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diff --git a/41737-8.txt b/41737-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3c9002b..0000000 --- a/41737-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7088 +0,0 @@ - BURTON OF THE FLYING CORPS - - - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost -no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it -under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this -eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license. - - - -Title: Burton of the Flying Corps -Author: Herbert Strang -Release Date: December 29, 2012 [EBook #41737] -Language: English -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BURTON OF THE FLYING CORPS *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - -[Illustration: Cover] - - - -[Illustration: THROUGH THE SKYLIGHT. _See page_ 22.] - - - - - BURTON OF THE - FLYING CORPS - - - BY - - HERBERT STRANG - - - - _ILLUSTRATED BY C. E. BROCK_ - - - - LONDON - HENRY FROWDE - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - - - - - _First printed in 1916._ - - - - PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY R. CLAY AND SONS, LTD., - BRUNSWICK STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. - - - - - CONTENTS - - -I DÉFENSE DE FUMER - -Showing how Burton made a trip to Ostend in pursuit of a spy - - -II THE DEATH'S HEAD HUSSAR - -Relating Burton's adventure in a French chateau - - -III BORROWED PLUMES - -Showing how Burton caught a German in Bulgaria - - -IV THE WATCH-TOWER - -Showing what followed an accident in Macedonia - - -V THE MISSING PLATOON - -Relating an incident of trench warfare in Flanders - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - COLOUR PLATES - - -Through the Skylight . . . _Frontispiece_ (_see page_ 22) - -An Interruption - -Nonplussed - -Hands up! - - - - DRAWINGS IN LINE - - -"Oh, Mr. Burton, sir" - -Signals of Distress - -"I give him in charge" - -Congratulations - -"You have had an accident" - -The German Way - -The Marquis is hit - -The Door fell in with a Crash - -An Aerial Somersault - -"He looks a terrible fellow" - -A Discomfited Spy - -"Dismount, sir" - -Milosh waits - -"A strange find, upon my word" - -A Perilous Moment - -The British Way - -The Captain is annoyed - -Headings on pages 9, 63, 129, 163, 246 - - - - -[Illustration: Chapter I Heading] - - - DÉFENSE DE FUMER - - - I - - -About one o'clock one Saturday afternoon in summer, a -hydro-aeroplane--or, as its owner preferred to call it, a -flying-boat--dropped lightly on to the surface of one of the many creeks -that intersect the marshes bordering on the river Swale. The pilot, a -youth of perhaps twenty years, having moored his vessel to a stake in -the bank, leapt ashore with a light suit-case, and walked rapidly along -a cinder path towards the low wooden shed, painted black, that broke the -level a few hundred yards away. - -It was a lonely spot--the very image of dreariness. All around extended -the "glooming flats"; between the shed and Luddenham Church, a mile or -so distant, nothing varied the grey monotony except an occasional tree, -and a small red-brick, red-tiled cottage, which, with its flower-filled -windows, seemed oddly out of place amid its surroundings--an oasis in a -desert. - -The youth, clad in khaki-coloured overalls and a pilot's cap, made -straight for the open door of the shed. There he set his suit-case on -the ground, and stepping in, recoiled before the acrid smell that -saluted his nostrils. He gave a little cough, but the man stooping over -a bench that ran along one of the walls neither looked up, nor in any -way signified that he was aware of a visitor. He was a tall, fair man, -spectacled, slightly bald, clean shaven, dressed in garments apparently -of india-rubber. The bench was covered with crucibles, retorts, -blow-pipes, test tubes, Bunsen burners, and sundry other pieces of -scientific apparatus, and on the shelf above it stood an array of glass -bottles and porcelain jars. It was into such a jar that the man was now -gazing. - -"Hullo, Pickles!" said the newcomer, coughing again. "What a frightful -stink!" - -The man lifted his head, looked vacantly through his spectacles for a -moment, then bent again over the jar, from which he took a small portion -of a yellowish substance on the end of a scalpel. Placing this in a -glass bowl, he poured on it a little liquid from one of the glass -bottles, stirred it with a glass rod, and watched. A smell of ammonia -combined with decayed fish mingled with the other odours in the air, -causing the visitor to choke again. - -"Beautiful!" murmured the experimenter. He then poured some of the -solution into another vessel and gazed at it with the rapt vision of an -enthusiast. - -Ted Burton leant against the doorpost. He knew that it was useless to -interrupt his friend until the experiment was concluded. But becoming -impatient as the minutes passed, he took out a cigarette, and was about -to strike a match. Then, however, at a sudden recollection of his -surroundings, he slipped out into the open air, taking great gulps as if -to clear his throat of the sickening fumes, and proceeded to light his -cigarette in ease of mind. - -By and by a cheery voice hailed him from the interior. - -"That you, Teddy?" - -"If you've quite finished," said Burton, putting his head in at the -door, after he had first flung away his half-smoked cigarette. - -"Glad to see you, my dear fellow. I say, will you do something for me? -You came in your machine, of course." - -"Of course. What is it? It's about lunch-time, you know." - -"Is it? But it won't take you long. I've run out of picric acid, and -can't get on. Just fly over to Chatham, will you, and bring some back -with you. You'll get it at Wells's in the High Street: you'll be there -and back in half an hour or so." - -"Can't you wait till after lunch?" - -"Well, I can, but it will be a nuisance. You see, the whole experiment -is hung up for want of the stuff." - -"Oh, very well. By the way, you've done it at last, I see." - -"Done what?" - -"Pulled off the phenosulphonitro-something-or-other that you've been -working at I don't know how long." - -"How on earth did you know?" inquired his friend with an air of surprise -and chagrin. - -Burton pulled out a newspaper, unfolded it, and handed it over, pointing -to a short paragraph. - - -We understand that a new high explosive of immense power, the invention -of Dr. Bertram Micklewright, is about to be adopted for the British -Navy. Dr. Micklewright has been for some years engaged in perfecting -his discovery, and after prolonged experimentation has succeeded in -rendering his explosive stable. - - -"Well, I'm hanged!" cried Micklewright, frowning with annoyance. "The -Admiralty swore me to secrecy, and now they've let the cat out of the -bag. Some confounded whipper-snapper of a clerk, I suppose, who's got a -journalist brother." - -"It's true, then?" - -"Yes, by Jove, it's true! Look, here's the stuff; licks lyddite -hollow." - -He took some yellowish crystals from a porcelain bath and displayed them -with the pride of an inventor. - -"I say, Pickles, is it safe?" said Burton, backing as the chemist held -the stuff up for his inspection. - -"Perfectly," said Micklewright with a smile. "It's more difficult even -than lyddite to detonate, and it'll burn without exploding. Look here!" - -He put a small quantity into a zinc pan, lit a match, and applied it. A -column of suffocating smoke rose swiftly to the roof. Burton spluttered. - -"Beautiful!" he gasped ironically. "I'm glad, old man; your fortune's -made now, I suppose. But I can't say I like the stink. Takes your -appetite away, don't it?" - -"Ah! You mentioned lunch. Just get me that stuff like a good fellow; -then I'll prepare my solution; and then we'll have lunch and you can -dispose of me as you please." - - - - II - - -Burton returned to the creek, boarded his flying-boat, and was soon -skimming across country on the fifteen-mile flight to Chatham. - -He had been Micklewright's fag at school, and the two had remained close -friends ever since. Micklewright, after carrying all before him at -Cambridge, devoted himself to research, and particularly to the study of -explosives. To avoid the risk of shattering a neighbourhood, he had -built his laboratory on the Luddenham Marshes, putting up the -picturesque little cottage close at hand for his residence. There he -lived attended only by an old woman, who often assured him that no one -else would be content to stay in so dreary a spot. He had wished -Burton, when he left school, to join him as assistant: but the younger -fellow had no love for "stinks," and threw in his lot with a firm of -aeroplane builders. Their factory being on the Isle of Sheppey, within -a few miles of Micklewright's laboratory, the two friends saw each other -pretty frequently; and when Burton started a flying-boat of his own, he -often invited himself to spend a week-end with Micklewright, and took -him for long flights for the good of his health, as he said: "an -antidote to your poisonous stenches, old man." - -Burton was so much accustomed to voyage in the air that he had ceased to -pay much attention to the ordinary scenes on the earth beneath him. But -he had completed nearly a third of his course when his eye was -momentarily arrested by the sight of two motor-cycles, rapidly crossing -the railway bridge at Snipeshill. To one of them was attached a side -car, apparently occupied. Motor-cycles were frequently to be seen along -the Canterbury road, but Burton was struck with a passing wonder that -these cyclists had quitted the highway, and were careering along a road -that led to no place of either interest or importance. If they were -exploring they would soon realise that they had wasted their time, for -the by-road rejoined the main road a few miles further east. - -On arriving at Chatham, Burton did not descend near the cemetery, as he -might have done with his landing chassis, but passed over the town and -alighted in the Medway opposite the "Sun" pier. Thence he made his way -to the address in the High Street given him by Micklewright. He was -annoyed when he found the place closed. - -"Just like old Pickles!" he thought. "He forgot it's Saturday." But, -loth to have made his journey for nothing, he inquired for the private -residence of the proprietor of the store, and luckily finding him at -home, made known the object of his visit. - -"I'm sorry I shall have to ask you to wait, sir," said the man. "The -place is locked up, as you saw; my men have gone home, and I've an -engagement that will keep me for an hour or so; perhaps I could send it -over--some time this evening?" - -"No, I'd better wait. Dr. Micklewright wants the stuff as soon as -possible. When will it be ready?" - -"If you'll be at the store at three o'clock I will have it ready -packed." - -It was now nearly two. - -"No time to fly back to lunch and come again," thought Burton, as he -departed. "I'll get something to eat at the 'Sun,' and ring old Pickles -up and explain." - -He made his way to the hotel, a little annoyed at wasting so fine an -afternoon. Entering the telephone box he gave Micklewright's number and -waited. Presently a girl's voice said-- - -"There's no reply. Shall I ring you off?" - -"Oh! Try again, will you, please?" - -Micklewright often took off the receiver in the laboratory, to avoid -interruption during his experiments, and Burton supposed that such was -the case now. He waited; a minute or two passed; then the girl's voice -again-- - -"I can't put you on. There's something wrong with the line." - -"Thank you very much," said Burton; he was always specially polite to -the anonymous girls of the telephone exchange, because "they always -sound so worried, poor things," as he said. "Bad luck all the time," he -thought, as he hung up the receiver. - -He passed to the coffee-room, ate a light lunch, smoked a cigarette, -looked in at the billiard-room, and on the stroke of three reappeared at -the chemist's store. In a few minutes he was provided with a package -carefully wrapped, and by twenty minutes after the hour was soaring back -to his friend's laboratory. - -Alighting as before at the creek, he walked up the path. The door of -the shed was locked. He rapped on it, but received no answer, and -supposed that Micklewright had returned to the house, though he noticed -with some surprise that his suit-case still stood where he had left it. -He lifted it, went on to the cottage, and turned the handle of the front -door. This also was locked. Feeling slightly irritated, Burton knocked -more loudly. No one came to the door; there was not a sound from -within. He knocked again; still without result. Leaving his suit-case on -the doorstep, he went to the back, and tried the door on that side. It -was locked. - -"This is too bad," he thought. "Pickles is an absent-minded old buffer, -but I never knew him so absolutely forgetful as this. Evidently he and -the old woman are both out." - -He returned to the front of the house, and seeing that the catch of one -of the windows was not fastened, he threw up the lower sash, hoisted his -suit-case over the sill, and himself dropped into the room. The table -was laid for lunch, but nothing had been used. - -"Rummy go!" said Burton to himself. - -Conscious of a smell of burning, he crossed the passage, and glanced in -at Micklewright's den, then at the kitchen, where the air was full of -the fumes of something scorching. A saucepan stood on the dying fire. -Lifting the lid, he saw that it contained browned and blackened -potatoes. He opened the oven door, and fell back before a cloud of smoke -impregnated with the odour of burnt flesh. - -"They must have been called away very suddenly," he thought. "Perhaps -there's a telegram that explains it." - -He was returning to his friend's room when he was suddenly arrested by a -slight sound within the house. - -"Who's there?" he called, going to the door. - -From the upper floor came an indescribable sound. Now seriously -alarmed, Burton sprang up the stairs and entered Micklewright's bedroom. -It was empty and undisturbed. The spare room which he was himself to -occupy was equally unremarkable. Once more he heard the sound: it came -from the housekeeper's room. - -"Are you there?" he called, listening at the closed door. - -He flung it open at a repetition of the inarticulate sound. There, on -the bed, lay the old housekeeper in a huddled heap, her hands and feet -bound, and a towel tied over her head. This he removed in a moment. - -[Illustration: "Oh, Mr. Burton, sir"] - -"Oh, Mr. Burton, sir, I'm so glad you've come," gasped the old woman; -"oh, those awful men!" - -"What has happened, Mrs. Jones?" cried Burton; "where's the doctor?" - -"Oh, I don't know, sir. I'm all of a shake, and the mutton'll be burnt -to a cinder." - -"Never mind the mutton! Pull yourself together and tell me what -happened." - -He had cut the cords, and lifted her from the bed. - -"Oh, it near killed me, it did. I was just come upstairs to put on a -clean apron when I heard the door open, and some one went into the -kitchen. I thought it was the doctor, and called out that I was coming. -Next minute two men came rushing up, and before I knew where I was they -smothered my head in the towel, and flung me on to the bed like a bundle -and tied my hands and feet. It shook me all to pieces, sir." - -Burton waited for no more, but leapt down the stairs, vaulted over the -window sill, and rushed towards the laboratory, trembling with nameless -fears. He tried to burst in the door, but it resisted all his strength. -There were no windows in the walls; the place was lighted from above. -Shinning up the drain-pipe, he scrambled along the gutter until he could -look through the skylight in the sloping roof. And then he saw -Micklewright, with his back towards him, sitting rigid in a chair. - - - - III - - -Burton drove his elbow through the skylight, swung himself through the -hole, and dropped to the floor. To his great relief he saw that -Micklewright was neither dead nor unconscious; indeed, his eyes were -gazing placidly at him through his spectacles. It was the work of a -moment to cut the cords that bound the chemist's legs and arms to the -chair, and to tear from his mouth the thick fold of newspaper that had -gagged him. - -"Wood pulp!" said Micklewright, with a grimace of mild disgust, as soon -as he could speak. "Beastly stuff!--if I've got to be gagged, gag me -with rag!" - -"Who did it? What's it mean?" said Burton. - -"It means that somebody was keenly interested in that paragraph which -the Admiralty clerk so kindly supplied to his journalist brother." - -"The new explosive?" - -"Yes. Competitors abhor a secret.... The taste of printer's ink on pulp -paper is very obnoxious, Teddy." - -"Hang the paper! Tell me what happened." - -"It was very neatly done. As nearly as I can recollect, a man put his -head in at the door and asked politely, but in broken English, the way -to Faversham. Being rather busy at the time I'm afraid I misdirected -him. But it didn't matter, because a second or two after I was kicking -the shins of two other fellows who were hugging me; I'm sorry I had to -use my boots, but my fists were not at the moment available. You see how -it ended. - -"They had just fixed me in the chair--printer's ink is _very_ -horrid--when the telephone bell rang. My first visitor told one of the -others, in French, to cut the wire: it must have been rather annoying to -the person at the other end." - -"I was trying to get you in the 'Sun.' But go on." - -"Their next movements much interested me. The commander of the -expedition began to scout along the bench, and soon discovered my -explosive--by the way, I proposed to call it Hittite. He was a cool -card. He first burnt a little: 'Bien!' said he. Then he exploded a -little: 'Bien!' again. Then he scooped the whole lot into a brown -leather bag, just as it was, and made off, lifting his hat very politely -as he went out. He had some trouble in getting his motor-cycle to -fire----" - -"They came on motor-cycles? I saw two crossing the railway at -Snipeshill as I went. Look here, Pickles, this is serious, isn't it?" - -"Well, of course any fool could make Hittite after a reputable chemist -has analysed my stuff. I shall have to start again, I suppose." - -"Great Scott! How can you take it so coolly? The ruffians have got to -be caught. Can you describe them?" - -"Luckily, they allowed me the use of my eyes, though I've heard of -speaking eyes, haven't you? They were all foreigners. The commander -was a big fellow, bald as an egg, with a natty little moustache, very -urbane, well educated, to judge by his accent, though you can never tell -with these foreigners. The others were bearded--quite -uninteresting--chauffeurs or mechanics--men of that stamp. Their boss -was a personality." - -"He spoke French?" - -"Yes. You brought that picric acid, Teddy?" - -"It's in the house. By the way, they gagged Mrs. Jones too." - -"Not with a newspaper, I hope. I'm afraid the poor old thing will give -me notice. We had better go and console her." - -They mounted on the bench, clambered thence through the skylight, and -slid to the ground. - -"Look here, Pickles," said Burton, as they went towards the house, "I'm -going after those fellows. Being foreigners they are almost sure to -have made for the Continent at once. I'll run down to the road and -examine the tracks of their cycles; you've got an ABC in the house?" - -"It is possible." - -"Well, hunt it out and look up the boats for Calais. How long have they -been gone?" - -"Perhaps three-quarters of an hour." - -"A dashed good start!" exclaimed Burton. "We'll save time if you bring -the ABC down to the creek. Buck up, old chap; no wool-gathering now, -for goodness' sake." - -They parted. A brief examination of the tracks assured Burton that the -cyclists had continued their journey eastward. They would probably run -into the highroad to Dover somewhere about Norton Ash. Returning to the -creek he was met by Micklewright with the buff-coloured timetable. -Micklewright was limping a little. - -"There's no Calais boat at this time of day," he said. - -"Did you try Folkestone?" - -"It didn't occur to me." - -Burton took the time-table from him and turned over the pages rapidly. - -"Here we are: Folkestone to Boulogne, 4.10. It's now 3.35," said -Burton, looking at his watch. "I can easily get to Folkestone in half -an hour or less--possibly intercept the beggars if they don't know the -road: in any case be in time to put the police on before the boat -starts. You'll come, Pickles?" - -"Well, no. I strained a muscle or two in scuffling with those -gentlemen--and I've had nothing but newspaper since eight o'clock. By -the way, you may as well take the only clue we have--this scrap of pulp. -It is French, as you see. And, Teddy, don't get into hot water on my -account. The resources of civilisation--as expressed in high -explosives--are not exhausted." - -Burton stuffed the newspaper into his pocket, and in three minutes was -already well on the way to Folkestone. Micklewright watched the -flying-boat until it was lost to sight; then, pressing his hand to his -aching side, he returned slowly to the house. - -The distance from the Luddenham Marshes to Folkestone is about -twenty-five miles as the crow flies, and Burton had made the flight once -in his flying-boat. Consequently, he was at no loss in setting his -course. A brisk south-west wind was blowing, but it very little -retarded his speed, so that he felt pretty sure of reaching the harbour -by four o'clock. Keeping at an altitude of only a few hundred feet, he -was able to pick up the well-known landmarks: Hogben's Hill, the Stour, -the series of woods lying between that river and the Elham valley -railway line; and just before four he alighted on the sea leeward of the -pier, within a few yards of the steamer. - -A small boat took him ashore. He avoided the crowd of holiday makers -who had already gathered to watch him, and making straight for the pier, -accosted a police inspector. - -"Have you seen three men ride up on motor cycles, inspector?" he asked. - -"No, sir, I can't say I have." - -"Three foreigners, one a tall big fellow?" - -"Plenty of foreigners have gone on board, sir. Is anything wrong?" - -"Yes, they've assaulted and robbed a friend of mine--you may know his -name: Dr. Bertram Micklewright, the inventor. They've stolen Government -property, and it's of the utmost importance to prevent their crossing -the Channel." - -"Where did this take place, sir, and at what time?" - -"At Luddenham Marshes beyond Faversham, just before three o'clock." - -"They'd hardly have got here, would they? They'd have to come through -Canterbury, between thirty and forty miles, and with speed limits here -and there they'd only just about do it." - -"I'll wait here, then. You'll arrest them if they come?" - -"That's a bit irregular, sir," said the inspector, rubbing his chin. -"You saw them do the job?" - -"Well, no, I didn't." - -"Then you can't be sure of 'em?" - -"I'm afraid I can't, but there wouldn't be two sets of foreigners on -motor cycles. You could detain them on suspicion, couldn't you?" - -"I might, if you would take the responsibility." - -"Willingly. I'll keep a look-out then." - -It occurred to Burton that the men might leave the cycles and approach -on foot, so he closely scrutinised all the passengers of foreign -appearance who passed on the way to the boat. None of them answered to -Micklewright's description. - -"Haven't you got any clue to their identity, sir?" asked the inspector, -who remained at his side. - -"None; it happened during my absence. They tied up my friend and gagged -him. I came across country in my flying machine yonder." - -"They'll lose this boat for certain," said the inspector, as the -steamer's warning siren sounded. "You're sure they are Frenchmen?" - -"Yes; well, they left a French newspaper behind them." - -"Do you happen to have it with you?" - -Burton drew the crushed paper from his pocket, and handed it to the -policeman, who unfolded it, and displayed a torn sheet, with only the -letters IND remaining of the title. - -"That's the _Indépendance Belge_," said the inspector at once. "I -expect they're Belgians, and aren't coming here at all. Ostend's their -mark, I wouldn't mind betting." - -"Via Dover, of course. Is there a boat?" - -"One at 4.30, sir. I'm afraid they've dished you." - -"I'm not so sure about that," said Burton, glancing at his watch. "It's -now 4.20; this boat's off. If the Ostend boat is ten minutes late too I -can get to Dover in good time to have it searched." - -"Then if I were you I'd lose no time, sir, and I hope you'll catch 'em." - -Burton raced back to the boat that had brought him ashore. In five -minutes he was on his own vessel, in two more he was in full flight -before the favouring wind, and at 4.35 he dropped on the water in the -lee of the Admiralty pier at Dover. But he had already seen that he was -too late. The boat, which had evidently started on time, was at least -half a mile from the pier. - -"Yes, sir, I did see a big foreigner go on board at the last minute," -said the policeman of whom Burton inquired ten minutes later. "He was -carrying a small brown leather hand-bag. I took particular note of him, -because he blowed like a grampus, and took off his hat to wipe his head, -he was that hot." - -"Was he bald?" - -"As bald as the palm of your hand. A friend of yours, sir?" - -"No," said Burton emphatically. "He's got away with a secret worth -thousands of pounds--millions perhaps, to a foreign navy." - -The policeman whistled. - - - - IV - - -Burton stood looking at the diminishing form of the steamboat. The -constable touched his sleeve. - -"You see that gentleman there, sir?" he said. - -Following his glance, Burton saw a slim youthful figure, clad in a light -tweed suit and a soft hat, leaning over the rail. - -"Well?" he asked. - -The constable murmured a name honoured at Scotland Yard. - -"Put the case to him, sir," he added; "he can see through most brick -walls." Burton hastened to the side of the detective. - -"A man on that boat has stolen the secret of the new explosive for the -British Navy," he said without preamble. "Can you stop him?" - -The detective turned his keen eyes on his questioner and looked hard at -him for a moment or two. - -"Tell me all about it, sir," he said. - -Burton hurriedly related all that had happened. "A cable to Ostend -would be enough, wouldn't it?" he asked in conclusion. - -"I'm afraid it would hardly do, sir," replied the detective. "Your -description is too vague. Tall man about forty, bald, with a -hand-bag--there may be dozens on the boat. It would be too risky. We -have to be careful. I saw a notorious diamond thief go on board, but I -couldn't arrest him, not having a warrant, and nothing certain to go -upon. You had better go to the police station, tell the superintendent -all you know, and leave him to communicate with the Belgian police in -due course." - -"And give the thief time to get rid of the stuff! If it once passes -from his hands the secret will be lost to us, and any foreign Power may -be able to fill its shells with Dr. Micklewright's explosive. It's too -bad!" - -He looked with bitter disappointment at the steamer, now a mere speck on -the surface of the sea. Suddenly he had an idea. - -"If I got to Ostend first," he said, "I could have the man arrested as -he lands?" - -The detective smiled. - -"I don't think the Belgian police would make an arrest on the strength -of your story, sir," he said. "Why, you can't even be sure your man is -aboard. Arresting the wrong party might be precious awkward for you and -everybody." - -"I'll risk that," cried Burton. "It's my funeral, any way." - -"That little machine of yours is safe, I suppose, sir? It won't come -down and bury you at sea?" - -"No fear!" said Burton with a smile. "Still, in case of accidents, -here's my card. All I ask is, don't give anything away to newspaper men -for a couple of days, at any rate. It's to a newspaper man we owe the -whole botheration." - -"All right, sir; I'll give you a couple of days. I wish you luck." - -Burton hurried to one of the small boats lying for hire alongside the -pier, and was put on board his own vessel. He started the motor, but in -his haste he failed to pull the lever with just that knack that jerks -the floats from the surface. At the second attempt he succeeded, and -the water-plane rose into the air as smoothly as a gull. The steamer -was now out of sight, but he had a general idea of her direction, and -hoped by rising to a good altitude soon to get a glimpse of her. The -wind had freshened, and time being of the utmost importance, Burton -congratulated himself on the possession of a Clift compass, by means of -which he could allow for drift, and avoid fatal error in setting his -course. The steamer had nearly an hour's start, but as he travelled at -least twice as fast, he expected to overhaul her in about an hour if he -did not mistake her direction. - -His mind was busy as he flew. He had to admit the force of what the -detective had said. It would almost certainly be difficult to induce -the Belgian police to act on such slight information as he could give -them; and in the bustle of landing, the criminal, of whose identity he -could not be sure, might easily get away. Burton was beginning to feel -that he had started on a wild-goose chase when, catching sight of the -smoke of the vessel some miles ahead, he suddenly, without conscious -reasoning, determined on his line of action. Such flashes sometimes -occur at critical moments. - -Waiting for a few minutes to make sure that the distant vessel was that -in which he was interested, he bore away to the east, instead of -following directly the track of the steamer. It was scarcely probable -that the flying-boat had already been noticed from the deck. He -described a half-circle of many miles, so calculated that when he -approached the vessel it was from the east, at an angle with her course. - -He was still at a considerable height, and as he passed over the vessel -his view of the deck was obscured by the cloud of black smoke from her -funnels. In a few seconds he wheeled as if to return on his track; but -soon after recrossing the steamer he wheeled again, and making a steep -volplané, alighted on the sea about half a mile ahead. Then with his -handkerchief he began to make signals of distress. There was a -considerable swell on the surface, and it might well have seemed to -those on board the steamer who did not distinguish the flying-boat from -an aeroplane that the frail vessel was in imminent danger. - -[Illustration: Signals of distress] - -The steamer's helm was instantly ported; she slowed down and was soon -alongside. A rope was let down by which Burton swung himself to the -deck; and while he struggled through the crowd of excited passengers who -clustered about him, the flying-boat was hoisted by a derrick, and the -vessel resumed its course. - -Burton made his way to the bridge to interview the captain. - -"I'm very much obliged to you, sir," he said. "And I'm very sorry to -have delayed you. My engine stopped." - -"So did mine," returned the captain, with a rather grim look about the -mouth, "or rather, I stopped them." Burton did not feel called upon to -explain that his stoppage also had been voluntary. "And I shall have to -push them to make up for the twenty minutes we have lost. You would not -have drowned; I see your machine floats; but you might have drifted for -days if I hadn't picked you up." - -"It was very good of you," said Burton, feeling sorry at having had to -practise a deception. "It's my first voyage across Channel. I started -from Folkestone; better luck next time. I must pay my passage, -captain." - -"Certainly not," said the captain. "I won't take money from a gallant -airman in distress. I have a great admiration for airmen; they run -double risks. I wouldn't trust myself in an aeroplane on any account -whatever." - -Burton remained for some minutes chatting with the captain, then -descended to the deck in search of his quarry, to be at once surrounded -by a group of first-class passengers, who plied him with eager questions -about his starting-point, his destination, and the nature of the -accident that had brought him down. He answered them somewhat -abstractedly, so preoccupied was he with his quest. His eyes roamed -around, and presently he felt an electric thrill as he caught sight, on -the edge of the crowd, of a tall portly figure that corresponded, he -thought, to Micklewright's brief description. The man had a round red -face, with a thick stiff moustache upturned at the ends. His prominent -blue eyes were fixed intently on Burton. He wore a soft hat, and Burton, -while replying to a lady who wanted to know whether air-flight made one -sea-sick, was all the time wondering if the head under the hat was bald. - -Disengaging himself by and by from those immediately around him, he -edged his way towards this stalwart passenger. It gave him another -thrill to see that the man held a small brown leather hand-bag. He felt -that he was "getting warm." No other passenger carried luggage; this -bag must surely contain something precious or its owner would have set -it down. Burton determined to get into conversation with him, though he -felt much embarrassed as to how to begin. The blue eyes were scanning -him curiously. - -"I congratulate you, sir," said the foreigner in English, politely -lifting his hat. Burton almost jumped when he saw that the uncovered -crown was hairless. - -"Thank you, sir," he replied, in some confusion. "It was lucky I caught -the boat." - -As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he thought, "What an idiotic -thing to say!" and his cheeks grew red. - -"Zat ze boat caught you, you vould say?" said the foreigner, smiling. -"But your vessel is a hydro-aeroplane, I zink so? Zere vas no danger zat -you sink?" - -"Well, I don't know. With a swell on, like this, it wouldn't be any -safer than a cock-boat; and in any case, it wouldn't be too pleasant to -drift about, perhaps for days, without food." - -"Zat is quite right; ven ze sea is choppy, you feed ze fishes; ven it is -calm, you have no chops. Ha! ha! zat is quite right. You do not -understand ze choke?" he added, seeing that Burton did not smile. - -"Oh yes! yes!" cried Burton, making an effort. "You speak English well, -sir." - -"Zank you, yes. I have practised a lot. I ask questions--yes, and ven -zey ask you chust now vat accident bring you down, I do not quite -understand all about it." - -"It was quite an ordinary thing," said Burton, rather uncomfortably. -The explanation he had given to the questioners was vague; he was loth -to tell a deliberate lie. "Do you know anything about petrol engines, -sir?" - -"Oh yes, certainly. I ride on a motor-bicycle. One has often trouble -viz ze compression." - -"That's true," said Burton, feeling "warmer" than ever. The foreigner -was evidently quite unsuspicious, or he would not have mentioned the -motor-cycle. "We have excellent roads in England," he added, with a -fishing intention. - -"Zat is quite right; but zey are perhaps not so good as our roads in -France, eh?" - -"Your roads are magnificent, it's true; still--what do you say to the -Dover Road?" - -"Ah! Ze Dover Road; yes, it is very good, ever since ze Roman times, -eh? Yes; I have travelled often on ze Dover Road, from Dover to -Chatham, and vice versa. Viz zis bag!" - -Burton looked hard at the bag. He wished it would open. One peep, he -was sure, would be enough to convict this amiable Frenchman. - -"I have somezink in zis bag," the Frenchman went on in a confidential -tone--"somezink great, somezink magnificent,--_éclatant_ as we say; -somezink vat make a noise in ze vorld." - -He tapped the bag affectionately. Burton tingled; he would have liked -to take the man by the throat and denounce him as a scoundrel. But -perhaps if he were patient the confiding foreigner would open the bag. - -"Indeed!" he said. - -"Yes; a noise zat shall make ze hair stand on end. Ha! ha! Ah! you -English. You are ze great inventors. Your Sims, your Edvards, your -Rowland--ah! zey are great, zey are honoured by all ze crowned heads in -ze vorld. Zat is quite right! I tell you! ... No; it is late. You -shall be in Ostend, sir?" - -"Yes." - -"Zen you shall see, you shall hear, vat a great sensation I shall make. -Now it gets dark; if you shall pardon me, I vill take a little sleep -until ve arrive. Zen!..." - -He lifted his hat again, and withdrew to a deck chair, where he propped -the bag carefully under his head and was soon asleep. - - - - V - - -Burton strolled up and down the deck, impatient for the boat to make the -port. He was convinced: the man was French; he was tall, urbane, and -bald; he rode a motor-cycle; he knew the Dover Road; he guarded his bag -as something precious, and it contained something that was going to make -a noise in the world. What so likely to do that as Micklewright's -explosive! - -One thing puzzled Burton; the man's allusion to English inventors--Sims, -Edwards, Rowland--who were they? Burton subscribed to a good many -scientific magazines, and kept closely in touch with recent inventions; -but he did not recall any of these names. It flashed upon him that the -Frenchman, rendered suspicious by his fishing questions, had mentioned -the names as a blind; he had spoken of Sims, Edwards and Rowland when -his mind was really full of Micklewright. - -"If that's your game, it won't wash," he thought. - -He determined, as soon as the vessel reached port, to hurry ashore, -interview the Customs officers, and warn them in general terms of the -dangerous nature of what the Frenchman carried. If only the bag had -been opened and its contents revealed, he would not have hesitated to -inform the captain, and have the villain detained. But the Customs -officers, primed with his information, would insist on opening the bag, -and then!