THE RUINED CASTLE
As the Army Boys drew closer, the building seemed to grow in size.
Wing after wing detached itself from the mass that seemed to cover
fully an acre of ground. There were no fences to hinder their
approach, but there were great masses of broken blocks and masonry
through which they had to wind their way before they found
themselves before a frowning tower, whose peak rose above the top
of a quadrangular group of buildings surrounding it.
"Why, it's an old castle of some kind!" exclaimed Frank, as they
paused at the foot of the tower, spent and breathless.
"I don't care what it is," replied Bart. "It's shelter of some
kind, and that's enough for me."
"Wonder if there's any one living here," remarked Billy Waldon,
his eyes sweeping the great mass for some sign of life. "Even the
bark of a dog would be welcome to-night."
"Not a light anywhere," commented Tom. "If there's anybody living
here I guess they're dead."
"There's not even a door to knock at," said Frank Sheldon, looking
into the yawning space of what had evidently been an entrance to
the tower. "I guess we'll have to go on a little exploring
expedition. Come along, fellows, and get out of the wind. Lucky
that I have my flashlight along."
They crowded in on their leader's heels, first, as a precaution,
seeing that their weapons were ready, though there did not seem to
be the faintest chance of their being required.
Frank drew his flashlight, and the streaming rays illuminated a
long passageway whose end they could not see. There were open
spaces in the roof and walls through which the snow had drifted in
spots, but there were other parts that were clear and dry, and
these were welcomed by the boys with immense relief after their
long battle with the snow.
At a turning of the corridor they came upon a large room that,
although mildewed and dilapidated and wholly bereft of furniture,
was intact as far as the walls and ceiling were concerned. But
what especially caught their eyes was a huge stone fireplace, and
at once they decided to end their explorations for the present
right there.
"Perhaps that hot coffee wasn't such a dream after all," chuckled
Billy. "We've got plenty of the stuff in our kits, and all we need
is some hot water."
"There's no end of broken branches about here," said Frank. "Let's
get a pile of them in here, and we'll have a fire started in less
than no time."
Though Tom said that the wood would probably be too wet to burn,
he turned in heartily with the others, and in a few minutes they
had a bigger pile of wood ready than probably the old room had
ever seen before. Then by careful nursing of some chips and twigs
a blaze was started that soon developed into a roaring fire,
before which the boys stood and dried out their wet clothes and
toasted themselves until they were in a glow.
The coffee problem was now a simple one, as all they had to do was
to melt snow enough to furnish the hot water, and they used the
cooking utensils that they had in their kits, for they had started
out that afternoon in full marching order. Savory odors soon
announced that the fragrant brew was ready, and they almost
scalded their throats in the eagerness to partake of it.
"Yum-yum!" murmured Tom after his second cup. "Nectar has nothing
on this."
"I'll say so," agreed Billy, with a blissful expression on his
face.
"We never knew how good it was until we thought we couldn't get
it," grinned Bart.
"Maybe this isn't a contrast to things as they were an hour ago,
eh, fellows?" laughed Frank. "Listen to the wind screaming round
this building, mad because it can't get at us."
"I wonder what the rest of the bunch are thinking about us just
now," remarked Billy.
"I suppose they're worried to death, because we didn't turn up,"
replied Frank. "They've probably got squads out hunting for us at
this minute. They've probably guessed what happened when we failed
to catch up with them."
"Well, there isn't a chance in a thousand of their striking this
place," said Tom, yawning. "In the meantime, I'm all tired out and
vote that we hit the hay."
"There isn't any hay to hit, worse luck," said Bart, looking about
him ruefully. "It's the stone floor for us to-night, all right.
But it's warm and dry, and we'll make out with our blankets. It'll
beat traveling around in the snow all night, any way."
"Let's get some more wood so that we'll have enough to last all
night," suggested Frank, and followed by the others he suited the
action to the word.
"How about some of us standing watch?" remarked Bart, when the
huge pile of branches had been heaped within easy distance of the
fire.
"Don't see any need of it," remarked Tom, rubbing his eyes. "We're
probably miles away from any living thing and there's nothing to
watch for except ghosts. There ought to be plenty of those around
in a place so old as this. But who wants to watch for ghosts? I'd
rather be asleep than awake if any of those old codgers come
perambulating around."
"Quit your kidding," replied Frank with a laugh. "But I think we
ought to stand watch, turn and turn about. There's a bare chance
that some of the detachment may come this way, though I don't
think it's likely. Then again we're really in an enemy's country,
and it wouldn't be good soldiering for all of us to go to sleep.
Besides, the fire has got to be kept up."
They felt the force of this and agreed.
"Let's see," remarked Frank, as he consulted his radio watch, "I
figure it will be about eight hours till daylight. That'll be two
hours for each of us."
"You fellows go to sleep," broke in Bart, "and I'll stand watch
all night. That's only right, for I'm the fellow who got you into
this fix."
"Nonsense!" said Frank. "That doesn't go with this bunch. We'll
share and share alike, or else there's nothing doing."
Bart still persisted, but the others overruled him and he had to
give in.
Frank drew a memorandum book from his pocket, tore out a page and
made four strips of different lengths. The one that drew the
shortest was to stand the first watch and the others were to take
their turn according to the length of their strips. Bart drew the
shortest, and Billy, Tom, and Frank followed, the latter having
the longest slip remaining in his hand.
"If you go to sleep, Bart, you'll be shot at sunrise," joked
Billy.
"I'm all right then," retorted Bart, "for I never get up that
early."
Frank, Billy, and Tom spread their blankets as near the fire as
was safe, and rolled themselves in them. The bed was hard, but
this bothered them little, and they were so tired that they were
asleep almost as soon as they stretched themselves out.
Bart, too, was more exhausted than he ever remembered being in all
his life before, and from time to time he looked enviously at the
forms of his sleeping comrades. The two hours that stretched
before him would be very long ones.
At times he would pace slowly about the room, stopping now and
then to replenish the fire. His foot still hurt him a little, and
he frequently sat down in a corner to rest himself. He found,
however, that this was dangerous, for an almost uncontrollable
drowsiness would steal over him, despite all his efforts to keep
awake. The only way he could feel sure of staying awake was to
keep on his feet.
An hour passed and half of another.
He was counting the minutes now before he would be relieved, when
suddenly, as he was passing the entrance that opened on the
corridor, he heard a sound that startled him.
He stood stock still, every trace of sleepiness gone in an instant
and all his faculties keenly on the alert. But nothing happened
and he relaxed.
"Pshaw!" he said to himself impatiently. "What's the matter with
me? Am I letting what Tom said about ghosts get on my nerves?"
Then the sound came again, and this time Bart knew that he was not
mistaken.