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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..68631b3 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63462 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63462) diff --git a/old/63462-0.txt b/old/63462-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a16712c..0000000 --- a/old/63462-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5352 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Over There with the Marines at Chateau -Thierry, by Capt. George H. Ralphson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Over There with the Marines at Chateau Thierry - -Author: Capt. George H. Ralphson - -Release Date: October 14, 2020 [EBook #63462] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OVER THERE WITH THE MARINES *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Garcia, Larry B. -Harrison, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - OVER THERE SERIES - - - THE MARINES AT CHATEAU THIERRY - THE CANADIANS AT VIMY RIDGE - THE DOUGHBOYS AT ST. MIHIEL - PERSHING’S HEROES AT CANTIGNY - THE ENGINEERS AT CAMBRAI - THE YANKS IN THE ARGONNE FOREST - -[Illustration: - - THE GERMANS GAVE WAY UNDER THE TERRIBLE FIRE OF THE TANKS. - - [The Marines at Chateau Thierry] -] - - - - - OVER THERE - WITH - THE MARINES - AT - CHATEAU THIERRY - - - _By_ - CAPT. GEORGE H. RALPHSON - Author of - OVER THERE WITH THE DOUGHBOYS AT ST. MIHIEL, OVER THERE WITH THE - CANADIANS AT VIMY RIDGE, OVER THERE WITH PERSHING’S HEROES AT CANTIGNY - -[Illustration] - - M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY - CHICAGO NEW YORK - - - - - Copyright, 1919 - M. A. DONOHUE & CO. - CHICAGO - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - I PHIL AND TIM 7 - II FOUR KILOS ON HOBNAILS 11 - III DIGGING IN 17 - IV GAS MASKS 22 - V A MACHINE-GUN BARRAGE 27 - VI THE BOCHES CHARGE 32 - VII TIMBER FIGHTING 37 - VIII AID FROM THE AIR 44 - IX “KILL, KILL, KILL” 48 - X A NOVEL DISARMAMENT 52 - XI PHIL A PRISONER 57 - XII A BARBED WIRE PRISON 62 - XIII MR. BOACONSTRICTOR 69 - XIV A NEW PRISON 75 - XV A LIGHT WITHOUT MATCHES 81 - XVI PLANS FOR ESCAPE 87 - XVII TUNNELING 92 - XVIII THE PRISONERS TAKE A PRISONER 96 - XIX OVERHEARD IN A SANDPIT 102 - XX ESCAPE 107 - XXI THE PLOT 112 - XXII GOOD-BY 118 - XXIII THE FIGHT IN THE CELLAR 122 - XXIV ANOTHER CAPTURE 127 - XXV A CHAPTER OF WIND 131 - XXVI TURNING THE TABLES 135 - XXVII FOOD FOR PROHIBITION 141 - XXVIII THE PRISONERS FLEE 145 - XXIX IN HIDING 150 - XXX AN AUDACIOUS SCHEME 155 - XXXI PHIL’S STRATEGY 159 - XXXII MR. BOA AGAIN 164 - XXXIII TANKS AND “WATER CURE” 170 - XXXIV FROM TANK TO LIMOUSINE 178 - XXXV IN A TIGHT PLACE 183 - XXXVI SUGGESTIVE FLATTERY 188 - XXXVII A USELESS ARGUMENT 193 - XXXVIII WHAT THE LIGHTNING REVEALED 199 - XXXIX “THE CASTLE OF THE HUMAN SNAKE” 204 - XL A ROOM OF TORTURE 209 - XLI THE “SUBTERRENE” 215 - XLII RESCUED 220 - - - - - Over There with the Marines - - at - - Chateau Thierry - - - - - CHAPTER I - PHIL AND TIM - - -Top Sergeant Phil Speed did not know exactly where he was when the long -train of trucks bearing hundreds of khaki-clad American Marines stopped -at a small town within easy gun-roar of the battle front in France. They -were making little demonstration now. For weeks they had been cheering -and been cheered until their throats became sore and well -again—calloused, as it were. So spontaneous and so nearly universal had -been the enthusiastic reception extended to them everywhere that it -seemed as if every person who didn’t yell his head off must be -pro-kaiser. - -With the noise of battle becoming more and made distinct through the -rumble, roar, and rattle of trucks and ordnance racing toward the scene -of conflict into which they themselves were about to plunge, the hearts -of these messengers of liberty were not so gay as they had been for -weeks, aye, months, before. Everywhere, among all sorts and conditions -of men, even among fighting patriots, there are bound to be a few -“smart” ones who forget the proprieties sometimes as their bright ideas -go skyrocketing. And this sort of gay wight was not lacking even among -the pick of America’s young manhood; but for once the gayest of them -were serious and sober minded. - -The person who would joke in the face of death, or with a messenger of -eternity lurking in the vicinity must be a philosopher “to get away with -it.” Phil had no idea of putting the thing in such language, but if -somebody had stepped up close to him and whispered the conceit in his -ear, he probably would have responded, “That fits the situation -exactly.” Still a considerable period of time elapsed before he was able -to dispel all doubt as to the occasion of such unwonted sobriety. - -“I wonder if we’re not all cowards, and if that isn’t the reason we’ve -all stopped our noise,” he mused. “I hope we don’t turn tail and run -lickety-cut when we see a big bunch o’ boches swinging over the top at -us.” - -As if in reply to his musing, Timothy Turner, a training-camp chum, who -stood at his elbow in the midst of the throng of soldiers waiting for -orders to move along, spoke thus rather grimly: - -“We’re quite a solemn bunch, aren’t we, Phil? I guess what we need is -the explosion of a few bombs in our midst to get us good and mad.” - -“Maybe,” Phil replied, regarding his friend meditatively. “Well, it -won’t be very long before we’ll have a chance to find out. Do you think -an explosion a few feet away from you would make you mad, Tim?” - -“Yes, I do,” the latter replied unhesitatingly. “I believe it would make -me want to telescope with the next shell that came whistling along.” - -Tim was a kind of bullet-headed Yank, “built on the ground,” his -school-boy friends used to say. Really he looked as if he might be -accepted as a personification of that irresistible force which would -create “the most powerful standstill” if it struck an immovable object. -But in spite of his bullet-headness, Tim was anything but dull. Both -officers and fellow soldiers regarded him hopefully as one of the -prospective star fighters of the regiment because of his mental keenness -as well as his physical prowess. - -Phil was built along different lines. He was strong and athletic, but he -would hardly have been expected to be able to push over a stone wall. -Whether or not he was more intelligent than Tim may be a matter for -debate. It may be admitted, perhaps, that he was not so shrewd, but if -they had both lived in the middle ages, Phil undoubtedly would have -listened with interest to the first declaration that the world was -round, while Tim would just as surely have repelled it with derision. -But in business Phil might have fallen a comparatively easy victim to -the wiles of a trickster, where as the cleverest “con man” would have -had to get up very early in the morning to catch Tim napping. - -So here we have a double-barreled standard for measuring intelligence -among men and among boys. Shall we call Phil more intelligent than Tim, -or vice versa? Let us dismiss the debatable question without answer, -while we admit that they were both intelligent, but different; and in -spite of their difference—some would say “in consequence of their -difference”—they were very good friends. - - - - - CHAPTER II - FOUR KILOS ON HOBNAILS - - -“Battalion!” called out the major. - -“Company!” the captain followed, as it were, with the next breath. - -“Attention!” continued the battalion commander. - -The line was quickly formed, two deep, officers in position, the major -in attitude of review. - -“At ease!” was the next order which indicated “something coming.” - -“Men,” he said with an incisiveness of tone indicating that his words -would be brief, “word has just reached me that the officers of the enemy -division that you are soon to meet welcome you with expressions of -contempt. They say you are soft and will melt before the Hun armies like -wax over white heat. Will you show them you can go through fire hot -enough to melt steel?” - -The yell that greeted this question set at rest all doubt that may have -inspired the “wonder” which came to Phil’s mind a few minutes before as -to their courage. And nobody yelled louder or more fiercely than Phil -did. After it was over he heaved a sigh of relief. - -“That’s what we needed,” he muttered. - -“What did we need?” asked Tim, who heard the remark. - -Phil had no opportunity to reply. The major was giving orders again. - -“Attention!” - -“Squads, right!” the superior officer added, and immediately there was a -swinging half-about along the line, and a column of American Marines, -four abreast, was marching up the street that led away from the -detrucking point. - -Then followed a hike of four kilometers (two and a half miles) along the -Paris-Metz road. After journeying on hobnailed soles this distance, the -order was given to fix bayonets. - -Phil and Tim were good enough soldiers by this time to accept everything -as it came and not to look for too much that was not in evidence. They -had had try-out experience at Verdun and, along with other rapidly -seasoning warriors of their regiment, had given a good account of -themselves. And yet, in spite of all this curiosity-crushing experience, -they could not help looking just a little expectantly for a camouflaged -line of “bloomin’ boches” upon whom to use their one-tined pitchforks -when the order was given to “fix bayonets.” - -“Does it mean charge?” both of them longed to ask somebody, and after -this question they realized must follow another equally important: - -Where was the mysterious enemy? - -It proved, however, to be only a precautionary move to guard against -surprise while advancing through a wheatfield. There might be a score or -two of machine-gun nests in that field, Phil reasoned. But then, he -wondered how that could very well be, as it must mean that the gunners -had made their way undiscovered through the front line, which was a mile -farther on. However, the surmise proved to be in error, for nothing of -livelier nature than a flock of hens and turkeys was encountered. -Presently a halt was ordered at a group of deserted farm buildings, -where quarters were established pending the development of further -plans. - -Meanwhile there were other battalions following, and the country round -about was rapidly becoming a concentration camp of reserves, who were -sent forward in sections to take positions in the front line as rapidly -as way was prepared for them, the French moving out to take positions in -other sections. Phil and Tim were pleased when it became apparent that -they would not be ordered ahead before the next day, for they were weary -from exertion and loss of sleep and longed as much as anything else to -be in vigorous, fresh condition when it came their time to meet the -merciless, unscrupulous foe in battle. - -There was nothing radically new in this experience to any of the Marines -billeted at this place less than two kilometers from the front line, -which was being pressed hard, by the enemy. All of them had seen a very -real kind of practice service along with the French at Verdun, and so -there was little to arouse their wonder in the sights and sounds of -rumbling camions, tanks and artillery as they were rushed hither and -thither, the shouts of officers and drivers, aeroplanes soaring -overhead, and the whistle of an occasional shell fired with apparent -random purpose and exploding far beyond the range of serious mischief. -These sights and sounds were fast merging into the obscurity and quiet -of darkness and inaction as Phil and Tim lay down under a large apple -tree, resolved to get as much rest as possible before the next daybreak. - -“I’ve been wanting to ask you a question ever since we detrucked from -those lorries four kilos up the road,” said Tim after the two boys had -lodged themselves in the privacy of a “ten-foot sector” of the orchard. -As he spoke, he picked up a full-grown apple from the ground and sunk -his teeth into it. - -“This apple isn’t very ripe,” he observed, indicating by his digression -that the question on his mind was not