--yes, there would undoubtedly be "a noise in the world," when -it became known that so audacious a scheme had been detected and foiled. - -The sun went down, the steamer plugged her way onward, and through the -darkness the lamps of Ostend by and by gleamed faintly in the distance. -Burton made his way to the bridge again, and asked the captain to allow -the flying-boat to remain on the vessel till the morning; then he -returned to the deck, and leant on the rail near the gangway. - -All was bustle as the steamer drew near to the harbour. The passengers -collected their belongings, and congregated. Some spoke to Burton; he -hardly heeded them. He had his eye on the Frenchman, still slumbering -peacefully. - -The bells clanged; the vessel slowed; a rope was thrown to the pier; and -two of the sailors stood ready to launch the gangway as soon as the boat -came to rest. The moment it clattered on to the planks of the pier -Burton was across, and hurried to the shed where the Customs officers, -like spiders in wait for unwary flies, were lined up behind their -counter, cool, keen, alert. He accosted the chief douanier, described -the Frenchman in a few rapid sentences, suggested that the brown bag -would repay examination, and receiving assurance that the proper -inquiries should be made, posted himself outside at the corner of the -shed in the dark, to watch the scene. - -The passengers came by one by one, and answering the formal question, -had their luggage franked by the mystic chalk mark and passed on. -Burton's pulse throbbed as he saw the tall Frenchman come briskly into -the light of the lamps. - -"Here he is!" whispered the officers one to another. - -"Have you anything to declare, monsieur?" asked one of them, with formal -courtesy. - -"No, no, monsieur," replied the man; "you see I have only a hand-bag." - -He laid it on the counter to be chalked. - -"Be so good as to open the bag, monsieur," said the officer. - -The Frenchman stared; the passengers behind him pricked up their ears as -he began to expostulate in a torrent of French too rapid for Burton to -follow. The officer shrugged, and firmly repeated his demand. Still -loudly protesting, the Frenchman drew a bunch of keys from his pocket, -selected one, and with a gesture of despair laid open the bag to the -officer's inspection. - -Burton drew a little nearer and watched feverishly. The officer put his -hand into the bag, and drew forth a bundle of what appeared to be -striped wool. Exclaiming at its weight, he laid it on the counter, and -began to unroll it. His colleagues smiled as he held aloft the -pantaloons of a suit of pyjamas. He threw them down, and took up the -object round which the garment had been wrapped. It was a large glass -bottle, filled with a viscid yellowish liquid, and bearing a label. - -"Voila!" shouted its owner. "Je vous l'avais bien dit." - -The officer took up the bottle, eyeing it suspiciously. He examined the -label; he took out the stopper and sniffed, then held the bottle to the -noses of his colleagues, who sniffed in turn. - -"It will not explode?" he said to the Frenchman. - -"Explode!" snorted the man scornfully. "It is harmless; it is perfect; -it contains no petroleum; look, there is the warranty on the label. -Bah!" - -He struck a match and held it to the mouth of the open bottle, which the -officer extended at arm's length. The flame flickered and went out. - -"Voila!" said the Frenchman with a triumphant snort. - -Then fumbling in his pocket he drew out a sheaf of flimsy papers. One -of these he handed to the officer, who glanced at it, smiled, said, "Ah! -oui! oui!" and replacing the stopper, rolled the bottle in the pyjamas -again. - -"But it is not yet certain," he exclaimed. "Monsieur will permit me." - -He plunged his hand again into the bag, whose owner made a comical -gesture of outraged modesty as the officer brought out, first the -companion jacket of the pantaloons, then a somewhat ancient tooth-brush. -He rummaged further, turned the bag upside down. It contained nothing -else. - -"A thousand excuses, monsieur," he said, replacing the articles, and -chalking the bag. - -"Ah! It is your duty," said the passenger magnanimously. "Good-night, -monsieur." - -Catching sight of Burton as he was passing on, he stopped. - -"Ah! my friend, here you are," he said. "I give you vun of my announce. -It has ze address. I see you to-morrow? Zat is quite right!" - -Then he lifted his hat and went his way. - -Burton thrust the slip of paper into his pocket without looking at it. -He felt horribly disconcerted. The fluid in the bottle was certainly -not Micklewright's explosive; that was a crystalline solid. He had made -an egregious mistake. It was more than disappointing; it was -humiliating. He had been engaged in a wild-goose chase indeed. His -stratagem was wasted; his suspicions were unfounded; his deductions -utterly fallacious. While he was dogging this innocent Frenchman, the -real villain was no doubt on the other side of the sea, waiting for the -night boat from Dover or perhaps Newhaven. He had made a fool of -himself. - -Despondent and irritated, he was about to find his way to the nearest -hotel for the night, when he suddenly noticed a second portly figure -approaching the shed among the file of passengers. The man was hatless; -he was bald; he carried a brown leather hand-bag. His collar was limp; -his face was clammy, and of that pallid greenish hue which betokens -beyond possibility of doubt a severe attack of sea-sickness. - -At the first glance Burton started; at the second he flushed; then, on -the impulse of the moment, he sprang forward, and reaching the side of -the flabby passenger at the moment when he placed his bag upon the -counter, he laid his hand upon it, and cried-- - -"My bag, monsieur!" - -The bald-headed passenger glanced round in mere amazement, clutching his -bag. - -"Excuse me, monsieur," he said quietly, "it is mine." - -The Customs officer looked from one to the other: the pallid foreigner, -limp and nerveless; the ruddy Englishman, eager, strenuous and -determined. - -"Ah! You gave me the warning. You were mistaken," he said to Burton. -"The other bag contained only pyjamas, a bottle, and a toothbrush; -nothing harmful. Monsieur is too full of zeal; he may be mistaken -again. He accuses this gentleman of stealing his bag? Well, that is a -matter for the police. I will do my duty, then you can find a -policeman. Have you anything to declare?" he concluded in his official -tone. - -"Nothing," said the foreigner. - -"A thousand cigarettes!" cried Burton at the same moment. - -Each had still a hand on the bag. At Burton's words the passenger gave -him a startled glance, and Burton knew by the mingled wonder and terror -in his eyes that this time he had made no mistake. - -"Comment! A thousand cigarettes!" repeated the officer. "Messieurs -must permit me to open the bag." - -He drew it from their grasp. It opened merely by a catch. The officer -peeped inside, and shot a questioning look at Burton, who bent over, and -at a single glance recognised the small yellowish crystals. - -"That's it!" he cried in excitement. - -"Monsieur will perhaps explain," said the officer to the owner of the -bag, who appeared to have become quite apathetic. "There are no -cigarettes; no; but what is this substance? Is it on the Customs -schedule? No. Very well, I must impound it for inquiry." - -The man, almost in collapse from weakness, began to mumble something. -The officer's remark about impounding the stuff disturbed Burton. If it -got into expert hands Micklewright's secret would be discovered. - -Acting on a sudden inspiration, he took a cigarette from his case, and -struck a match. - -"Eh, monsieur, it is forbidden to smoke," cried the officer sternly. - -At the same time he nodded his head towards the placard "_Défense de -fumer_" affixed to the wall. - -"Ah! Pardon! Forbidden! So it is," said Burton, who was shading the -lighted match within his rounded palm from the wind. He made as if to -throw it away, but with a dexterous cast dropped it flaming into the -open bag. Instantly there was a puff and whizz, and a column of thick -suffocating smoke spurted up to the roof. The officer started back with -an execration. A lady shrieked; others of the passengers took to their -heels. The air was full of pungent fumes and lurid exclamations, and in -the confusion the owner of the bag quietly slipped away into the -darkness. Burton stood his ground. His task was done. Every particle -of Micklewright's explosive that had left the shores of England was -dissipated in gas. The secret was saved. - -[Illustration: "I give him in charge"] - -Choking and spluttering the officer dashed forward, shaking his fist in -Burton's face, mingling terms of Gallic abuse with explosive cries for -the police. A gendarme came up. - -"I give him in charge," shouted the officer, with gesticulations. "It -is forbidden to smoke; see, the place is full of smoke! The other man; -where is he? It is a conspiracy. They are anarchists. Arrest the -villain!" - -"Monsieur will please come with me," said the gendarme, touching Burton -on the sleeve. - -"All right," said Burton cheerfully. "I can smoke as we go along?" - -"It is not forbidden to smoke in the streets," replied the gendarme -gravely. - -And with one hand on the prisoner's arm, the other carrying the empty -bag, he set off towards the town. - - - - VI - - -Two evenings later, Burton descended on the creek in the Luddenham -Marshes, and hastened with lightsome step to Micklewright's laboratory. -It was the time of day when Micklewright usually ceased work and went -home to his dinner. - -"Still at it!" thought Burton, as he saw that the laboratory door was -open. - -He went on quickly and looked in. Micklewright was bending over his -bench in his customary attitude of complete absorption. - -"Time for dinner, old man," said Burton, entering. - -"Hullo! That you! Come and look at this." - -"Upon my word, that's a cool greeting after I've been braving no end of -dangers for your sake." - -"What's that you say? Look at this, Teddy; isn't it magnificent!" - -Burton looked into the bowl held up for his inspection, and saw nothing -but a dirty-looking mixture that smelt rather badly. - -"You see, it's like this," said Micklewright, and went on to describe in -the utmost technical detail the experiment upon which he had been -engaged. Burton listened with resignation; he knew by experience that -it saved time to let his friend have his talk out. - -"Magnificent! I take your word for it," he said, when Micklewright had -finished his description. "But look here, old man, doesn't it occur to -you to wonder where I've been?" - -"Why should it?" asked Micklewright in unaffected surprise. He looked -puzzled when Burton laughed; then remembrance dawned in his eyes. "Of -course; I recollect now. You went after those foreigners. I had almost -forgotten them." - -"Forgotten the beggars who had stolen your secret?" cried Burton. - -"Hittite! Well, you see, it was gone; no good pulling a long face over -it, though it was a blow after three years' work. I groused all day -Sunday, but recognised it as a case of spilt milk, and this morning -started on a new tack. I'm on the scent of something else. Whether it -will be any good or not I can't say yet." - -"Surely you got detectives down?" - -"Well, no, I didn't. It's much the best to keep such things quiet. The -fellows had got away with the stuff, and before the police could have -done anything they'd be out of reach. So I just buckled to." - -"Very philosophic of you!" said Burton drily. "I needn't have put -myself about, then. Well, hand over fifty francs, and I'll cry quits." - -"Fifty--francs, did you say? Won't shillings do?" - -"No; I was fined in francs. I won't take advantage of you." - -"I seem to be rather at sea," said Micklewright. "Have the French -started air laws, and you broken 'em and been nabbed? But what were you -doing in France?" - -"Come and let's have some dinner," said Burton, putting his arm through -his friend's. "I'm sure you don't eat enough. Any one will tell you -that want of proper grub makes you dotty." - -Micklewright locked up the laboratory, and went on with Burton to the -house. Burton found his suit-case in the spare room and was glad to make -a rapid toilet and change of clothes. In twenty minutes he was at one -end of the dining-table, facing Micklewright at the other, and old Mrs. -Jones was carrying in the soup. Burton waited, before beginning his -story, until Micklewright had disposed of an excellent steak, and -"looked more human," as he said; then-- - -"Since I saw you last, I've been to Ostend," he began. - -"Jolly good oysters there," said Micklewright. - -"Ah! You're sane at last! I didn't go for oysters, though; I went -for--Hittite." - -"You don't mean to say----" cried Micklewright. - -"Don't be alarmed," Burton interrupted. "There's none there now. Just -listen without putting your spoke in, will you!" - -He related the incidents of his flights to Folkestone and Dover, his -pursuit of the steamer, and the trick by which he had been taken on -board. - -"And then I made an ass of myself," he continued. "But it's -owing--partly at any rate--to your lucid description, Pickles. Tall, -stout, bald, moustache, brown bag; all the details to a T. I got into -conversation with the man, and when it turned out that he was a -motor-cyclist, knew the Dover Road, and had something in his bag that -was going to make a noise in the world, I made sure I'd got the right -man. - -"You can imagine how sold I felt when, after persuading the Customs -fellows to insist on opening his bag, all they fished out was a suit of -pyjamas, an old toothbrush, and a bottle full of a custardy-looking -stuff. He was very good-tempered about it--much more than I should have -been if my wardrobe had been exposed. I was feeling pretty cheap when -another fellow came along, whom your description fitted equally well, -though he wasn't a scrap like the first man. He had evidently been -horribly sea-sick; had gone below, I suppose, which was the reason why I -hadn't seen him before. The wind had carried away his hat, and his bald -pate betrayed him. I got his bag opened; had to pretend that it was -mine, and full of cigarettes; and your stuff being loose in the bag it -went up with a fine fizz when I dropped a match into it. That's why you -owe me fifty francs. They lugged me off to the police station, and next -day fined me fifty for smoking on forbidden ground, though, as I pointed -out, _I_ hadn't done any smoking, and they ought really to have fined -the fellow who had the stuff in his bag. They were very curious as to -what that was, but of course I didn't give it away. And it's rather -rotten to find that after all you don't care a copper cent!" - -"Not at all, my dear chap; I'm extremely grateful to you. I only hope -you won't ruin me." - -"Ruin you! What do you mean?" - -"Well, you see, with Hittite safe, I shall be so sickening rich that I -am almost bound to get lazy." - -"If that's your trouble, just hand it over to me; _I_ don't mind being -rich, though I'm not an inventor. But I say, Pickles, that reminds me: -do you know any inventors of the names of Sims, Edwards and--what was -the other?--Rowland?" - -"Can't say I do. Why?" - -"Why, the wrong man--the bottle man, you know--gassed about the -greatness of our English inventors, and mentioned these three specially, -to put me off the scent, I thought. Of course his talk of inventors -made me all the more sure that he had your stuff in his bag." - -"Well, I can't recall any of them. Sims--you've never heard me talk of -any one named Sims, have you, Martha?" he asked of the housekeeper, who -entered at this moment with the coffee. - -"No, sir; though if you don't mind me saying so, I've been a good mind -to name him myself this long time, only I didn't like to be so bold." - -"My dear good woman, what are you driving at?" asked Micklewright in -astonishment. - -"Why, sir, I dare say busy gentlemen like yourself don't notice it till -some one tells 'em, their combs and brushes being kept tidy unbeknownst; -but the truth is, I've been worriting myself over that--I reelly don't -like to mention it, but there, being old enough to be your mother--I -mean, sir, that little bald spot jest at the crown of the head, -sir--jest at the end of the parting, like." - -Micklewright laughed as he put his hand on the spot. - -"Well, but--Sims?" he said. - -"Well, sir, it didn't ought to be there in a gentleman of your age, and -thinks I to myself: 'Now, if only the master would try one of them -hair-restorers he might have his locks back as luxurious as ever they -was.' And I cut the particklers out of that _Strand_ magazine you gave -me, sir, and how to choose between 'em I _don't_ know, they're all that -good. There's Edwards' Harlene for the Hair, and Rowland's antimacassar -oil, and Tatcho, made by that gentleman as writes so beautiful in the -Sunday papers; he's the gentleman you mean, I expect--George R. Sims." - -The men shouted with laughter, and Mrs. Jones withdrew, happy that her -timid suggestion had given no offence. - -"To think of you in pursuit of a hairdresser gives me great joy," said -Micklewright presently. "He _must_ have been a hairdresser, Teddy." - -"I suppose he was," assented Burton rather glumly. "By the way"--he -felt in his pockets. "He gave me a handbill; I didn't look at it at the -moment; it's in the pocket of my overall, of course. I'll fetch it." - -He returned, smoothing the crumpled slip of paper, and smiling broadly. - -"Here you are," he said. "'Arsène Lebrun, artist in hair, having -returned from London with a marvellous new specific for promoting a -luxuriant vegetation'--I am translating, Pickles--'on the most barren -soil, respectfully invites all gentlemen, especially those with -infantine heads'--that's very nice!--'to assist at a public -demonstration on Sunday, August 20. Arsène Lebrun will then massage with -his fructifying preparation the six most vacant heads in Ostend, and lay -the seeds of a magnificent harvest, which he will subsequently have the -honour to reap.' Hittite isn't in it with that, old man." - -At this moment there was a double knock at the door, and Mrs. Jones soon -re-entered with a letter. - -"From the Admiralty," said Micklewright, tearing open the envelope. -"Listen to this, Teddy." - - -"'I am directed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to say that -they are prepared to pay you £20,000 for the formula of your new -explosive, and a royalty, the amount of which will be subsequently -arranged, on every ton manufactured. They lay down as a peremptory -condition that the formula be kept absolutely secret, and that the -explosive be supplied exclusively to the British navy. I shall be glad -if you will intimate your general agreement with these terms.'" - - -"Congratulations, old boy!" cried Burton heartily, grasping his friend's -hand. "It's magnificent!" - -[Illustration: Congratulations] - -"I really think you are right, and as it's very clear that but for you I -shouldn't have been able to accept any terms whatever, it's only fair -to----" - -"Nonsense!" Burton interrupted. "All I want is fifty francs, for -illicit smoking--a cheap smoke, as it turns out." - -"Can't do it, my boy. Wait till I get my Lords Commissioners' cheque." - -A week or two later, Burton's firm received an order from Dr. -Micklewright for a water-plane of the best type, with all the latest -improvements in canoe floats, and the finest motor on the market. When -the machine was ready for delivery, Micklewright paid a visit to the -factory. - -"It's a regular stunner, old man," said Burton, as he explained its -points to his friend. - -"Well, Teddy, do me the favour to accept it as a birthday present--a -little memento of your trip to Ostend." - - - - -[Illustration: Chapter II Heading] - - - The DEATH'S HEAD HUSSAR - - - I - - -"My compliments, Burton! You brought her down magnificently," said -Captain Rolfe. "Not much damage done, I hope?" - -The airman stooping over the engine grunted. In a moment or two a grimy -face was upturned, the tall figure straightened itself, and a crisp -voice said ruefully-- - -"Magneto smashed to smithereens!" - -He passed round to the side of the machine, and retailed at short -intervals the items of a catalogue of damage. - -"A stay cut! ... Two holes in the upper plane! ... Four in the lower! -... Chips and dents galore! Still, we can fall back on the old wife's -consolation: it might have been worse." - -"All the same, it's precious awkward," said Captain Rolfe, putting his -finger through a hole in the lower plane. "The Bosches will be here in -ten minutes." - -"Not under twenty. They've some difficult country to cross. But, of -course, there's no time to lose. It's lucky there's a village close -by." - -Edward Burton, airman, with Captain Rolfe, who accompanied him as -observer, had just made an enforced volplané and landed safely after -running the gauntlet of German rifles and machine guns. At the moment -when he was flattering himself on being out of range, a shell burst -close beside the machine, bespattering it with bullets and putting the -engine out of action. - -Rolfe had seen cavalry galloping in their direction. The sudden descent -would apprise the enemy of what had happened. Whether in ten minutes or -in twenty, there was no doubt that the arrival of the Germans would -place the airmen in a tight corner. - -The first thought of the trooper is for his horse. The airman is -concerned for the state of his aeroplane. It was not till long -afterwards that Rolfe and Burton discovered that they, too, had not come -off unscathed. Luckily it was only Rolfe's sword-hilt that had been -shattered, not his groin; while Burton examined with a wondering -curiosity two neat black holes in the loose sleeve of his overalls. - -It did not occur to either of them that there was at least plenty of -time to slip away and hide before the Germans came up. Their instinct -was to save the aeroplane--a hopeless proposition, one would have -thought. - -Along the road from the village, a quarter of a mile away, half the -population was already speeding to the scene. The half, alas! was now -the whole. There were women old and young, boys and girls, old men and -men long past their prime; but there was no male person from seventeen -to fifty except the village idiot, who flung his arms about as he ran, -making inarticulate noises. - -"Hang it all!" Burton ejaculated. "A crowd like this will dish any -chance we might have had." - -The crowd suddenly parted; the men doffed their hats, the women bobbed, -as they made way for a horseman. It was an old straight figure, with -short snow-white hair and a long grizzled moustache. He cantered -through the throng, turned into the field on which the aeroplane lay, -and reined up before the Englishmen. - -[Illustration: "You have had an accident"] - -"You have had an accident, messieurs?" he said, raising his hat. - -"Worse than that, monsieur," replied Rolfe, in fluent French. "The -Germans have hit us; the machine is useless; they are on our track." - -"Ah!" exclaimed the Frenchman. Then, turning to the crowd who had -flocked up behind him and stood gaping around, he spoke in quick, -staccato phrases, in a tone of command. "Back to your houses, my good -women. Take the children. These gentlemen are of our brave ally. You -men, drag the aeroplane to the inn. Bid Froment lift the trap-door of -his cellar ready to let the machine down. Some of you smooth away the -tracks behind it. Quick! You, Guignet, post yourself on the mound -yonder and watch for the Germans. The inn cellar is large, messieurs; -there will be plenty of room. As to yourselves----" - -The wrinkles of his aged face deepened. - -"Ah, I have it!" he exclaimed. Turning to Rolfe, he went on: "You are -an English officer, monsieur; that says itself. You have observations -to report. Take my horse; it is not mine, but borrowed from one of my -tenants; my own are with the army. There is no other in the village. -It will serve you." - -"Thank you, monsieur," said Rolfe, as the old man dismounted. "In the -interests of our forces----" - -"Hasten, monsieur," the old man interrupted. "Guignet waves his arms. -He has seen the Germans. As for you, monsieur----" - -"I will go to the inn," said Burton. - -"My château is at your service, monsieur, but I fear it will prove an -unsafe refuge. A haystack, or a barn----" - -"I must stay by the aeroplane, monsieur; get it repaired if possible." - -The old man shrugged. Guignet came up. - -"The Bosches have taken the wrong road, monsieur le marquis," he said. -"They are riding, ma foi! how quickly, towards old Lumineau's farm." - -"That gives you more time," said the old gentleman to Burton. "Pray use -it to save yourself. They will not be long discovering their mistake. -Adieu! I salute in you your brave nation." - -Bowing, he hurried away across the fields towards a large château that -reared itself among noble trees half a mile distant. Burton followed the -crowd towards the village inn. - -"A fine old fellow!" he thought, "but he doesn't know the Germans if he -supposes that the wine-cellar will be a safe place. I must find -somewhere better than that." - -He overtook the men before they reached the village. Passing the -ancient church, an idea occurred to him. - -"Is there a crypt?" he asked. - -"Parfaitement, monsieur," a man replied. - -"Halt a minute." - -He hastened to the priest's house adjoining, at the door of which stood -the curé in his biretta and long soutane. A minute's conversation -settled the matter. - -"It is a good cause, monsieur," said the curé. "Direct our friends." - -Superintended by Burton, the men wheeled the machine through the great -door into the church. While Burton rapidly unscrewed the planes, -willing hands opened up the floor, and in a quarter of an hour the -aeroplane was lowered into the crypt. - -"Is there an engineer in the village?" Burton asked. - -"Mais non, monsieur, but there is Boitelet, the smith--a clever fellow, -monsieur. You should have seen him set monsieur le capitaine's -automobile to rights. Boitelet is your man." - -Burton hurried to the smithy. Boitelet, a shaggy giant of fifty years -or so, accompanied him back to the church. - -"Ah ça!" he exclaimed on examining the engine. "I can repair it, yes; -but I must go for material to the town, ten miles away. It will be a -full day's work, and what is monsieur to do, with the Bosches at hand?" - -Burton thought quickly. - -"Make me your assistant," he said after a minute or two. "I'll strip -off my overalls and clothes; lend me things--a shirt and apron. A -little more grease and dirt will disguise me." - -"But monsieur is young," said the smith. "All our young men are at the -war. The Bosches will make you prisoner--shoot you, perhaps." - -"An awkward situation, truly," said Burton, rubbing a greasy hand over -his face. Suddenly he remembered the half-witted stripling among the -crowd. Could he feign idiocy as an explanation of his presence in the -village? He could mop and mow, but nothing could banish the gleam of -intelligence from his eyes. And his tongue!--he spoke French fairly -well, but his accent would inevitably betray him to any German who -chanced to be a linguist. - -"There is only one thing," he cried. "I must pretend to be deaf and -dumb. Tell everybody, will you?" - -"It is clever, monsieur, that idea of yours," said the smith, laughing. -"Yes; you are Jules le sourd-muet, burning to fight, but rejected -because you could never hear the word of command. But you must be -careful, monsieur; a single slip, and--voilà!" - -He shrugged his shoulder expressively. - -"The Bosches! The Bosches!" screamed a group of frightened children, -rushing up the street. - -The people fled into their houses and shut the doors. Only the curé and -the smith were visible, the latter standing at his door leaning on his -hammer, with an angry frown upon his swarthy face. Within the smithy -Burton was making a rapid change of dress. He rolled up his own clothes -and equipment and threw them into a corner behind a heap of old iron, -and donned the dirty outer garments hurriedly provided by the smith. -After a moment's hesitation he ferreted out his revolver case from the -bundle, and slipped the revolver inside his blouse. - -"If they search me, I'm done for," he thought. "But they would shoot -the smith if they found the thing here, so it's as broad as it is long. -The case must go up the chimney." - -Then, completely transformed, he came to the door in time to see a troop -of the Death's Head Hussars gallop up the street. - -They reined up at the door of the smithy. - -"Now, you dog, answer me," said the major in command. "And tell the -truth, or I'll cut your tongue out. Have you seen an aeroplane -hereabout?" - -"Oui da, mon colonel," replied the smith, with an ironical courtesy that -delighted Burton. "I did see an aeroplane, it might be an hour ago. It -came down close to those poplars yonder, but rose in a minute or two and -sailed away to the west." - -"Go and see if he is telling the truth," said the officer to two of his -men. "And you, smith, look to my horse's shoes. Who is this young -fellow? A deserter? a coward?" - -"Oh, he's brave enough, mon colonel," the smith answered. "But the poor -wretch is deaf and dumb, a sore trouble to himself and his friends. You -may shout, and he will not hear you; and as to asking for his dinner, he -can't do it. I only employ him out of compassion." - -The officer glanced at Burton, who was trying to assume that -pathetically eager expression, that busy inquiry of the eyes, which -characterises deaf mutes. - -"If he were a German we'd make him shoot, deaf or not," said the major. -"You French are too weak. Well?" - -The troopers had returned, and sat their horses rigidly at the salute. - -"Without doubt an aeroplane descended there, Herr Major," one of them -reported, "and it flew up again, for there are no more tracks." - -"It is not worth while continuing the chase. Night is coming on. -Quarter yourselves in the village--and keep the people quiet. No one is -to leave his house." - -The troopers saluted and rode off, leaving a captain, two lieutenants, -and four orderlies with the major. - -"Look alive, smith," cried that officer, in the domineering tone -evidently habitual with him. "Are the shoes in good order?" - -The smith turned up the hoofs one after another, and pronounced them -perfectly shod. - -"Very well; if any of the troopers' horses need shoeing, see that it is -done promptly, or it will be the worse for you. Now for the château, -gentlemen; monsieur le marquis will be delighted to entertain us." - -There was a look upon his face that Burton could not fathom--an ugly -smile that made him shiver. The horsemen rode away, and Boitelet, the -smith, spat upon the ground. - - - - II - - -"Come inside, monsieur," murmured the smith, glancing round to see that -no German was within hearing. Then he threw up his hands and groaned. - -"He is an insolent hound," said Burton, sympathetically. - -"Ah, monsieur, it is not that; all these Prussians are brutes. I fear -for monsieur le marquis." - -"Who is the marquis? He has a soldierly look." - -"He was a fine soldier, monsieur. Every Frenchman knows his name. In -the army he was plain General du Breuil; here in his own country, where -we love him, we give him his true title, that has come to him from the -days of long ago. Ah! there is great trouble for him. I know that -man." - -"The major?" - -"Major he may be; spy he was. It is clear. Listen, monsieur. Some -three years ago, before monsieur le marquis retired from the army, he -had in his service a secretary, said to be an Alsatian, very useful to -monsieur, who was compiling his memoirs. One day he was dismissed, none -of us knew why. Monsieur le marquis had discovered something, no doubt. -There was a violent scene at the château. Monsieur's son, Captain du -Breuil, kicked the secretary down the steps. He came into the village, -hired a _calèche_ to drive him to the station, and departed. We have -seen no more of him until this day. He is the major." - -"You are sure?" - -"It is certain, monsieur. He was then clean shaven, and now wears a -moustache, but I know the scar on his cheek." - -"And you fear he will insult the marquis?" - -"Worse than that, monsieur. A few days ago monsieur le capitaine, brave -soldier like his father, was wounded in action only a mile or two away, -when our gallant cuirassiers charged the Bosches and drove them -helter-skelter from their trenches. He was found on the field by old -Guignet, and carried secretly to the château, and there he lies, -horribly hurt by shrapnel." - -"And now they will make him prisoner?" - -"That would be bad enough, but I fear worse. The Bosches are brutal to -all. What must we expect from a man who has a grudge to pay off, and -finds his enemy helpless in his clutches? The major will not forgive -his kicking." - -"It's a bad look-out, certainly," said Burton. "I like your old -general; he came to our help so quickly. But what about my engine?" - -"Ah, oui, monsieur, it is a pity. I dare not leave the village now. -The Bosches passed quickly through here in their retreat a few days ago; -I did not expect to see their ugly faces again. You must wait, -monsieur. Come into my house, and share our soup. If God pleases, the -hounds will go again to-morrow." - -Burton accepted the good man's offer of hospitality, and shared a simple -meal with him, and his wife, and two wide-eyed children who gazed with -interest at the stranger. - -When the meal was nearly finished, the smith suddenly exclaimed-- - -"Ah! here comes old Pierre, with a German. Have a care, monsieur. -Remember you are deaf and dumb." - -Looking out of the window into the darkling street, Burton saw a bent -old man tottering along by the side of one of the orderlies who had -recently ridden away. - -"They are not coming here, Dieu merci!" said the smith at his elbow. -"They are going to the butcher's. These Germans eat like hogs." - -"Who is the old man?" Burton asked. - -"Servant of monsieur le marquis, monsieur. They have grown old -together. There is no other left in the château. Some are at the war; -the rest fled, maids and men, when the Germans came before. Ah! it is -sad for monsieur and madame in their old age, and their son lying -wounded, too." - -The old serving-man passed from the butcher's to the baker's, and thence -to other shops, with the orderly always at his side. Soon the old man -was staggering under a load of purchases. He faltered and stopped, and -the orderly shouted at him, and threatened him with his sword. Burton's -blood boiled. He would have liked to catch the German by the neck and -shake him until he howled for mercy. - -[Illustration: The German way] - -Then an idea struck him. If he offered to help the laden old man he -would make some return for the general's kindness; perhaps he might be -of some further service in the château. He made the suggestion to the -smith. - -"It is madness, monsieur. You would put your head into the lion's -mouth." - -"What more natural than that a deaf mute should earn a sou by using his -muscles? Arrange it, my friend." - -"They say you English are mad, monsieur," said the smith with a shrug. -"A la bonne heure! But you will get more kicks than sous." - -"Make an opportunity to tell the old man that I am deaf and dumb, and -that he is to pretend he knows me. He must inform his master and -mistress also. Will he be discreet?" - -"He will be anything you please for the sake of monsieur le marquis. -Come, then, monsieur." - -They left the house, and came upon the scene just as the orderly had -terrorised the old man into making another attempt to carry his burden. -The smith soon discovered that the orderly knew no French. He arranged -the matter by signs, pointing to Burton's mouth and ears, and indicating -that he was muscularly strong. At the same time he spoke rapidly in -French to old Pierre. - -"Ah, bon, bon!" said the old man. "I understand perfectly. Be sure I -will tell the master. Monsieur may rely upon me." - -Burton shouldered more than half the load, and set off for the château -side by side with Pierre, the orderly following. - - - - III - - -The Château du Breuil had been luckier than many