine was taken
out and both boys practiced in short runs. Ralph was an expert in
all matters pertaining to mechanism, and since his father was well
known as an expert workman, and superintendent of one of the large
establishments in America, it could be understood that he naturally
acquired considerable knowledge which was of great service to both boys
in the care and handling of their machines.
It was now the 13th day of August, and the ninth day of actual warfare.
Early in the morning rumors began to come in thick and fast concerning
the advance of the Germans. The Uhlans had reached Waremme, and were
scouting in the region to the west of that town.
Before noon the report came that Tongres had fallen before the
advancing troops, and there was intense activity in camp. The troops
were being drilled daily, and hourly, in fact. While detachments
arrived at every train, it was evident that one force after the other
was being sent south and east.
Finally a messenger arrived from the east. The General and his staff
had mounted, and an orderly approached the boys. To each he handed an
envelope. One was directed to the officer in command at Altenhoven, and
the other to the Colonel of a regiment stationed at Racour.
"I know where Altenhoven is, but where is Racour?" said Ralph.
The information was promptly given by a soldier. Here was the first
detached duty. The informant told them to go south two kilometers, and
the one destined for Racour should turn to the right which would lead
in the direction of the town.
"I will take the message for Racour," said Alfred, "as it is farther
and I am better able than you to make the long trip."
Ralph protested, but Alfred had his way as they sped down the road.
The official envelope, and the special uniforms of the boys, were
sufficient to clear the way. On and on they sped to their destination.
At the forks of the road Alfred turned to the right, and held up his
hand as a parting salute.
When Alfred left Ralph he felt a sense of responsibility which had
never come to him before. If he had known that not an hour before a
strong patrol of German cavalry had passed along that road, he might
have been cautious, and possibly apprehensive, but in his ignorance he
felt exultant and happy.
His one thought was to reach the command at Racour, and so his machine
was speeded to the limit. Mile after mile was covered, and people
stared at him as he passed. It seemed strange to him that he did not
meet with a patrol, in that long stretch after he had left Jean and
crossed the railroad line which runs from Liège to Tirlemont. He knew
that he must be within two kilometers of Racour, when he saw ahead of
him the unmistakable dust of approaching horsemen. To the left, and
coming up what was undoubtedly a road at right angle to the one on
which he was traveling, was another cloud of dust.
Like a flash it occurred to him that the Uhlans might be there. But
what about those in front. Then he recalled that he had met no patrols
and this puzzled him. He remembered how the peasants looked at him in
astonishment as he went by, and the terror of doubt was upon him.
He slowed down his machine. And now, for the first time, he looked
behind him. To his amazement he saw the outlines of a half dozen men,
with the characteristic spiked helmet, and at once knew who they were.
Here was a situation fraught with danger. As he approached the crest of
a little hill he turned his machine aside, so that in going back across
the road he could obtain a better view of his pursuers.
The troops coming up from the south must be Germans, but he was not sure
of those ahead of him on the road. He speeded up, and catching sight of
some peasants, beckoned to them, and they came across the fields.
"Who are the horsemen coming up from the south?" he hurriedly asked.
"They are Germans. They have been all along this road this forenoon."
"Do you know what troops are in front?" asked Alfred.
"We think they are our people," was the reply.
Alfred made up his mind at once. He knew he could reach the cross road
before the troops could possibly come up, and he would then decide what
course to pursue. He did some rapid thinking during the five minutes it
took to reach the road.
They were still a quarter of a mile away. The cloud in his rear seemed
to grow bigger, and appeared closer than before, and the dust in front
showed that troops were also approaching from that direction. Then he
saw the Belgian colors and felt greatly relieved to know that friends
and not foes were approaching.
As Alfred neared the oncoming column they halted, and he did not
attempt to slow down his speed until within a hundred feet of the
advance. The troopers made way for him, as he rode down the line, and
the officer in command galloped through and met him.
"Dispatches from Colonel Neerden!" he cried, as he held aloft the
packet.
"Did you come along the road from the railway?" asked the officer, as
he reached forward to take the papers.