as vital as the importance of -appeasing his appetite or of winning the war. “But the juice is sweet -and pungent and I’m going to make a cider press of my jaws and squeeze -the beverage down my throat.” - -“If you haven’t forgotten your question, you may put it to me,” Phil -returned more to the point. - -“I was wondering what you meant when you remarked, ‘That’s what we -needed,’ after the major made his little speech to us and we yelled our -throats hoarse to prove we weren’t soft,” said Tim. “Were you afraid we -really were soft?” - -“No, not exactly,” Phil replied. “But I just had a kind o’ longing for -proof that we weren’t.” - -“But we’d proved ourselves at Verdun, hadn’t we?” Tim reasoned. - -“Yes and no,” answered Phil. “At Verdun we fought all right, but we had -a lot o’ French vets right at our elbows to ginger our nerve. Here, I -understand, they’re going to give us a front all our own, ten or fifteen -miles. I was talking to Corporal Ross about it. He’s been doing -messenger service at the major’s headquarters and picked up a good deal -of information. He says we’re bound for a place called Belleau Wood. The -French call it Bois de Belleau. The Huns, you know, have been pressing -the French pretty hard all the way from Rheims to Soissons, and we’ve -been sent to relieve the French at this point so that they can stop the -enemy at other points. But I’ve got a suspicion that a lot more American -boys will be thrown in about here and we’re going to have a chance to -make ourselves famous in the next few days.” - -“It’s up to us to make good,” declared Tim with characteristic -bullet-headed doggedness. “The Marines have been criticised a good deal -lately. Some say we ought to be eliminated from the service.” - -“We’ve got to make good,” Phil echoed emphatically. “The reputation of -the Marines is at stake.” - - - - - CHAPTER III - DIGGING IN - - -Sergeant Phil was a year older than Corporal Tim. The latter, unbeknown -to anybody except himself and his parents, had entered the Marine -Service in not the most regular manner, but it was real patriotism that -had caused him to misrepresent his age, which was the only bar to his -eligibility. A wait of eight months longer would have put him “over the -top” in this respect but he decided not to wait. He looked 18 years old, -and boldly declared this to be his age, and, as some of his slangy boy -friends would have said, he got away with it. When his Philadelphia -father learned of his enlistment, the bullet-headed youngster was -already on his way for probation at the Paris Island, South Carolina, -recruit depot. - -Then Mr. Turner thought twice and decided not to interfere. He was -thoroughly patriotic and concluded that if his son had put over anything -on anybody it was on the kaiser. - -Phil was a more regular sort of fellow in such matters. He would never -have misrepresented his age in order to gain admittance into Uncle Sam’s -fighting force. If he had not been able to pass all the tests on merit, -he would have sought to aid the government in some other branch of -service. This is not intended, by contrast, as a serious reflection on -Tim. The latter was different. He saw no particular harm in adding a -year on his age if thereby he might help to shorten the reign of the -Prussian despot. - -Tim kept his secret religiously, fearing lest he be sent home or -assigned to disgrace service if it should come to the knowledge of his -superior officers. - -Phil and Tim were disappointed in their expectation that they would move -early in the morning following their arrival at the deserted farm to a -position in the front line. But they were not disappointed in their -anticipation of thrilling activities before the close of the day. Until -late in the afternoon the entire battalion was busy perfecting -arrangements for relieving the Frenchies in this sector. - -The excitement of the day came at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The -firing at the front was heavy, but not of intensity such as they had -witnessed at Verdun. But it seemed to grow hotter and nearer, so that -the only conclusion the Americans could draw was that the boches were -driving the French back through the woods. - -Suddenly the company to which Phil and Tim belonged was thrown into -confusion by the bursting of a shell on the roof of the barn in which -they had sought shelter. This would have been a poor place for them if -they had been under constant fire from the enemy. But it had served well -enough against injury from shrapnel, and still better from flying debris -heaved in all directions by the explosion of bombs dropped from hostile -aeroplanes. That the wrecking of the roof of the barn was effected by -the bursting of a cannon shell was evidenced by the shriek that -immediately preceded the explosion. - -None of those in the barn was killed or injured so severely that he had -to be taken to the rear for surgical treatment, but the lieutenant was -severely cut on his right arm. Phil sprang to his assistance and helped -him to bandage the limb; then they rushed out after the rest of the -company. The wounded officer now gave order for all to take to the woods -and dig in. - -The Marines thus deprived of a shelter rushed back into the roofless -building, grabbed up a supply of entrenching tools and then made a dash -for the woods. Most of them had snatched up their guns before making -their hurried exit. About halfway between the barn and the woods another -shell burst in their midst, killing five and severely wounding a score -of others. Almost as if by magic a corps of stretcher-bearers were on -the scene. The uninjured scarcely hesitated, and almost in less time -than is required to tell it the order to “dig in” was being obeyed with -the skill and speed of long practiced teamwork. - -The digging-in process was a simple though strenuous task. All of the -members of the company not seriously injured by the bursting of the -shell were presently spading in the earth for dear life a short distance -within the timber. They worked as if according to a systematic, -prearranged schedule. If they had been going through a drill -performance, under instruction from manual and teacher, their work could -hardly have been more nearly true to military form. - -Each of these Marines quickly scratched off a rectangular plot about -three by five feet and then began to dig. Phil and Tim, who always -endeavored to keep as near together as possible in all emergencies where -they might be able to aid each other, “dug in” a few feet apart. After -they had cut roots and scooped the dirt out to a depth of three or four -feet, they dashed about here and there in the immediate vicinity and -gathered dead limbs and brushwood with which each built a shelter at one -end of his funk hole, or “stub trench.” These shelters were rendered -more stable and impervious to rain by heaping on them mounds of loose -earth that had been shoveled out of the trenches. - -But the disastrous explosion of the two shells seemed to have served as -a false alarm as to what ought to be expected for some time thereafter. -The fact of the matter is, “nothing happened.” Three days they remained -“dug in” and not another shell or bomb struck within two hundred yards -of any point of the sheltered “stub trenches” of the recently bombarded -regiment. - -On the evening of the third day they received an order to make a quick -march to a shell-shattered village on the front line. - -“Now we’re going to see some real fighting,” Tim prophesied to his -friend, as they prepared to obey the order. - -He was not mistaken. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - GAS MASKS - - -Phil and Tim had made good use of their time while in training at Paris -Island, so that when they were ordered on board a transport to steam for -“somewhere in France,” they could boast of being “Jacks of all trades -and masters of all” in the hyperbolic parlance of Sea Soldier -excellence. They could do pretty nearly everything from the fitting of -gun gear to the operation of a wireless outfit or a portable -searchlight. Moreover, they were both well qualified to handle machine -guns, and Phil was drawing an extra $3 a month as a rifle sharpshooter. - -The company to which Phil and Tim belonged was stationed just outside -the village. They reached this position at about 2 p. m. and had little -more than completed their digging-in operations, when the word was -passed along that they would “go over the top” at 4:30. - -But this announcement was presently countered from headquarters, coupled -with a “man-to-man message” that scouting aeroplanes and observation -balloons had communicated to headquarters the information that the -boches were evidently planning to “come over” at the Yanks. A hurried -conference among the officers of the Marines decided then that it would -be better strategy to let the enemy come on and get their fill and then -counter their decimated forces with a good strong bayonet and -hand-grenade drive. - -Phil and Tim were near enough to each other to carry on a conversation -in ordinary tones, and when the word reached them that they must wait -for the enemy to attack them they expressed their disappointment -vigorously. - -“I hate this waiting business,” Phil declared. “We’ll never reach Berlin -at this rate.” - -“So do I,” responded Tim. “I wonder what those minions of the kaiser -think they’re going to do. To my mind it’s a sign of weakness on their -part, making a drive this time o’ the day.” - -“Why?” Phil inquired. “I don’t see why it should be a sign of weakness -on their part any more than our plan to go over the top at 4:30 is a -sign of weakness.” - -“Maybe not from their point of view. But we know what we’ve got behind -us—millions of men and billions of money. We know, too, that we’ve got -vastly more of these than the boches have. So you see, I have something -more than suspicion to base my theory on that they like to make an -attack late in the day so that if they fail they will have the darkness -to cover their retreat. I bet that when our record is summed up you’ll -find that we made most of our dashes against the enemy’s lines at 4 or 5 -o’clock in the morning.” - -“I hope I’m spared to contemplate such a record,” said Phil soberly. - -“You don’t doubt it, do you?” Tim asked, for he was surprised and -disappointed to hear his friend speak so diffidently. - -“I was just wondering,” Phil replied meditatively. - -“See here, Phil,” Tim said, shaking his hand toward his soldier comrade; -“you’re making a big mistake. You’re meditating. Do you realize that a -soldier should never meditate? He should never even think twice. He’s -got to do his best thinking the first time.” - -“What’s that got to do with my wondering whether I’m going to come out -o’ this alive?” Phil inquired. - -“It’s got this to do with it: It’s as bad as writing poetry in a trench. -I think you’ll agree with me that anybody that does that is a nut. Now, -I don’t believe I’m going to have my head blown off. Notice that I don’t -say, ‘I don’t let myself think I’m going to be killed.’ I’m _dead sure_ -I’m not going to be killed. Get me?