similar country houses -that stood in the line of the German advance. Whether by accident or a -rare considerateness, it had not been shelled, and the officer who had -last quartered himself there, though a German, was also a gentleman. It -stood, a noble building, in its little park, whole and intact as the -first marquis built it in the reign of Henri Quatre. - -At either end was a projecting wing of two stories, the wings being -connected by the long one-storied building that contained the -living-rooms. Burton found the part of deaf mute irksome; he wished to -question old Pierre as to the quarters in which the Germans had disposed -themselves. But he perforce kept silence, listening to a fragmentary -dialogue in German between the orderly and Pierre, who, as he afterwards -learnt, had been valet to the marquis when the latter, as a young man, -was military attaché to the French embassy at Berlin. - -They arrived at the kitchen entrance. Pierre went in first, and at once -addressed an old white-haired lady who was stuffing a chicken at the -kitchen table. He spoke so rapidly and in so low a tone that Burton -could not follow his words, but he gathered their purport when the old -lady glanced at him, and signed to him to lay down his load on the -table. - -"Madame la marquise has understood," he thought. - -The orderly waited awhile; then, seeing that the lady had set Pierre and -the deaf mute to pare potatoes and turnips, he went off to report that -preparations for dinner were at last in train. - -"A thousand thanks, monsieur," whispered the marquise when the German's -back was turned. "It was good of you to help old Pierre. But, believe -me, it is unwise of you to stay. If you should be discovered---- If -you made a slip----" - -"Madame, to run risks is my daily work," said Burton. "I am glad to -serve you--even in the capacity of kitchen-maid." - -The marquise smiled wearily. - -"We are playing strange parts, God help us!" she said. "I am in great -distress, monsieur. The German officer----" - -"Boitelet has told me about him, madame," said Burton. "Pardon: I -interrupt; but we may have little time. Will you tell me what has -happened?" - -"My poor son! They dismissed our good doctor who was attending him; -they carried him, ill as he is, from his own room to one of the -servants' rooms, and there they have locked him in with my husband. It -is on the floor above us. They have taken our rooms in the other wing -for themselves. They have ransacked the wine-cellar, and loaded the -table in the dining-room with my poor husband's finest vintage. But it -is not what they have done but what they may do that fills me with -dread. That horrible man----" - -Old Pierre, who was standing near the door, at this moment put his -finger quickly to his lips. When the orderly entered, the marquise was -turning the chicken on the spit, and Burton was cleaning the knives. - -"The old frau is slow," said the German to Pierre. "The officers are -growing impatient. She had better hurry, or there will be trouble." - -"Madame la marquise will serve the dinner when it is ready," said -Pierre, quietly. - -"Teufel! You are insolent," cried the orderly, striking the old man -across the face. - -Burton smothered the exclamation that rose to his lips. The marquise -flashed at the German such a look of indignant scorn that he was -abashed, and went out muttering sullenly. - -"The visit of that horrible man," the old lady went on, ignoring the -underling's brutality, "is not accidental, I am sure. He contemplates -vengeance. He was dismissed with contumely, and I fear he will make my -poor son pay." - -Burton could only murmur his sympathy. He watched with admiration the -quick, deft actions of the marquise, who prepared the dinner as -skilfully as her own cook could have done. - -There was no opportunity for further conversation. The orderly -returned, and lolled in a chair, commenting on the old lady's movements -in offensive tones that made Burton tingle. When the dishes were ready, -the marquise told Pierre to carry them in. - -"No, no, old witch," said the orderly, with a chuckle. "The Herr Major -is very particular; she must serve him herself." - -Pierre translated this to his mistress, protesting that she must not -submit to such indignity. - -"Eh bien, mon ami," she said, "they cannot hurt me more. For my son's -sake I will be cook and bonne in one. Carry the dishes; I will show -them how a marquise waits at table." - -Burton assisted the old man to convey the dishes to the dining-room, -following the marquise. At their entrance there was a shout of -laughter. Four officers sat at the table--the major, his captain, and -two moon-faced lieutenants. - -"Where are your cap and apron, wench?" cried the major. "Go and put -them on at once. And make that dumb dog there understand that he is not -to bring his dirty face inside; he can hand the things to you through -the hatch." - -The marquise compressed her lips, and, without replying, returned to the -kitchen, and came back in a maid's cap and apron. What was meant for -indignity and insult seemed to Burton, watching from the hatch, to -enhance the lady's dignity. She moved about the table with the -quickness of a waiting maid and the proud bearing of a queen, paying no -heed to the coarse pleasantries of the Germans, or to their complaints -of the food, of which, nevertheless, they devoured large quantities. - -"A tough fowl, this," said the major, "as old as the old hen herself." - -"Ha, ha!" laughed his juniors, in whom the champagne they had already -drunk induced a facile admiration of the major's wit. - -As the meal progressed, and the Germans' potations deepened, their -manners went from bad to worse. They commenced an orgy of -plate-smashing, flinging pellets of damp bread at one another and at -pictures on the walls. Burton's fingers tingled; from his place at the -hatch he could have shot them one by one with the revolver that lay snug -in his blouse. But he contained his anger. The four orderlies were in -an adjacent room; the village was filled with the troopers; and hasty -action would probably involve the destruction of the château and the -massacre of its long-suffering inhabitants. - -Presently they called for coffee, and the major went to the marquis's -cigar cupboard, promising his subordinates the best smoke of their -lives. The champagne seemed to have affected him less than the other -members of the party, and Burton gained the impression that he was -holding himself in for the accomplishment of some sinister purpose. - -Dismissing the marquise with a curt and contemptuous "Gehen Sie aus," he -called in an orderly to lock her in the upper room with her husband and -son. - -"Now get your own suppers and turn in," he said. "You may be disturbed; -the sneaking Englishmen are somewhere in the neighbourhood; so keep a -man on guard to give warning, and post a sentry in the corridor. Send -Vossling to me." - -His own orderly entered. The major opened a fresh bottle, and passed it -round the table; then with a "Verzeihen Sie mir" to his companions, he -rose, and took the man into the passage out of earshot. Burton had -slipped back into the kitchen; the passage appeared to be vacant. - -A few minutes later old Pierre, his face blanched to the colour of -chalk, staggered into the kitchen. - -"What is the matter?" asked Burton, alarmed. - -He poured out a little brandy, and held the glass to the old man's pale -and quivering lips. Pierre gulped the liquid, looked around with horror -in his eyes, and signed to Burton to throw the door wide open. - -"They must not know, monsieur," he said in a whisper, tottering to a -chair. - -"What is the matter?" Burton repeated. - -"I was in the passage, I heard them coming. They are not there, -monsieur?" - -"No, there is no one," said Burton, looking out through the open door. - -"I slipped into the dark ante-room, monsieur, and hid behind the tall -clock. They came in." - -"Who?" - -"The major--Schwikkard, the accursed spy, and his man. I heard what -they said. 'The old marquis is a bitter enemy of Germany,' said -Schwikkard. 'He fought against us in '70. He is a dangerous man. Now, -if the west wing of the château caught fire--_caught fire_, you -understand--say, in the early morning.' ... They are not there, -monsieur?" - -"No. Go on." - -"'Caught fire!' he said. Mon Dieu! 'In the early morning--not too -early, for that would disturb the sleep of some good Germans; but not -too late, for that would bring the whole village here. If the west wing -were burned, and all in it'--_all in it_, monsieur!--'it would be a good -thing for Germany. Understand,' he said, 'it will be an accident. We -should all try to put the fire out, but we should not succeed, -naturally. These old places burn well. You understand? Well then, -good-night--and see that you don't call me too soon--versteht sich!' -The orderly chuckled, monsieur. Mon Dieu! Monsieur et madame, le pauvre -capitaine! Ah ciel! Quelle horreur!" - - - - IV - - -The old man sank back in his chair, half fainting. Burton gave him more -brandy. Aghast at the atrocious villainy of the scheme--incredible but -for the crimes which had already stained the German arms--he was for the -moment unable to think of anything but the scene he saw in -imagination--flames illuminating the dawn, eating away the staircase, -enclosing the three helpless people above in a fiery furnace. - -The old man groaned aloud. - -"Take care!" whispered Burton. "Tell me, are there arms in the house?" - -"Why, yes, monsieur; a rifle and two revolvers, in the captain's -room--well hidden, par exemple!" - -"Is there a back staircase to the upper rooms?" - -"By that door yonder, monsieur," replied Pierre, pointing to a small -door in the corner. - -"If anybody comes and asks about me, say that I have gone home. Pull -yourself together for the sake of monsieur and madame." - -"But, monsieur----" - -"Chut! The party is breaking up. Listen! They are going to their rooms -in the east wing. Courage, my friend!" - -He extinguished the oil lamp, pressed Pierre's hand, and stole -noiselessly through the door in the corner. It opened to a narrow -staircase. At the head of this there was a passage leading between -bedrooms to the main staircase farther along. There was no lamp in the -passage, but a faint shine through a skylight lit dimly its farther end. -And just as Burton gained the top step, and peered cautiously round the -edge of the wall, he was amazed to see Major Schwikkard unlock a door on -the left, and enter the room. - -"Go into the next room," came the curt command in French. - -"Monsieur, I cannot leave my son," protested the marquise. "Have you no -humanity at all?" - -"Gabble is useless. Go into the next room, and take the old man with -you. Or shall I shoot him before your eyes?" - -The two old people came into the passage, followed by the major, who -hustled them into the adjoining apartment, locked them in, and returned. -Burton, dreading lest he intended to proceed at once to extremes with -the wounded man, and resolved at any cost to prevent it, darted on -tip-toe along the passage to the room in which the marquis and his wife -were shut up, silently unlocked the door, and whispering, "Courage, -monsieur et madame: await my return," he left them, and went to the next -door. It was closed. - -Through it he heard the German's voice. It was no time to shirk risks. -Grasping the handle firmly, he turned it, and gently pushed the door, -little by little, until he could see into the room. - -The German was seated on a chair by the bedside, his back to the door, -ostentatiously cutting a fresh cigar. Beside him was a small cabinet -with medicines. On it he had laid his revolver, out of the reach of the -young soldier on the bed. They presented a strange contrast, the blond, -bulky German, red-faced, brimming with physical energy, and the -Frenchman, whose eyes, feverishly bright, gleamed out of pale sunken -cheeks, and whose emaciated hands lay idle on the coverlet. His dark -head propped on the pillow, he lay perfectly still, corpse-like save for -his burning eyes. - -"An excellent cigar!" said the German. "Who should know that better than -I? Once more I am indebted to your amiable parents for their -hospitality. I make my acknowledgments. Madame la marquise has been -most attentive; she looked charming, if a little faded, in cap and -apron; and you would have been delighted to see her handing the plates." - -The invalid's fingers twitched; a flush mantled his cheeks. He tried to -lift his head, but it sank back weakly upon the pillow. Burton felt -that the German was watching his victim with malicious satisfaction. -The shaft had struck home. - -"Don't rise, don't rise, my dear sir. I realise how little our good -German shells suit the constitution of you Frenchmen. You have no -stamina, you know: a puff"--he blew out a cloud of smoke--"and you are -gone! - -"You scarcely hoped, perhaps, to see me again after our last parting at -the gates of your hospitable château? You find it, perhaps, a strange -chance that brings me again beneath this roof? Yet perhaps it is not so -strange after all, for, helpless though I was at the time, I vowed that -some day or other I would return. And thus we meet, sooner than I could -have hoped--our parts somewhat changed. I was then a helpless German in -France; you are now a helpless Frenchman in what is going to be Germany. -When you were up and I was down, you heaped upon me insults and abuse, -and struck me--me, a well-born Prussian!--because I did my duty to my -country. Did you reflect? Did it ever cross your French mind that a -German, a Junker, a soldier, a man of culture, would not brook the -insolent perversity of one of your decadent race? Now I am up and you -are down, and we can square accounts. You are to learn what it is to -strike a German. Of this your château, of you and the vile French brood -within it, there shall not remain to-morrow aught but ashes. That is -what I have promised myself these three years. I will pay my vow!" - -During this speech, hissed out in a tone of the bitterest rancour, the -German had held his cigar between finger and thumb, lifting his hand now -and then to emphasise his words. Perceiving that it had gone out, he -cut another, lit it, and lolled insolently in his chair, his long legs -stretched beneath the bed, as if gloating over his intended victim. The -young captain had not uttered a word. No change of countenance revealed -his feelings, or so much as hinted that he had heard the German's -tirade. His eyes appeared to look past his tormentor, but nothing in -their expression warned Schwikkard of what he saw. - -There was a brief interval of silence; then the German drew up his legs. - -"Sleep well!" he said. "I assure you your sleep shall be a long one!" - -He flicked the ash of his cigar into one of the medicine glasses, and -was about to rise, when a hand shot over his shoulder, and grasped his -revolver. Turning on his chair with a start, he flinched as his right -ear touched the cold muzzle of a second revolver which Burton pointed at -him. - -[Illustration: AN INTERRUPTION] - -"Sit down!" said Burton, quietly, in French. "If you make the slightest -sound, I will shoot you on the spot." - -The German's face blanched under its sun-tan. A muzzle to the right, a -muzzle to the left, each within a few inches of his head! Speechless, he -sank down into his chair, and the cigar fell upon the floor. - - - - V - - -Covering the shrinking German with the revolvers, Burton glanced round -the room, and moved towards an electric bell-push in one of the walls. - -"Does it communicate with the kitchen?" he asked the wounded man, who -nodded--weakness and the thrill of emotion bereft him of speech. - -Burton rang the bell--a single sharp ring. In a few moments Pierre -appeared. The expression of foreboding dread in his eyes gave way to -consternation, joy, eagerness, in turn. - -"Some stout cord, Pierre," said Burton, "and shut the door behind you. -My revolver may go off, and it would be a pity to disturb your master's -guests." - -The irony was lost upon Major Schwikkard. The turning of the tables -seemed to have completely unnerved him. It is, perhaps, not true that -all bullies are cowards at heart; but a man is tested by adversity. - -Pierre soon returned with the cord, and in a few minutes he trussed the -German securely, Burton standing over him with a revolver. - -"Now a gag!" Burton said. "Take one of those strips of linen; monsieur -le capitaine will spare us one of his bandages." - -At this the German found voice at last. - -"You--you treacherous----" - -"Not so loud, monsieur l'espion!" said Burton, fingering the revolver. - -The German gurgled. - -"You will--all be--shot," he gasped, "as soon as they discover----" - -"Allons!" exclaimed Pierre, thrusting the gag firmly between his jaws, -"it is done, monsieur." - -"There is an unoccupied room, Pierre?" asked Burton. - -"Assuredly, monsieur, at the end of the passage." - -"Then we will take him there, and tie him down on the bed. His friends -will no doubt miss him in the morning, and release him--perhaps about -breakfast time!" - -Such was Burton's contempt for the man that he felt no touch of -compunction at the effect his words produced. Pierre and he were -carrying the German between them. His staring eyes proclaimed an agony -of terror. At dawn the wing was to be fired. He had carefully provided -against premature discovery. His friends would be still sleeping off -their liquor. He saw himself lost. - -He writhed, his lips worked, but the inexorable gag prevented -articulation. The two carried him into the farther room, laid him face -upwards on the bed, and bound him firmly to the four posts. The -moonlight, streaming through the window, threw a ghastly pallor upon his -countenance. His eyes pled for mercy, and Burton, after a few moments' -hesitation, relented. If the terror-stricken wretch would show any -spark of good feeling, he would relieve his fears. He loosed the gag. - -Schwikkard gulped, moistened his lips, and spoke gaspingly. - -"You have me in your power ... but your revenge will recoil on you.... -Release me; I will leave the château at once.... I will agree to any -terms.... You shall go unharmed." - -"You would bribe me?" answered Burton, coldly, disgusted that the man -had said no word of regret. "You have given us no reason to believe -that your word is more to be trusted than any other German's. We are not -going to kill you, in spite of your threats to a helpless gentleman and -your treatment of Madame. Your threats, perhaps, were not meant in -earnest----" - -"No, no," cried the German eagerly. "It was only--only a joke." - -"Ah! such a joke is in very bad taste, so we will leave you to think it -over." - -Remorselessly he replaced the gag, and they left him to his reflections. - -Returning to the invalid's room, they consulted in whispers. The -captain had closed his eyes. Full of admiration for his self-control in -giving no sign of having observed the stealthy approach from the door, -Burton hoped that the wounded man might be strong enough to bear removal -from the château to the curé's house, and thence to the British lines. - -"Can we move him?" he asked Pierre. - -"Ah, no, monsieur," replied the old man, bending over the bed and gazing -with poignancy of affection at the haggard face. "It would kill him." - -Burton pondered, while Pierre spoke gently to his master's son and -poured wine between his lips. The captain's eyes were eloquent of -gratitude. - -"There is only one thing to be done," said Burton at last. "Our army is -slowly advancing: we must hold the château until it comes." - -"But, monsieur, it is impossible!" cried the old man. "The Bosches are -in the house: they fill the village." - -"True; but this wing is defensible against anything except artillery, -and we have a valuable hostage in the major. Let us see what monsieur -le marquis says." - -They went to the room where they had left the old general and his wife. -Burton explained to the former what he had already done, and what he -proposed to do. There was a gleam in the old soldier's eyes. - -"Ma foi, monsieur, la bonne idée!" he cried. "It makes me young again." -Then he glanced at his wife, and his face was full of trouble. -"Chérie," he said, "there will be danger. It will be no place for you. -Will you not go to the curé's? It is dark: Pierre would lead you across -the fields." - -"Mon ami," replied the old lady firmly, taking the general's hand, "my -place is with you and with Fernand. Is it for nothing that I am a -soldier's wife?" - -The marquis pressed her hand; his eyes were moist. - -"Monsieur, it shall be," he said, simply, turning to Burton. - -"Will you come with me then, monsieur?" said Burton. "Pierre, bring -food and candles from the kitchen, also a chisel if you have one." - -The marquise returned to her son's room; Burton, accompanied by the -general, made a rapid tour of the floor. The head of the kitchen -staircase came to the passage near the door of the servant's bedroom in -which the captain was now laid. The window of the room, overlooking the -parterres in front of the house, was opposite the door. There were two -doors, one on each side of the passage, opening into rooms both of which -communicated with the bedroom. One of these had been temporarily -occupied by monsieur and madame; in the other, Major Schwikkard was -confined. At the farther end of the passage was a door opening on to a -landing, from which the grand staircase descended to the hall below. - -The general's experienced eye marked the possibilities of the situation. - -"They will come up the grand staircase, monsieur," he said. "This door -is our outer defence. We must barricade it. If they fire through it, -their shots will fly straight along the passage to the door of my son's -room. They will hardly penetrate that and the barricade that we shall -raise behind it. The Germans will break down this door and come into -the passage. We must then defend the rooms." - -"And if they attack from the outside, monsieur?" - -"The windows are shuttered. You observed that, and sent for a -chisel--to loophole the shutters?" - -"That was my idea." - -"It was good. We must barricade the shutters also in such a way that we -can approach the loopholes obliquely. Their Mauser bullets will easily -penetrate the shutters, although they are of oak." - -"Here is Pierre. We must be very quiet and very quick; the sentry below -will wonder at the prolonged absence of his chief." - -"Is there a sentry?" - -"There was to be. I will see." - -He tip-toed to the head of the grand staircase, and peeped over the -rail. One of the orderlies was standing bolt upright against the door. - -The three men removed their boots, and carried every portable piece of -furniture to the doors and windows, piling them one upon another, and -strutting them with chairs, towel horses, and other small objects. The -chisel proved a useless tool for boring the hard oak. There was a fire -in the captain's room. Burton made a poker red hot, and with this burnt -a few loopholes in the shutters. After nearly an hour's strenuous work, -carried on with extraordinary noiselessness, the preparations were made. - -The old marquis was now trembling with excitement and fatigue. His wife -gave him some wine, and, while he rested, Burton looked to the weapons. -The German's revolver and his own were full. The marquise brought out -two more, a rifle, and ammunition, from the depths of a cupboard. - -There was now only to await events. It was nearly midnight. How long -would it be before the sentry became uneasy at his commander's absence? -With German stolidity, and the Prussian soldier's fear of his officer, -he might never think of moving from his post. But after a time he would -certainly be relieved, and possibly a consultation with the relief would -lead to action. - -As Burton sat nursing the rifle, he was conscious of a smell of burning, -distinct from the smell caused by boring the wood. Pierre had been -absent for some little time in the room where the major lay. He came -through the communicating door, followed by smoke. Burton started up. - -"Have they set the place on fire already?" he asked. - -"No, no, monsieur," the man replied, with a strange smile. "I was -merely burning some paper." - -Thinking that there were perhaps some documents which must not fall into -the Germans' hands, Burton asked no further questions. Once or twice -again the same grim smile appeared about the old servitor's lips, and -Burton concluded that he was pleased at having accomplished a necessary -task. - -Two hours passed in almost silent waiting. The only movements were those -of the marquise in tending her son. Then, about two o'clock, they heard -some one try the handle of the door at the end of the passage. Burton -had locked it. In a moment there was a tap at the door. No one -answered. It was repeated, louder and more energetically. Burton nodded -to Pierre. - -"What is it?" the man asked in German. - -"The Herr Major; is he here?" - -"Yes; he is resting; he must not be disturbed." - -Footsteps were heard receding. The sentry was apparently satisfied. - -"We must give them warning some time before dawn," said Burton, -"otherwise the man Vossling will carry out his orders, and set fire to -the staircase." - -"Knowing that the major is in this wing?" said the general. - -"He may not know that. On the other hand he may. Then he will suspect -that something is wrong. In the one case, we should be burnt alive; in -the other, the man would be uneasy and come to wake the major. But the -longer we delay the more chance of relief. The sun rises at about -half-past six; the place was to be fired before dawn. How will the -orderly interpret his instructions?" - -"It is a nice calculation," said the marquis, who with renewed strength -had recovered his keenness. "Will he wait until the darkness begins to -thin, or abstain from setting up a rival to the sunlight? I do not know -the German mind." - -Time dragged for Burton. The marquis and his man dozed; the marquise, -in the intervals of her ministrations, read a book of Hours. The slow -clock ticked on the mantelshelf; three struck, and four. - -At a little after four there was a loud knock on the door. - -"At last!" said Burton, half in relief, half in misgiving. The old men -started up, and grasped each a revolver. The lady put down her book and -clasped her hands on her lap, pressing her lips together as if to shut -in a cry. - -"Who is there?" demanded Burton in French. - -"Where is Major Schwikkard?" came the answer. An officer was speaking. - -Burton saw that further concealment was useless. - -"He is here," he called down the passage, "a prisoner." - -The German swore. - -"You dogs! You imbeciles!" he shouted, shaking the door. "Let me in. -What do you mean by this buffoonery? If it is your trick, you -white-headed old fool, you shan't escape hanging because you were once a -soldier. You and your man are civilians in arms. You shall die by -inches. Let me in, I say." - -There was no reply. The officer shook the door again. - -"Force it with your shoulder, Vossling," he said with an oath. - -The door creaked, but the lock held. Next moment there was a crash; he -had blown in the lock with a shot from his revolver. But the door -banged against the wardrobe placed behind it. The German swore again. -Then there was silence. In a few minutes, several voices were heard. - -"Remove this barricade, you old French fools," said the captain, in a -voice thick with sleep, wine and rage, "or we will blow the place to -atoms." - -"And Major Schwikkard?" said Burton, quietly. - -"That is not an old man speaking," said the captain to his companions. -"There was no one else in the house except the old hag and the wounded -man." - -"And the deaf mute," said one of the others. - -"Potztausend! If that dirty fellow has played tricks on us I will crop -his ears and cut his tongue out. Give them a taste." - -Their revolvers spoke; three shots crashed through the wood, flew along -the passage, through the open door opposite, and finally embedded -themselves in the shutter. A moment later Burton, stepping to the edge -of the doorway, lifted his rifle and fired. There was a cry from beyond -the barricaded door, a volley of oaths, and a general stampede for -safety to the landing. - -For a few minutes there was silence. The marquise stroked her son's hot -brow. Then a fusillade burst through the door and the stout barricade -behind it. The bullets pattered on the shutters, but the three men had -stood back out of the line of fire. None of them was struck by a shot, -but a splinter of wood from the wardrobe glanced off the inner door ami -grazed Pierre's cheek. Again and again the fusillade was repeated. The -defenders, husbanding their ammunition, and careful not to expose -themselves, did not reply; they waited in grim silence, to meet the -enemy's next move. - -The failure of their efforts enraged and nonplussed the Germans. Warned -by the shot that had wounded one of them, they made no attempt to storm -the barricade. There was a short interval, and they were heard -discussing the situation in low tones. The result was made clear in a -few minutes. Bullets began to crash through the shutters to all the -windows. - -"They have brought up men from the village, and surrounded the wing," -said the general. - -"We shall be in no danger," said Burton. "Firing from the ground, their -shots will go through the ceilings." - -In a short time this became apparent to the assailants. The attack -ceased for a little; then, through the window of the room in which the -major lay, bullets flew horizontally across the room, a few inches above -his head. - -"They will kill their own officer!" cried Burton. "We can't leave him -helpless in his present position." - -"He deserves no pity," said the general. "Still, we are not Germans. My -camp bed is there, lower than the bed he is on, and easily moved. Let -us place him on that." - -"Mon Dieu! It is the bed you slept on in '70, monsieur," cried Pierre. - -"What then, my friend?" - -"It is sacrilege, monsieur; it is treason to France--pardon, mon maitre, -I should not have said that, but it would tear my heart to see a German -on that bed." - -"Let that be our _revanche_," said the general, quietly. - -"I hope a German bullet may find him," muttered the old man, as the -others released the stiff figure upon the bed. They kept on their knees -to avoid the flying bullets, and so transferred the German from the -larger bedstead to the low single bed on which the general had made the -campaign of '70. They placed it against the wall in the corner near the -window, out of danger. Leaving Pierre on his knees to fire up if any -German tried to enter the room through the window, they returned to the -invalid's bedroom. - -"Strange that they should be so reckless of killing their own officer," -remarked Burton. - -"They are callous ruffians," the general replied. "Besides, it is war; -one life is of little account. That is what we all have to remember. -The individual life is nothing; the cause is all." - -The passage and the rooms were filling with suffocating fumes. The -noise of shots, of splintering wood, of shouting men, was incessant. -Hitherto, save for the single rifle shot fired by Burton, the defenders -had not used their weapons. At the end of the passage they could not -have escaped the hail of bullets; from the side doors they could not -take direct aim. But the attack had now become so violent that -reprisals must be attempted, or the defences would be utterly shattered. -An idea came suddenly to Burton. Closing the door leading to the sick -man's room, so that the passage was completely dark, he passed into the -next room, shoved a table through the doorway, set a chair upon it, and -waiting until there was a slight lull in the attack, climbed upon the -chair. - -Standing thus above the enemy's line of fire, and in darkness, he was -able to see, through the gaps made in the barricade and the door, a -faint light filtering through from the lamp in the hall below. A crowd -of Germans had come quite close to the door, and were thrusting their -rifles through the jagged rents in the panels. Burton took careful aim -at one of them, fired, and a yell proclaimed that his bullet had gone -home. A second shot claimed its victim. Then the enemy, cursing with -rage, rushed back from the door, and for a time continued firing from -the angles of the landing. - -Meanwhile the window at which Pierre was left had been driven in, -shutter and all, by repeated blows of an axe wielded by a man mounted on -a ladder. The old man fired just as the German was stepping from the -ladder to the window-sill. Shot through the heart, the intruder fell -headlong. None of his comrades was bold enough to emulate his daring. - -The general had been chafing at his inability to take a positive part in -the fight. Stimulated by the success Burton had had from his post of -vantage, the old warrior's Gallic spirit threw aside caution. Slipping -into the passage, he was in the act of placing another chair on the -table when a bullet fired from the angle on the landing struck a brass -bracket on the wall at his left, rebounded from it, and buried itself -with a splinter of brass in the old man's arm. He reeled. Burton sprang -down to assist him, and carried him fainting into the bedroom, where his -wife received him into her arms. - -[Illustration: The marquis is hit] - -"Hard luck!" thought Burton, for the shot that wounded the general was -the last to be fired for a considerable time. - - - - VI - - -The enemy ceased firing, both within the château and without. Wondering -what their next move would be, Burton remained heedfully on guard, rifle -in hand. Pierre, overcome with grief at the collapse of his master, was -assisting the marquise to restore him and to bind up his wound. - -Presently the German's voice came through the door. - -"General du Breuil!" - -"What do you want?" Burton called. - -"You treacherous hound! I have nothing to say to you," cried the -German, angrily. "I speak to the general." - -"The general deputes me to answer for him. If you will not speak to me, -you will go unanswered." - -"Who are you?" the German asked with an oath. - -"The general's deputy," replied Burton. - -"That will not avail you," cried the officer, sneeringly. "I have sent -to the village to fetch that rascally smith who assisted your imposture. -When he has told me who you are, he shall be deaf and dumb for his last -minute in life." - -Burton felt chill from top to toe. He had not thought of the peril in -which his stratagem might involve the smith. The Germans were capable -of any enormity. But he could do nothing--except gain time. Would the -British advance guard arrive before all was lost? - -"Well, if the general chooses to employ a cur as his deputy, so be it," -the German went on. "Like man, like master. Take this message to the -general: If he does not yield, I will fire the château." - -"And if we surrender?" said Burton. - -"We will deal with him as a soldier. He will be tried by court-martial." - -"On what charge?" - -"That, having been a soldier, with no excuse of ignorance of the laws of -war, he, as a civilian, resists the military power." - -"And if he is found guilty?" - -"His fate will lie in the discretion of the court." - -"And his old servant?" - -The German, anxious to gain his ends without further fighting, -hesitated, then replied, equivocally-- - -"The court will decide." - -"And myself?" - -"The court will decide," replied the officer, impatiently. - -"Is that all?" - -The German smote the door angrily. - -"Your answer!" he cried. - -"You will give us a few minutes for consultation?" - -"Five minutes: no more." - -Burton stood on his chair, holding his rifle. - -"I heard it, monsieur," said the voice of the marquise in an undertone -behind him. "My poor husband is incapable of speech. We must leave all -to you. But can we resist fire?" - -"Madame, I seek to gain time. We can expect no mercy from the Germans. -There is but one hope--that our army will arrive in time. If that hope -fails----" - -"Spare us fire, monsieur, I implore you. It is frightful." - -She wrung her hands piteously. - -"Trust me, madame; hope, and pray," said Burton. - -When the five minutes were up, the German hailed him. "Your -answer--quickly." - -"Monsieur le capitaine," said Burton, suavely, "we cannot surrender yet. -We should like to kill a few more Germans." - -The officer let out a vicious oath. - - "Then roast!" he cried. "You and the rest." - -"Including your worthy commandant, mon capitaine? Don't forget him." - -"You have murdered him." - -"That is the explanation of their reckless shooting," thought Burton. -He replied: "Not at all. We are not Germans." - -"You lie!" cried the captain, whose anger was rapidly getting the better -of him. - -"Did I not remind you, monsieur, that we are not Germans?" - -The officer was speechless with rage. Burton imagined his quandary. It -would be awkward for him if he set fire to the château and burnt his -superior. His next words showed his state of mind. - -"You say Major