Alfred drew back, without answering the question. "I must deliver this
to the Colonel only," he responded. The officer smiled as he answered:
"I am Colonel Neerden."
"Yes," responded Alfred, quickly, when he recognized his mistake, "I
thought it strange that I did not meet any patrols."
"Didn't you know the Germans were after you?"
"Not until about ten minutes ago. But I couldn't go any faster than I
did," said Alfred.
"Well, you are a brave fellow," said the Colonel. "What command of the
Scouts do you belong to?"
"I am not a Scout. After the fight at Russon they made me a
headquarters' messenger," replied Alfred.
The mention of the fight at Russon was sufficient notice to give him an
entrée into the hearts of all present.
While those about him plied him with questions the Colonel opened the
packet, and after examining it, gave an order. A detachment of the
troops lined across the road, and Alfred, looking back, saw the column
from the cross road join the force which had followed him.
"I must go back as quickly as possible," said Alfred.
"It will be impossible to go back by this route," remarked one of the
officers. "We are ordered back to our quarters by the message which
you brought, but may be sent to the firing line. The Germans are all
over this section, and are rapidly approaching from every quarter. We
shall have some lively work in a few days."
The main body of the troops entered the town of Racour, and the moment
the camp was reached there was evidence of a hurried movement. Within
fifteen minutes an orderly called Alfred to headquarters. As he entered
the Colonel said:
"We are ordered to report at Neerwinden at once. Some portions of the
regiment are guarding the bridge three kilometers to the west. Go to
them at once and deliver this order."
Alfred did not wait for questioning, nor did he ask for instructions
as to the directions, as he mounted; but before he could make a start
the orderly was thoughtful enough to give him instructions. Then he
set the machine full speed, and as he went like the wind he kept his
horn tooting as a warning, but nowhere in the road did he meet an
obstructing hand.
When he saw the bridge beyond and a group of guards he rode directly
into the midst of them and asked for the officer in command, to whom he
handed the missive. Alfred saw troops on the bridge, and as a sergeant
stepped into the road and gave three sharp, quick blasts on a whistle,
the men on the bridge rushed to the center passage way. When the
whistle blew two blasts more they ran forward in double time toward the
bank on which they were standing.
At a command they moved away a hundred feet or more from the bridge and
stopped as they neared the center. Meanwhile not a word was spoken, as
all were intent on watching the work of the three men. Alfred was too
fascinated to ask the meaning of this curious proceeding.
Within two minutes at the utmost the three men leisurely marched off
the bridge toward the group of guards on the bank. One, two, three,
four minutes more. Why were they waiting?
Suddenly, a belching cloud of smoke was seen, followed instantly by a
racking noise, then another, and another, and the beautiful bridge had
disappeared.
Alfred was so fascinated at the weird setting, the silence that awaited
the event, and the grim, business-like appearance of the officers and
men, that when the last sound of falling timbers and steel died away he
was drawn involuntarily toward the stream.
Fully two kilometers beyond was a cloud in the roadway, which Alfred
had now learned to recognize. He turned to the Colonel and pointed in
that direction.
"Yes," said he, "we were just in time."
A quick order brought the troops to attention. The order was given to
return to camp, and within five minutes all the equipment was ready and
the horses in motion. This was one of the engineers' forces especially
detailed to guard the bridges.
As they were turning a curious train of light artillery came from a
side street, which consisted of four guns, each carriage being drawn
by four dogs. The powerful canines had no trouble in pulling the wagons
at a trot and the gunners were running alongside at a fast gait.
Belgium and Holland are the two countries which utilize dogs for draft
animals. Before the automobile came into use they were the great motive
power and this is so, largely, among the peasants at the present time.
The faithful dog is bred for this use. He may be found everywhere
drawing milk carts, pulling the little trucks which are piled high with
faggots, or prancing along in the little vans filled with loaves from
the bakeries.
In Belgium, dogs are trained to be policemen, and the sense of smell
is highly developed; they are taught from puppyhood to perform certain
tasks, to act as sentries and to trail suspicious characters.