—_dead sure_; not sure dead.” - -“Sure thing I get you,” Phil answered enthusiastically; “that’s a peach -of an idea. It’s too bad all the other soldiers of the Allies haven’t -got the same idea.” - -“How do you know they haven’t?” Tim demanded quickly. - -“I don’t know it,” Phil admitted with a smile, for he saw what was -coming next. - -“A fellow must get this pretty much by himself to make the best kind of -soldier,” Tim said, speaking with the convincing manner of a veteran. -“I’ve heard young fellows talk about going into battle with the -expectation of being killed, but that’s before the bullets begin to fly -and the shells begin to burst. The real soldier is never desperate. The -minute you get desperate, that minute you are rattled. The soldier who -goes into battle expecting to be killed, goes into battle desperate and -is soon rattled. Don’t go into battle expecting to be killed; go into -battle expecting to kill, kill, kill, and keep on killing.” - -“Hooray!” said Phil jocularly. “That’s what I call war philosophy. Get -me? War Phil-osophy for a fighting Phil of Philadelphia.” - -“Philosophy nothing,” Tim snapped back. “You make me ashamed of your -name with your jesting pun. I thought you understood me better than -that, Phil. Wartime is no time for philosophy. That’s what got a lot of -pacifists into trouble and some of them in prison. They weren’t -philosophers enough to realize that you can’t stop to philosophize when -somebody is punching you in the nose.” - -“Gas masks!” yelled Phil suddenly, and similar cries came from others -along the timber-sheltered line. - -But the warning was not needed by Tim. - -Even as he uttered the last word of his soldier’s common-sense lecture, -he caught a faint whiff of mustard. Instinctively he held his breath, -and eight seconds later he was inhaling the pure, safe lung-fuel, -“canned oxygen,” contained in the reservoir of his mask. - - - - - CHAPTER V - A MACHINE-GUN BARRAGE - - -That settled it in Phil’s mind. There would be no “over the top” from -the enemy lines that night. Probably, after all, he was mistaken in -assuming that the boches, conscious of their own insufficiency of -reserves, would hesitate to make a morning attack. They were planning to -harass the Yanks all night with gas and a hurricane of shells, and in -the morning make a charge that would sweep everything before it. - -With the putting on of the masks, the conversation between Phil and Tim -stopped. It really seemed that the former’s soliloquy following this -operation was better reasoning than his earlier conjectures had been. -The cannonade that followed the “gas wave” was terrific and it seemed -that such a barrage must mean something in the nature of a sequence, but -they would hardly charge right into the gas they had shelled into the -Yank’s lines. - -But again Phil was privileged to change his mind, and that very -suddenly. The bombardment continued until after dark and many shells -exploded perilously near the Pershing forces—a few did fatal damage -right in the midst of the waiting Americans at the edge of the woods. - -At about 9:30 o’clock this bombardment ceased as suddenly as it had -begun. Neither Phil nor Tim had taken part in or witnessed a night -attack, except in the nature of a cannonading, since their first -experience on the Verdun front, and they were greatly astonished at what -came next. - -But they were not without warning, for the signal service was on the qui -vive constantly, as were also the advance sentries, and about two -minutes before there was any sign of the approach of the enemy, word -went along the line to be on the lookout for an attack. - -“So my first surmise was right, after all,” Phil mused. “They’re going -to attack under cover of the darkness so that they may retreat more -successfully if their attack fails.” - -Another surprise was coming not only to Phil and Tim, but to many other -“dug-in” Marines along the American front. It had to do with the -character of the attack. - -Suddenly the American lines were swept with a sharp, snappy, vicious -machine-gun fire. The boches had crept up under cover of the darkness -and succeeded in planting a score or more of machine guns at various -places in the timber a hundred yards ahead and started pumping a -murderous storm of bullets at the doughboys. - -But fortunately it was murderous in sight and sound chiefly, for very -few of the Yanks were hit. In the first place, it was almost a random -attack, for the muzzles of the guns were elevated a degree or more too -high to rake the edges of the funk holes in which the Americans were -crouching. Moreover, the intervening trees intercepted many of the -bullets, as was evident from the tattoo thuds that could be heard even -amid the noisy spitting of the machine guns. - -Just what the enemy hoped to accomplish by this method of attack it was -difficult at first to determine, although the Yanks were destined to -discover very shortly that it was a clever sort of camouflage. - -But the cunning boches were destined to discover something, too, and to -Phil was due the credit for this rather startling enlightenment of the -enemy. - -“Tim,” he called out to his friend, “I believe that is nothing but a -machine-gun barrage intended to throw us off our guard. They’re planning -a surprise attack.” - -A “machine-gun barrage” was a new one to Tim, but he listened -respectfully for further explanation. - -“We can expect them to come over any minute,” Phil continued rapidly. -“I’ve got an idea of how they’re going to do it. By the way, I’m going -to make a dive over to Lieutenant Stone and tell him what I’ve got in -mind. He’s only a few jumps away. He’ll probably reprimand me, if he -doesn’t report me to headquarters, but the suspicion I’ve got seems to -me so important that I’ll risk any punishment this side of the firing -squad.” - -The thunder of the cannonade and the sharper rattle of the machine guns -were so intense that Phil found it necessary to scream his message to -his next-trench neighbor to insure being heard. - -“Well, if it’s so very important, don’t stop to tell me about it, but -hurry up and get it where it will do most good,” Tim yelled back. “They -won’t take me by surprise.” - -A moment later Phil was dashing over the underbrush and among the trees -in momentary danger of butting his head against a very solid and -substantial interference or of sprawling violently on the ground. But he -had surveyed the vicinity carefully before the shadows of evening -thickened in the woods and knew pretty accurately where the lieutenant -had dug in. He had to move just as carefully also as if he were stealing -along an enemy line of trenches, for some of the American soldiers were -likely to discover him and shoot him as a spy. - -He succeeded in making his way within a few feet of the lieutenant’s -trench and, crouching low, began to signal to him by calling his name in -graduated rising tones. Presently the officer replied and Phil informed -him who he was. - -In a few words the sergeant communicated his self-imposed message to his -superior officer. - -“That is probably the best suggestion that has come from any source on -this front since the American Marines were stationed here,” remarked -Lieutenant Stone. “Now, you get back to your post as fast as ever you -can, or I’ll order you sent back behind the lines under guard.” - -Phil darted back gleefully along the rear of the American line and -toward his empty funk hole, which he reached with very good caution as -well as expedition. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - THE BOCHE CHARGE - - -Before Phil got back to his funk hole, the intelligence he had -communicated to Lieutenant Stone had been transmitted over the trench -telephone to every camouflaged station, and rapidly thereafter by -runners to every man in the line. The message thus delivered was this: - -“Look out for an attack while the machine guns are going full blast. -They may elevate the muzzles of their machine guns and send their men -over the top when it seems impossible for them to leave their trenches -without being mowed down with their own fire.” - -Phil’s prediction was fulfilled. Indeed, the preliminary, which -constituted, in effect, a signal for the charge, was exceedingly obvious -to all the Marines in the front line after they had been advised as to -what to expect. It is quite possible that many of them would not have -observed the elevation of the streams of machine-gun fire to an angle of -forty-five degrees if they had not received Phil’s warning; and most of -those who might have observed this seemingly reckless waste of “powder -and pills” undoubtedly would have been puzzled, if not confused, by so -strange a phenomenon. - -As it was, the Yanks were able to time the attack with remarkable -accuracy and met the boches with volleys from their rifles so nearly -simultaneous that those of the enemy who were not taken off their feet -by the deadly hail of steel-jacketed bullets must almost have been taken -off their feet with astonishment. At any rate, the attack failed -utterly, not a few of the Marines leaping out of their “trenchettes” and -engaging the panic-stricken boches with bayonets or clubbed guns. - -It was impossible to get any idea of the number slain in the fight, for -although the sky was clear and the stars shone brightly, the moon had -not risen and the woods was almost as dark as a pocket. The Americans -kept a sharp lookout for the appearance of shadowy forms a few feet away -from their intrenchments, and as soon as they saw them creeping -cautiously forward they blazed away with good execution. - -The Marines were bothered with no more “over the top” from the boches -that night, although there was a heavy bombardment from their larger -guns located beyond the opposite edge of the woods. When this began, Tim -called out to his friend: - -“That means they’ve gone back a respectful distance. We’re surely safe -from another attack as long as that keeps up. By the way, they’re pretty -bum marksmen, aren’t they? Those shells are dropping far behind us.” - -“Yes; but we have other lines back there, and they’ll get a taste of -what is probably meant for us,” Phil replied. “Say, there’s a wounded -fellow lying only a few feet away from me. Somebody else shot him. I was -just drawing a bead on him when some good friend tipped him over for me. -It wasn’t you, was it, Tim?” - -“Yep, I’m the fellow,” Tim answered modestly. “I’d disposed of the -baboon that was coming in my direction and saw the one that was makin’ -for your hole in the ground, and I said, says I, to myself: ‘Phil’s well -able to take care o’ himself, but I don’t think he’ll be offended if I -relieve his soul of the burden of slayin’ a man.’ So I pulled my -trigger, and over went the villainous gink.” - -“Good work,” Phil commended. “I won’t criticise you for failing to kill -him, for you did far better than I did as it was. You’ve put at least -two serfs of the kaiser out of business, and I didn’t even fire my gun -at one.” - -“What’ll we do with ’im?” asked Tim. “Pull ’im back behind the lines to -wait till the Red Cross comes along?” - -“No, we won’t pull him,” Phil returned more compassionately. “We’ll pick -him up and carry ’im.” - -“He doesn’t deserve any such gentle handling,” Tim objected stubbornly. - -“It isn’t a question of what he deserves, but the kind of record we -Americans want to leave behind us,” Phil replied earnestly. “You know -how horrified we were by the sinking of the Lusitania and the atrocities -in Belgium and northern France. Because of those atrocities we called -the whole group of central allies Huns. Do we want to deserve the same -title of reproach? Besides, the boches aren’t more than half -responsible. They were brought up that way. A man can get in the habit -of thinking anything that’s popular if he drifts with the current.” - -“Now, you’re doing the very thing I warned you against,” Tim protested -vigorously. “I told you that wartime was no time for any philosophy -business.” - -“And I agreed with you,” Phil responded. “You win. Come on and we’ll get -that fallen foe and hustle ’im back behind the lines. We’ll take him any -way you say.” - -The two boys leaped out of their shallow “trenchettes” and picked up the -boche and carried him almost gently ten or fifteen feet to the rear. -Just then two relief men dashed up, laid the wounded man on a stretcher -and hustled him away. - -“Bloodthirsty Tim listened to reason that time,” Phil told himself. - -“I drove some common sense into Phil’s head,” Timothy mused. “I hope he -keeps it and he’ll make a better soldier.” - - - - - CHAPTER VII - TIMBER FIGHTING - - -Early the next morning a squadron of aeroplanes flew over the American -lines dropping bombs and doing considerable damage. But it was not long -before they were met by a score of Allied planes, which poured into them -such a fusillade of machine-gun bullets that two of them dived to the -ground with a crash and the others were driven back behind their own -lines. - -The