Schwikkard is alive. Prove it." - -"Nothing easier, mon capitaine," said Burton. "You must give me a few -minutes. He is a heavy man." - -He saw that there was nothing to lose, possibly something to gain, by -convincing the German. Slipping down from his perch, he hurried to -Pierre, who was kneeling at his master's chair. - -"Come with me," he said, and led him into the room where the major lay -gagged and bound. The bed was a light one. They carried it to the -window, and tilted it on end. Leaving Pierre to maintain it in that -position, Burton returned to the chair, and kept silence until the -captain impatiently demanded his proofs. - -"I must trouble you to descend and go to the rear of the wing, -monsieur," said Burton. "It is dark: no doubt you have a flashlight?" - -"We have; what then? Do not play with me." - -"Far from it, monsieur. I am aware of the gravity of your position. Go -down to the garden at the rear, and look up at the window that will then -face you. But do not flash your light up until I give the word." - -The German snarled under his breath. Burton caught the sounds of a -whispered consultation at the stair-head. A minute or two later the -officer called up from the garden. Burton withdrew the piled-up -furniture, opened the shutters, and helped Pierre to lift the bed, -tilted as it was, to the window. The major's form, stretched upon it, -somewhat resembled a mummy in a case. - -"Now, monsieur!" Burton called. - -The glaring light of an acetylene lamp was thrown up towards the window. -It fell on the major's face, which, ghastly in itself, looked death-like -in the glare. - -"He is dead!" the captain shouted. - -"Not at all--only afraid; he overheard your amiable intentions. We will -demonstrate." He turned to Pierre, saying: "Fetch some pepper." - -"There is none upstairs, monsieur. I dare not go below." - -"Some snuff?" - -"Ah, oui! monsieur le marquis likes his pinch. A moment, monsieur." - -He went into the bedroom, took a snuff-box from his master's pocket, and -returned. Burton opened the box, took a large pinch of snuff, and held -it to the major's nose. There was a slight but dramatic pause. All was -silent. Then the major's features became convulsed, and the silence was -rent by a resounding sneeze. - -"Now, monsieur le capitaine," cried Burton, "could a dead German sneeze -like that?" - -There were snarls of rage from below, mingled, Burton thought, with -suppressed laughter from some of the troopers who had gathered in the -background behind their officers. - -"With your good pleasure we will resume our interesting conversation -above," said Burton. - -With Pierre he lowered the bed and carried it back to its former -position. Then he replaced the shutters. - -"Another ten minutes gained," he thought. - -The ten minutes were prolonged to fifteen. The captain was consulting -with his subordinates. Presently he called through the door-- - -"Are you there?" - -"Always at your service, monsieur." - -"Seeing that Major Schwikkard is apparently alive, we will permit you to -surrender on terms." - -"What terms, monsieur?" - -"You shall be allowed to pass through the German lines." - -"I should like to consult the general, monsieur," said Burton, still -talking to gain time. - -"Five minutes." - -"Let us say ten, monsieur," Burton pleaded. "It is, you will admit, a -serious matter." - -"Ten, then; not a minute more." - -At the end of the ten minutes the captain called for an answer. - -"The general wishes to know, monsieur, what guarantee he has for -safety." - -"The word of a German officer," snarled the captain. "Be quick!" - -Waiting a minute or so, Burton said-- - -"The general has a little difficulty in making up his mind--pardonable -at his age. You give him another ten minutes, monsieur?" - -"Three; not a second more," cried the German, completely hoodwinked by -Burton's tone, and unaware of the vital consideration in Burton's -mind--the return of Captain Rolfe to head-quarters. - -"Very well, monsieur. I will bring the general's answer in three -minutes." - -The marquise and Pierre were holding their breath. The same thought -possessed them both; to what lengths would this audacious Englishman go? - -The period elapsed; the captain called peremptorily for an answer. - -"The general, monsieur, has considered your offer," said Burton, "and he -feels safer where he is." - -At last the German's besotted intelligence was penetrated by the -suspicion that he had been played with. He poured out his venom in a -torrent of virulent abuse, snatched at his revolver, and fired -point-blank into the darkness. The bullet struck one of the legs of -Burton's chair, the chair broke under him, and he fell with a crash. -The effect of the shot, heard but not seen by the Germans, was hailed by -them with a shout of triumph. But Burton crawled into the bedroom, with -no worse injury than bruised elbows and shins. - - - - VII - - -Into the next few minutes were crowded, as it seemed to Burton in -reminiscence, the events of hours. Emboldened by the supposed success -of the captain's shot, the Germans renewed the attack with great -violence and determination, both within and without. Repeated -onslaughts were made on the tottering door, which was now almost -completely splintered, and on the barricade of furniture behind it. -Burton had lost no time in replacing the broken chair, and twice his -steady fire from near the ceiling sent the attackers back in a -disorderly heap. - -Meanwhile two of the windows and their shutters had been riddled by -long-distance fire, and men were again mounting on ladders to break into -the rooms. At one, Pierre played a manful part; at the other, the -general, bracing himself as the peril grew greater, stood holding his -revolver in his left hand, and shot man after man. - -The grey light of early morning was now stealing into the room, -depriving the defenders of the advantage of darkness. The shouts of the -men, the reports of the guns, the suffocating fumes, made the place an -inferno. At the bedside the marquise still bravely held her post. -Burton was too busy to notice the extreme pallor of her face, the -trembling of her hands, the agonised look of terror in her eyes. - -With a wild shout the infuriated Germans crashed through the broken -door, and began to pull away the barricade at the end of the passage. -While they were doing so, it was impossible for their comrades to -continue firing; the attack was interrupted, and Burton shot down many -of the enemy among the pile of shattered furniture. But he recognised -that, the Germans having won an entrance to the passage, it was only a -question of minutes before the defence was overwhelmed. - -At this moment he heard a groan in his rear. Pierre, badly hit, had -staggered from the window he had been defending through the -communicating doorway into the invalid's room. "It is all over with -me!" he moaned, sinking at his mistress's feet. The crack of the -general's revolver still sounded at short intervals from the next room. -Here and there the woodwork was smouldering; before long it would burst -into flames. - -"There is only one thing to be done," thought Burton, resolved to -maintain the struggle to the end, desperate as the position was. "We -must keep together, and make a last stand at the captain's bed." - -Filling his magazine, he poured shot after shot into the enemy crowding -in the doorway and bursting through the barrier. The survivors reeled -back under this withering fire, giving Burton time to leap from his -perch, run into the room, and call the general to his side. Pierre was -helpless, the invalid was half dead, only the general and Burton -remained to stem a tide which would soon flow back with tenfold force -along the passage. - -The two men posted themselves before the bed, ready to meet the final -rush. Unknown to them, the marquise had taken the revolver from Pierre's -hand and stood in front of her son, like a lioness defending her cub. -The attack was renewed simultaneously on all sides, but a strange -inadvertence on the part of the enemy intervened to deal a partial -check. They were shooting from the demolished barricade at the end of -the passage. At the same time their comrades outside had begun to fire -through the window in a direct line with it. Several of the Germans in -the passage fell to the bullets of their own friends. - -Growling at this mishap, the unwounded men broke through the doors at -the sides into the rooms. Burton had closed and barricaded, as well as -he could, the communicating doors, but he felt with a sinking heart that -a few seconds would bring the unequal contest to its inevitable end. - -The din was terrific, and with it was now mingled a surprising sound -from outside the house. - -"A machine-gun!" said Burton to himself. "They will shatter their own -men!" He had no more time to think about it. The door of the room to -his left fell in with a crash; in the glimmer of dawn the opening was -crowded with Germans. Burton and the general emptied their revolvers -into the mass; it collapsed, and the two men hastily filled their -chambers to meet the next, the final rush. - -[Illustration: THE DOOR FELL IN WITH A CRASH] - -But there was a strange lull in the rifle fire. From outside again came -the rattle of a machine-gun, and, in a momentary interval of silence, -Burton caught the sound of cheers. Surely they were not German cheers? -He thrilled with the conviction that the voices this time had the true -British ring. He waited the expected rush; it did not come. The -doorway was clear; heavy feet were trampling in frenzied haste along the -passage. With the intermittent rattle of machine-guns close at hand -came unmistakable British shouts. - -Burton rushed to the window. The shutters were now in flames. -Wrenching away the bars, he thrust his head through the shattered glass, -and joyfully hailed the khaki-clad Lancers who had reined up below. -There was not a living German to be seen. The greensward and the -trampled parterres were strewn with prostrate forms. And with a rattle -and clank a battery of horse artillery galloped upon the scene. - -"We are saved, madame!" cried Burton, turning back into the room. "Our -Lancers have put the Germans to flight." - -"Dieu merci!" murmured the lady, falling on her knees at the bedside. - -"Ah, les braves Anglais!" said the marquis, grasping Burton's right hand -with his left, and jerking his arm up and down like a pump handle. - -They looked at old Pierre, who had raised himself, and was feebly -shouting: "Vivent les Anglais! Vive monsieur le sourd-muet!" - -Then, to Burton's amazement, he cracked his fingers, and laughed like a -lunatic. - -"The poor fellow's brain is turned," said the marquis. - -"No, no, monsieur, I am not crazy. Ah, ah! it was a trick to play!" - -"What are you raving about, mon vieux?" asked the marquis. - -"The smoke, monsieur! The paper! I gave the spy Schwikkard a -foretaste. Ha! Surely he believed his last hour was come. See, -monsieur, I burnt some brown paper in the stove under his nose. He -would fire the château! Eh bien! assuredly he believed it was already -on fire. It was drôle, monsieur--fine trick, n'est-ce pas?" - -"Schwikkard is our prisoner, without doubt," said Burton to the marquis. -"Shall we untie him?" - -At this moment entered Major Colpus of the Lancers, stepping gingerly -over the wreck of door and furniture. - -"A pretty mess they have made of it," he said, with double intent. "You -are Burton?" - -"That's my name." - -"Captain Rolfe told us we should catch a half-regiment of hussars if we -hurried. He rather expected you would be a prisoner. We got to the -village just as some of the Germans were hauling away one Boitelet, the -village smith, it appears. They left him to us, and he gave us an -inkling that you were concerned in the rumpus here. The Germans have -skedaddled; we have a few prisoners below. You have had a whack or two, -I see." - -"I wasn't aware of it," said Burton, looking with surprise at dark -stains on his blouse. "The marquis and his man are both wounded." - -"Glad to meet you, monsieur," said the officer, who, with British -shyness, had affected to ignore the presence of all but Burton. Now, -however, he greeted monsieur and madame courteously, knelt down and -rendered capable first-aid to the marquis and Pierre, and seeing at a -glance that the man in bed was very ill, dispatched Burton for the -regimental medico. - -It was not until the doctor was engaged with his patients that Burton -found an opportunity of releasing Major Schwikkard, and handing him as a -prisoner to the British officer. He was scarcely recognisable. The -long vigil, with the dread of being roasted by his own instructions, had -broken him both in body and mind. He looked years older. His cheeks -had fallen in, his whole frame shook, and his hair was patched with -white. When Major Colpus addressed him cheerily, he stammered, tried to -complete a sentence, and burst into tears. - -"Poor wretch!" the major murmured. "Doctor, here's another patient for -you. Now, Mr. Burton, come and tell me all that has happened." - -"I want to get back to my aeroplane," protested Burton. - -"No hurry for that. Your friend, the smith, has borrowed a spare mount, -and ridden off to the town to fetch something or other for it. I shan't -let you off." - -Burton growled that there was not much to tell, and turned to take his -leave of the old marquis and his wife. In their over-flowing emotion -they could hardly speak. - -"God bless you, monsieur!" said the marquise, brokenly. "You have saved -us all. Your doctor says that my son will recover. Take a mother's -thanks, and wear this, monsieur. May the good God preserve you!" - -She took from her neck a chain bearing a richly jewelled cross, and -pressed it into Burton's hand. He bade them good-bye. - -"Adieu, monsieur!" said old Pierre, as Burton shook hands with him. -"The wound--it is nothing. Your good doctor has stitched it up. I was -not born to be killed by a Bosche. Ah, ça! It was a good trick, -monsieur, n'est-ce pas?" - - - - -[Illustration: Chapter III Heading] - - - BORROWED PLUMES - - - I - - -The tramp steamer _Elpinike_, bound from the Peiræus to the island of -Tenedos with supplies for the Allied forces, was thrashing its way -northwards through the blue waters of the Ægean Sea. It was a warm, -sunny day; the Levantine crew lolled on the bulwarks, and a mixed group -of passengers was gathered on the after-deck. Three or four French -officers, smoking cigarettes, basked on deck-chairs; several men, whose -nationality it were hard to determine, leant in picturesque attitudes -against the wall of the deck-house; and a couple of Englishmen, wearing -overalls and low cloth caps, and with blackened briar pipes between -their lips, sat side by side on the third of the steps leading to the -bridge. They eyed with faint amusement the centre of the group, a very -fat man sucking a very fat cigar, who lay back in his creaking -deck-chair and discoursed at large. - -Mr. Achilles Christopoulos, as he had announced himself to his -fellow-passengers, was the agent of the charterers of the vessel. He -was, he assured them, a very busy man. He had broad, bulging, swarthy -cheeks, a multiple chin, and a heavier moustache than is common among -his compatriots; for Mr. Christopoulos was, by his own account, a Greek -of Greeks. His English was fluent, with little oddities of accent and -pronunciation; and after every few words he drew deep, audible gasps for -breath. - -"Yes, zhentlemen," said Mr. Christopoulos, waving his cigar towards the -Englishmen and Frenchmen, "my country will remain neutral. Of war we -have had enough; it is time we had a rest. And tell me, why should we -pull your chestnuts out of ze fire? Tell me zat? What did you do to -help us against ze Turks twenty years ago? Nozink. And two years ago? -Nozink. We are nozink to you. We wait; zat is our policy; and when ze -time comes, why, zen we show ze world we do not forget our history." - -"Ah, bah!" exclaimed one of the Frenchmen, flinging a half-smoked -cigarette into the sea. "You are egoist, monsieur. Your history--vat? -I zink of Pericles; I zink of your patriots since a hundred years. Ah! -zat vas not zeir policy." - -"But ze time has changed, monsieur. Pericles, he is dead. Ze German -Emperor, he is alive." - -"Conspuez-le!" said the Frenchman. - -Mr. Christopoulos smiled. - -"Consider with calmness, zhentlemen," he said, as though appealing from -the excitable Frenchmen to the more stolid English. "Ze Turk, with ze -German Emperor at ze back, is to-day a new man. Ze King of ze Hellenes -knows ze power of Germany. He runs no risks. We have men who are -ignorant, who do not zink. Zey make a fuss, cry for war; ze king knows -it is foolish, and holds tight ze reins. Greece owes much to Germany, -and shall owe more." - -The French officers burst into angry declamation. The Englishmen, who -had taken no part in the conversation, listened for a few minutes -longer, then got up and strolled along the deck. - -"Talks too much, Teddy," said one of them. - -"Let 'em talk," replied the other. - -Edward Burton, of the Flying Corps, after several months' exhausting -service in France, had been invalided home. On reporting himself at -headquarters after his convalescence, he was ordered to the Dardanelles. -Taking a P. and O. steamer for Alexandria, he had met on board an old -friend, Dick Hunter, who had recently come into the corps from a line -regiment, as observer. The supply ship in which they took passage at -Alexandria had put into Athens with a broken shaft, and to save time -they had joined the _Elpinike_ at the moment of her leaving port. - -The _Elpinike_ was very old, very dirty, very smelly, and very slow, -plodding along at seven or eight knots. The two airmen, accustomed to -easy and rapid flights, were thoroughly weary of the voyage by the time -the vessel reached harbour. They found themselves there in the midst of -intense activity, reminding Burton of the bustle and orderly confusion -at the bases in France. They reported themselves at headquarters, only -to learn that, pending the arrival of new machines from England, there -was no seaplane ready for them, and they had to resign themselves to -kicking their heels for a time. There was, however, plenty to interest -them. Troops--British, French, and Colonial--were continually arriving -from Egypt and departing on transports for the Dardanelles. Warships -came and went; airmen were present who had reconnoitred for the fleet in -the attacks on the forts, and to discover the strength of the Turks on -both sides of the strait. These retailed their experiences for the -benefit of their comrades newly arrived, who grew more and more eager to -set to work. - -Now and then they ran up against Mr. Christopoulos, who was quartered -near them, and found it a little difficult to shake off that garrulous -man of business. He showed a disposition, they thought, to presume on -the acquaintance made during the voyage from the Peiræus. As a rule -they gave only perfunctory acknowledgments of his greetings; sometimes -they were unable to escape him. - -"You are still idle, zhentlemen?" he said one day. "Zere is a shortage -of aircraft, I hear. How provoking!" - -"It gives us time to get acclimatised," said Burton. - -"Zat is true. It is very fine air. You like ze wine of ze country? It -is very fine. You know, of course, zat here came ze fleet from my -country for ze siege of Troy. Ah! we Greeks were ten years taking Troy, -and I zink you will be ten years taking Constantinople." - -"Let's hope not," said Burton. "Your ancestors hadn't aeroplanes, you -see. Our planes will be even more useful than the Wooden Horse." - -"Perhaps. And when do you expect to get to work?" - -"All in good time." - -"You will go to Enos, perhaps?" - -"We shall go wherever we are sent. You'll go back to Athens in the -_Elpinike_ to-morrow, I suppose?" - -"No. My business keeps me here. I am a very busy man." - -He went on to describe some of his activities, and the Englishmen, -breaking away at last, made but a cool response to his genial "Au -revoir, zhentlemen." - -It was ten days before their seaplane arrived. The engine required very -little tuning up. They made a few trial trips, to accustom themselves -to the atmospheric conditions of the Ægean Sea, and looked forward to an -early call to action. - -On returning to their quarters one night, they were surprised to see a -British sentry at the door of the house where Mr. Christopoulos lodged. - -"What's up?" asked Hunter, stopping. - -"Got orders to guard this house, sir," replied the man. - -"What for?" - -"A party of us was sent to arrest the chap that lives here, sir--the fat -Greek Christopoulos. Don't know what he's been doing; swindling -somebody, perhaps." - -"Did you get him?" - -"No, sir. He can't be found." - -They passed on, and, after changing, went to the restaurant for their -evening meal. There they learnt that Mr. Christopoulos was suspected of -spying. It appeared that he must have got wind of the order for his -arrest, and had decamped; but his disappearance was a mystery, for no -vessel had left the island since the morning, with the exception of a -small country sailing-boat. It was conjectured that he had left on one -of the small craft engaged in bringing provisions to the base; but -though several of these had been overhauled at sea by fast despatch -boats, no trace of the fugitive was discovered. - -Two days later the airmen were summoned to headquarters. - -"Your machine is in order?" asked the staff-officer. - -"Yes, sir--ready for anything," Burton replied. - -"Then you'll ship on board the ----." He named a cruiser lying in the -harbour. "There are rumours of a large Turkish concentration at Keshan. -You'll find out if they are true. The cruiser will take you up to the -Gulf of Saros, and you will start your flight from the neighbourhood of -the coast somewhere south of Enos. The cruiser will await your return." - -They hurried down to the harbour. The seaplane was slung on board the -cruiser, which steamed away northward, through the huge armada of -British and French war-vessels, transports, and supply ships that -thronged the sea. It was an open secret that the preparations for a -combined attack by land and sea were far advanced. They heard the -distant boom of heavy guns, which grew louder and more continuous as -they neared the mouth of the strait. When they opened up the headland -of Suvla Burun the course was altered a few points to the east, and -another hour's steaming across the Gulf of Saros found them some five -miles from the coast, off Kurukli. Here the cruiser hove-to, and the -seaplane was slung out. - -The captain had already given the airmen their bearings. North-west lay -Enos and the river Maritza, with the Bulgarian port of Dedeagatch -beyond. Keshan, their objective, was to the north-east, about thirty -miles distant from the coast. - -"I will cruise about for four or five hours," said the captain, "keeping -well out to sea, out of range of the batteries in the Bulair lines -yonder." He pointed due east to the neck of the Gallipoli peninsula. -"You have plenty of petrol?" - -"Enough for the job," replied Burton. - -"Well, good luck to you. 'Ware shrapnel." - -They slipped over the side into their places. Burton started the -engine, and, after skimming the surface for a few moments, the seaplane -rose like a bird and soared away, ever higher, towards the coast -northward. - - - - II - - -The sky was clear, the air calm--an ideal day for airmen. In a few -minutes they passed over the rocky and precipitous line of the coast and -pursued their flight inland. Hunter, closely scanning the country -beneath through his glasses, presently exclaimed, "A gun!" and shortly -afterwards, "A battery!" The guns were cleverly concealed from -observation from the sea, behind a cliff, marked by a clump of the dense -brushwood that flourishes on the shores of the Gulf of Saros. Hunter -expected a shot or two from the gunners, but they made no sign, probably -unwilling to reveal their position to the warships in the bay. They -were saving their shot for more serious work than firing at seaplanes. - -Northward they saw a river flowing east and west. Passing over a -village--Kiskapan, according to the map--they crossed the river almost -at right angles with its course, and beyond a range of low hills -discovered their objective about five miles away. They had travelled -some thirty-five miles by dead reckoning, which corresponded with the -estimated distance from the cruiser. - -Before they obtained a full view of Keshan itself they perceived -evidences of a considerable concentration of troops. At several points -around the town there were extensive encampments. Clouds of dust to the -north, east, and north-east betrayed the movements of troops or convoys. -And when they were still about two miles from the town they heard the -familiar rattle of machine-guns and the long crackle of rifle fire. But -they were too high up to feel any anxiety, and while Burton wheeled -round and round in an extensive circle, Hunter busily plotted out on his -map the positions of the camps, and made notes of the directions of the -movements, the estimated number of the battalions, and the nature of -their arms. - -After a while Burton began gradually to drop, in order to give Hunter a -chance of recognising gun emplacements. At about two thousand feet the -enemy opened fire. White and creamy puffs of shrapnel floated and spread -in the air. A shell burst some distance beneath them, another above -them, and soon the machine was cleaving its way through a thin cloud of -pungent smoke. It appeared that at least six guns were at work. - -"Better get out of this," shouted Hunter. "I've got about enough -information." - -"We'll go a little farther north," replied Burton, "to see if any -reinforcements are coming up towards Keshan." - -"All right, but go a bit higher; I heard two or three smacks on the -planes just now." - -Rising a little higher, Burton swept round to the north. In a minute or -two Hunter was able to see that the hill track from Rodosto was choked -with transport of all kinds. Right and left, every possible route from -Constantinople and Adrianople was equally congested. It was clear that -a vast army was being concentrated within striking distance of -Gallipoli, and on the flank of any force moving eastward from Enos or -any other point of disembarkation. - -Burton then headed west towards the Maritza, intending to return by way -of Enos and discover, if possible, what force the Turks had available -for the defence of that place. They were passing somewhat to the north -of Keshan, to keep out of the way of the batteries, when Hunter suddenly -caught sight of an object like a large bird low down in the sky on their -left hand. A few moments' scrutiny through his glasses confirmed the -suspicions which had seized him on the instant. - -"An aviatik, coming our way," he called. - -"Won't catch us," responded Burton with a smile. - -"Stay and fight it?" - -"It's tempting, but we mustn't. It won't do to run risks when our job's -to collect information." - -Hunter acquiesced with a sigh. Burton shifted his course a point or two -to the west, so as to run nearly parallel with the enemy's aeroplane. - -A moment or two later he gave a start of alarm. - -"What's the matter?" asked Hunter. - -"Afraid there's a leak. The petrol gauge is falling faster than it -ought. They must have knocked a hole in the tank. See if you can find -it." - -Hunter twisted in his seat, bent over, and began to examine the tank. - -"Can't find any leak," he said presently. "If there's one, it's out of -reach. How's the gauge?" - -"At this rate we shall be done in another ten minutes." - -"Whew! How much farther to go?" - -"At least twenty miles, perhaps more. I wish we had come straight. -There's absolutely no chance of getting back before the petrol gives -out. Where's the enemy?" - -"Still on our port side, going strong. It looks as if she means to -chase us, thinking we're running away. We shall have to fight now, -shan't we?" - -"Yes. We're bound to come down in a few minutes, and if we don't tackle -her at once it's all up with us. How far is she off?" - -"About a couple of miles, I think, and about the same height. Her -course is between us and Enos, worse luck!" - -"Wish we had a machine-gun! I'll come round; take a shot when we're -within range, and for goodness' sake cripple her." - -He brought the seaplane round in an easy curve, at the same time -climbing to get above the enemy. His eye was all the time on the -rapidly falling gauge. The aviatik held on its course for a little, -then wheeled to the south-west, as if to cut the seaplane off. It was -clear that the enemy airmen had no wish to avoid a fight. - -Burton's wheeling movement had now made his course almost due east, so -that the two machines were rushing obliquely towards each other at the -rate of about a hundred miles an hour. When they crossed, Burton was -slightly ahead of the enemy, and, to his surprise, somewhat lower. At -almost the same moment Hunter and the enemy's observer opened fire with -their rifles, but each was handicapped by the fact that he was firing -from right to left, and no damage seemed to have been done on either -side. As soon as Burton had passed the enemy, he banked his machine and -wheeled to the left, climbing as rapidly as possible to make good the -deficiency in height. The aviatik also made a spiral movement to the -left, with the result that in a few seconds the machines were once more -converging on each other. This time, however, Burton was slightly to -the rear of the enemy, and when their tracks crossed, he shot up behind -it on its left. The aviatik, a second or two too late, made a desperate -effort to edge away eastward, but the movement only brought the two -planes closer together. - -"We can't stick it another minute," gasped Burton. - -Hunter did not reply. He had dropped his rifle and seized his automatic -pistol. The machines were at point-blank range. Hunter fired. The -enemy's observer screwed himself round in his seat to reply. Aiming at -the pilot, Hunter sent a stream of bullets from his pistol. The pilot -fell forward. For a moment the aeroplane rocked and seemed on the point -of capsizing. Then the observer seized the controls, and, with a -recklessness that bespoke inexperience or want of skill, began a -perilously steep volplané. - -[Illustration: An aerial somersault] - -Hunter looked down. The machine was rapidly dropping towards the edge -of the lake a little to the east of the Maritza River. Suddenly, while -yet some distance from the ground, the aviatik's descent was averted, -possibly by an air pocket over the lake. For a moment it seemed poised -without motion, then it turned a somersault. The observer fell out, and -dropped into the lake at the same instant as the machine crashed on to -the bank. - -Meanwhile Burton had circled round. His tank was nearly empty. He must -either come down or fall down. There was no sign of life in the wrecked -aeroplane; the observer had disappeared in the water; no one was in -sight. Swinging round again Burton adjusted his elevator so as to -descend on the lake, and in a few seconds the seaplane was resting on -the surface within thirty yards of the spot where the aviatik lay, a -mangled heap, on the bank. - - - - III - - -"We can wade ashore," said Burton. "I can see the bottom." - -"Hadn't we better mend the leak?" Hunter suggested. - -"But I want to see if the German has any spare petrol. We've lost a -lot." - -They waded through a foot or two of water, and examined the wreck. One -of the wings was crumpled up; otherwise the machine had suffered little -injury. The pilot, a fair-haired German of Saxon type, was dead. There -was plenty of petrol in the tank, and Hunter drew this off into a tin -can while Burton returned to the seaplane, pulled it ashore, and set -about discovering the leak. It turned out to be a long thin crack on -the underside of the tank. - -"How on earth are we to mend this?" said Burton, looking at it ruefully. - -"Why not stuff it up with mud?" said Hunter. "This stuff at the edge of -the lake seems to be clayey, and it will harden in no time." - -"Good! It may last for the few miles we have still to cover. Just keep -a lookout while I work at it." - -Hunter went up the bank. A rough bridle-track skirted the lake and -disappeared in a plantation that came down to within about a hundred -yards of the water. To the south the view was shut in by a wooded -knoll. There was neither man nor house in sight. - -Burton had just kneaded some clay for stopping up the crack when they -heard shouts in the distance, apparently from a southward direction. He -ran up and joined Hunter, and they went together to the knoll some -hundred and twenty yards away, from which they expected to get a view of -the southern shore and perhaps of the men from whom the cries came. -They were careful to keep under cover, and, on arriving at the knoll, -lay flat on the ground. As they had hoped, they could now see a large -portion of the lake which had previously been hidden from them, and -caught glimpses, on the western side, of the bridle-track here and there -among the trees. At intervals it disappeared behind slight hillocks or -denser stretches of the plantation. - -For a minute or two they saw no human beings. The sounds had ceased. -But presently, about a third of a mile away to the south, they caught -sight of a party of half a dozen horsemen searching the shore of the -lake, now trotting into the wood, now riding at the edge of the water, -now cantering along the bridle-track in the direction of the Englishmen. - -"Turks!" murmured Burton. - -"They must have seen the machines fall," said Hunter. "This is awkward, -Teddy." - -"It is, by Jove! and there are more of them. Look at that lot behind -there. They'll be here in three or four minutes--no time to plaster the -crack and get away." - -"We had better scuttle our plane and dive into the woods. There's just -a chance of our getting across the Maritza into Bulgaria." - -"That means internment. Besides, it would be simply rotten to destroy -the machine if we can help it. Perhaps there's some other way. In any -case we must get back. Put on a sprint." - -They raced back to the spot where they had landed, the knoll concealing -them from the Turkish search-party. The sight of the body of the German -pilot suggested an idea to Burton. - -"Look here, we must trick them," he said rapidly. "There's a bare -chance of saving our machine, and I doubt whether we've time enough even -to destroy it. For the next quarter of an hour I'm a German, and you're -my English prisoner. We are done if there's a German among them, but -that's our chance." - -Removing his own cap, he replaced it with that of the German pilot, -borrowing at the same time one or two small articles of his equipment. -Then he bound Hunter's hands and feet. - -"Slip-knots, old man," he said. "You can free yourself in a jiffy. But -don't do it too soon. Just in time! I hear them coming. Here goes!" - -He uttered a loud shout. In a few moments the horsemen appeared on the -crest of the knoll. Burton waved his left hand, with his right holding -a pistol pointed at Hunter's head. The horsemen, led by an elderly -Turkish officer in grey uniform and fez, galloped down towards them. -While the officer was still several paces distant, Burton saluted and -addressed him. - -"Sprechen Sie Deutsch, mein Herr?" - -No one would have guessed with what anxious trepidation he awaited the -answer. He had used almost all the German he knew. His heart leapt when -the Turk shook his head. - -"Vous parlez Français, monsieur?" said Burton. - -"Oui, certainement. Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça?" - -"You have come in good time, monsieur le capitaine," said Burton in -French. "I regret that I do not speak Turkish, and that our conversation -must proceed in a language which, no doubt, you cordially detest. Our -good Kaiser will soon forbid the use of it in Europe; German and Turkish -are the languages of the future. Meanwhile! ... You see, monsieur le -capitaine, there has been a duel in the air. My pilot was, unhappily, -shot by the enemy. We both had to descend; the enemy, no doubt, had -difficulties with his engine. No doubt he expected to find both the -pilot and myself dead or disabled. But a true German, like a true Turk, -is a hard man to kill. Single-handed I attacked the enemy as they -landed. Imagine their consternation and fear! One of them, using the -long legs which serve the cowardly English so well, fled into the wood. -The other lies here." - -The Turkish captain bent over his saddle to inspect the captured -Englishman. For his benefit Hunter assumed an expression of sullen -ferocity. - -[Illustration: "He looks a terrible fellow"] - -"It was well done," said the Turk in French. "He looks a terrible -fellow. I make you my compliments, monsieur. It was a brave deed to -attack two men single-handed." - -"Oh, that's nothing to us Germans," said Burton airily. "We never think -of odds. We are like that; the greater the adverse odds, the better -pleased we are." - -"That is indeed the characteristic of your noble nation," said the Turk -politely. - -"Still, it is as well to reduce the odds when we can," Burton went on. -"Half the enemy's force has escaped. Could you spare a few men, -monsieur le capitaine, to scour the woods?" - -"Certainly, though I have little time to spare. I am engaged, you will -be glad to know, in escorting a fellow-countryman of yours, monsieur--a -German in the secret service, who has just landed at Enos--with -important information for headquarters at Keshan." - -He broke off to give his troopers orders to hunt about in the woods for -the escaped English airman. They were to return, even if unsuccessful, -at the sound of his whistle. Meanwhile, Burton and Hunter had exchanged -uneasy glances. The German could not be far away. No doubt he was -coming up with other members of the escort. The sight of the falling -aeroplanes had drawn the officer in advance. - -The troopers galloped off. The officer turned once more towards Burton, -whose expression of countenance gave no sign of the agitation within. - -"It will be interesting to meet a fellow-countryman in this lonely -spot," he said calmly. "May I offer you a cigarette, monsieur?" - -The Turk took one from the opened case, thanked Burton, and turned the -cigarette over in his fingers. - -"Made in Cairo, monsieur?" he said. - -"Yes, it is a privilege of us airmen to levy upon the enemy. Refugees -have no need to smoke. With the airman it is a necessity--it steadies -the nerves." - -"True. And they make good cigarettes in Cairo." He lit the cigarette -from an automatic lighter. "The Englishman looks frightened." - -"He expects to be killed, I suppose, not knowing our German humanity. -But you will excuse me, monsieur, if I examine the English aeroplane. -It will come in useful." - -Burton returned to the machine, and, after feigning to examine it, -proceeded to plaster the crack with nervous haste. The Turk had -followed him, and, remaining in the saddle, watched his operations with -much interest. - -"It was this injury that caused the Englishmen to descend," Burton -explained. "German bullets never fail." - -"An English bullet was more successful, however," said the officer, -glancing at the dead pilot. - -"Not more successful, surely, monsieur. We have scores of good pilots, -we can replace every man that falls; but the English cannot afford to -lose a single machine. And do not our German newspapers tell us that -they have hardly any left? The earth is the Kaiser's; the sea is his; -the air is his also. Turkey will flourish again in German air." - -Having filled up the crack, Burton proceeded to pour petrol into the -tank. - -"This fellow-countryman of mine?" he said. - -"He will be here soon, no doubt. He is a trifle stout, and a poor -horseman. Consequently he travels slowly. When he saw the aeroplanes -descending he insisted on our pushing on to render assistance to his -fellow-countrymen. He cannot miss the track, there is only one. But he -should be in sight." - -The Turk looked backward over the track, then saying, "Excuse me," he -wheeled his horse and began to trot towards the knoll. Burton had by no -means completed the replenishment of the tank. He felt that something -must be done. - -"Monsieur le capitaine!" he shouted. - -The Turk pulled up. Burton went towards him with an air of mystery. - -"Your men are at fault, monsieur," he said. "It would be a pity to let -the Englishman escape, and you have no time to waste. Perhaps if I show -the way!" - -He walked on up the knoll, the Turk riding by his side. - -"There, monsieur, you see that big tree on the far side of the bay? If -you do not find the fugitive thereabout you won't find him anywhere." - -The Turk hesitated. Perhaps he was considering whether it comported -with an elderly captain's dignity to take a personal part in the search. -Burton eyed him anxiously, hoping that he would go, meet the approaching -German, and take him with him. The pause was brief. The temptation to -catch a live Englishman overbore all considerations of dignity. With a -word of thanks to Burton the Turk cantered on towards the big tree. - -Burton breathed again. He hurried back to the seaplane. - -"Slip the knots, Dick," he said, "but don't get up. I'll give you the -word. I hope I've got rid of the Turk for a while." - -He was in the act of pouring petrol into the tank when a figure appeared -from round the western base of the knoll. It was a big -Sancho-Panza-like person, mounted on a mule. - -"Great Scott!" murmured Burton. - -Dropping the empty tin, he hastened to the aviatik for another. - -"I say, Dick, do you recognise that fellow?" he asked. - -"Christopoulos!" Hunter whispered. - -"As large as life! What on earth are we to do? He will recognise us -directly, even if he hasn't done so already." - -"Shoot him and scoot!" - -"I haven't enough petrol yet. The tank still leaks, though not so -badly, and if we shoot, the Turks will swarm up before I can fill up and -get away. I think I had better go on with the job, let him come up, and -trust to luck." - -Keeping his back to the pseudo-Greek, Burton carried another tin to the -seaplane. Before he had emptied it into the tank the spy came within -hailing distance and let out a jovial greeting in German. No doubt he -had recognised the German airman's cap, and, without misgiving, hailed -his supposed compatriot. - -"Good-morning, my friend," he shouted. "I congratulate you. Another -German victory!" - -Burton, his back still towards the spy, finished pouring out the petrol, -and placed the tin on the ground. As he straightened himself he -discreetly drew his revolver and suddenly turned round. The spy was now -within half a dozen paces of him. - -"Thank you, Mr. Christopoulos," he said. "Another victory--but not a -German victory. We shall presently see who is to be congratulated. -Meanwhile, you will dismount." - -The German, who had reined up at the first glance at Burton's face, -turned a sickly colour and half-opened his mouth as if to shout. - -"Silence!" cried Burton peremptorily. "If you make the slightest sound I -will shoot you on the spot." - -He held his revolver carelessly in his left hand, not pointing it at the -German lest any of the Turks should come within view. The spy showed -more alacrity than skill in dismounting. He clumsily clambered from his -saddle, without daring to turn his head in the direction of the Turks, -who could now be heard calling to one another beyond the knoll. Burton -went up to him. - -[Illustration: NONPLUSSED] - -"Hand over your revolver," he said. - -"I haven't got----" the spy was beginning. Burton cut him short. - -"No nonsense! Hand it over. Quick. At the word 'three' I fire. -One--two----" - -With an agonised look the German made a dive for his revolver. Burton -took it with his right hand before it was released from the spy's tight -pocket. From a distance they might have appeared to be shaking hands. - -Burton had been rapidly casting about for a means of disposing of the -German. He could not shoot him in cold blood; there might perhaps be -time to tie him up, but he would then still be able to convey to the -Turkish headquarters the information he had gathered at Tenedos. That -must certainly be prevented. There was only one thing to be done: they -must take him with them. - -Just as Burton had reached this conclusion, a Turk appeared on the -knoll. - -"Come with me," said Burton sternly. - -The German accompanied him to the seaplane. He might be supposed to be -indulging his curiosity. Standing between him and the knoll, Burton -said-- - -"You are interested in aviation. Seat yourself on the right-hand -float." - -The spy made as if to turn round. Burton lifted his revolver. - -"Don't waste time," he said. - -With a groan the spy sat on the spot indicated. - -Burton seized the strap that bound him to his seat, and rapidly tied the -German to the upright connecting the float with the body of the -seaplane, calling to Hunter--who, still lying on the ground, had watched -these proceedings with excitement--to cover the spy with his revolver. - -The prisoner had hardly been secured when the Turkish captain cantered -over the knoll, followed by two or three men. - -"Now, Dick!" cried Burton. - -Hunter sprang up and rushed to his place. - -"Not there!" said Burton. "Get on to the left-hand float to balance the -machine." - -Meanwhile he had started the engine, in desperate anxiety lest it should -not have gathered momentum before the Turks came up. The spy had heard -the thudding of their horses' hoofs as they, seeing the supposed English -prisoner spring up, galloped down the knoll. Turning his head, he let -out a frenzied shout. But it was too late. Burton had vaulted into his -seat, and, just three seconds before the amazed and furious Turks -reached the brink of the water, the seaplane was skimming the surface. - -The spy was now filling the air with his frantic cries. Burton -afterwards said it was like the booming of a buzzard. The Turks -dismounted, and from the edge of the lake fired at the fast-receding -machine. One or two shots pierced the planes, and from a shrill cry of -terror from the German, Burton supposed that he had been hit. But he was -too busy to think of him. Forcing the engine to the utmost he was -already manipulating the elevator. The machine rose steadily. At the -first possible moment Burton swung it round to the west. In a minute or -two he crossed the Maritza. Climbing ever higher, he shifted his course -a point or two to the south, and within twenty minutes the machine -swooped down beside the cruiser, a few miles out in the bay, and a -number of laughing bluejackets hastened to assist two dripping objects -to climb on board. - -[Illustration: A discomfited spy] - - - - IV - - -The cruiser made all speed back to Tenedos. There the spy, a forlorn, -chapfallen individual, was taken ashore under an escort of marines. -Within a short time a drum-head court-martial was constituted. Papers -found on the prisoner left no doubt of his occupation; his protest that -he was a subject of King Constantine availed him nothing. When the -sentence had been pronounced, he recovered his courage and confessed -himself a German, and it was as a German soldier that he paid the final -penalty. - -Burton's exploit was reported to the Admiralty, and some weeks later, -when he returned one evening from reconnoitring the Turkish trenches -after the landing on the Gallipoli peninsula had been so magnificently -accomplished, he was welcomed with the news that he had been awarded the -Distinguished Service Medal by the King. - - - - -[Illustration: Chapter IV Heading] - - - THE WATCH TOWER - - - I - - -A rough, lumbering ox-cart was crawling slowly up a steep winding -hill-track in Southern Macedonia. The breath of the two panting oxen -formed steam-clouds in the frosty air; slighter wreaths of vapour clung -about the heads of the two persons who trudged along beside them. One -was an old man, tall, broad, and vigorous, his hair straggling beneath -his fur cap, his long white beard stiff with the ice of his congealed -breath. The other was a boy, whose face, ruddy with health and cold, -showed scantly under a similar cap much too large for him, and above a -conglomeration of warm wrappings reaching to his feet and giving him the -appearance of a moving bundle, thick and shapeless. - -"I am tired, grandfather," murmured the boy, pausing at the foot of a -steep ascent. - -"Tchk!" the old man ejaculated, emitting a puff of white breath which -the north-east wind from behind carried over the head of the nearest ox. -"Put your shoulder to the wheel, Marco. Show yourself worthy of your -name." - -The boy obediently went round the cart and set his shoulder to the heavy -wooden wheel on the off side. His grandfather shoving at the other, -they helped the labouring oxen to drag the vehicle up the ascent, and -then stopped to rest. - -"That was well done, little son," said a woman of some thirty years, -sitting in the forepart of the cart. She handed the boy a cake. Behind -her the cart was piled high with bits of furniture and bundles of -household gear. The boy seated himself on a rock and nibbled his cake. -The oxen moved their heads about as if in search of provender. -Straightening his tall form, the old man turned his back, and in the -full blast of the bitter wind scanned the country to the north-east. A -faint boom sounded far away in that direction. The woman started. - -"Do you see anything, Father?" she asked, anxiously. - -"Nothing, Nuta. But we must on. It will be two hours or more before we -can call ourselves safe." - -Smacking the heaving flank of the near-side ox, he set the beasts in -motion, and the cart creaked and jolted on over the rough track. This -was lightly covered with snow, which showed traces of those other -travellers who in this December of 1915 had journeyed over the same -route. Snow lay deeper in the hollows on either side, and on the -heights in the distance. It was a bleak and desolate landscape, its -rugged features somewhat softened, however, by the blanket of snow. Here -and there dark patches stood out in the surrounding white, representing -bushes or trees; but there was no house or cottage, no sign of life. - -Old Marco, a small Serbian landed proprietor, had postponed his flight -from before the invading Bulgars until all the other inhabitants of his -village had departed. To the last he had hoped that the French and -British forces would arrive in time to save him. His son was away -fighting, as were all the men from the little estate. Having loaded all -his portable possessions on to the cart, he waited with his -daughter-in-law and grandson until the ever-approaching boom of guns -warned him that further delay would mean ruin, and then set off -southwards, to gain, if possible, protection from the Allied forces that -were said to be retreating on Salonika. - -The old man's pride was wounded. He traced his descent from that Marco -Kralevich who, towards the end of the fourteenth century, struggled to -maintain the independence of Serbia against the Turks, and whose name -and knightly prowess live to-day in song and story. He had never tired -of relating to young Marco the heroic deeds of his great ancestor, and -it cut him to the heart that he was compelled, in the wreck of his -country's fortunes, to abandon the homestead where he had kept alive the -traditions of Serbian valour. Even now, old as he was, he would have -borne a part in the national struggle but for the claims of his dear -ones upon his protection. - -The cart lumbered slowly on. From time to time the old man glanced -anxiously behind, appealing to the boy--did he see anything moving -there, or there? On one such occasion, when they stopped to rest -themselves and the oxen, and the old man was looking to the rear, young -Marco suddenly pricked up his ears, and stood intently listening. - -"A strange sound, Grandfather," he said. "Where?" - -The boy nodded towards the east. "What is it?" - -"Like the hum of a bee far away." - -The old man came to the boy's side and listened. - -"I cannot hear it," he said after a few moments, adding impatiently, -"Tchk! This is not the time of bees." - -"But I hear it still," persisted Marco. "It is louder." - -He looked around, puzzled to account for the unaccustomed sound. - -"I hear nothing," said his mother. - -"Look!" he cried, pointing excitedly into the grey sky. - -The eyes of his elders followed his outstretched hand, but they saw -nothing. - -"It has gone," sighed the boy after a little. "But I did see something. -Perhaps it was an eagle. I think it flew just behind the hills there." - -His eyes ranged the horizon, where the rugged line of white indented the -sky. A spot of blue appeared in the pale vault, and a ray of sunlight -trickled through. - -"Look!" cried Marco again, stretching out his hand this time to the -north. "There is something moving on the snow." - -The old man gazed northward, rubbed his eyes, shook his head. - -"Can you see anything, Nuta?" he asked. - -"Dark specks, miles and miles away--yes, Father, they are moving. There -are more of them. They are like ants." - -"The Bulgars!" muttered the old man. "Come, we must haste." - -Returning to the cart, he whipped up the oxen, and the patient beasts, -heaving their load out of the drift into which its wheels had settled, -hauled it, creaking and groaning, towards the brightening south. - - - - II - - -Meanwhile, in a broad gully not far away, a different scene was being -enacted. - -Across the gully lay the tangled ruins of a biplane. From the midst of -the wreckage crawled a long figure, in the overalls, helmet, and goggles -of a member of the Flying Corps. His goggles had been partially -displaced, and lay askew upon his nose. There were spots of blood, -already frozen, upon his cheek. His movements were slow and painful, and -when, having emerged from the shapeless mass of metal and canvas, he -tried to stand erect, he reeled, saved himself from falling by an -effort, and dropping upon an adjacent rock, rubbed his eyes, groaned, -and sat as one dazed. - -His immobility lasted only a few moments. Staggering to his feet, his -features twisted with pain, he walked unsteadily to the ruins of the -aeroplane. - -"Enderby, old chap," he called, bending down. - -There was no answer. - -Swiftly he pulled away the broken wires and fragments of the shattered -framework, beneath which the form of his companion was pinned, then -knelt and laid his finger on the wrist of the unconscious man. - -"Thank Heaven!" he murmured. - -Taking a flask from his pocket he poured a few drops of liquid between -the half-open lips, then lifted the man carefully out of the wreckage -and laid him down on the slope. Upon his brow he placed a little snow; -he repeated his medicinal dose, and watched anxiously. It was some -minutes before the eyelids opened, only to close again as a spasm of -pain distorted the injured man's features. - -"Where is it, old man?" asked Burton. - -"My leg." - -The answer came faintly. - -"It doesn't hurt you to breathe?" - -Enderby shook his head. - -"Arms all right?" - -And when Enderby had lifted them one after the other, Burton placed the -flask in his comrade's right hand. - -"Take another pull at that while I have a look at you," he said. - -Removing the puttees and cutting away the stocking beneath, Burton saw -that his friend's right leg was broken. He felt him all over, causing -him to wince now and then as he touched a bruise. There was no other -serious injury. - -"Your leg's badly crocked, old man; but I'm jolly glad it's no worse. -When that shell winged us I made sure our number was up." - -"What about you?" - -"I'm just one compound ache--must be bruised from top to toe. Our -luck's out to-day. Just clench your teeth while I see what I can do in -first aid. The machine's smashed to smithereens. How I'm to get you -back to the M.O. beats me." - -"Whereabouts are we?" - -"Somewhere in Macedonia! In a gully, with hills all round, not a living -thing in sight. I hoped we'd be able to flutter back to our lines, but -it wasn't to be. Our troops must be miles away, and getting farther -every minute, worse luck! What fate dogs us, that we must always be -retreating? Ah! that made you squirm; sorry, old man, but you'll be -easier now." - -He had bound up the leg, and now brushed away the beads of sweat which -the exertion, in his own sorry state, had brought out upon his brow. - -"Now, look here, Enderby," he said, "the best thing I can do is to -trudge off after our men and get a machine to bring you in. And the -sooner I start, the better. You ought to be safe enough here. You're -well hidden; the Bulgars' advance won't bring them past this spot, -there's no road. But if I lose any time they'll be somewhere in the -neighbourhood before a machine could arrive, and then it'll be hopeless. -I'll rummage out some food from our wreck, and leave you that and my -flask----" - -"You'd better take it; you've a long tramp before you, and may come -across some advance patrols of the Bulgars for all you know. -Besides----" - -He paused. Both men pricked up their ears simultaneously. Each looked -an anxious inquiry at the other. From somewhere not far away came a -rhythmic sound--a succession of strident, scraping sounds--which in a -moment they recognised as the creaking of a cart. - -Neither man spoke. Burton stole down the gully, and round the shoulder -of a hill in the direction of the sound, which grew louder as he went. -Apprehensive that his plans for the rescue of his friend were already -defeated, he peered cautiously round the corner of rock. He beheld a -rough hill-track winding upwards from right to left across his front. -Some distance to the right another track ran into the first, skirting a -spur from a north-westerly direction. Nothing was visible on either -track, but the regular monotonous creaking of the cart was drawing -nearer. - -Burton drew back behind a rock and waited. Presently, from round one of -the innumerable bends and twists in the main track, appeared the great -heads of two oxen yoked together; then a woman's form came into view, -perched on the forepart of a heavily laden cart; last of all, tramping -in the rear, a tall old man, and, by his side, a boy whose head reached -scarcely higher than his elbow. - -The watcher breathed more freely. It was only a typical refugee party; -he had already seen hundreds like it toiling along the southward roads -to Salonika. There was nothing to fear here; on the contrary, it -suggested a means by which Captain Enderby might be at once removed, -without the delay that would be caused by his own going and coming. - -The cart was creeping laboriously up towards him. When it was nearly -opposite, Burton stepped forth from his hiding-place. His sudden -appearance drew signs of momentary alarm. The woman stiffened; the old -man whipped out a revolver; the boy ran round in front of the cart, and -with a fierce expression, comical on his young face, stood before his -mother, drawing from his belt a knife. - -Burton threw out his hands and called out that he was an Englishman. -But even before he spoke the attitude of hostility had relaxed, the -woman had addressed a few words to the old man, and he had already -replaced his weapon. They had recognised that the stranger was neither -a Bulgar nor a German. Only the boy remained suspicious and alert, -stoutly gripping his knife. - -The cart had stopped. Burton walked towards it. He had picked up a few -words of Greek during the eleven months he had spent in the East, and he -explained in that language that he was a friend and an Englishman. -Rather to his surprise the old man replied in French. - -"Does monsieur speak French?" - -The wall of nationality was down, and in the language of their common -ally the Serbian and the Englishman held a rapid colloquy. Presently -the old man turned to the boy. - -"You were right, Marco," he said in his own tongue. "That thing you -heard humming like a bee, that thing you saw moving like an eagle, was -an English aeroplane. It has come to the ground and broken, struck by a -Bulgar's shell." - -"Oh! let me see it," cried the boy, eagerly, forgetting all else in the -new object of excitement, slipping the knife back into his belt, and -moving away from the cart. - -"Wait!" said his grandfather, peremptorily. He resumed his conversation -with Burton. There was anxiety, hesitancy in his air. He appeared to -be struggling with himself. "The enemy is not far behind," he said. -"We have far to go; every minute is precious." He looked nervously -along the track behind him, then seemed to question his daughter with -his eyes. She nodded. "Tchk!" he ejaculated. "I will do it. No true -Serb, monsieur, much less a descendant of Marco Kralevich, can refuse to -succour an ally of his nation. Show me the way." - -Young Marco, to his disappointment, was left to guard the cart and to -keep a lookout. The old man hastened with Burton to the spot where -Captain Enderby lay beside the wreck of the aeroplane. As they went, -Burton caught sight of a square tower on a hill-top far away to the -south. - -"What is that?" he asked. - -"An old watch-tower," replied the Serb. "There are many such on high -points in different parts of the country." - -Burton paused a moment to scan the solitary tower through his field -glasses, then resumed his course. On reaching the fallen man, the old -Serb at once set about placing the injured limb in splints formed out of -the wreckage, preparatory to carrying him back to the cart. He was -still thus engaged when Marco came running up the gully. - -"Grandfather," he said, breathlessly, "a party of horsemen are coming up -the side track." - -"How many are they, boy?" - -"Ten or twelve. They are far away." - -"I must go back," said the old man. "You will still be safe here." - -"I will go with you," said Burton. "My glasses may be useful." - -They followed the boy, who ran ahead, regained the cart, and went beyond -it to the point where the two tracks met. The sky had now cleared, and -the white-clad country glistened in the sunlight. Keeping under cover, -Burton peered through his glasses along the winding track. At first he -saw nobody, but presently a horseman came into sight round a bend, -followed closely by two more riding abreast. After a short interval, -another couple appeared, the first file of a party of ten, riding two by -two. They were still too far distant for Burton to distinguish anything -more than that they were in military uniform. - -He told the old man what he had seen. - -"Beyond doubt they are Bulgars," the Serb growled, drawing his fingers -through his beard, which the sunlight had thawed. - -He stood silent for a little, his eyes fixed in thought, his hands -working nervously. - -"They will overtake us," he said at length. "We must move the cart from -the track. Come, monsieur." - -They hurried back to the cart. At a word from the old man the woman -dismounted, and going to the heads of the oxen, led them off the track -over the rough ground of the hill-face, while the three others set their -shoulders to the wheels. By their united efforts the unwieldy vehicle -was hauled round the shoulder of the hill towards the gully, to a spot -two or three hundred yards from the aeroplane, where it was out of sight -from either of the tracks. Leaving it there in charge of Marco and his -mother, the two men returned, obliterating the traces of the wheels in -the snow, and finally posting themselves behind a rocky ridge near the -junction of the tracks, where they could see the approaching horsemen -when they should pass, without being seen themselves. - - - - III - - -Some twenty minutes later they heard the tramp of hoofs, somewhat -muffled by the snow, and guttural voices. Soon the first horseman -passed before them--a Bulgarian officer. Immediately behind him came a -group of three, the two on the outside being German officers, the -horseman between them a middle-aged Serb in the characteristic dress of -the peasant proprietor. The watchers noticed that he was tied round the -middle by a rope, the other end of which was held by a Bulgarian trooper -riding behind. Old Marco's eyes gleamed with the light of recognition. -He told Burton later that the prisoner was one Milosh Nikovich, a friend -of his, a small farmer whose property lay a few miles from his own -estate. - -On arriving at the junction of the tracks the officers halted. One of -the Germans took a map from his pocket, and pored over it with his -companions; they were apparently consulting together. Then they put -questions to their prisoner. Their words were inaudible. The Serb's -face wore an expression of sullen defiance, and it was clear that his -replies were unsatisfactory, for the trooper who held the rope moved up -his horse, and lifting a foot, drove his spur savagely into the -prisoner's calf. The man winced, but remained motionless and silent. -Burton heard old Marco mutter curses below his breath. Then one of the -Germans pointed southwards questioningly; the prisoner gave what -appeared to be an affirmative answer, and the party pushed on. It soon -disappeared through the windings of the track. The watchers counted -fourteen in all. - -When the enemy were out of sight and hearing, Burton turned to the old -man. - -"A scouting party?" he said. - -"Without doubt," replied the Serb. "The main body must be behind. Will -you look for them through your glasses?" - -Burton left their hiding-place for a spot whence he could view the -tracks and the plain beyond. No troops were in sight, but the boom of -guns came faintly on the air from the north-east. Burton knew, from -what he had seen during the morning's reconnaissance, that somewhere -eastward from the spot where he stood the British forces were steadily -falling back in face of overwhelming numbers of Bulgars and Germans. -Was it possible that the patrol that had just passed was the advance -guard of a flanking force? Unluckily his reconnaissance had been cut -short by the Bulgarian shell almost as soon as it was begun. The peril -of Captain Enderby and himself, and of his Serbian friends, was -complicated with a possible unexpected danger to the British army in -retreat. To guard against the latter seemed to be out of his power. -The immediate question was, how to ensure the safety of Enderby and the -Serbian family with whose lot his own was for the moment cast. - -Remaining at the spot from which he could detect any signs of an enemy -advance from the north, he talked over the situation with old Marco. - -"The enemy are in front and behind," he said. "It seems we have little -chance of getting through. But if we don't get through----" - -"We should be safe for a time in the gully. The enemy will keep to the -tracks. But that would help us little in the end, for if they advance -beyond us, they will form a wall without gates, and we must either -surrender or starve." - -"And meanwhile my friend is without proper treatment, and may have to -lose his leg or be lamed for life. You have no stomach any more than I -for being a prisoner with the Bulgars. Don't you think we had better -push on, and try to slip past the scouting party? It is not likely they -will go far in advance of their main body. Isn't there a way over the -hills without taking to the track?" - -"If we were on foot we might steal through the country, but not with the -cart. That holds all my worldly possessions. And your friend cannot be -moved without it. Look, monsieur; do not my eyes, old as they are, see -masses of men moving on the plain yonder?" - -"You are right," said Burton, after a glance northward. "The main body -is on the move. We must decide at once. Let us carry Captain Enderby -to the cart, push on, and trust to luck." - -Hurrying back to the gully, they carried the injured man to the cart. -While the Serb led this back to the track, Burton took the precaution of -removing the carburetter and one or two other essential parts from the -engine of the aeroplane. This was badly smashed, but it was just as -well not to leave anything of possible use to the enemy. Then he hauled -the machine-gun from the litter that covered it, expecting to find it -hopelessly shattered. To his surprise it appeared to have suffered no -injury except superficial dents, and the ammunition belts were evidently -perfect. Hurrying after the others with the engine parts, he laid these -on the cart, then took young Marco back with him to help him carry away -the machine-gun and ammunition. - -"We've saved something from the wreck, old man," he said to Enderby as -he came up with the gun on his back. - -"Hardly worth while, is it?" asked the captain. "There's precious -little chance of our getting through. Hadn't you better shy it into a -gully in case they capture us?" - -"I will at the last minute if things look hopeless; but we'll stick to -it as long as we can." - -All being ready they set off along the track. Old Marco sent the boy -ahead to scout. The woman resumed her seat on the cart, where a -comfortable place had been arranged among the baggage for Captain -Enderby. The two men followed on foot, pushing at the wheels where the -gradient was too steep for the wearied oxen. - -So they toiled along for upwards of an hour. Young Marco ahead had not -caught sight of the horsemen; there was no sign of the enemy in the -rear. It was the old man's hope that there would be time, if danger -threatened, to rush the cart into some hollow or some gap between the -rocks. Such a threat was more likely to arise from the scouting party -than from the larger force behind, and the boy, as instructed by his -grandfather, kept sufficiently in advance to give timely warning. - -The track was continuously up hill, broad at some points, at others so -narrow that the cart was only just able to pass between the rocky -borders, sometimes as low as kerbstones, sometimes rising to a height of -many feet. The frequent windings prevented the travellers from getting -a direct view for any considerable distance ahead. Every now and then -they had glimpses of the watch-tower which Burton had previously -noticed, and which they were gradually approaching. At such times he -scanned it through his glasses, half expecting to find that some of the -scouting party had ascended it to survey the surrounding country. But -no human figures yet showed above the summit. - -At length, however, on rounding a corner, the travellers were startled -by a sudden flash from the tower. They halted, Burton levelled his -glasses, and declared that he saw two heads and pairs of shoulders -projecting above the top. Other flashes followed, at intervals long or -short. - -"They are heliographing to the main body behind us," he said to Enderby, -repeating the information in French to the Serb. - -"Can they see us?" asked Enderby. - -"They might perhaps if they looked, but they are gazing far beyond us, -of course. We had better back a little, though." - -They had, in fact, halted before the oxen had come completely into view -from the tower, and by backing a few feet they were wholly concealed. - -The three men held an anxious consultation. The tower was probably two -miles ahead. To go on would involve discovery by the enemy. On the -other hand, parties of Bulgarians might already be marching up the track -behind them. It seemed that they were trapped. - -"We had better wait a little," Burton concluded, "and see whether they -leave the tower and go forward. In that case we might venture to -proceed." - -The signalling continued for some few minutes, then ceased. The men -disappeared from the summit of the tower. Burton was on the point of -suggesting that they should move on when he caught sight of a small -figure flitting rapidly from rock to rock down the track towards them. - -"It is the boy," he said, after a look through his glasses. - -In a few minutes young Marco arrived, excited and breathless. - -"Three horsemen are coming down the hill," he reported. - -"Tchk!" muttered the old man, repeating the news. "How far away, -child?" - -"A mile or more. They are riding slowly; the track is steep." - -For a few moments consternation and dismay paralysed their faculties. -That the horsemen formed part of the patrol they had already seen was -certain; no others could have safely passed the tower occupied by the -enemy. Discovery and capture seemed inevitable. The fugitives might, -indeed, clamber among the rocks and conceal themselves for a time; but -the nature of the ground at this spot precluded the removal of the cart, -and its tell-tale presence on the track unattended would put a short -limit to their safety. - -At this critical moment the old Serb's experience of half a century of -mountain warfare came to his aid. - -"We must ambush the Bulgars," he said. "Look there!" - -He pointed to a spot a few yards in their rear, at the end of a narrow -stretch of the track which had given him an anxious moment in leading -the oxen. On one side the bank rose rugged and steep, on the other it -fell away, not precipitously, but in a jagged slope which had threatened -ruin to the cart if the wheel had chanced to slip over the edge of the -track. Burton quickly seized the possibilities of the situation. - -"By Jove! It's risky, but we'll try it," he remarked to Enderby. - -The captain had already taken his revolver from its case. But old Marco -had conceived a plan that would render Captain Enderby's co-operation -unnecessary. He explained it rapidly to Burton, and they proceeded to -carry it out. The woman was told to conceal herself behind a thorn bush -growing in a cleft in the bank. The cart was backed to the chosen spot, -and young Marco, his eyes alight with excitement and eagerness, -clambered up to the driver's seat. A rug was thrown over Enderby and -the machine-gun lying at his side, and the old man took up a position -with Burton behind the cart, concealed by the pile of furniture from the -eyes of any one approaching down the hill. - -The Serb had taken a rifle from beneath the baggage. - -"There are only three," he said. "I can shoot them one by one." - -"No, no!" cried