cannonading from the German big guns during the night did little -damage to the Americans, for most of the shells dropped far to the rear. -Moreover, the Yankee field artillery replied with much better -marksmanship than that of the boches, as was reported in the morning by -scout aviators and balloon observers. But it was not necessary to wait -for these reports to get an idea of the devastation effected by the -Americans’ cannonading. The timber that had shielded the enemy forces, -whose attack had been camouflaged by a spitting of machine guns “at the -stars,” was now a scene of arboreal ruin. The boys decided that they had -never seen quite so abundant an assortment of splintered kindling wood -in their lives. - -In the course of the day the American lines were advanced to the farther -edge of the belt of timber in which the battle of the night had been -fought. It seemed that this belt had been entirely cleared of the enemy. -Beyond the waste of splintered and contorted forestry was a narrow open -stretch of lowland, and beyond this was another woods undoubtedly -peopled with outpost of sharpshooters and machine-gun nests. The Yanks -did not have to wait long for a verification of this suspicion. Scarcely -had they taken up their positions near the edge of the area of green -kindling wood when there came a vicious spitting of machine guns and -sharpshooters’ rifles. - -It was exceedingly difficult to bring up the artillery through the -shell-and-shrapnel-torn timber for the purpose of raking the opposite -woods in a similar manner. There was considerable work for the engineers -before this could be done. Meanwhile, however, the commander of the -Marines decided not to wait in idleness. Machine-gun corps were -stationed behind uprooted trees and splintered stumps and huge boulders -and in yawning shell holes and deep gullies and were presently spitting -away into the opposite timber wherever a nest could be located. - -At last several cannon were brought up and a storm of shell and shrapnel -was poured into the woods beyond the clearing. This proved to be -effective to a considerable extent, for many of the machine guns of the -enemy were silenced, as were also a battery or two located behind the -enemy’s front line. - -But certain nests of sharpshooters and machine guns proved to be -exceedingly difficult to dislodge and orders were given to take those -positions at as little cost as possible, _but take them_. Accordingly a -body of Marines were selected for this duty, including the company to -which Phil and Tim belonged. - -It was a dangerous task, for it meant a charge across an open stretch -into another timber in which an uncertain number of the enemy were -concealed waiting to receive them with all the advantage of position and -concealment on their side. They did not make the fatal error of massed -attack that so often characterized the death plunges of the boches. -Rather, they scattered out and dashed forward with more or less -individual independence and bravery almost unknown among the usually -kamerad-encouraged enemy. - -“I’m going to try Tim’s method of generating self-confidence,” Phil told -himself as he dashed with his fellow Marines across the open. “Here it -is: I’m going to come out of this without a scratch and I’m going to -kill, kill, kill.” - -He saw several Marines in front and on each side of him fall victims of -the accurate shooting of the concealed enemy, but this did not feaze him -in the least. He _knew_ he was going to dash through successfully and he -_knew_ he was going to find a hidden machine-gun nest and whip it single -handed if necessary. - -And he was not mistaken. He reached the opposite timber without -receiving a scratch. Then followed a more careful procedure to hunt out -the pests that were doing everything in their power to make things -uncomfortable for the Marines. The latter were armed with rifles and -hand grenades, and the timber was soon ringing with evidence of their -discoveries. - -Phil had charge of a squad that worked as a unit in the scouring of the -woods, and Tim was a member of this squad. Alternately they were in -hiding in thickets of saplings and bushes or racing ahead to make a -swift surprise attack on a machine-gun nest located by the sound of -firing or the creeping cunning of a camouflaged spy. This handful of -Marines cleaned out two nests without the loss of a man, and then, it -appearing that there were no others within the sweep of their advance, -they separated in parties of two or three each to hunt for snipers after -agreeing on a place of meeting and a call by which Phil might summon -them together again whenever he desired. - -Phil and Tim, perhaps by force of habit, continued together without -other company. The Marines were now driving a considerable rear guard of -the enemy ahead of them, principally snipers and machine gunners, who -were trailing behind the main body of the defeated boches to facilitate -the latter’s retreat. Realizing that the remnant of this rear guard was -moving more rapidly in its haste to get out of the way of the terrible -American butt-or-muzzle riflemen and hand-grenade throwers, Phil and Tim -put as much speed to their advance as the character of the terrain would -permit, hoping to overtake some of the fugitive snipers. - -A few minutes after the squad had spread out to cover a larger -territory, the two friends arrived at the meadow-like opening into a -wooded ravine which appeared to grow deeper and deeper in the direction -taken by the fleeing boches. With little hesitation they dashed into the -ravine, becoming more cautious, however, as they entered the -timber-shaded lowland with its tangle of ferns and shrubbery. - -It was really a dangerous undertaking, but these boys were in a -dangerous business. The ravine was lined with many ideal places for -concealment of snipers and the route taken by the venturesome pair along -the bottom was an ideal place to get sniped. But Phil and Tim felt that -the place ought to be explored, and as a call to summon the other boys -of the squad would serve only to alarm any hidden bodies in the -vicinity, they decided to take the burden of the investigation on their -own shoulders. - -They advanced a hundred yards into the ravine without seeing another -living creature, except a few squirrels and hundreds of birds which -chattered and chirped away as if the carnage of a world war was the -farthest possible from their thoughts. - -The boom of cannon was confined now to distant portions of the -indeterminate battle line, and the discharge of smaller firearms also -had ceased in the immediate vicinity. It seemed to the two boys that -they and the squirrels and the birds had the ravine all to themselves, -but they were destined presently to be disillusioned. - -Suddenly—of course, for all explosions are sudden,—Phil was startled by -the discharge of two rifles from behind a thicket twenty feet ahead. -“Ping!” sung a bullet past his left ear. Tim was not startled. He did -not know what hit him. Over he went, and Phil sprang behind a tree, as a -true American, to meet the enemy Indian fashion. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - AID FROM THE AIR - - -A bullet through his own body would not have given Phil as intense a -pain as the one that struck Tim and apparently ended his career. But he -was too good a soldier to let even so distressing an incident delay him -in the duty of speedy self preservation. - -And yet, swift though he was in springing behind a tree and bringing his -rifle into position for firing, there were others just as speedy as he. -Six men in gray uniforms, but decidedly un-uniform as to size and grace -of physique, were standing out in full view with guns leveled at him. - -Instinctively Phil’s hand moved an inch or two toward his hand-grenade -sack. But it stopped almost with the impulse. He had used the last of -his grenades half an hour before in the squad’s last fight that resulted -in the extermination of one of the most obstinate of all the machine-gun -nests in the woods. How he wished he had been more mindful of his supply -while hurling those missiles at the enemy. Two of them, he recalled -distinctly, had gone wide of their marks and represented a sheer waste -of powder and shell. Oh, if he had only one of those grenades! With it -he could produce such execution in that group of snipers that he could -easily capture or finish with his rifle those not slain by the explosion -of the hand missile. He was sure he could hurl a grenade accurately and -at the same time keep his head and body fairly well protected from the -enemy’s rifles behind the hole of the tree. - -But there was no use now of mourning over spilled milk or exploded -shells, and an attempt to engage in battle, alone, with six -Hohenzollernites, all of whom had the drop on him, could mean nothing -more hopeful than death. - -One of the snipers called out an order in German, but Phil did not -understand it, although he had studied the language one year at school. -Then all six men advanced toward him with their guns ready to fire the -instant the Marine showed a disposition to fight. - -The boy was on the verge of offering to surrender when a new -interruption of proceedings produced one of those spectacular thrills -that relieve the carnage of battle of some of its dreadfulness. Almost -without warning, save for a heavy, momentary rushing sound in the -atmosphere, there was an explosion and upheaval of earth midway between -the boches and the American Marines. - -Phil did not see what occurred. For the moment he could see nothing but -confusion. His first thought was that the explosion was caused by a -shell from either American or boche artillery. But this could hardly be. -He had heard no shrill scream that always heralds the approach of such -missiles. Sound travels more rapidly than even a cannon projectile, and -soldiers often comment with grim amusement on their acquired skill at -“dodging” shells whose approach is announced by their own shrieks -piercing the air ahead of them. - -Suddenly Phil recalled that, in the midst of the excitement attending -his and Tim’s excursion into the ravine, he had heard faintly a familiar -noise in the upper atmosphere—caused by the powerful gyrations of an -aeroplane. As the echoes of the explosion of the shell died away, he -heard the super-sonorous buzz of the “great mechanical bee” again and -looked upward. - -It was a French aeroplane, from which the bomb had fallen. Apparently -the flyer had seen the unequal combat going on below and dropped an -explosive in the hope of incapacitating the opponents of the boy in -khaki to do him any harm. The overhead foliage was not heavy at this -point and it was not inconceivable that the aviator might have seen even -more of the activities of the six snipers than Phil and Tim had seen. - -None of the advancing enemy was killed, although it seemed well-nigh -miraculous that all of them were not at least fatally injured. However, -Phil saw two of them picking themselves up after the cloud of flying -earth, stones, and sticks had fallen back to earth. Blood was trickling -from the face of each of these and all of the others were nursing severe -cuts or bruises. - -Phil saw his opportunity. Every one of the boches had dropped his gun in -order the better to pet his smarting wounds. The boy, protected by the -hole of the large tree which he was endeavoring to keep between himself -and the enemy’s bullets, had not been touched by even the smallest of -the flying stones, sticks, bits of earth or pieces of shell. Springing -out from behind the tree he ran toward the panic-stricken sextette, with -rifle ready to be brought to his shoulder at a moment’s warning. - -“Halt!” he cried; “Halt, or I’ll shoot!” - - - - - CHAPTER IX - KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL! - - -Whether or not the boches could understand this much, or this little, -English was a matter of no importance. They evidently knew what the -Marine in khaki meant, and they obeyed, several of them yelling -“Kamerad!” in tones of panic. - -Phil