Burton. "The shots would alarm their friends above. -Besides, they'll be more useful to us alive, as hostages, perhaps, even -if we don't get useful information out of them." - -"You are right," said the old man, "but it is a pity," and he -reluctantly laid the rifle aside. - -They had reason to commend young Marco's scouting, for only a few -minutes after their preparations were completed, the horsemen were heard -approaching the bend. The boy, whose eyes had been fixed on his -grandfather, at a nod from him whipped up the oxen, and the cart lurched -forward just as the horsemen came in sight. As if surprised by their -appearance, Marco pulled up so that there was barely room for a horse to -pass on the side where the bank shelved downwards. His grandfather and -Burton were still hidden in the rear. - -The three horsemen had been riding abreast, but at sight of the cart -they moved into single file. The first was a German officer; then came -the Serbian prisoner with the Bulgarian trooper holding the rope behind. - -The German officer reined up, and asked Marco a question. The boy shook -his head, and the German turned impatiently to the prisoner, ordering -him to repeat the question. At this moment Burton, revolver in hand, -slipped from behind the cart on the side of the declivity, while the old -man with some difficulty squeezed himself between the wheel and the high -bank on the other side. A gleam in the eyes of the prisoner apprised -the German that something was happening behind him, and he was in the -act of turning when his arm was seized and he saw himself confronted by -a determined-looking young airman, levelling a revolver within a few -inches of his head. One arm was held as in a vice, the other hand was -engaged with the rein; it was impossible to draw his own revolver. He -called to the trooper to shoot, but that warrior was otherwise engaged. - -"Dismount, sir," said Burton, quietly. "You are my prisoner." - -[Illustration: "DISMOUNT, SIR."] - -And seeing that there was no help for it, the German made haste to obey. - -Meanwhile on the other side old Marco had performed his allotted part. -The trooper, catching sight of Burton before the German, was for a -moment too much surprised to be capable of action; but then, dropping -the rope he held, he was about to spur forward to his superior's -assistance, when the old Serb, who had crept round while the man's -attention was occupied, suddenly hurled himself upon him. The old man -was beset by no scruples. A Bulgar was always a Bulgar. A shot would -raise an alarm; cold steel was silent. All the strength of his sinewy -arm, all the heat of age-long national hatred, went into the -knife-thrust that hurled the trooper from his saddle, over the edge of -the track, and down the sharp-edged rocks of the slope beyond. - -Within less than a minute the ambush had succeeded without any sound or -commotion that could have been heard by the enemy in the tower nearly -two miles away, and out of their sight. - - - - IV - - -"Milosh Nikovich, this is a good day, old friend," said old Marco, as he -released the prisoner. - -"A good day indeed, Marco Kralevich. But I am amazed. Who is he that -dealt with the German?" - -"Hand me that rope, if you please," came from Burton in French. "Clasp -your hands behind, sir," he added to the German, in English. - -"You shpeak to me!" spluttered that irate officer. "Know you zat I am -an officer, a captain of ze 59th Brandenburger Regiment? It is not fit -zat I haf my hands bounden." - -"You must allow me to judge of that, sir," remarked Burton, with a quiet -smile. - -"No, I protest. I refuse; it is insolence. You captivate me, zat is -true; you seize me ven I look ze ozer vay; zat is not vat you call -shport. But I gif you my parole----" - -"I can't accept it, sir." - -"Ze parole of a German officer----" - -"It's no good talking, captain," Burton interposed, bluntly. "The word -of a German has no value just now. If you do not submit quietly I shall -have to use force. No doubt you will be released when you are safe in -the British lines. Come now!" - -Amid a copious flow of guttural protestation the captain allowed his -hands to be tied behind him. - -"I felt rather sorry for the chap," said Burton to Enderby afterwards. -"He looked a decent fellow as Germans go, and perhaps I did him an -injustice. But, being a German, we can't trust him; and we can't afford -to take risks." - -While he was engaged in securing his prisoner, the two Serbs had been -conversing rapidly. Old Marco came up to him, and took him apart. - -"We have gained time at least, monsieur," he said. "My friend Milosh -Nikovich tells me that the others are remaining in the tower for the -night; the main body is not expected until the morning." - -"That will give us a chance to slip past in the darkness--if only your -wheels didn't groan so. Stay! I have some vaseline in my wallet, I -think; we can grease them with that. It's nearly four o'clock, I see; -the mist is rising; that will help us. I suppose, by the way, the -Bulgars in the tower will not expect this German to return?" - -The old man spoke to his compatriot. - -"He does not know," he said. - -"Then we shall have to look out. Luckily the sun is going down; they -can't heliograph any more; and it will be impossible for the people -above to see the track through the mist, so they won't know that the -horsemen have been checked. If the air had been clear they would -certainly have become suspicious on failing to catch sight of the party -on open stretches behind us. With luck we shall get through. What were -they doing with your friend?" - -The old Serb repeated what Milosh had told him during their colloquy. -His village had been raided; most of the inhabitants had been massacred -by the Bulgars; he himself had been impressed as guide, and forced to -lead the patrol to the tower, which they knew by hearsay, though -ignorant of the hill-track that led directly to it. - -"I reproached him for his weakness," added the old man apologetically. -"He ought to have refused to act as guide. Better that a Serb should -have allowed himself to be shot. But a man does not always see clearly; -he has a family--who are safe, praise to the Highest!" - -"But why did they wish to reach the tower?" - -"It commands the country for many miles. They could see from it the -forces of your brave countrymen. Without doubt they signalled what they -had discovered, and I suspect that to-morrow a force of light cavalry -will come this way to fall on their flank at the cross-roads below." - -"That is one reason the more for getting through. We must do it -to-night. You know the country, my friend; we must act on your advice." - -Since no move could be made until it was quite dark, they sat down on -the rocks and took a meal, eating sparingly of their provisions as a -matter of prudence. Who could tell what the night and the morrow would -bring forth? - -The Englishmen were amused at young Marco, who, munching a wheat-cake, -solemnly watched their every movement, and eyed longingly the sandwiches -they took from their tin. Burton beckoned him forward and gave him a -sandwich. The boy took it, hesitated a moment, then shyly offered his -wheat-cake in exchange, and ran back to his mother. - -"I'm afraid you're in great pain, poor old chap!" said Burton, noticing -the pallor and drawn expression of Enderby's features. - -"Oh, that's all right. I can stick it out. I rather fancy our German -friend feels worse. It must be horribly galling to his nobility. -What's his name'?" - -The German was sitting apart, moodily gnawing his moustache. Burton -went over to him, loosed his hands, and offered him a sandwich and his -flask. The former he accepted with a sort of unwilling graciousness; -the latter he declined. - -"Your visky I drink not; I haf in my own flask goot German vine. You -permit me?" he asked, ironically. - -"Of course. It isn't whisky, by the way. May I ask your name?" - -"It is Captain von Hildenheim. I am not pleased. Zis is not ze -handling zat is vorth a German officer. Vunce more-- - -"Sorry. We can't have it all over again. You must make the best of it. -It won't be for long." - -"No, zat is true; it vill not be for long," returned the German with a -slight smile. - -"He evidently thinks we shall be collared to-night or to-morrow," said -Burton, when, having bound his prisoner again, he returned to Enderby. -"Have you got a cigarette in your case? Mine's empty." - -He sat by his friend, smoking in silence, meditating as he watched the -wreaths mingling with the mist in the growing darkness. Presently he got -up, and went to the spot where the Serbs were grouped. Young Marco, -wrapped in a rug, was already asleep on the cart. - -"What about this tower?" he asked the grandfather. "How is it placed? -What is its strength and its state of repair? I don't ask idly; an idea -occurred to me just now." - -"I know it well," answered the old man. "Twenty years ago I held it -during a Bulgar comitadji raid. It stands on a spur on the hill-top. -The track passes not far beneath it. On two sides the ground forms a -sort of glacis. The tower is solidly built of stone; it has two -storeys. What is its condition, Milosh Nikovich? It is twenty years -since I was there." - -"It is strong and sound, Marco Kralevich, except inside. They took me -only into the lower room. The woodwork was rotted away, or perhaps some -of it has been removed." - -"Yes, it may be so. In the last war the Greeks held it for a time -against the Turks. The place is well chosen for a watch-tower. From the -top you see for many miles, most freely towards the north-east, whence -we have come; less freely, but still a great way, towards the -south-west, in which direction the British Army is retreating, monsieur. -Tchk! Why did not your country and France allow us to fall on the -Bulgars before they were ready? Serbia pays a heavy price." - -Burton felt he had nothing to say to this, and after a few condoling -words returned to his place by Enderby's side. The information he had -gathered had caused his half-formed idea to crystallise. - -"I say!" he began, seating himself on the edge of the cart. - -"Say on," returned Enderby, smiling at his friend's solemn face. - -"Well, there are only ten or eleven in the tower above there." - -"What is the precise force of your adverb?" - -"What adverb? Oh, 'only.' Well, ten or eleven's not a great crowd. -There are four of us, without counting you and the woman----" - -"Three men and a boy! We'll assume for the moment that one Englishman -is worth four of any other nation; but are your two and a half Serbs -equal to the other six or seven? Of course I see what you are driving -at." - -"Well, isn't it worth trying? There's no doubt that a Bulgarian column -intends to cut off our men's retreat, and if we could seize the tower, -and hold them up even for an hour or two, it might make all the -difference." - -"But they're in possession; and remember, the attack needs more men than -the defence. The odds are dead against you, Ted." - -"Not altogether. You must allow for the darkness, surprise, and the -cocksureness of the enemy. Didn't a corporal carry off twelve prisoners -single-handed at Loos the other day? With a little luck----" - -"We've a way of assuming that the luck is going to be on our side! -Well, see what the old Serb says. I must be out of it, unfortunately; -but you needn't consider me." - -"That's very good of you, but, of course, I do consider you. If it -wasn't for you I'd not hesitate a moment." - -"Don't let that trouble you. At the worst they'll only collar me. The -risks will be wholly yours." - -Burton returned to the Serbs, sat down beside them, and talked to them -until the dusk had deepened into night. - -The upshot of their conversation was presently disclosed. While young -Marco was thoroughly greasing the axle-trees, Burton inflicted a still -deeper wound on the dignity of Captain von Hildenheim by gagging him. -Milosh was already in possession of his revolver. - -Then the little party started quietly on the upward track. - -A cold wind had set in from the north-east, dispersing the mist, and -carrying with it an occasional shower of powdery snow. Except during -these brief showers the sky was clear and brilliant with starlight. A -glance behind showed the red camp-fires of the enemy far in the plain -below. Ahead, the tower, when they caught sight of it, loomed black -like a sentinel against the indigo background. A faint glow shone from -one of its shutterless windows, half-way up the wall. - -The track was so well shadowed by its rocky banks that there was little -risk of the party being seen. Yet, when they were still some distance -from the tower, Burton deemed it prudent to call a halt. There was a -whispered consultation, then Milosh went forward alone to reconnoitre. - -Creeping up with every precaution, eyes and ears alert, he came within -sight of a low wall some forty or fifty paces from the tower, pierced by -a single aperture where at one time had been a gate. This wall shut off -the tower and the crag on which it stood from the narrow bridle-path -that mounted the hill to the north, and fell away to the south towards -the valley. - -In the gap in the wall a sentry stood, finding such shelter from the -biting wind as the thickness of the stonework afforded. He blew upon -his hands, stamped his feet, murmured his discomfort. At one moment he -took out a watch, and seemed to caress it with his fingers. He did not -lift it towards his eyes; he could not have seen the time in the -starlight; and the shiver which visibly shook him as he returned it to -his pocket was the shudder of physical cold; he had forgotten the -ruthless butchery of the Serb who had, not long before, been the owner -of the watch. - -[Illustration: MILOSH WAITS.] - -All was quiet around. Only the feeble ray high up in the tower showed -that the place was occupied. The sentry's faculties were numbed by the -cold, or he might have noticed that the even contour of the wall, some -few paces from him to the north, was broken by a dark protuberance which -had not been there in daylight. It might have been a buttress, except -that there were no buttresses on the outside of the wall. Astonished as -he must have been if he had observed it, he would have been still more -amazed had he been tramping his beat before the gate instead of cowering -from the icy blast. For the dark shape moved, imperceptibly, like the -hour hand of a clock, yet surely, and always towards him. - -Within two paces of the gateway it suddenly stopped. The line of the -wall was no longer broken. There was nothing now for the sentry to see. - -A few minutes passed. The sentry muttered, growled, stamped on the -ground. After all, he could not keep warm. He had sheltered his nose -and ears at the expense of his feet. Only movement could restore the -circulation of those chilled members. He picked up his rifle, came out -through the gateway, swung round to the right, and tramped along close -to the wall. - -No sooner was his back turned than the dark shape that had remained -motionless at the foot of the wall glided swiftly up to and into the -gateway. The sentry turned at the end of his beat, and butted with -quick step against the bitter wind, approaching the gateway--and his -doom. He had just passed the opening when a few inches of steel glinted -in the starlight. There was a stifled groan, a sigh. The rightful -owner of the watch was avenged. - -Three minutes later Milosh rejoined the little group that was waiting a -couple of hundred yards below. - -"Well?" old Marco inquired in a whisper. - -"It is well, old friend. The way is clear." - - - - V - - -During the scout's absence, Burton had become acutely conscious of the -bruises which he had almost forgotten. He dreaded lest his aching body -should not be equal to the strain of a fight against odds. But he -resolutely turned his mind from his own condition, and set himself to -concert a plan of action with old Marco and Captain Enderby. - -They decided that while the attack was proceeding Nuta should remain -with the cart. If it succeeded, she would be brought up to the tower; -if it failed, and the enemy made their appearance, the possession of -Captain von Hildenheim should serve as security for the safety of -herself and Enderby. A threat to shoot him would no doubt induce his -party to come to terms. The expression on the woman's face as she took -Enderby's revolver was sufficient guarantee that she would not fail in -the part assigned to her. - -Five minutes after the return of Milosh the little party set off on -their adventurous enterprise. - -"Good luck, old man!" said Enderby, as Burton took his leave. "Sorry I -can't be with you, but we'll meet again before long." - -They stole up the road in single file, Milosh leading, followed by old -Marco, Burton, and the boy in succession. Reaching the wall, they crept -along its shadow to the gateway, noiselessly entered the enclosure, and, -after a swift glance around, sped towards the tower. The clank of -bridles and the pawing of hoofs did not alarm them; Milosh had already -explained that the horses had been placed in the large chamber that -formed the ground floor. To this there was no longer a door, but -through the vacant doorway came a faint glint of light. - -At the entrance they halted, and peered in. Ranged along the wall to -the right stood the horses, which, scenting strangers, moved restlessly. -In the left corner the rays of a lamp fell through an open trap-door -above, lighting a rough wooden staircase. From the upper room came the -sound of voices mingled with snores. At the uneasy movements of the -horses the conversation ceased for a moment. A head appeared at the -edge of the trap-door, and a rough voice ordered the animals to be -quiet, as one might tell a dog to "lie down." Another voice from behind -sleepily asked a question. The first man replied, and withdrew from the -opening. Then the low-toned conversation was resumed. - -There being but one entrance to the tower, and but one gateway in the -wall, the single sentry whom Milosh had disposed of had no doubt been -considered a sufficient guard; but old Marco had decided, leaving -nothing to chance, to post his grandson at the doorway, to keep watch -outside and give the alarm if any sudden interference should threaten. -The boy grasped manfully the revolver given him, and stood against the -wall out of the ray of light. - -The others slipped silently across the room to the staircase. At its -foot they halted a moment, looking up towards the trap-door. The -staircase was clearly a rickety affair. Some of the treads were missing; -the handrail and balusters which had formerly edged it on the outer side -were now wholly removed. Signing to his companions to move carefully, -Milosh began to ascend. - -At his first step there was an ominous creak, masked, however, by a -renewed stir among the horses. The old Serb and Burton followed in -turn, treading as lightly as they could. Milosh was half-way up when, -stepping over a gap, his foot came down heavily on the stair above, and -the timber emitted a loud groan. The voices above ceased; then a gruff -voice in the Bulgarian tongue muttered: "What was that?" Milosh hurried -his ascent. A shadow fell on the men below him; something had moved at -the edge of the trap-door. A cry of alarm ended in an inarticulate -gasp; for the second time that night a Serbian knife had taken toll of -the national enemy. - -There was a loud shout from behind the fallen man, followed by confused -cries from the awakened sleepers. Regardless now of any noise they -might make the three men sprang up the remaining stairs. A shot rang -out as Milosh flung himself into the room, with Marco close behind him, -and when Burton stood upon the floor, he found himself in the thick of a -furious _mêlée_ that gave him no time to take in the scene. - -Of the men in that upper room, only two had been awake--the Bulgarian -officer and one of the troopers. When their conversation was -interrupted by the sounds from below, the trooper had leant over to see -what was happening. It was he that had fallen to Milosh's knife. The -shot had been fired by the officer, and the other men, aroused by the -noise, had disengaged themselves from the horse rugs beneath which they -had been sleeping, and were now crowding in confusion to repel the -unexpected attack. Only half awake, some of them had not even seized -their arms. Behind them towered the bulky form of the second German -officer who had led them earlier in the day. He alone had his wits -about him. Shouting orders and curses, he threw a swift glance at the -three intruders, then sprang to the lamp hanging from a bracket on the -wall, and dashed it to the floor. - -But this move, upon which he had calculated to assist the defence, -giving the men time to collect their sleep-dulled senses and regain the -advantage of numbers, turned in fact to their undoing. The darkness -lasted only an instant. Then Burton whipped out his electric torch. -The lamp had illuminated both parties alike; but now the electric beam -dazzled the eyes of the Bulgarians while leaving their assailants dim -and indistinct. - -Burton could never afterwards clearly recall the incidents of the fight. -The hollow tower rang with shots, fierce shouts, and even more -significant cries. His one abiding impression was the Berserker fury of -old Marco. With knife in one hand and revolver in the other, the Serb -flung himself upon the foes, his stalwart form seeming to be everywhere -at once. Even his heroic ancestor could never have disposed of more of -the traditional enemy in equal time. Milosh fought with the fury -generated by his recent wrongs, accompanying every knife-thrust with a -yell of triumph. Some of the Bulgars threw themselves down, and tried -to crawl towards the trap-door. But Burton, holding his ground there, -cut off their escape, and while his torch lit up the scene for his -friends, he assisted them with his revolver whenever he could do so -without risk to them. - -Long as it appeared to those engaged in it, the struggle was in reality -a short one. Taken unawares, the Bulgars were no match for their -assailants, nerved by desperate necessity. At the last, when the din -had somewhat diminished, Burton staggered under the impact of a large -form, and saved himself from being hurled down the staircase only by a -stiffening of the muscles and a dexterous back-throw over his thrust-out -knee. He stooped and grappled his fallen assailant. - -"I surrender!" gurgled a panting voice in German. - -The officer's revolver had slipped from his grasp at the moment when, -tripping over one of the Bulgars, he lurched against Burton. The latter -kicked it down the staircase. There was silence now in the upper room. -Burton flashed his torch around it. Marco and Milosh stood panting -above their prostrate foes. It seemed that of all the party only the -German officer was left alive. But the electric beam fell on one -shivering wretch cowering behind a trestle table in the far corner. -Milosh instantly dashed towards him, and Burton had much ado to persuade -the infuriated Serb that, the officer having surrendered, the fight was -now at an end. Old Marco had sunk to the floor, exhausted by his efforts -and his wounds, unheeded in the heat of the strife. The silence was -broken only by the champing and pawing of the frightened horses below. - -Burton was tying up the prisoners, Milosh was collecting the arms of the -slain, when old Marco suddenly exclaimed-- - -"Monsieur, there are only eight!" - -The words were scarcely out of his mouth when a shot rang out below, and -the boy's voice shouted an alarm. Leaving the others to complete his -work, Burton dashed down the staircase to the doorway, just in time to -see two men sprinting along beyond the wall in the direction of the -waiting cart. Young Marco babbled an explanation of their presence -excitedly in his own tongue, but Burton could not wait for explanations; -it was enough that two of the enemy's party had been outside the tower, -probably _en vedette_ to the south, and were now speeding towards the -north and their main body. No doubt they had heard the uproar, guessed -what had happened, and run off to carry the news. - -Burton at once dashed after them, anxious about the safety of his -friends at the cart, even more than about the peril of the whole party -if the enemy's march should be hastened. Young Marco flew along at his -heels. But the fugitives had had too long a start. Even the beam of -the torch failed to discover them. Immediately after the torch flashed -there was the report of a revolver, and Burton ran at break-neck pace -down the rugged track. He came to the cart. - -"Gone away!" cried Enderby. - -"You're not hurt?" - -"It was Nuta's revolver. We heard some one coming, but didn't know -whether friend or foe until you flashed your torch. Then I guessed. -But two men were just on us then; they swerved to avoid the cart, and -dashed away beyond us there. The woman was quick, but it was too dark -to aim, and I'm afraid they've both got clear." - -"That's a pity. They'll report that we've got the tower, and the -Bulgars may swarm up in an hour or two. We must get you out of harm's -way." - -He made signs to Marco that he wished the cart to be driven up at once. -The boy whipped up the oxen, and the vehicle lumbered away with -Hildenheim trudging disconsolately behind. At the gate in the wall they -met old Marco. - -"Let the woman and the boy go on with your wounded friend," he said to -Burton. "They cannot help us; why should we endanger them? Moreover, -they would then save the goods in my cart." - -"As you please," said Burton. "But you yourself will hold to your -agreement, and help us to check the enemy as long as we can?" - -"Assuredly, and Milosh Nikovich will remain with me." - -But when the matter was put to Nuta, she resolutely refused to leave the -old man. - -"It is well, my daughter," he said, laying his hand on her shoulder. -"We will live or die together." - -This being decided, they resolved to utilise the cart in the defence of -the position. The more valuable parts of its load were removed, -together with the British machine-gun, and carried into the tower. The -cart was then drawn across the gateway to block it up, and the oxen were -taken some distance away to the south, and tethered in a bush-covered -dell. Meanwhile Milosh had cleared the upper room, and made some effort -to obliterate the traces of the fray. There the party took up their -quarters. They were all utterly weary. It was perhaps unlikely that -the enemy would arrive before the morning, but Burton and the two Serbs -arranged to take turns at watching through the night. What preparations -could be made to meet an attack must be left until at least a partial -rest had restored their exhausted energies. - - - - VI - - -There was little conversation during the night. Every member of the -party was so fatigued that, when not on watch, he slept heavily. -Enderby alone was wakeful, from the pain of his wounds, and he addressed -Burton only in occasional whispers, lest Hildenheim should overhear him. -The two German officers conversed in their own tongue, pitching their -voices low; but neither of the Englishmen understood German. At -intervals the distant boom of heavy guns indicated that a night attack -was in progress somewhere to the east. - -Before daybreak Burton roused his companions. It was necessary to lay -their plans in readiness for the expected advance of the Bulgarian -troops. In company with old Marco, Burton took stock of their -resources. They had the weapons of their enemies--ten rifles with about -two thousand rounds of ammunition, three revolvers with thirty rounds -apiece, their own machine-gun with three ammunition belts. There was a -plentiful supply of provisions, but little fodder for the horses. -Burton was tempted to make good their escape while there was yet time; -but after a few moments' reflection he reverted to his purpose of -delaying the enemy's advance to the last minute of endurance. The -tower, commanding the narrow track, offered great advantages to the -defence; and guessing that the Bulgars' advance guard would consist of -cavalry unprovided with artillery, he hoped to be able to hold his own -until help arrived. - -The first necessity was to inform the British general of the anticipated -flank attack. - -"Your grandson can ride a horse?" he asked old Marco. - -"Tchk! The boy sat a horse as soon as he could walk," replied the old -man, with a laugh. - -"Then I want to send him with a note to our men. Will you instruct -him?" - -He wrote in his pocket-book a note explaining that Captain Enderby, -wounded, with himself and two Serbians, both slightly wounded, were -holding a tower in the hills some ten miles south of Strumitza. They -expected to be attacked by a Bulgarian column moving south-west across -the hills to cut the British line of retreat, and would hold out as long -as possible. Their greatest need, if attacked in force, would be -ammunition; and he pointed out that the position would be hopeless -against artillery. Tearing the leaf out, he folded it, addressed it to -"Any British Officer," and gave it to Marco, who tucked it inside his -tunic. As soon as dawn glimmered the boy mounted one of the horses and -set off, disappearing into the mist. - -"We had better take the horses out," Burton suggested. "They will only -hamper us here; besides, we may as well keep them alive if we can." - -On old Marco agreeing, Milosh led the horses to the dell where the oxen -had been tethered overnight, tied them together, and hobbled them to -heavy fragments of rock. Meanwhile the others strengthened the cart -barricade, blocked up the entrance to the tower with stones, broken -timber, and other rubbish, and placed the machine-gun at a narrow window -commanding the track. Then Burton climbed the ladder leading to the top -of the tower, to examine the country through his glasses; but the heavy -white mist hid everything from view. Guns boomed incessantly; the -sounds were little louder than they had been in the night. It was clear -that the British retirement was being conducted without hurry. - -When he came down he found that Nuta had got ready a meal for his party -and the three prisoners. With these latter, since his arrival at the -tower, he had had no conversation. Now, however, Captain von Hildenheim -addressed him. - -"Major Schwartzkopf demands to know vat you do," he said. "Ze major -shpeak no English." - -Burton glanced at the elder German, who stared at him with mingled -insolence and sullenness. - -"Tell him that I hope before the day is out to hand him over to the -British provost-marshal," he said. - -Hildenheim translated. The major gurgled out a rapid sentence. - -"You mistake," Hildenheim went on. "Major Schwartzkopf vish to know vat -you do here." - -"That is my business. If the major has patience he will see." - -The Germans talked together, and Burton gathered from their smiles that -they supposed him ignorant of the Bulgarian advance, and flattered -themselves that the tables would soon be turned on him. - -When breakfast was finished, Marco asked Burton to accompany him to the -chamber below. - -"Twenty years ago," he said, "when I was here, we kept a few prisoners -in a cellar below the floor. Shall we not place our prisoners there -now, for safety's sake?" - -"Let us have a look at it," Burton returned. - -Scraping away the litter of hay, earth, and fragments of wood from a -corner of the floor, Marco disclosed a trap-door. They lifted this, and -Burton descended a short ladder, Marco following him with an improvised -torch. They found themselves in a shallow cellar, stuffy but dry. - -"What is this?" exclaimed Marco, pointing to a number of small wooden -boxes ranged along one wall. "They were not here in my time." - -The boxes were thickly covered with dust, and had evidently been long -undisturbed. Burton carefully prised up the lid of one of them. - -"It is full of sticks of dynamite!" he said, astonished. "A strange -find, upon my word!" - -[Illustration: "'A STRANGE FIND, UPON MY WORD!'"] - -"And look!" added Marco. "There is a tunnel--that was not here either." - -In one of the walls was an opening about four feet high. Entering this, -the two men groped their way along a straight tunnel just wide enough -for them to pass in single file. - -"This must have been made by the Greeks when they held the tower," the -old man continued. - -"For what purpose? There's nothing in it." - -"But there is the dynamite in the cellar behind. I think the tunnel -must have been intended for a mine." - -"To blow up something outside? Let us see in what direction it goes." - -A glance at his compass showed him that the tunnel ran towards the -north-east. - -"It is plain," said Marco. "Here at the end we may be standing beneath -the track. The Greeks intended to blow it up. I suppose the necessity -passed when the Turks retreated, and the dynamite was left here and -forgotten. Perhaps the Greeks who made the tunnel were killed in the -fighting afterwards." - -"Well, this may be a lucky find for us. We must see if it does end -beneath the track." - -Measuring his paces as they returned to the cellar, he went up, and -counted an equal number from the doorway of the tower, following the -direction of the tunnel as nearly as he could judge it. The -thirty-second pace brought him to the wall; there were still nine more -to take. At the forty-first he arrived at the centre of the track. - -"You were right," he said; "the intention was clearly to have a means of -blowing up the track. As you say, an explosion just there would make it -impassable. This may be a lucky find for us, my friend. We must remove -the dynamite to the end of the tunnel, and make some sort of fuse." - -They returned to the tower. It was now half-past nine, the mist was -thinning, and before taking in hand the preparation of the mine, Burton -thought it well to make another survey from the top of the tower. With -Marco he climbed the ladder. Even with the naked eye he was able to -see, winding like a serpent across the white plain, a long column of -troops, its rear merging into the mist. Through his glasses he -distinguished its composition. In advance of the main body of infantry -rode squadrons of cavalry. Here and there appeared files of pack-mules. -He handed the glasses to Marco, whose face gloomed as he watched the -unending stream. - -"The mules carry mountain guns," he said. "That's bad. They are coming -on quickly, too. We shall not have time to prepare our mine." - -But as they went down again, to make final preparations for meeting the -impending attack, an idea occurred to him. Taking Marco to the lower -floor, he said in English, loud enough to be heard by the prisoners -above-- - -"A bomb would blow us all to smithereens. I had no idea there was so -much dynamite there." - -The Germans instantly rose to the bait. They could be heard in excited -discussion above. Waiting a few minutes to allow his words to produce -their full effect, Burton returned to the upper room. The officers -broke off their conversation and looked at him uneasily. - -"I beg your pardon, sir," said Hildenheim at length, hesitatingly. "You -shpeak of dynamite?" - -"I did, yes--there is a considerable quantity in the cellar below." - -Looking very grave, Hildenheim translated to his companion, whose alarm -found vent in impassioned volubility. - -"Major Schwartzkopf protests viz indignation," Hildenheim went on. "Ve -are prisoners--so; but ze law of nations do not permit zat prisoners be -confined in a place of danger." - -"Danger, gentlemen! It was you who chose this place. What danger do -you anticipate?" - -"Our allies ze Bulgars zis vay come. Not understand? Zey attack zis -place. Ve sit on high explosive below; ze Bulgars shoot high explosive -above; ve are blowed to--vat you call it?--schmiddereens!" - -"Surely your allies love you too well; they will not subject you to such -risks." - -"I know not so much about zat. Zey love us--yes; but if it is zeir duty -zey blow us up all ze same." - -"We shall all be in the same boat, then. But perhaps you have something -to suggest?" - -"It is ze law of nations zat you keep us safe." - -"You are quite safe so far as we are concerned. Obviously I cannot -remove you. If your friends shell us--well!" - -"But you can remove ze dynamite. You can take it out, inter it, shuck -it into--vat you call it?--a gully." - -"We haven't time for that. But I have an idea. There is a long tunnel -leading from the cellar. If you and your companions care to carry the -dynamite to the farther end of the tunnel, it will be out of harm's way -so far as the tower is concerned." - -"Zat is not ze vork of German officers." - -"No; quite so. If I were you I wouldn't do it. But, as you may have -gathered, I intend to hold the tower as long as I can. Your cavalry is -already on the move. It will not be long before they attack. If you -care to remove the dynamite, you may stay in the cellar until--until I -fetch you out. Otherwise you will remain here." - -The Germans consulted. - -"Ze Herr Major agree, viz protest," said Hildenheim presently. - -"Agrees! To what?" - -"To move ze dynamite--vat you ask." - -"I beg your pardon, I ask nothing. You will do as you please. I said -if I were you----" - -"Ach! Ze Herr Major agree all ze same," interrupted Hildenheim, -eagerly. - -"Very well." - -The Germans struggled to their feet. - -"You shall unbind our arms," said Hildenheim. - -"When you are in the cellar. Watch your footing as you go down." - -He preceded them down the stairs. When the three men were in the cellar -he left them his torch to work by, instructing them to carry the boxes -to the end of the tunnel. - -It was necessary to devise a train for exploding the dynamite at the -pinch of necessity. Having no gunpowder this was a difficulty until -Marco hit on a method. He bade Nuta bring some cotton cloths and some -jars of grease that were among their belongings in the cart. The cloths -he asked her to tear up into thin strips, and then to soak thoroughly -with the grease. By knotting these strips together she could make, he -hoped, a match as long as the tunnel. - -There was no time to test it, or to judge how quickly it would burn. -Scarcely ten minutes after the woman had begun her task Burton saw, from -the loophole at which the machine-gun had been placed, the head of the -enemy column appear on the track within effective rifle range. It -consisted of a half-troop of cavalry, and was moving with cautious -slowness. In another minute it came to a halt. Two officers in front -held a consultation. One of them peered through his glasses at the -silent tower. Their attitude suggested uncertainty. The lack of -signals from the tower must have apprised them that their friends were -not in possession of it; but the information conveyed by the men who had -escaped overnight was necessarily vague, and they were ignorant whether -the position was held by their foes, or had been abandoned. - -At the window, but out of sight of the enemy, Burton and the two Serbs -watched them keenly. Enderby had been placed at the remote end of the -room, behind a barricade of timber, accoutrements, and rugs. In the last -few moments Burton had discussed with him whether it would be well to -open a parley with the enemy, and announce his intention of disputing -their passage. - -"My advice is to the contrary," said Enderby. "Deeds, not words. A -shot will tell them all you wish them to know." - -The consultation on the track came to an end, and the horsemen began to -move forward slowly. Two of them, one apparently an officer, rode a -little in advance of the rest. When they were still about half a mile -distant, Marco raised his rifle to his shoulder and fired. Apparently -he missed, for the two men instantly threw themselves from their horses -and took cover among the rocks at the side of the track. A bugle rang -out, and all down the column, as far as it was in sight, the troopers -dismounted, left their horses, and advanced up the track on foot by -short rushes from one patch of cover to another. - -"What will they do?" Burton asked himself. He tried to put himself -mentally in their position. All the information they could have was -that the tower was in enemy hands. They could not know who its captors -were, or how many they numbered. No doubt they would suppose that the -patrol had fallen to a superior force, but they would infer that this -force was a comparatively small one, since it was already clear that no -attempt was to be made to dispute their passage on the track itself. -Their natural course would be to feel the strength of the garrison, and -perhaps to refrain from throwing themselves against a strong defensive -position until they had brought up guns to bombard it. The wild and -rugged nature of the ground made rapid movement difficult, and Burton -hoped that the inevitable delay would not only enable the British Army -to secure its retirement, but would also give time for the dispatch of a -light force to bring off himself and his party. The latter event he did -not count on; it might prove to be impracticable; in that case he could -only look forward to the ultimate capture or destruction of the tower. -It was his resolve to hold up the enemy till the last possible moment; -if surrender were then necessary to save Nuta and Captain Enderby, he -would at least have the satisfaction of duty well done. - -Up to the present Marco's shot had been the only one fired. The two -Serbs, if left to themselves, would have aimed again and again at the -Bulgars, of whom they caught glimpses as they darted from rock to rock. -But Burton prevailed on them to withhold their fire. - -"They don't know exactly how we are placed," he said to Marco, "and we -may as well keep them ignorant as long as possible. They are bound to -leave cover if they mean to attack us; then will be our chance." - -The position gave incomparable advantages to the defence. Standing on a -spur of the hillside, the tower could be assailed only from the track; -its rear face overhung a precipitous cliff which not even a goat could -scale. For more than a hundred yards from the tower the track was -wholly devoid of cover; the declivity on the one side and the high -jagged ground on the other equally forbade an encircling movement. -Burton's hope grew high as he weighed the chances for and against him. - -The enemy had crept up to within about three hundred yards of the tower. -The next fifty yards of the track were exposed, then there was a break -in the bank in which they could find cover among low boulders and -stunted bushes. It was at this point that they would first come in -sight of the wall surrounding the tower enclosure. Burton concluded -that as their mission was urgent, they would not wait the arrival of -their artillery, which no doubt they had sent for at the first alarm, -but would dash along the exposed portions of the track, shelter -themselves temporarily below the wall, and then endeavour to carry the -position with a rush. The gateway was blocked by the cart, but the wall -could easily be scaled, and the slender defences of the tower entrance -would yield in a few minutes. It was of prime importance, therefore, -that the enemy should be prevented from reaching the wall. The track was -wide enough for four or five men to move abreast. By means of the -machine-gun, Burton could mow the enemy down if they advanced in mass; -but having very little ammunition for it, he had decided to use it only -as a last resource. In the early stages of the impending action he must -depend on rifle fire, and he realised that, with no more than three -rifles, a great deal depended on the extent to which the enemy could be -intimidated. Personally he was at a disadvantage in respect of his -unfamiliarity with the Bulgarian rifle. Marco had explained to him the -sighting arrangements, which were adjusted to the metre scale; but he -recognised that his first shots would be experimental. At short range -he could hardly fail of success. - -Some minutes passed; the enemy gave no sign of movement. - -"Keep your eye upon them, while I go and see how the prisoners are -getting on with their work," said Burton to Marco. - -He went down to the cellar, observing on the way that Nuta had completed -a large coil of the cotton rope. The Bulgar was staggering into the -tunnel with the last of the boxes of dynamite. Hildenheim was donning -his tunic, which he had stripped off for the sake of ease in working. -From the coolness and the unsoiled appearance of Major Schwartzkopf, -Burton inferred, with secret amusement, that that officer had not put -himself to any exertion. - -"I zink I hear a shot, sir," said Hildenheim. - -"I thought so too," rejoined Burton. "But we are not engaged with your -friends yet, and as I see that all the dynamite is removed, you are safe -here--for the present." - -"So! I know ze Bulgar language. Ven our allies haf ze tower taken, I -vill haf much pleasure to--vat you call it?" - -"Interpret for us? Thank you, captain. I am sure you are anxious to be -useful." - -The dull reports of two rifle-shots recalled him. As he closed down the -trap-door, he heard Schwartzkopf guffaw. Springing up the stairs he -rushed to the window, where the Serbs were now firing steadily, seized -his rifle, and looked down the track. A small party of the enemy had -broken cover, and were rushing uphill in irregular formation. Several -had already fallen; one dropped to Burton's first shot; but the rest -gained the cover of the stunted bushes before mentioned. - -"How many have got through?" asked Burton. - -"About half-a-dozen," Marco replied. - -"They haven't answered your fire?" - -He had hardly spoken when a hail of bullets pattered on the stone walls. -Some had come from the advanced party in the bushes, some from their -comrades concealed farther down the track. One flew through the window, -and struck the wall a few feet above Enderby's head. The three men drew -back. - -"It is clear they have discovered where we are firing from," said -Burton. "We had better give them the next shots from the roof. There -are loopholes in the parapet." - -They climbed up the ladder, and, kneeling behind the parapet, peered -through the loopholes. For some minutes the enemy continued to fire at -the window without exposing themselves. Presently, under cover of their -shots, a second party, larger than the first, emerged from the rocks far -down the track, and ran up to join their fellows hidden among the -bushes. Instantly the three men opened fire; one after another the -Bulgars fell, but eight or nine reached shelter in safety. The enemy's -fire redoubled in violence; apparently they supposed that the defenders -were shooting both from the window and from the roof, for Enderby called -up that bullets were flying into the room, and at the same time -splinters of stone were struck from the parapet. - -Suddenly the firing ceased. Burton, looking through his glasses, saw -reinforcements hurrying up along the track far below. Clearly the attack -was to be pressed, and the worst was yet to come. So far he was well -satisfied. The enemy had been held up for more than an hour; every -minute gained might be of priceless service to the British forces. -Every now and again the dull boom of artillery from the south told him -that his comrades were still fighting a rearguard action against heavy -odds. To prevent the enlargement of those odds was worth any sacrifice. - -Burton realised that as yet he had had to deal with only a small -advanced guard. The fight would take on quite a different complexion -when the main body now pressing forward came into action. There was no -sign of irresolution in the enemy. Even though he should sweep the -track twice or thrice with the machine-gun, they would then discover -that his ammunition was expended, and three rifles would avail nothing -against the numbers who would pour upwards to the assault. It was time -to prepare to play his last card--to light the train which, after an -unknown interval, would explode the dynamite and render the track -impassable. The tower was doomed. If not carried by assault, it would -be shattered as soon as artillery was brought to bear on it. But even -though it were destroyed, and all in it, the destruction of the track -would delay the enemy for many hours, and his object would be gained. - -He inferred, and rightly, as it proved, that the lull would continue -until the enemy had come up in sufficient strength to burst through at -all costs. But there was no time to spare, especially as so much -uncertainty attended the action of the mine. Leaving the two Serbs to -keep watch, Burton went below. Nuta was still knotting the lengths of -cloth, but he saw at a glance that the coil she had completed would -suffice. He made her understand by signs that she was to follow him to -the cellar, carrying the revolver. - -The eager looks with which the prisoners met him bespoke their -confidence that he had come to beg their intercession with victorious -Bulgarians. They were immediately undeceived. - -"I am going to fire the dynamite," he said. "This place will no longer -be safe for you. You must quit the tower. Follow my instructions to -the letter. When you leave the entrance, you will cross the enclosure -to the wall on the south side, climb it, and go as far along the track -southward as you please. If you attempt to move in the opposite -direction you will instantly be shot. That is quite clear?" - -Hildenheim's looks had grown blacker and blacker as Burton spoke. - -"It is a trick!" he burst out in a voice hoarse with rage. "It is -against ze law of nations. Zere shall be reprisals. You make var -prisoners vork to blow up zeir allies; you----" - -"Nothing of the sort," Burton interrupted sharply. "You removed the -dynamite for your own safety; you are at liberty to bring it back, and -take the consequences. You must decide at once." - -This reduced the German to silence. - -"Was giebt es?" asked Schwartzkopf, evidently puzzled by the captain's -agitation. - -When Hildenheim had explained, the major came to a decision with great -alacrity. It would be absurd to reject the chance of escaping with a -whole skin. There was a short excited colloquy between the two Germans. -Then Hildenheim sullenly announced their acquiescence, and they followed -Burton and the woman up the stairs. When a passage had been opened in -the entrance, the three prisoners made to issue together. - -"Not so fast--one at a time, if you please," said Burton, anxious not to -leave the tower himself. "The major first; turn to the right, that's -your way. The woman will escort you." - -At another time he might have been amused at the sight of the German -hastening towards the wall with an effort to maintain his dignity, Nuta -following with pointed revolver a couple of yards behind. But the -situation was too tense for amusement. He was on thorns; at any moment -warning shots might recall him to his post, and the mine had still to be -completed. The instant the Bulgar, last of the three, reached the wall, -Burton hurried into the cellar. He laid the cotton train on the floor -of the tunnel, kindling its nearer end. At the farther end he upturned -the open box of dynamite, placed a few cartridges at the extremity of -the train, and packed the remaining boxes closely one upon another, so -that the space between the floor and the roof was completely blocked. -Then with feverish haste he scraped up loose earth from the floor, and -dug stones out of the wall with his knife, and heaped them up against -the boxes, so as to minimise the effect of the explosion towards the -cellar. On his return he saw that the cotton appeared to be burning -satisfactorily, and regained the roof of the tower after an absence of -little more than twenty minutes. - -The situation had apparently not changed. All was quiet. None of the -enemy in the vicinity of the tower were in sight, but the columns were -steadily rolling up the track in the far distance. A little later, -however, there was a sudden rush from behind the rocks, accompanied by a -hot fusillade. Bulgarian infantry swarmed up the track, and though many -of them fell to the three rifles, many more got through, stumbling over -the bodies of the fallen, and joined their comrades in the shelter of -the bushes. Nuta had come up, and as the rifles became hot, she -replaced them with fresh weapons. - -The enemy advanced in an unending stream for five or six minutes. The -crackle of rifle shots mingled with shouts and screams. Then at the -blast of a whistle all movement ceased. - -Burton calculated that at least sixty men had run the gauntlet and were -now waiting among the bushes. Only about a hundred yards of open track -separated them from the wall of the enclosure. To check the coming dash -with three rifles would be impossible. Would the explosion in the -tunnel happen in time? He dared not go below again to see how the train -was burning, nor could any one else be spared. Suppose the mine failed? -The rush must be checked somehow; nothing but the machine-gun would -avail. - -Leaving the Serbs on the roof, Burton went down into the room, and -placed himself at the gun. - -He had not long to wait. A whistle sounded shrilly. The men dashed -from the cover of the bushes and poured up towards the tower, shouting -and cheering. Behind them their comrades opened fire from the rocks. -Burton held his hand for a few seconds. Then, when the foremost rank -had covered about half the distance, the machine-gun rapped out a hail -of bullets. In a few seconds the track was swept clear as by an -invisible scythe. - -Silence fell again. It was clear that the enemy had not reckoned with a -machine-gun, for though, taking advantage of the charge, another body of -men had rushed up to the bushes from the rear, they made no attempt to -advance farther. - -Minute by minute passed. Except for occasional sniping, the enemy took -no action. But the lull seemed ominous, and Burton remained keenly on -guard, keeping a look-out from behind the shield of the machine-gun. - -"I don't like it," he said to Enderby once. "There isn't much doubt that -they have sent word to their gunners, and we shall soon have shells -hurtling upon us. There may be just time to carry you down and put you -in safety beyond the tower." - -"Nonsense!" Enderby returned. "It makes me sick to be idling here. I -won't go and keep your Germans company. My arms are sound enough, and, -hang it all! I won't stand this any longer. Lift me out, and give me a -rifle." - -"No, no! Anything rather than that. At this window you'd be potted to a -certainty. Perhaps it's better as it is, for if you were outside, and -the rest of us were smashed, you couldn't get away." - -"And I'd rather peg out than fall a prisoner to those German-led -Bulgars. Don't worry, old chap!" - -"That wretched mine must have failed," said Burton, presently. "Nuta -must go and relight the train." - -But just as he was rising to call her, he noticed something far down the -track that caused him to drop back again. - -"They're smuggling a machine-gun into position!" he cried. - -He had caught a glimpse of the barrel projecting over a ledge of rock. -With instant decision he trained his own gun upon it, and before it -could open fire, he pumped out a hail of lead that struck it from its -position, and the men serving it, in spite of their shield, were killed -or disabled either by direct shots, ricochets, or splinters. - -"One belt empty!" he said, as he replaced it with a full one. "By -George! Now we're in for it!" - -He had heard the characteristic scream of a shell. Immediately -afterwards there was a terrific explosion, and he saw a tall column of -smoke, stones, and dust shoot into the air from the rocks not two -hundred yards away. In another half-minute another shell exploded, a -little nearer. - -"They must be 'phoning the range," he said. "Look here, Enderby, I must -get you out of it. I can't leave the machine-gun now, but the Serbs -must carry you away. Marco Kralevich!" he shouted. - -The old man hurried down. - -"They'll have the range in a few minutes," said Burton. "I want you and -your friend to carry Captain Enderby out along the track yonder, towards -where the prisoners are. Take your daughter, too. When you come back, -go down into the cellar and relight the train; it must have gone out. -They will smash the tower; the only chance of holding them up is to -explode the mine. Make haste, for Heaven's sake!" - -Marco summoned Nuta and Milosh from the roof. They lifted Enderby, and -were half-way down the stairs with him when the Bulgarian gunners made -their first hit. A shell carried away a corner of the parapet. The -tower shook under the explosion, and the falling masonry plunged into -the enclosure, raising a dense cloud of dust. Burton trembled for the -safety of his friends, but his thoughts were taken from them by a -renewed movement among the enemy. Immediately after the crash, the men -concealed in the bushes sprang out, and dashed forward with a cheer. -They would have been wiser to wait. Burton saw them indistinctly -through the dust, but he had the range to a yard, and again they melted -away under his withering fire. - -Shells were now bursting around the tower. There was another crash -above; fragments of stone fell into the room, striking Burton in many -places. It was a moment of racking anxiety. He dared not leave the gun -until the track had been destroyed, yet the tower might crumple down -upon him. His ammunition was running short--would Marco get back in -time? Even if he relit the train, would the flame reach the explosives? -And at that crisis he nerved himself for what must be regarded as a -supreme act of self-sacrifice. If all else failed, at the last moment -he must go himself into the cellar, and fire into the charge. - -Deafened by the explosions that now recurred every few seconds, -smothered in dust, struck by fragments of stone, half choked by fumes, -he still held his place at the window. The enemy had learnt a lesson. -They kept out of sight. Before long the guns would have done their -work, and when the tower was in ruins the way would be clear. - -"They won't charge again till we're smashed," he thought. "Now for it!" - -Taking his rifle, he hurried down the stairs. At the trap-door he -halted a moment. He knew the risk he was about to run. His work in the -tunnel had been so hurried that the backward force of the explosion -could not be wholly checked. He was taking his life in his hands; but -it was the last hope. He gathered himself together. His foot was on the -first step when he was brought to a halt by a rifle shot below. The -next instant he was hurled back by a terrific concussion, and fell, an -immense noise dinning in his ears. For a moment he lay dazed. - -"Marco must have done it!" he said to himself as he staggered to his -feet. - -Down into the cellar he sprang, gasping in the noisome fumes. His -electric torch, still gleaming, lay on the floor. Near the mouth of the -tunnel he saw the heroic old Serb prostrate. He rushed to him, stooped -over him. Was he yet alive? Burton could not tell. Exerting almost -superhuman strength he managed to hoist the big man to his back, and -staggered with him across the cellar, up the steps, and across the -floor. Almost broken down under the weight of his burden, he was just -reaching the entrance when there was an appalling crash. The tower -tottered and collapsed, and the two men fell together. - -[Illustration: A PERILOUS MOMENT] - - - - VII - - -When Burton came to himself, it was to find an officer in khaki, with -the red cross of the R.A.M.C. on his sleeve, bending over him. - -"That's all right!" said a cheery voice. "He'll do now!" - -"Where am I? Where's Marco?" Burton asked faintly. - -"The old Serb? Don't worry about him. He has concussion, but he's a -tough old boy, and we'll pull him through." - -"And the Bulgars?" - -"Toiling like niggers to make a new track a mile from here. It's all -right. Take this morphine tablet. You shall hear all you want to know, -twenty-four hours from now. Rather hard luck to be knocked out twice in -one day, I must say." - -Young Marco, after long wandering and losing his way several times, had -lighted on a part of the British rearguard and delivered his note, which -passed from a subaltern through his company commander and colonel until -it came to the hands of the brigadier. An examination of the map decided -that officer to dispatch a regiment of light cavalry to the tower. They -reached it some ten minutes after it fell, having heard the outlines of -the story from Captain Enderby, whom they met a few hundred yards away, -keeping an eye on the three prisoners, as he said with a smile. Milosh -and Nuta, who were returning to the tower when the explosion occurred, -had narrowly escaped burial in the ruins. Rushing forward through the -smoke and dust, they had found the two men unconscious but alive, -protected by the only half-destroyed arch of the entrance. - -The shelling had ceased with the fall of the tower; the track had been -rendered utterly impassable by the explosion of the mine; and before the -enemy were aware of the presence of the British cavalry, and their guns -again came into play, the regiment had withdrawn with Burton, his party -and the prisoners, and were well on their way to the British lines. - -The value of the defence of the tower was handsomely acknowledged by the -brigadier. It had saved his rearguard. The Serbs were compensated for -the loss of their belongings in the abandoned cart, and young Marco, -besides presents given him by the British officers, found himself the -happy possessor of innumerable souvenirs from the men. Old Marco, who -soon recovered, received special commendation and reward for his heroism -in firing the mine at the risk of his life. As for Burton, no one was -more surprised than he when he learnt that his name had been sent in for -the V.C. - - - - -[Illustration: Chapter V Heading] - - - THE MISSING PLATOON - - - I - - -Burton rode at an easy jog trot, smoking a cigarette. He had a day off, -and by way of recreation had borrowed a horse to visit the battery for -which he had done a good deal of "spotting," but which he had not yet -seen. His only communication with it had been by wireless from the air. - -It was a fine spring afternoon--rather ominously fine, he thought, for -the sunlight had that liquid brightness which often preludes dirty -weather. Dust flew in clouds from the white road before the gusty wind. -From somewhere ahead came the booming of guns, and now and then he saw -bursts of smoke above the trenches a few miles away. - -He came to a solitary house at the roadside. It was partly demolished; -but in the doorway, flanked by a solid wall of sandbags, a subaltern was -standing. Burton reined up. - -"Officers' quarters of No. 6?" he asked laconically. - -"The same," was the reply. - -"My name's Burton: thought I'd come over and have a look at you." - -"You're the chap, are you? Well, I'll take you round. They're all in -the gun-pits, waiting orders. Take your horse round to the back: we get -pip-squeaks here occasionally." - -Having placed the horse in safety, Burton accompanied his guide across -the road, through what had once been a market-garden, to a turfy mound -resembling a small barrow, such as may be seen here and there in the -south of England. But this mound in France was obviously not an ancient -burial-place. There was something recent and artificial in its -appearance. A deep drain encircled it, and on its western side there -was a small opening, like the entrance to an Eskimo hut. - -"Here we are," said his guide, Laurence Cay, second lieutenant. "Mind -your head." - -Burton stooped and entered. He found himself in a spacious chamber, -dimly lit through the doorway and the hurdles stretched across the -farther end. To him, coming from the brilliant sunlight, the interior -was at first impenetrably dark; but as his eyes became accustomed to the -dimness, he saw the gun, clean, silent, on a bed of concrete; rows of -shells placed in recesses in the walls; and the opening of a tunnel. - -"That leads to our dug-out," said Cay. "We'll find some one there." - -A few steps through the tunnel brought them to a large cave-like room, -furnished with table and chairs, four bunks and a store cupboard. Two -officers were taking a late luncheon. - -"Let me introduce Burton, V.C., D.S.O., one of our spotters," said Cay. -"Captain Adams, Mr. Mortimer." - -"Hullo, Burton? So it's you. How d'ye do?" said the captain, shaking -hands. "Haven't seen you for an age. Have a drink?" - -"A cosy little place, this," said Burton, as he quaffed a mug of cider. - -"H'm! Pretty fair. We're proof against anything but a 'Jack Johnson.' -They haven't discovered us yet. We've had a few pip-squeaks and -four-twos, by accident. We make better practice, I think." - -"You missed a chance this morning." - -"How's that?" - -"Well, that mill, you know, just across the way--the Huns' divisional -headquarters." - -"Across the way! It's five miles--and a hill between!" - -Burton, who knew Captain Adams of old, ignored the interruption. It was -an easy amusement to "draw" Adams. - -"With a little promptitude, and--h'm--accuracy, you might have bagged -the whole lot; and who knows if Big or Little Willy mightn't have been -there on a visit? But you were so slow getting to work that they all -got away--except the cooks." - -"But, hang it all! I gave the order 'Battery action' one second after -we got the first call from O.P. and...." - -"Yes, but your first shell plugged into a cabbage patch half a mile to -the left." - -"O.P. reported 300 yards," snorted the captain indignantly. - -"Wanted to spare your feelings, old man. As I was saying, it only scared -the Huns and gave them time to clear out. The second shell was just -about as far to the right: demolished a pigsty." - -"Come now, how the deuce do you know that?" - -"Well, the divisional cooks started to make sauerkraut and sausage----" - -At this point Adams noticed that his subalterns were writhing with the -effort to contain their laughter; and perceiving at last that he was -being "chipped," he caught Burton by the collar and hurled him towards -one of the bunks. This was the opening move of a scrimmage which might -have continued until both were breathless had not Adams suddenly -remembered himself. - -"Gad, Burton, this won't do!" he said. "Bad example to those young -innocents" (indicating the subalterns). "Quite like old times at -school, eh? But really----" - -"How long have you been a captain, Adams?" - -"Gazetted a fortnight ago; it came through orders a week later. Must -give up skylarking now, you know. Have another drink." - -They sat down, compared notes, talked over old times: the conversation -became general. - -"Trench raids are becoming more common," said Cay presently. "You heard -what happened the other day?" - -"What was that?" - -"The better part of a platoon of the Rutlands is missing. They hold the -trenches in front of us, you know. Well, they got up a night raid, and -penetrated the Huns' first line: came back with a handful of prisoners -and no casualties to speak of. But when they took stock, something over -forty men of this platoon were missing." - -"They went too far, I suppose, and were cut off. Very bad luck." - -"If they're prisoners! Whatever happens to me, I hope I shan't be a -prisoner. These raids are the order of the day now; I suppose they're -useful. At any rate they give our fellows something to do." - -At this moment Burton started as the words "Battery action" came from -somewhere in a roar like that of a giant. - -"Megaphone!" cried Adams, jumping up. - -The officers rushed into the gun-pit. The men who had been working -outside came racing in. In a few moments another order was shouted -through a megaphone by the man in the telephone room--a shell-proof cave -hard by. "Target M--one round battery fire." - -Captain Adams took up a map of the German trenches, and with a rapidity -that amazed Burton, angles and fuses were adjusted, and in a few seconds -a shell went whistling and screaming towards its invisible target miles -away. Cay had gone to the wireless instrument in the corner, and sat -with the receiving telephones at his ears. - -"Range right; shell dropped quarter-mile to the left," he called -presently. - -New adjustments were made; the gun fired again. - -"How's that?" asked Adams. - -It seemed only a few seconds before Cay, repeating the message he had -received from the invisible aeroplane scouting aloft, replied: "Got -him!" A moment later he added: "New battery----" He broke off: the -burring of the instrument had ceased. He tried to get into communication -again, but failed. "Ask O.P. if they've seen the 'plane," he called to -the telephonist. Presently came the answer: "Went out of sight behind a -wooded hill. Afraid a Hun 'Archie' has brought it down." - -Meanwhile the order "Break off" had been received. The immediate task -of the battery was accomplished. - - - - II - - -The officers returned to their dug-out. - -"Your colleague hasn't had your luck, Burton," said Adams. "It's more -than a pity. He had evidently spotted a fresh battery. The Huns will -have time to conceal it unless some one else spots it and tips us the -wink." - -They went outside and scanned the sky. No aeroplane was in sight. - -"I think I'd better go up," said Burton. "I'm off duty to-day, but it -would be a pity to lose the chance. The new battery must have been -visible from where he saw your target. I ought to be able to find it if -I go at once." - -"A good idea! We might smash it before it gets to work. You'd better -'phone your flight commander. I'll lend you my trench map." - -Burton hurried to the telephone room. In a few minutes he returned. - -"O.K.," he said, "but I'll have to go alone. My observer's away, and -there's no one else handy." - -"That's awkward. You can't pilot and work the wireless too." - -"Perhaps not, but if I can spot the battery I can return with my -observer to-morrow, and then we'll be able to set you to work on it." - -"Good! You've seen what we can do." - -"Well, not exactly seen; but apparently it wasn't a pigsty this time. -Look out for me in an hour or so." - -He returned to the house, remounted, and rode back rapidly to the -aerodrome. There he explained the circumstances at greater length to his -flight commander, set the mechanics to work, and within ten minutes was -ready to start. - -"We're in for a storm, I fancy," said his commander as he got into his -place; "but perhaps you'll be back before it breaks." - -The weather had gradually changed. The sky had become thick, the air was -sultry and oppressive. As Burton climbed in a wide spiral it was like -going from a Turkish bath into the cooling room, fresh and exhilarating. -He circled over the aerodrome until he had attained an altitude of six -or seven thousand feet, then steered towards the German lines, still -rising steadily. The spot for which he was making was four or five -miles away. Soon the bewildering network of the British trenches glided -away beneath him. Then the German trenches came into view. On the -roads behind he noticed tiny black specks moving this way and -that--supply wagons, no doubt, or motor-cars bringing up fresh men. - -The whirr of his engine was broken into by something like the sound of a -pop-gun. He looked around; a woolly ball of smoke hung in the air on his -right. Immediately afterwards there were more pops, and the ball became -the centre of a cluster. Burton swerved to the left, then dodged a long -roll of greenish-yellow smoke with a red tongue of flame in the centre. -The German "Archies" were at work. He flew on, swinging from side to -side, until he calculated that he was about three miles behind the front -line of trenches. Then he turned at right angles and commenced a -methodical search of the ground stretched like a patchwork quilt below -him. Here was a brown patch of plough-land, then a blob of vivid green -denoting grass, or one of green speckled with white--an orchard in the -blossom of spring. In the distance the silvery streak of a river -pursued its winding way. A train was rolling across it, like a toy -train on a toy bridge. - -A dark mass below him broke apart, resolving itself into individual -dots. "Afraid of bombs," he thought. At the spot where the centre of -the crowd had been, the ground appeared to be blackened. "Shouldn't -wonder if that's the missing aeroplane," he thought. "It caught fire, -or they've burnt it. But where's that new battery? Things are getting -hot." Shells were bursting all about him. Now and then the machine -lurched, and he looked round anxiously to see the extent of the damage. -A few wires, perhaps, were hanging loose; a few rents gaped in the -fabric; nothing serious as yet. But it was getting very uncomfortable. - -Up and down he flew, feeling the strain of doing double work. With his -map pinned down in front of him he scanned the ground for some new -feature. Ah! What is that? Peering through his glasses he descries a -group of men in suspicious activity about a clump of bushes. They -scatter as he passes over. A shell sets the machine rocking. He swings -round and soars over the spot again, even venturing to descend a few -hundred feet. The clump is not marked on the map. What is that in the -middle of it? The flight has carried him beyond it before he can answer -the question; but he turns again, and circles over the place. There is -something unnatural in the appearance of the bushes. The shells are -bursting thicker than ever. Something cracks just behind his seat. But -he thrills as he realises that his reconnaissance has succeeded. "The -battery is hidden in that clump, or I'm a Dutchman." - -He marked the spot on his map, moved the elevator, soared aloft, and -steered for home, making a circuit northward to avoid an anti-aircraft -gun that lay directly between him and the aerodrome. And now for the -first time he was aware that the threatening storm was about to burst. -The westerly wind had increased in force; the sky was blacker; huge -waves of cloud were rolling eastward. He flew into the wind and tried -to