had not forgotten all his school German vocabulary. The next order -that left his lips slipped out with very good Prussian accent: - -“Kom her! Hande ueber Kopf.” - -The now timid Teutons advanced with hands over their heads toward their -youthful captor, in strict obedience to the order. - -Phil was relieved that his prisoners did not laugh at his German. They -came forward with all due respect for the order given—or was it for the -bullets in the boy’s gun? He did not know. Under ordinary civil -circumstances he would have hesitated to engage in conversation with a -German in the latter’s native tongue for fear lest he show his ignorance -of the idioms of the language. “Hande ueber Kopf” was a literal -translation of “hands over (your) head.” It might be very good German, -and then again it might be very poor. - -Relieved at the failure of his prisoners to give him the laugh, he -decided to continue to give orders in their language whenever he could -recall words that seemed to carry the intended meaning. But he found it -difficult sometimes to keep from laughing at himself, for he knew -unmistakably that some of the German he was using was at least unique. -Still his prisoners regarded him with profound respect—or, again, was it -the bullets in his gun? - -Phil was puzzled what to do with his prisoners, whose condition of -captivity was, after all, rather uncertain. He dared not take his eyes -off them for a moment. Possibly some or all of them carried small -firearms, which they would bring into action at a moment’s opportunity. -The boy dared not attempt to search them, nor dared he attempt to march -them back through the woods toward the American rear line. They were -almost certain, if they carried such weapons, to find an opportunity, by -springing behind large trees, to whip out their pistols and turn the -tables on him. - -There were evidently only three courses open for Phil to pursue. One was -to stand where he was and compel his prisoners to remain in their -present positions, with hands over their heads until help came. Another -was to shoot the six men down in their tracks as rapidly as he was able -to discharge his repeater accurately. The other was to turn and flee -with all his well practiced fleetness of foot. - -The last he could not consider for an instant. The second was contrary -to American principles opposed to unnecessary frightfulness in war. The -first was impracticable in view of the fact that the sun was setting and -darkness would soon cover the ravine. - -It occurred to the young sergeant that he might also compel his -doubtfully secured captives to divest themselves of their uniforms in -order to make certain that they had no concealed firearms, but such a -course would not guarantee his ability to prevent them from escaping in -the woods after dark. It might, however, be the means eventually of -saving his life if the men should escape from him, and Phil decided to -adopt it as a precautionary measure. - -But at the same time he cast about him in a vague hope that help of some -kind might be at hand. He glanced quickly up to see if perchance the -French flyer was not about to offer him further assistance, but that -very thoughtful air-fighter was now engaged in a skirmish with an enemy -plane, which was taking them farther and farther away from the -precarious scene in the ravine. Then the young officer bethought him of -his fallen companion, and with almost hysterical hopefulness he cast a -quick glance toward the spot where the corporal had dropped without a -groan. As he did so, it seemed that he must behold his friend rising on -his hands and knees in a determination to lend his much needed -assistance. - -Phil shuddered as he saw the bullet-headed boy lying as still as any -corpse on a battlefield. - -“Poor Tim,” he muttered. “He was sure he wouldn’t be killed. Well, so am -I,” the doubtful captor of six doubtful prisoners added. “I’m not going -to be killed—I _know_ it. I’m going to kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, -kill, as Tim said I should do. There, I said ‘kill’ six times. That -means that these six prisoners have to die as rapidly as this repeater -can repeat. Fortunately, I’m a sharpshooter and can do the job before -the last one of them can much more than shudder and look pale. Well, -here goes, converting my army rifle into a machine-gun.” - - - - - CHAPTER X - A NOVEL DISARMAMENT - - -“No, I can’t do it. I’m no Hun.” - -That sentiment, which flashed revulsively through Phil’s brain, probably -saved the lives of those six boches, but it also must be held -responsible for certain subsequent misfortunes and hardships that -rendered Sergeant Speed’s army experiences worthy of a many-chaptered -record. Meanwhile there was nothing in the boy’s manner or actions that -indicated what was going on in his mind. None of them knew how narrowly -they escaped execution at the hands of a “firing squad of one.” - -Phil’s next order to his captives was such a mongrel admixture of -English, poor French and worse German that he has asked that it be not -recorded against him. But it was thoroughly understood, being in several -short sentences intended to carry something of an explanation of his -purpose, and was obeyed. - -One of the men with hands over their heads was directed to step forward -and remove his “roch und beinkleider.” This he did expeditiously, having -a great respect for the khaki boy’s gun, and presently appeared in the -very amusing combination of—beginning at the feet, surveying upward—a -pair of coarse heavy shoes, a suit of union underwear and a steel -helmet. - -It had occurred to Phil several times since the dropping of the bomb -from the aeroplane that he could best serve his own interests in the -present predicament by sending forth the call agreed upon for -reassembling the members of his squad, except for one grave possibility. -The sounding of such a call might be taken by his six prisoners as -indicating panic on his part and serve as a signal for a desperate move -by them. He decided, therefore, to make certain that they were stripped -of all firearms, before issuing any such summons. - -So he continued the de-uniforming program already begun, and soon six -much humiliated boches stood before him in “union-suit uniforms,” the -“complexion” of which indicated that the laundry business was not -thriving among the minions of the war lords of central Europe. - -Then Phil ordered his prisoners to move a considerable distance away -from the litter of uniforms strewn over the ground. When he was -satisfied as to their position and arrangement, he issued a few more -orders with his ingenious, but hardly idiomatic adaptation of first-year -school German, which were obeyed with, as much respect as if delivered -by a Heidelberg graduate with military authority. - -The prisoners, who no longer were required to keep their hands over -their heads, were standing near the apparently lifeless form of Corporal -Tim; and Phil now, with the aid of expressive motions of his hands and -nodding of his head, communicated to them that he desired an examination -made of his friend to determine if he were yet alive. The officer in -charge, a fellow of surprisingly large girth for a soldier, and another -boche of ungainly physique complied with apparent alacrity, and after a -seemingly diligent inspection straightened up with looks of sadness on -their faces that would have been comical indeed if it had not been for -the seriousness of the situation. With voluble expressions of condolence -and deprecating shrugs of their shoulders, they gave the young American -soldier to understand that they regretted profoundly that his companion -lying on the ground was dead. - -“You’re a pretty pair of liars,” Phil said to them with a “happy scowl.” -He made no effort, however, to express himself in German, for his -utterance was intended more as an outburst of feeling than a -communication. “That boy is alive, or I don’t know anything about the -early stiffening of a corpse. When you lifted that body up it hung as -limp and limber as a wet rag.” - -Whether any of the six captives understood what Sergeant Phil said could -not be determined from the expression, or lack of expression, on their -faces. However, that question mattered little to Phil now. He must do -something quickly to secure his prisoners against escape and also to -effect freedom for himself, in order that he might render much needed -first aid to his unconscious friend. - -In his early school days, Phil had been the envy of all his boy friends -because of one achievement that every boy longs to attain. He could -pucker his tongue against his teeth and expel a gust of breath through -the straitened avenue thus formed in such manner as to vie in shrillness -a miniature fire alarm siren. He was not much good at whistling a tune, -but he surely could wake the echoes with a piercing air blast through -his teeth, and this he proceeded now to do. - -It was his agreed signal to the other members of his squad to assemble -and it surely startled the six boches, as was evident from the fact that -their faces no longer were expressionless. There was no doubt in the -boy’s mind now that their minds had been secretly busy over something -that they did not wish communicated to him and that his shrill signal -was not in the least pleasing to them. - -However, although Phil never had all the facts and circumstances before -him to aid him in determining the truth, he is of the opinion now that -his call was the one thing needed by his prisoners to bring about the -very result for which they longed most deeply. But the startled look on -their faces indicated that they did not know it. - -Phil waited a minute for an answer from other members of his squad, but -received none. Then he was about to repeat the call, when something -occurred that rendered another shrill whistle through his teeth -virtually impossible. - -Suddenly a heavy weight landed on him from behind. A pair of powerful -arms were thrown about his neck, and he was borne to the ground by the -impetus of the onset. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - PHIL A PRISONER - - -Although this overpowering attack from behind was doubtless almost as -much a surprise to Phil’s six prisoners as it was to the boy himself, it -did not take them long to recover and seize advantage of the situation. -Like a football team they rushed forward to tackle their recent captor, -but their assistance was scarcely needed, for the fellow who had leaped -on Phil’s back was a powerful 200-pounder, and the shock that resulted -when earth and the boy came together half stunned the latter. - -But it was not enough to deprive him entirely of his senses, and as he -was being jerked to his feet, he had the hazy gratification of hearing -an answering whistle to his own “siren shriek.” The boches evidently -were alarmed by the same sound, for they put greater energy and speed in -their actions in order to get out of the ravine as soon as possible. - -First they raced about and gathered up their guns, which lay strewn -around the crater-like hole made by the explosion of the bomb dropped -from the aeroplane. Then they gathered up their uniforms, but did not -stop to put them on, and darted into the thick of the timber in the -direction of the retreating boche lines, two of them half carrying, half -dragging their boy prisoner between them. - -But Phil was not the kind of lad who would attempt to hinder the -progress of his captors by hanging back and pretending to be unable to -keep pace with them. He preferred to conduct himself as thoroughly -able-bodied as soon as he had recovered from the shock that attended his -capture. In a few minutes he won just a slight manifestation of -good-will from the two who had hold of his arms by “going them one -better” and actually leading them slightly in the race through the -timber. - -In a short time the dusk was so heavy in the woods that it was difficult -for them to make progress at more than a slow walk. Efforts to push -ahead rapidly were sure to result in trouble