rise above the clouds. Suddenly Heaven's artillery thundered around -him; there was a blinding flash; he was conscious of pain as though he -had received a heavy blow; then for a while he was lost to all about -him. - -When he partly recovered his senses and tried to regain control of the -machine he was in a state of bewilderment. The aeroplane was nearly -upside down. He scarcely knew which was top and which bottom. He -struggled to right the machine: when he succeeded, with great creaking -of the controls, he was alarmed to see that he was within a few hundred -feet of the ground, above a wood. Exercising all his self-command he -managed to swerve clear of the tree-tops, and in another moment or two -the machine came to the ground with a bump that seemed to shake out of -place every bone in his body. - -Half dazed, he unstrapped himself with trembling fingers and scrambled -from his seat. Rain was pouring in a deluge. The sky was black as -night. His feet had just touched the sodden soil when he became aware -of a number of figures rushing towards him from the undergrowth. -Fumbling for his revolver, he was felled by a shrewd blow. - -[Illustration: THE BRITISH WAY] - -Again he lost consciousness for a moment. Then he heard an English -voice. - -"You silly blighter! Couldn't you see?" - -"He was going to shoot." - -"Well, what of it? He couldn't hit a haystack. Didn't you see he was -fair crumpled with the fall?" - -"You may talk, but I wasn't going to be shot in mistake for a bloomin' -Hun." - -"I tell you any fool could see he was one of ours. I was sure of it. -You ought to have made sure--striking your superior officer." - -"Silence, you men!" called an authoritative voice. An officer had come -up from the shelter of the wood. "The noise you are making can be heard -a mile off. You'll bring the whole Hun army down on us." - -As a matter of fact, the men had begun by speaking in stage whispers, -their tones becoming louder and louder in their excitement as the -altercation proceeded. - -Burton rose stiffly and painfully to his feet. - -"Beg pardon, sir," sheepishly muttered the man who had knocked him down. -"It's raining so hard----" - -"That's all right," Burton interposed. "Where am I?" - -"It's you, Burton!" said the officer. "Come among the trees. You men, -lug the aeroplane in; the rain's so thick that perhaps the Huns haven't -seen where it fell." - -"But we're in no danger in our own lines?" said Burton in surprise. - -"We aren't in our own lines," rejoined the officer, dragging Burton into -the wood. "We're marooned." - -"Gad, Hedley, are you the missing platoon?" - -"Yes; I'll tell you." - -"Let me have a look at the machine first. By George! I thought I was -done for." - -"It was a narrow squeak. But you've always had wonderful luck. Here's -the machine. What's the damage?" - -Burton examined the aeroplane and gave a rueful shrug. - -"Two holes in the engine cowl, a dozen in the planes, bracing wires shot -away; they don't cripple her, but the worst thing is that one of the -landing wheels is buckled. She's useless till that is put right." - -"Well, perhaps we can get that done for you. You seem as badly crocked -as the machine, and no wonder." - -"But tell me, Hedley, where are we? And how did you get here?" - -"Tell you by and by," said Hedley, who spoke in whispers and showed -other signs of nervous apprehension. "Come on." - -"But I can't leave the machine." - -"You must. We can't take it with us. It won't be found while the rain -lasts." - -"I can't fly back unless I get this wheel straightened." - -"All right. Stanbridge," he said, calling up a short, sturdily-built -corporal, "get that buckled wheel off. Quick work!" - -"Very good, sir." - -"You'll find some tools on board," said Burton. - -"And don't make a row," Hedley added. - -It was the work of only a few minutes to detach the wheel. There was no -conversation; everybody showed nervous impatience; two or three men kept -watch at the edge of the wood. - -"Now then," said Hedley. - -He led the way, groping through the wood. Burton followed on his heels: -he felt himself a compendium of aches. Rain was still falling. Through -it could be seen the blurred lights of a distant building. A short walk -brought the party to what appeared to be a thick hedge of bramble -bounding a field. There was a whispered challenge. - -"Potsdam," whispered Hedley in return, giving the password. - -He turned, took Burton by the arm, and guided him through an opening -which had suddenly disclosed itself in the bramble hedge. A sentry -stood aside; the party filed in. Burton found himself moving down a -sharp declivity, which by and by opened out into a spacious cave, lit by -a single candle-lamp. Two or three men got up from the stools on which -they had been sitting. The floor was roughly boarded. A table stood in -the centre. Along one side were a number of large wooden bins. - -"We sleep on them," said Hedley. "Rather stuffy quarters, you perceive." - -"Concentrated essence of earth and candle smoke," said Burton, sniffing. - -"Also bacon fat and the smell of our cooker. Sit down, you shall have -something to eat and drink in a jiffy." - -"You won't forget the wheel?" - -"No. Stanbridge, get that wheel put right." - -Among any score of British soldiers there will usually be found a -factotum who can turn his hand to anything. It was not otherwise with -these men of the Rutland Light Infantry. Having seen the work started, -Hedley heaved a sigh of relief. - -"Now we can talk," he said. - - - - III - - -"You heard about the night raid? Well, we were completely cut off from -the rest by a counter attack, from the flank. We tried to bomb our way -back, lost heavily, got all muddled up. There seemed to be a whole -brigade of Huns between us and our lines, so the only thing to be done -was to give them the slip, and dodge around in the hope of finding a -weak spot where we might break through. There are only twenty-four of -us left. We managed to keep together, and were lucky enough to escape -the Huns; but of course we got hopelessly lost. Just before daylight, -dead beat, we stumbled into the wood yonder, not caring much what -happened to us. In the early morning an old French farmer found us -there. My hat! we felt pretty bad when he told us we were deep in the -enemy's country, and a company of Huns billeted in his farm only half a -mile away. Rummy, isn't it?--he's held on, working his farm in spite of -everything, and the Huns don't seem to have bothered him much." - -Here one of the men brought some freshly-fried bacon, biscuits, and -light wine. - -"Fall to!" Hedley went on. "It was a tremendous bit of luck, old -Lumineau's finding us, because of this cave of his. It is on the -outskirts of his farm, and he concealed here a lot of his spare stores -when he had news that the Huns were coming up last September -twelvemonth. The cave has had a history, it appears, and it's lucky -again that the Huns don't know of it. The old farmer told me it used to -shelter a famous band of outlaws centuries ago. During the Revolution a -local nobleman's family lived in it for months. More recently it has -been a store for smugglers running goods across the Belgian frontier. -We're pretty safe here, though of course a strolling Hun may discover it -any day, and then----" - -"How did you happen to be in the wood when I came down?" - -"We weren't there, but we heard your engine, and Stanbridge, who's got a -wonderful ear, declared it was English, so we rushed up on the chance. -If it hadn't been so dark and raining so hard, the Huns would certainly -have seen or heard you; but you always had all the luck!" - -"You've had a good share, anyway." - -"We have, that's true. Old Lumineau has kept us well supplied, at -Heaven knows what risk to himself. We're hanging on here in the hope of -getting back some day. It's pretty hopeless, I expect; but I'm not going -to give in till I must." - -"Can I do anything for you?" - -"I don't see how you can. We must trust to luck." - -"When that wheel's straightened I'll fly back and report to your -colonel." - -"He can't do anything. Nothing short of a general push could gain this -ground, and he won't risk hundreds for the sake of a score. Our only -chance is to slip through when they're strafing one night; even then the -odds are a hundred to one against us. Still, I dare say the C.O. would -be pleased to know what's become of us, and I'll be glad if you'll tell -him. But d'you think you're fit to fly back to-night after your -gruelling?" - -"Oh yes! I've had a bit of a shake, but a little rest will set me up. -I've discovered a new battery the Huns have rigged up, and must report -as soon as possible. Look: here's the spot." - -He showed the mark recently made on his map. - -"Good!" said Hedley, examining the map with interest. "But the Huns' -trenches aren't marked so completely as on mine. Here you see we have -them all plotted out: we know them as well as we know our own." - -"That's useful. I say, Hedley, I don't see why we shouldn't make some -practical use of your presence in the enemy's country, and get you away -too." - -"As for getting away, we shall have to depend on ourselves. As I said -before, the C.O. won't risk hundreds for the sake of our little lot; and -if he would, the Brigadier wouldn't allow it." - -"I don't know. Could you make me a copy of the map so far as this -neighbourhood is concerned, putting in the position of the cave?" - -"Certainly: I'll scratch it in on a leaf from my order-book." - -The rough drawing completed, Burton folded the paper and put it in his -pocket, remarking, half in jest, half in earnest-- - -"If the Huns collar me, I'm afraid I'll have to eat it. Now this is my -idea." - -There ensued a long discussion, in the course of which Hedley passed -from doubt to confidence and enthusiasm. - -"Well, if you bring it off," he said in conclusion, "it'll be a -tremendous score. You're a V.C. already: I don't see what more they can -do for you--except make you a lord." - -"My dear fellow! ... There's just one point. I ought to have a better -landing-place than that wood. After to-night's affair I shall be -nervous if there are trees about. Is there anything more suitable and -safe?" - -Hedley considered. - -"There is," he said presently, "a little farther away. Beyond the wood -the ground rises: it's the nearest thing to a hill these parts can show. -Then it dips into a wide grassy hollow. That's your place. I'll get -old Lumineau to show three small lights there to-morrow night at eleven. -In the hollow they won't be seen by the Huns: besides, I'll get him to -mask them except from the sky." - -"That's capital. Well, if I don't turn up by eleven or soon after -you'll know that either I have been winged on the way or that the -Brigadier has turned down our little entertainment. In that case, you -must do the best you can on your own." - -"Right, old man. What I'm most afraid of is that you won't get away -safely. There's no strafing to-night, and the Huns are bound to hear -your engine. You'll make more noise going up." - -"But it's dark: there's no moon; and I shall be well up before they spot -me." - -"Let's hope so." - -"What's the time?" - -"Ten minutes to nine. Better wait till midnight. Take a nap." - -"I will. Wake me when the time comes." - -Burton was one of those lucky mortals who can sleep anywhere at any -time. In a few minutes he was sleeping soundly. At midnight Hedley -roused him. - -"Time's up," he said. "The rain has stopped, and the sky's clear: -there's just enough starlight to show you the way. I'm sending -Stanbridge and a squad to replace your wheel, carry the machine out and -see you off. I'd better keep on the _qui vive_ here, I think." - -"Good-bye, then--till to-morrow." - -Following the men, Burton stole out of the cave and crept with extreme -caution into the wood. The neighbourhood was quiet; the only sound was -the booming of guns far away. The wheel was replaced; the 'plane was -quickly dragged or lifted to the open hollow about a quarter of a mile -away. Burton spent a few anxious minutes in looking over the engine by -the light of his electric torch; then he strapped himself into his seat, -and ordered Stanbridge to whirl the propeller while the other men clung -to the rear of the machine. - -"Race back like mad when I'm off," he said. "'Ware Huns!" - -The engine began to roar. - -"Stand clear!" he said. - -The machine rolled off along the grass, gathering momentum; the tail -lifted; the wheels rose clear; and she skimmed the grass like a huge -bird. In a few seconds Burton was slanting upward on the first round of -his spiral course. - -Ten minutes later a party of German infantry, some fully clothed, others -in various stages of deshabille, rushed breathlessly over the rise into -the now deserted hollow. - -"I am sure," said one of them, "the first sound came from somewhere -about here. Then an aeroplane rose like a big black bird above the -trees. I gave the alarm the moment I heard the engine." - -"You must have been dreaming, stupid," said his lieutenant, irritable at -being wakened. "There was no aeroplane here at nightfall; one couldn't -have gone up if it hadn't come down first, and I must have heard that. -Think yourself lucky I don't report you for sleeping on duty. -Feldwebel, bring the men back." - -The lieutenant turned on his heel and plodded grumbling back down the -hill. The glare of Verey lights, the bursting of shells in the sky -westward, might have confirmed the man's story; but Lieutenant -Schnauzzahn was never the man to admit himself in the wrong. - - - - IV - - -A little before eleven on the following night, the Germans on that part -of the front were thrown into agitation by a sudden burst of unusually -violent gun-fire from the British artillery. Such a bombardment was -commonly preliminary to an infantry attack, and the German soldier, -though brave enough, is no longer quite easy in mind at the prospect of -meeting British "Tommies." The few men in the front trenches cowered on -the ground or in their dug-outs; the communication and support trenches -filled up; and Verey lights illuminated the No Man's Land across which -they expected the enemy to swarm when the bombardment ceased. - -The deafening din and crash stopped as suddenly as it had begun. The -Germans rushed into their front trenches. But there was no sign of -movement on the now brightly lit space. There was no rifle fire, no -bombs, no sound of cheering. All was quiet. They were puzzled. Was -the attack postponed? The shelling had not lasted long enough to do very -much damage. Perhaps it was intended to frighten them. None would -admit that, if such were the object, it had succeeded. For a time they -stood to arms, watchful, suspicious, uneasy. But the bombardment was -not resumed. Nothing showed above the British parapets. They loosed -off a few shots to relieve their feelings; then settled down to the -weary night-work of the trenches. - -At the moment when this brief bombardment opened, Burton made his ascent -from the aerodrome behind the British lines. At the moment when it -ceased he was circling behind the German lines, some 2000 feet in the -air, vainly endeavouring to pick up the pre-arranged signal-lights in -the hollow. His flight had been carefully timed with the bombardment; -he ought to have landed under cover of the noise; but the best -arrangements are apt to be nullified by the unforeseen. A mist -blanketed the ground, dense enough to obscure completely any lights of -less than electric intensity. - -This was baffling. It was also alarming. The purring of the engine, -hitherto smothered by the continuous gun-fire, must now be distinctly -audible below. One searchlight had already begun to play; before long -the aeroplane would be in the full glare of their intersecting rays. -What should he do? To go back meant the breakdown of the whole scheme; -the opportunity might not recur. Yet to land haphazard would be to court -disaster; to land at all might throw him into the hands of patrols sent -out to capture him. - -While he was thus uneasily turning over the problem, his eyes, strained -earthward, suddenly discovered three tiny points of light arranged -triangularly. They as suddenly disappeared; a puff of wind had for the -moment broken the mist, which had then rolled back and obscured them. -But the glimpse was enough to decide him. He dropped a thousand feet, -wheeling, so far as he could judge by guesswork, around the spot at -which he had seen the lights. Once more he caught sight of them; they -were brighter. Another searchlight was sweeping the sky: it was neck or -nothing now. Keeping the lights in view, he dived steeply, coming to -earth with a sharp jolt, within twenty paces of the apex of the -triangle. Before the machine had lost its impetus, however, it crashed -against the stump of a tree at the edge of the hollow. Burton was -thrown forward in his seat; fortunately the strap prevented him from -being hurled out. Recovering from the shock, he loosened the strap, -climbed down, glanced around, and seeing no one, proceeded to examine -the forward part of the machine. He gave a gasp of dismay. The -propeller was smashed. - -The consequence of the disaster immediately flashed into his mind. He -could only get back in company with the Rutlands. If they failed, he -would fail too. - -He had just assured himself that the damage was irreparable with such -appliances as were at his command in the cave, when he became aware of -light footsteps rapidly approaching. Expecting to see some of the -Rutlands, who had been no doubt looking out for him, he raised his head -towards the crest of the rise. Next moment he was in the grasp of two -men, one of whom, mouthing guttural triumph, gripped his throat in a -strangle hold. - - - - V - - -About half an hour before Burton started from the aerodrome, Captain -Bramarbas of the 19th Pomeranian infantry of the line laid down his -knife and fork with a grunt of satisfaction. He wiped his lips, tossed -off a glass of wine, and turning gleaming eyes upon Lieutenant -Schnauzzahn of the same regiment, who sat opposite, he ejaculated-- - -"Gott sei dank! These French swine have one virtue: they can cook." - -"It is wonderful!" the lieutenant agreed. "Who would have thought that -an old French farmer would have had such resources? Cheap, too." - -"Cheap indeed!" laughed the captain. "Between you and me, old Lumineau -will have difficulty in turning our paper into good German money after -the war ... Ist es aber entsetzlich--the noise of those swine." - -The door had just opened to admit an old woman servant bearing coffee. -From the adjoining room--the spacious farm kitchen given up to the -captain's men--came a guttural roar. A hundred Germans feeding like one -make a variety of unpleasant noises. It is not a mere coincidence, -perhaps, that the Prussian loves a pig. - -The officers took their cups of coffee, lit cigars, and lolled back in -their chairs. The door closed behind the servant, reducing the sounds -to a muffled hum, not loud enough to disturb the comfort of gentlemen. -It was a pleasant hour. The day's work was done; they were three or -four miles behind the firing line; the farm was a snug billet. They had -been working late; supper had taken the place of dinner: when they had -finished their cigars they might go with a good German conscience to -bed. - -Presently there was a knock at the door. - -"Come in," said the captain drowsily. - -A sergeant entered, and stiffly saluted. - -"What do you want? It is late. I gave you your orders." - -"Herr Captain, I ask pardon for disturbing you, but----" - -"Waste no time, Ascher. Say what you have to say quickly, confound -you!" - -[Illustration: "Say what you have to say quickly--confound you!"] - -"It is important, Herr Captain. For some time I have been suspicious of -the farmer, as the Herr Captain knows, though he does not condescend to -share my doubts. True, the farmer, though a Frenchman, is very obliging" -(here the sergeant glanced for a moment at the remains on the table), -"but I felt that his amiability was a mere blind, and I watched him." - -"Ha! Now what did you see?" said the captain, sitting up. "If there is -treachery----" - -"Once or twice at night the farmer has gone out towards the wood yonder. -I asked myself, why? There is no farm work at night. To-night I -followed him. It was difficult, Herr Captain, for he moved very -cautiously, stopping and looking behind and around him." - -"That itself is suspicious. Well?" - -"He made his way beyond the wood, up the hill, and down into the hollow -on the other side, and there, Herr Captain, he placed three small lamps -on the ground, so." He moved to the table, and arranged three bottles -triangularly. "He lit them." - -"And you? You seized him, of course?" - -"I thought of doing so, Herr Captain, and of demanding an explanation; -but I felt it was a matter for the Herr Captain's discretion----" - -"And you left him! Idiot! They were signals, of course. You ought to -have put them out, tied him up, and brought him to me in the morning. -Now I lose an hour's sleep. Idiot!" - -Captain Bramarbas was active enough now. He got up, buckled his belt -and put on his helmet. - -"Come, Schnauzzahn," he said, "we will see to this ourselves." - -"Why not send a squad?" suggested the lieutenant. - -"Ach! the swine are probably drunk. They are dull fools at the best. -Come along! We'll slip out through the window, to avoid warning the -servants." - -The two officers and the sergeant climbed out of the window and hastened -towards the hill. They had scarcely gone when the servant who had -waited on them knocked at the door, and receiving no answer, hearing no -voices, quickly opened it and looked in. She glanced from the vacant -chairs to the open window. - -"Eh, mon Dieu!" she muttered, and closing the door, hurried back to the -kitchen. - -The three Germans had covered about half the distance to the hill when -the sound of heavy firing from the right broke upon their ears. They -stopped, and stood for a few moments watching the shells bursting in -rapid succession in the neighbourhood of the trenches. The captain -swore. - -"It looks like an attack," he growled. "These cursed English! We must -make haste in case we are called up in support. No sleep to-night, -Schnauzzahn." - -They hurried on, and in five minutes more were creeping up the low -incline. At the crest they halted and peered into the hollow. A figure -was bending over one of the lamps, which emitted a brighter light into -the mist. - -"Go and capture him, Ascher," whispered the captain. - -"Shall I bayonet him, Herr Captain?" - -"No; we must use him. We can shoot him later." - -The sergeant crept silently upon the old farmer from the rear. It was -the work of a few seconds to overpower him and cast him helpless on the -ground. - -The two officers went forward. As they descended the slope they became -aware that the lights were less visible. - -"They're intended as signals to an aeroplane," said Schnauzzahn, -approaching them rapidly. "See! They are directed above." - -"Villainous treachery! But our good German wits will defeat it. -Listen! Do you hear an engine?" - -"No," replied the lieutenant after a brief silence. - -"Then we have still time. Ascher, move the lamps near the slope. We'll -spoil his landing!" - -The sergeant carried the lamps to the foot of the slope, and placed them -close together. - -"Not so, idiot!" cried the captain, "arrange them as they were before. -Don't you understand?" - -Hardly had the lamps been rearranged in their triangular position when -the whirring of an engine was heard through the thunder of the distant -guns. - -"Here he is!" said Bramarbas. "I hope he'll break his neck. If he -doesn't, you and I will seize him, Schnauzzahn; Ascher will guard the -farmer." - -They waited. The aeroplane could be heard wheeling above. The -bombardment suddenly ceased. - -"The English have changed their minds. They can't have done much harm in -ten minutes. So much the better!" said the captain. The searchlights -began to play. "Potztausend! I hope he won't be shot down. Much better -for us to capture him. Can he see the lights through the mist?" - -"No doubt he has seen them. The sound has stopped. He has shut off the -engine." - -"Bring the Frenchman over the crest, Ascher, and don't let him cry out." - -Thus it happened that Burton, after his unlucky accident, found himself -in the grasp of Captain Bramarbas and Lieutenant Schnauzzahn of the 19th -Pomeranian infantry of the line. - -The German officers were mightily pleased with themselves. They had -supped well: French cooking and French wine predisposed them to rosy -views. Nothing more delightful could have crowned their day. A French -spy, an English aeroplane and an English airman--all in a single haul! -The Iron Cross had often been awarded for much less. And, of course, -there was something behind it all. An enemy aeroplane would not land -thus in the German lines unless there was some important object to be -gained. The English, no doubt, were mad; but after all there was method -in their madness. The next move must be to discover the nature of this -Englishman's scheme, and his means of communication with the farmer spy. -Then compliments, promotion, and the Iron Cross! - -Some such thoughts as these raced through the Germans' minds in the -moment of exultation, when, for the first time, their hands laid hold of -English flesh. - -"Hand over your revolver," said the captain in German. "Do you speak -German?" - -"No," said Burton, making no resistance as Schnauzzahn relieved him of -the weapon. He felt very wretched. - -Captain Bramarbas was disappointed. Neither he nor his lieutenant spoke -English, and it did not occur to him for the moment that the Englishman -might speak French. - -"We'll march our prisoners down to the farm," he said to Schnauzzahn. - -"Wait a moment. They may have accomplices who will remove or destroy -the aeroplane as soon as our backs are turned. That would be a pity." - -"What then? If one of us stays to guard the machine, and there are -accomplices, he would have to meet an unknown number single-handed." - -He stood pointing his revolver at Burton. They must find a way out of -this quandary. - -"Why not send Ascher to the farm to bring up some men?" - -"Again, he might be sprung upon by the enemy. Of course, they would -have no chance in the end, but for the present, until we know more, we -had better remain all three together. Listen! Do you hear anything?" - -"No." - -"They may be lurking somewhere to take us unawares, though how they -could conceive such a scheme, so mad, so insolent---- Ach! I have it." - -The captain had indeed at last made up his mind--and, as the sequel -showed, chosen the wrong course. It was, perhaps, no worse than -another, for it was chosen in ignorance of the circumstances; but his -calculation sprang from a typically German misconception of the -psychology of an Englishman. - -A sentry was always on duty at the door of the farm. A couple of -revolver shots would give him the alarm, and in a few minutes the -Pomeranians, swine in their hours of ease, but good soldiers -nevertheless, would rush to their captain's assistance. - -Burton stood motionless. Schnauzzahn was a little to his left. -Bramarbas faced him, holding the revolver. The captain suddenly fired -off two rapid shots, moving the revolver to the right so as to avoid -hitting his prisoner. - -The airman's life is punctuated by swift decisions, depends on the -perfect co-ordination of act with thought. Burton's mind worked quicker -than lightning. Before the German had time to cover him again, he shot -out his right arm, rigid as a rod of metal, struck up the captain's -wrist with a sharp jerk that sent the revolver flying, and a fraction of -a second later dealt him with the left fist a fierce upper cut beneath -the jaw, and lifted him into the bushes. - -A bullet scorched Burton's cheek as he spun round to deal with -Schnauzzahn. Another stung his left shoulder. But he hurled himself -upon the agitated lieutenant, and with a sledge-hammer blow sent him to -join his captain. - -There was now only the sergeant to dispose of. That worthy stood over -the prostrate farmer some little distance away, and though he had heard -the thudding blow and the crash as each of his superiors fell, he had -not clearly seen what had happened. Burton was dashing towards him when -a Verey light illumined the scene. And then the sergeant was transfixed -with amazement and terror, for on one side of him he saw the figure of a -British airman, on the other, sprinting up towards the lip of the -hollow, a score of silent forms in the well-known khaki. Ordinarily, no -doubt, he was a brave man, but at such a moment as this valour melted in -discretion. He flung up his hands. - -[Illustration: HANDS UP!] - -The German officers meanwhile had picked themselves up. They were -surrounded and seized. The light had died away. - -"Quick!" said Hedley. "I hear the Huns rushing out of the farm. -Where's Lumineau?" - -The farmer had risen, and came to him. - -"Get away to the cave," said Burton. "I'll be after you in a second: -must fire the machine." - -He rushed to the aeroplane, poured some petrol out and applied a match, -and as the flame shot up into the air, dashed after the Rutlands and -their three prisoners, who, under the guidance of the farmer, were -disappearing into the wood. Five minutes later, when the Pomeranians -arrived on the scene, their amazed eyes beheld only a blazing aeroplane; -not a man was in sight. - -Arriving at the cave, the panting Englishmen threw themselves down; some -laughed silently; the spectacle of three gagged Germans was very -pleasing. - -"What brought you up so opportunely?" asked Burton. "Not the shots? -There wasn't time." - -"No. Old Jacqueline warned us. She missed the officers, saw the open -window, and guessed that they had got on the track of Lumineau. Trust a -Frenchwoman's wits! But I say, what's your news?" - -"It couldn't be better. The Brigadier, as it happened, had ordered an -attack on the German trenches for to-night. When your C.O. explained -the circumstances, he was quite keen to fit his arrangements to our -scheme." - -"That bombardment wasn't bluff, then?" - -"He timed it to give me cover, and broke off to delude the Huns. The -attack is fixed for two o'clock, when they'll have given up expecting -it." - -"That leaves us plenty of time to get to the trenches. It'll be -ticklish work, getting through. I'll tell old Lumineau: we depend on -his guidance. If he declines the job we shall be horribly handicapped." - -He took the farmer apart, and held a quiet conversation with him. The -old man readily agreed to guide the party to the vicinity of the third -line of trenches. - -"But you'll come with us all the way?" said Hedley. "The farm won't be -safe for you after this. You'll be shot." - -Lumineau shrugged and smiled. - -"Perhaps not, monsieur," he said. "The Bosches did not see us; they will -only be puzzled. I will go now back to the farm; do you see my -amazement when they tell me their officers have disappeared? I will -lead a search--not in this direction, par exemple!--and I will come back -in good time to lead you. A bas les Bosches." - - - - VI - - -Some few days later, Lieutenant Hedley was dispensing hospitality to a -few friends in a neat little officers' estaminet in a village behind the -lines. Among his guests were Captain Adams and other officers of the -Rutlands' supporting battery, and Burton of the Flying Corps. - -"It took us about forty minutes to smash that battery you spotted, -Burton," said Adams, with an air of pride. - -"Better than pig-killing," returned Burton solemnly. - -"Oh, we cut up a few pigs too." - -"How do you know?" asked Hedley. - -"Well, you see, in the first place," Adams was beginning earnestly, when -Laurence Cay interrupted him. - -"We haven't time for firstly, secondly, thirdly, old man. We want to -hear about Hedley and his missing platoon. By George! it must have been -creepy work." - -"A good deal of it was literally creeping," said Hedley. "Old Farmer -Lumineau led us through woods and orchards for miles--a roundabout way, -of course. It was ghastly, trudging along in the dark, trying to make -no noise, afraid to whisper, stopping to listen, starting at the least -sound. We got at last to a little copse just behind the farthermost -line of trenches, and there Lumineau left us. We were on thorns, I can -tell you. It seemed that the attack would never begin. We couldn't -hear any Huns anywhere near us, but caught a note of a cornet now and -then from some billet on our left rear. I looked at my trench map----" - -"In the dark?" asked Adams. - -"No, you juggins! in the light of my electric torch, screened by the men -stooping over me. I got a pretty good idea of our whereabouts, and -talked over a plan of action with my sergeant--a capital fellow--and -Burton. I nearly yelled in sheer excitement when I heard the row as our -chaps started bombing the first trenches. We heard the Huns then, too; -rifles, machine-guns, whizz-bangs: it was an inferno. We crept out into -the communication trench I had spotted, and had nearly got to the second -line when we heard a crowd of Huns racing across from our right. We -waited a bit, went on again, and came smack into a traverse. It was -pitch dark, but we had no sooner scrambled over than a star-shell burst -right overhead. We flung ourselves down, dashed on when the light died, -and--well, I hardly know what happened next. All I know is that somehow -or other we discovered that we were pressing on the rear of a lot of -Huns who were being forced back by our fellows in front, and there was a -good chance of our being scuppered by our own bombs. I passed along -word to give a yell, and the men shouted like fiends let loose. That -was enough for the Huns. Rutlands in front of them, Rutlands behind -them! 'Kamerad! Kamerad!' they bawled when I called to them to -surrender; and to make a long story short, we scooped the lot and got -safe through with a few trifling casualties." - -"What beats me," said Adams, "is how Burton managed to deal with three -armed Germans single-handed. How was it, Burton?" - -Now Burton was never very ready to talk about himself. He flicked the -ash off his cigarette, and hesitatingly answered-- - -"Just a bit of luck, Adams." - -"Yes, but what?" - -"There were only two really." - -"Hedley said there were three." - -"So there were," said Hedley, "but there was only one upright when I -arrived on the scene." - -"What about the others, then? Come, Burton!" - -"They weren't far away. The fact is, I knocked 'em down, if you must -have it." - -"Both at once? Right, left--that way?" - -"No, one after the other. You see, the captain gave me an opening, and -I took it, that's all." - -The company were not satisfied with this far from lucid explanation, and -pressed Burton with questions until the details were dragged out of him. -He had to endure a flood of congratulations, until a diversion by -Captain Adams, who had been meditating a tit-for-tat for Burton's -"chipping" on the occasion of his visit to the battery, brought welcome -relief. - -"Well," said the captain, slowly unfolding a copy of the _Times_, -"Burton has been gassing a good deal, but what does it all amount to? -The official account won't shock his modesty. Listen! 'Last night we -captured certain elements of the enemy's first and second lines of -trenches in the neighbourhood of ----, and are now consolidating our -gains!'" - - - - THE END - - - - PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY R. CLAY AND SONS, LTD., - BRUNSWICK STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. - - - - - - - * * * * * * * * - - - - - - - HERBERT STRANG'S STORIES OF THE GREAT WAR - - -A HERO OF LIÉGE (Belgium). -FIGHTING WITH FRENCH (Flanders). -FRANK FORESTER (Gallipoli). -BURTON OF THE FLYING CORPS. -THROUGH THE ENEMY'S LINES (Asia Minor). - - - HISTORICAL STORIES - - -WITH DRAKE ON THE SPANISH MAIN (Elizabeth). -HUMPHREY BOLD (William III and Anne). -THE ADVENTURES OF HARRY ROCHESTER (Anne). -ROB THE RANGER (Wolfe In Canada). -ONE OF CLIVE'S HEROES (Clive in India). -BOYS OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE (Peninsular War). -BARCLAY OF THE GUIDES (Indian Mutiny). -KOBO (Russo-Japanese War). -BROWN OF MOUKDEN (Russo-Japanese War). - - - ROMANCES - - -JACK HARDY: A Story of One Hundred Years Ago. -PALM-TREE ISLAND (Adventure in the Pacific). -SETTLERS AND SCOUTS (East Africa). -THE ADVENTURES OF DICK TREVANION (Smugglers). -THE AIR SCOUT: A Story of National Defence. -THE AIR PATROL: A Story of the North-West Frontier. -TOM BURNABY (the Congo Forest). -SULTAN JIM (German Aggression in Central Africa). -A GENTLEMAN AT ARMS (the Times of Elizabeth) -SAMBA (the Congo Free State). -THE OLD MAN OF THE MOUNTAIN (Central Asian Mysteries). - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BURTON OF THE FLYING CORPS *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41737 - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission -and without paying copyright royalties. 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