with tripping underbrush, -scratching branches, and bruising boles of trees. - -Phil realized that it was next to vain to hope that they would be -overtaken by the comrade Marines of his squad; for although answering -calls from them had reached his ears, indicating that they had almost -arrived at the scene of his capture, there was small likelihood, indeed, -that they would be able to hit the trail of the fleeing boches and -overtake them and rescue him. He was tempted several times to repeat his -whistle and yell out information as to his predicament, but vicious -threats from the officer of big girth in charge of the squad now in -“underclothing uniform,” accompanied by a significant pressing of a -rifle muzzle now and then against his head, advised him convincingly -against any such proceeding. - -Sergeant Speed’s one hope of rescue was that they might run into a body -of Americans who had advanced farther into the timber in their search -for retreating snipers and machine gunners. But this hope was only -remotely reasonable, for the instruction from the commanding officer had -been that the entire raiding force return by nightfall. Undoubtedly he -and Corporal Tim, and perhaps the other members of the squad as well, -were being reckoned among the missing. It was hardly probable that the -latter had yet given up their efforts to rejoin him after hearing and -answering his siren whistle. Possibly they had discovered Tim lying on -the ground and even now were doing their best to revive him or were -bearing him back toward the American lines. - -Phil and his captors had by this time advanced some distance into this -wooded battle ground, most of which had until recently been occupied by -the enemy. But the heavy shell fire and attacks by the air fleet of the -allies had driven the main boche division back a considerable distance, -and after the Marines had routed out the nests of machine guns and -sharpshooters that were concealed in the woods and rendered perilous any -further attempt on the part of the enemy to hold these positions, the -captured timber terrain was a desolate waste indeed. - -No doubt there would be no attempt on the part of the Marines to move -much farther toward the enemy’s lines that night. In the morning -probably the commanding officer would order another advance unless the -enemy anticipated him with a counter attack. - -The effects of the shelling of the woods by the American artillery was -evident to some extent almost to the very front of the boche new -positions. In spite of the darkness, Phil could see with the aid of the -stars that peeped down through the foliage, torn, twisted and splintered -branches and tree trunks, while every now and then they stumbled into or -narrowly avoided a jagged shell-hole in the ground. - -But at last they reached the objective of the young non-com’s captors, -which was a position of safety behind their own lines, and Phil found -himself confronted with the prospect of remaining a prisoner in the -hands of the enemy for the duration of the rest of the war. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - A BARBED WIRE PRISON - - -A short distance out in No Man’s Land from the German lines, Phil’s -captors stopped long enough to put on their outer clothing and thus -cover the comical evidence of their humiliation by the young American -who subsequently became their prisoner only through a surprise rear -attack. Doubtless they had not stopped sooner for this purpose because -they feared the possible consequences of any delay, with a swarm of -Yankee “devil dogs” scouring the timber for boches. - -Phil was rushed to the rear where he was placed under guard with a dozen -other American prisoners who had been brought in from various quarters. -Half an hour later, it appearing that no more prisoners would be brought -in that night, they were hustled back several miles over a rough road to -a physically wrecked village, deserted by its civilian population, and -there corralled in a barbed wire inclosure already occupied by more than -200 captured Americans and Frenchmen. There each prisoner was stripped -of his helmet and every other superfluous article of use or treasure. - -It was a wretched place, from all dim appearances in the darkness. There -was not a glimmer of light within the barbed wire prison, and only a few -outside. The patrol of guards that paced about outside the inclosure -were ghostly looking shadows against the various background of empty -darkness or debris of shell-shattered buildings. The other prisoners did -not pay much attention as the newly captured Marines were driven into -the place like so many cattle. This apparent indifference doubtless was -due to the darkness of the night and the weariness of all the prisoners. - -The young Marine sergeant at once sought a resting place for the night. -He knew better than to expect any courtesies in the way of food, water, -or couch for the night from men of the brutal type that characterized -most of the boches with whom he had come into contact thus far. - -Phil was tired and fell asleep “as soon as his head touched his pillow,” -which consisted of his arm curled up under his head. Later when this -became uncomfortable for the “pillow,” he rolled over in his sleep, and -his only headrest was the uncushioned earth. - -The boy awoke at sunup and looked around him with a kind of eager -curiosity, rendered possible by his refreshed condition following a very -good night’s rest. A soldier does not need a hair mattress to insure -slumber in comfort. Sometimes he would be thankful for a dry six feet of -earth on which to rest his weary form. Phil congratulated himself as he -lay down to sleep on his first night as a prisoner of war not only that -he had a dry resting place in the open air, but that the weather was -warm. - -About two-thirds of the prisoners in this inclosure were French, as -nearly as Phil was able to estimate after the dawn of day rendered it -possible for him to get a clear view of his surroundings. The invading -army had selected what appeared to have been a small village park and -fenced it in with barbed wire stapled to the rows of trees that marked -the marginal border line. The young Marine “non-com” soon picked out the -“colony” of Americans in the place and discovered among them two young -fellows, Dan Fentress and Emmet Harding, whose acquaintance he had made -at the last billeting place before the Yanks were given the Belleau and -Bouresches sector. The three were soon engaged in an animated -conversation on the events of the last few days. All expressed -themselves as deeply disappointed because it appeared probable that they -had struck their last blow for world freedom and must in all probability -labor as slaves for the mailed-fisted kaiserites until their more -fortunate fellow crusaders drove home the last blow which would make the -entire Hohenzollern host throw up their hands and yell “Kamerad!” - -“What makes me sorest in my hardest-to-hurt spot,” said Dan, grinding -his teeth with impotent rage, “is the fact that I can’t go back home and -say that I know I killed a Hun. Not that I wanted to brag about it. I -might not even tell anybody about it if I had shot holes through a dozen -slayers of women and children. But I’d just like to be able to say I’d -made a record to be proud of and—and—then—keep the secret to myself if I -liked modesty as well as I’d like real American roast beef in a Hun -prison camp.” - -“Maybe you’re just playing modest now,” suggested Emmet Harding with a -shrewd smile. “Maybe you’ve actually wiped out a score of Huns and are -just practicing, to feel how it seems to deny you’re a hero.” - -“No, I don’t believe he’s doing any such thing,” interposed Phil almost -eagerly. “At least I hope he isn’t, for I want company right now. I’m in -the same boat he says he’s in. I don’t know that I’ve even smashed a -cootie on a Hun’s hide, although I had a chance to shoot down half a -dozen apostles of frightfulness like so many ten-pins, but didn’t do it; -and that, very probably, is the reason I’m here now.” - -“What!” exclaimed Dan in tones of contemptuous astonishment. “What sort -of animal are you—a pacifist? You’d better keep that story under your -hat when you get back home.” - -“I don’t know whether I’ll be able to,” Phil returned with a forlorn -smile. “You see, there’s no person I’d rather tell a joke on than -myself, and this is surely a joke on me. At first it looked like a joke -on the Huns—” - -“Whoever heard of turning the biggest and most bloody war this world has -ever known into humor?” Dan interrupted almost angrily. - -“I respect your impatience under the circumstances,” Phil returned -quietly. “But hear me through before you judge me too harshly. I’m the -sort of fellow that wouldn’t be guilty of a Lusitania sinking or of a -violation of a Belgian treaty. Neither would I shoot enemy soldiers -after they’ve thrown up their hands.” - -“Did those six Huns throw up their hands?” - -“Yes.” - -“And you had a gun pointed at them?” - -“Yes.” - -“And did they yell ‘Kamerad?’” - -“Yes.” - -“I thought so. You’re a fool. But where’s the humor in that situation?” - -“The first joke, I suppose, came when I ordered them to strip off their -uniforms one after another and had them standing before me in brogans, -underwear and steel helmets.” - -“A comical sight, indeed,” declared Phil’s critic sarcastically. “But -what did you do that for?” - -“To be sure they had no firearms on their person,” interposed Emmet. - -“Well, what did you mean to do after that?” inquired Dan as Phil nodded -assent to Emmet’s interpretation. - -“March them back to our lines.” - -“And why didn’t you?” - -“You’re admitting by your line of questions now that there may have been -a little intelligence in my method,” Phil observed as a prelude to his -answer. - -“Intelligent enough if you had succeeded,” retorted Dan grimly. - -“I get your argument and am inclined to agree with you in a way,” the -severely grilled Marine returned. “Well, I’m going to tell you why I -didn’t take my prisoners back to our lines in triumph. A 200-pound boche -sneaked up from behind and jumped on my back and—” - -“That’s enough; you got what was coming to you,” declared Dan with a -finality of opinion that admitted of no further discussion. “If you care -for my judgment in the matter, I’ll say it’s up to you to use your wits -as you never used ’em before and whip the kaiser internally in order to -retrieve your honor. Get me? You’re on the inside now and you must do -something to help win the war from this side of the boche lines. But -here’s the call to breakfast and some guards coming this way. Methinks -they’re curious to know what’s the nature of this warm discussion of -ours. Everybody shut up and look hungry—for something a dog can hardly -eat.” - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - MR. BOACONSTRICTOR - - -“Something we can hardly swallow” proved to be a true characterization -of the meat-and-vegetable stew that was served to the prisoners in tin -bowls, which looked as if they had seen service in the Franco-Prussian -war. The meat was in small bits, which were few in number and so tough -or gristly as to be hardly edible. The vegetables were principally -potatoes and onions. This combination would have been fairly well -calculated to sustain life if it had been well seasoned and if it had -not tasted and smelled as if it had been warmed several times over a low -fire insufficient to bring it to the boiling point. A piece of stale -brown bread was served to each prisoner with this stew. - -In order to prevent any of the prisoners from getting double portions of -this mess, the men were lined up next to the barbed wire fence, along -which several boys and men, the latter too old for military service, -passed, carrying kettles of stew and buckets of sliced bread and handing -out dippersful and slices through the fence to the hungry Americans and -Frenchmen. - -Meanwhile two guards, also of the superannuated post-military class -entered the inclosure and advanced to the spot where the animated -discussion was going on among the three comrade Marines. The latter, as -has been observed, noticed their approach and so camouflaged their -further words and actions that the evident suspicion of the guards was -effectually dispelled. - -There was a good deal of comment among the prisoners concerning the -quality of food served to them and other conveniences—or -inconveniences—with which they were provided. The general opinion among -them was that the enemy was approaching dangerously near the limit of -their resources, which might mean an ending of the war in the not far -distant future. Indeed, Phil was sure that he could detect signs of -spitefulness in the manner and actions of both commissioned officers and -non-coms toward the prisoners, and he was equally certain that the -reason for this spitefulness was an undisguisable consciousness of their -shortage of resources and equipment. - -“This war isn’t going to last very much longer,” Phil remarked to his -two friends as he forced down the last spoonful of stew. He was -ravenously hungry, having had nothing to eat since early the preceding -day, and in spite of the fact that the food served was most unpalatable, -he deemed it wise not to waste any of the scanty portion served to him. - -“That’s what lots of soldiers are saying principally because of stories -of experiences similar to ours that find their way across No Man’s -Land,” said Dan. “But there’s one thing that gets me in this connection -more than anything else, and that is that the more defeat you cram down -these boches’ throats, the more arrogant and overbearing they become. -Just look at that human boaconstrictor strutting around as if utterly -unconscious of the fact that he ought to be going to sleep.” - -“I don’t get you,” said Emmet with an expression of challenging -curiosity. “If we were campaigning with the British among the pyramids -of Egypt, it might be appropriate for you to talk like a Sphinx.” - -“I get him,” announced Phil. “He means that boche officer has such an -ungainly girth that he looks like a boa that has swallowed a pig and -ought to be taking an after-dinner nap. But I have something to add to -Dan’s observation. That fellow is one of the six kaiserites whom I -forced to strip to their underclothes and who turned the tables on me -and recaptured their pants et cetera, and brought me here as an honored -guest.” - -“Better keep out of his sight then,” Emmet advised. “If he sets eyes on -you, he’s likely not to rest until he gets his revenge. And you know -what revenge means in wartime. He’ll probably find some way of blowin’ -you to atoms to feed the molecules.” - -“You do him too great a chemical honor by presenting the matter in such -light,” Phil objected, screwing up one side of his face to indicate his -skepticism. “He looks to me like an ordinary butcher, and I don’t think -he’d attempt to do anything more than make mincemeat of me.” - -“Have it your own way,” Emmet returned with a shrug. “But look out for -him at any event. He seems to be recognized as having a good deal of -authority around here.” - -“He’s only a second lieutenant,” was Phil’s reminder. - -“That doesn’t make any difference,” Emmet insisted. “This fellow’s in -right with the higher-ups. It may be easier, you know, to use an officer -of low rank for all sorts of jobs than one of higher rank. He can work -more quietly—won’t attract so much attention sometimes.” - -Phil decided to take his companion’s advice, and keep as much in the -background as possible in order that “Mr. Boaconstrictor” might not fall -into revengeful temptation at the sight of him. And before long he was -congratulating himself on this decision. Half an hour after the early -“feed,” as he was pleased to designate the morning stew and bread, the -order was given for everybody in the inclosure to get ready to move. -This was succeeded by another order ten minutes later for all to file -out through the gate and follow two soldiers who would lead the way. - -Mechanically Phil glanced toward the two soldiers referred to by the -prison guard who made the announcement. Dan and Emmet, who were still -near him, did likewise. - -“It seems impossible for you to shake your friend, Boche Boa,” observed -Emmet. “He’s going to be one of the leaders of the grand march to some -munitions factory, where, undoubtedly, we will be set at work making big -shells to shoot at the Allies.” - -“Let’s hang back and fall in at the rear end of the line of march,” Dan -suggested. “He may have forgotten all about his experience with Phil, -and the sight of the fellow who dragged his dignity in the dust may make -him show his fangs.” - -This seemed to be good advice, and was followed as nearly as possible, -although they were forced into the line several paces ahead of the rear -end by the guards who herded the prisoners out of the inclosure without -regard for the wish or convenience of anybody. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - A NEW PRISON - - -There were few incidents of special interest during the first day of the -march of these 250 prisoners toward the German border. Of course to -persons unaccustomed to the sights and scenes in the blasted war zone, -everything along the route must have been interesting. But to these men -of several months’ experience, a landscape of unmarred beauty and order -must have been a novelty worthy of observation. - -Every town, village or hamlet that they passed through was partly or -completely wrecked by shell explosions or fire. Most of the French -inhabitants had fled, although here and there were a few who had been -caught in the advancing wave of the invading army. Much of the open -country was disfigured with shell holes and trenches, and many of the -farm houses had been converted, wantonly it appeared, into heaps of -charred woodwork, black masonry and ashes. - -An hour before the dusk of evening they arrived at a small town that was -in better condition of physical preservation than any of the others they -had passed through. Apparently it was used as a sort of way-station in -the line of communications between the fighting front and the Rhine -frontier. - -There was no barbed wire inclosure for keeping the prisoners over night -in this place, and so they were housed in buildings that showed no -serious effects of recent bombardment. Phil and his two friends managed -to keep close together during the march and were much gratified with the -result of their efforts when they found themselves lodged in the same -building for the night. They were given their unvarying -breakfast-dinner-supper stew and stale bread shortly before dusk and -then, together with a dozen others, were locked in a small house that -undoubtedly, before the last big drive of the enemy, had been occupied -by a French family of not more than three or four. - -The house was bare. Every article of furniture had been removed. Not -even a lamp with which to dispel the gloom of the place was to be found. - -“There isn’t a bit of ventilation in this house,” declared one of the -prisoners, whose name, it soon developed, was Arthur Evans. - -“And we don’t dare try to open a window for fear one of the guards may -try his marksmanship at us,” said another who had been addressed in -Phil’s hearing as Jerry Carey. - -“It’s almost as big a menace as being gassed,” muttered another Marine, -who answered to the name of Burns. - -“I don’t suppose we fifteen men would exactly die in these tightly -closed rooms in one night,” said Phil meditatively; “but I’m afraid we’d -almost have to be carried out by morning. We’d better get our wits -together and contrive some kind of vent that will make possible a -current of air up through the chimney.” - -“I’m in favor of smashing one of the windows with a shoe,” Burns -announced. “We can all drop down flat on the floor and escape a volley -from the guards if they fire in here.” - -“Let’s try something else,” Phil proposed. “Here’s a trapdoor. Maybe it -opens into a basement or cellar. Let’s see if we can’t get some air -through that.” - -There was no ring or handle of any kind with which to lift the door. So -Phil hunted around until he found a small stick with which he was able -to get a slight purchase and lifted the door until he was able to get -hold of it with his fingers. A moment later the entire group of -prisoners were gazing down into a dark hole in which the only visible -object was the upper part of a rude flight of steps. - -“There’s no air in that place,” declared one of the Marines, sniffing in -disgust at the scent of mold and must of the atmosphere in the cellar. - -“I wish I had a light and I’d go down and explore it,” said Phil. “Who -knows what we might find in it?” - -“Some rotten apples and potatoes and a lot of mice and vermin, more’n -likely,” prophesied Dan Fentress pessimistically. - -“Oh, I agree with you there, and I agree also that it is hardly probable -that I’d find anything worth while,” Phil replied. “Still, just to be -doing something, I’d like to explore that hole in the ground. Remember, -fellows, this is pretty nearly on the other side of the world from where -we live. Consequently, everything we see and hear around, about, within -and among these our approximate antipodes ought to interest us.” - -“Nobody could say you nay after such poetic persuasion as that,” avowed -one of the imprisoned Marines who thus far had been conspicuous -principally because of his silence. - -“I left a hard-headed friend unconscious back in Belleau Woods yesterday -who had no use for poets in war,” Phil returned quickly. “He regarded -them as worse than enemy spies, and I don’t know but that I agree with -him. So, you see, you haven’t complimented me very much.” - -“There seems to be a little light down there,” said Evans, who had been -peering into the cellarway while the others were engaged in what he -regarded as profitless palaver. “There must be a window in the cellar -wall, and as it isn’t dark yet, probably a wee bit of daylight is -filtering through.” - -“I’m going down and feel about with my hands,” Phil announced, placing -one foot on the top step. “If there’s any light at all down there, I’ll -get the benefit of it after my eyes have got accustomed to conditions. -So here’s hoping that I’ll find something of more value than rotten -apples.” - -“I hope you’ll find a keg o’ cider,” said Evans, smacking his lips. - -Phil had descended no more than half a dozen steps when he stopped with -a low exclamation of interest. - -“What’s up?” asked Emmet Harding. - -“There’s a shelf here right beside the stairway and several things on -it. I’ll hand them up to you, and you see what they are.” - -The first article that Phil laid, his hands on was a short housewife’s -paring knife. As he had been deprived of his own jackknife when searched -behind the boche lines, he decided to appropriate this valuable kitchen -tool to his own use and put it into a pocket of his coat. The next was a -small wooden box, which the finder passed up to one of the fellows who -reached down to receive it. - -“Candles!” announced the latter eagerly, for there was no lid on it and -the contents were plainly visible in the twilight. - -“You don’t say!” exclaimed Phil, returning to the top of the stairway -eagerly. - -“You bet I do,” answered the other, holding up one of the sticks of -molded wax. “There must be a dozen here.” - -“What good will they do unless somebody has a match?” inquired Evans -skeptically. “I bet there isn’t a match in this crowd.” - -A hurried search by everybody present confirmed this bit of pessimism. - -“Never mind,” said Phil quietly; “I’m going to light one of those -candles without a match.” - - - - - CHAPTER XV - A LIGHT WITHOUT MATCHES - - -Phil’s proposition to light without a match one of the candles -discovered in the cellarway of the probable former residence of a family -of French refugees interested every one of his imprisoned companions. -None of them was incredulous. All were sufficiently experienced in human -resourcefulness to give attention to even a seemingly impossible scheme -when it came from an intelligent young man under circumstances of urgent -necessity. Indeed, one of them, suspecting at once the nature of -Sergeant Speed’s plan, inquired quickly: - -“How are you going to do it—rub sticks?” - -“You’ve hit it about right,” answered Phil. “But it’s getting dark, and -we’ve got to hustle if we’re going to be able to do anything. Any of you -fellows got a knife?” - -There was not a pocketknife among them. All had been thoroughly searched -after being brought back behind the enemy lines. - -“Well, never mind,” said Phil. “I found a strong paring knife in the -cellarway and it seems to be pretty sharp. Now, here is what I want: -Several of you fellows hunt about over the floor and woodwork and see if -you can find a loose board. If you can get hold of a loose end of a -board rip it up.” - -“You don’t need to rip up any boards,” called out one of the fellows -from an adjoining room. “Here’s half a dozen short pieces—probably meant -as kindling for the fireplace.” - -“Good!” exclaimed the volunteer fire-maker. “Bring them here near the -window.” - -The comrade did as requested. A few moments later Phil had selected one -of the short boards and split it on his knee. - -“I’m going to make a bow out of this,” he announced, as he began to -whittle. “Some of you fellows take these shavings and shred them against -something. I’ll need some punk to catch the sparks in.” - -“There’s a brick fireplace in the next room,” said Dan. “Some of the -bricks are loose and we can pull out a couple and shred the whittlings -between them.” - -“Good again,” pronounced the leader of the enterprise. “Now one of you -can help a whole lot by tying two or three shoestrings together for a -string of the bow I am preparing. Make the knots as small as you can.” - -“That isn’t necessary,” a young fellow named Barber interposed. “I have -a stout cord five or six feet long that will suit your purpose fine. I -picked it up in camp a few days ago and put it in my pocket, thinking it -might come handy sometime.” - -Phil received the string offered to him by the last speaker, and then -offered this suggestion by way of general advice on an important -subject: - -“We ought to be careful not to pitch our voices too loud. Of course -there’s nothing in what has been said that could do us any particular -harm if it had been overheard by one of the guards. Still, there’s no -telling when we’ll discover something or concoct a scheme that it would -be advisable to keep to ourselves. We’d better tone our voices down so -that we have to lean forward to hear each other; then we’ll be on the -safe side.” - -Several of the prisoners expressed their approval of this suggestion, -and the succeeding conversations were in lower tones. - -The work progressed rapidly, considering the insufficiency of light in -the house. In a remarkably short time Phil and his assistants had -produced a rude bow two and a half feet long, a fireboard with a small -cone-shaped drill-socket, or pit, in one side, and a V-shaped trough -leading from the pit to the edge of the board; a “thunder-bird,” or -small block of wood with a cone-shaped socket in the center; a drill, or -a rounded piece of wood about fifteen inches long and sharpened at both -ends; and a handful of shredded shavings. - -“There!” exclaimed Phil in subdued tone, as he surveyed the completed -task in the dusk now so heavy that he was sure the work could not have -progressed successfully many minutes longer. “I’m glad that’s done. By -the way, it’s fortunate that there are curtain shades still on the -windows. Let’s pull them down and then light one of the candles. We can -shade the light with our bodies so that there won’t be much danger of -its being seen outside. Be careful not to let the guards see you pulling -the shades down. It’s so dark now that they won’t notice what we’ve done -after they’re down.” - -The shades were drawn down cautiously, and fourteen Marine prisoners of -war gathered around Phil to watch the hoped-for success of making fire -in the Old World after the manner developed and perfected by the -aborigines of the New. - -But they did little actual watching before the first spark appeared. -Immediately after the drawing of the shades there was scarcely a glimmer -of light in the room, and Phil had to depend on his sense of feeling to -enable him to operate his fire-making contrivance. - -“Now, all of you crowd around in as close a circle as you can without -hindering my movements,” he directed as he fitted the sharpened ends of -the drill into the pit of the fireboard, which he had laid on the floor, -and the pit of the “thunder-bird,” which he held in his left hand. Then -he began a sawing motion with the bow, the string of which was looped -around the drill. - -A moment later all were listening eagerly to the merry hum of the drill -as it whirled around in its perpendicular position, the revolving motion -being produced by the drawing back and forth of the bow string looped -about it. - -“Keep close together,” Phil warned. “Don’t let any light get through. -It’s coming. Smell the burning of the wood?” - -Suddenly there was a tiny glow at the base of the drill. - -“Quick with the punk,” said Phil eagerly. - -Nobody could see the move, but nevertheless Dan dropped a pinch of the -dry shredded wood on the tiny brilliance. - -The bright spot grew larger, the drill whirled more rapidly, a few more -pinches of punk were applied, and the glow burst into a flame. - -“Now, the candle,” Phil directed, but even as he spoke the wick of one -of the illuminants was being applied to the burning punk. - -Phil seized the lighted candle and started for the open trap-doorway. - -“I’m going downstairs and see what I can find,” he announced, holding -his coat lapel over the flame. “All of you stand close together and help -keep any rays of this candle from getting to any of the windows.” - -“How about the basement windows?” asked one of the men. “How’re you -going to keep the light from shining through them?” - -“I’ll have to run a little risk on that account,” Phil replied; “but -I’ll shield the light all I can with my coat and when I get down there -I’ll set it in a corner where it can’t be seen through the window or -windows, if possible.” - -The boy descended slowly, and the others, or such of them as could -obtain a view at once through the opening in the floor, gazed eagerly -after him. They were unable to see much, however, for he covered the -light with the lapel of his coat so carefully that the entire -illumination fell directly in front of him. - -Phil’s first trip into the cellar was a short one. In less than five -minutes he returned to the head of the stairs without the light and -offered this startling announcement in low but clear tones: - -“Fellows, I’ve made a great discovery. If you’re game, there’s a good -chance for us to escape.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - PLANS FOR ESCAPE - - -Everybody was eager to hear of Phil’s discovery, and a chorus of -low-toned demands for an explanation followed his announcement. - -“It isn’t a very romantic discovery,” the explorer of the cellar -replied. “In fact, it’s very ordinary and points toward some hard work -for us.” - -“We’re used to that,” returned one of the prisoners quickly. “Out with -it. Don’t keep us guessing.” - -“There’s a regular outfit of excavating tools down there,” the boy -sergeant explained. “They were concealed behind some boxes, and I -suppose that’s the reason the boche invaders never found them. There’s a -spade, shovel, pick and hoe there—all in good condition.” - -“Do you mean to suggest that we dig our way out of this place?” asked -Phil’s last inquisitor. - -“Sure—why not?” was the reply. - -“We’d have to tunnel out—clear to the other side of their outposts.” - -“And that’s just what I propose to do,” said Phil deliberately. - -There being no light in the room, nobody could see anybody else’s -expression of countenance, but the chilly silence that followed this -announcement indicated something of what was going on in the minds of -those who heard it. One of the latter whispered into another’s ear: - -“He’s gone clean daft—insane. We’d better amuse him.” - -But Phil’s sharp ear caught enough of these words to enable him to -understand their purport. He realized, too, that it was a very natural -conclusion, although he had not intended to provoke it. Any such -self-amusement as this would have been exceedingly out of place. Still, -he was tempted just a little to see if someone of his prison-associates -would perceive the feasibility of his plan. None of them did, however, -until he supplemented his last assertion, as follows: - -“It isn’t so crazy an idea after all, when you consider that we have -only about fifteen feet to dig.” - -“By crackey, that’s so!” exclaimed Dan Fentress excitedly. Then -moderating his tone of voice in mindfulness of their recent agreement on -the subject, he added: “Didn’t you fellows notice that there’s an old -stonequarry or something of the kind just south o’ this house? We can -dig right into that and slip down and away. It’s hardly likely we’ll -find anybody watching from that quarter.” - -“That’s a brilliant idea, and we’re a lot o’ mutts for not getting it -sooner,” Evans declared. “Let’s get busy at once.” - -“There’s just one window in the basement wall, and that’s on the south -side,” Phil continued. “We’ll have to blind that up some way before we -do much work. Probably there’s nobody watching on that side, but we -don’t want to run any risk.” - -“We’ll take off our coats and jam ’em up in the window if the frame is -deep enough,” Emmet Harding proposed. “Is it?” he inquired, addressing -Phil. - -“Yes, it’s six or eight inches deep,” the latter replied. “I propped the -candle up with several brickbats on the floor a few feet from the -window. Nobody’d be likely to see a light from that side unless he were -inspecting very closely for one.” - -“Let’s go down and begin work at once,” Evans proposed. “The sooner we -get away the better our chances of escape will be.” - -“We’ll need about eight or ten coats to blind the window with,” said -Phil. “Here’s mine. Some of you pass over yours and I’ll go down and -take care of that matter.” - -A minute later the prison tunnel engineer had as big a load of coats on -his arm as he wished to carry while descending into the cellar, and he -was about to return below when Dan startled him a little by saying: - -“We haven’t got the ventilation yet that we started out to get. And this -place is growing stuffy already. How about it? We can’t work very long -in such atmosphere as this, and the worst of it will settle into the -cellar, where we’ll have to do all our hard work.” - -“That’s so,” said Phil. “We can’t open that cellar window any easier -probably than one of the windows up here, and if we could, we wouldn’t -dare use it for ventilating while working down there with a light. Let’s -go around and try the windows up here and see if we can’t get one of -them open without making any noise.” - -“Let’s try to open one on the north side,” Emmet suggested. “If the -guards hear us, we’ll explain that we’ve got to have some fresh air. -Then, too, they’ll probably watch that end of the house more closely and -maybe neglect the south end if they know one of the north windows is -open.” - -This plan was adopted and Emmet was delegated to try the north windows. -The general suspense was greatly relieved when he turned and whispered -that he had raised the lower sash of the first window he tried and -propped it up with a short piece of board. He had not made a sound -audible to his companions while doing this. - -“Now, nobody must talk above a whisper, and that as little as possible, -while the window is open,” he cautioned. - -Phil took this as a cue for him to descend into the cellar and blind the -foundation window with his load of coats. In a few minutes, after -accomplishing this, he returned and selected two aids, with whom he went -below again to begin work on the proposed escape tunnel into the -excavation to the south. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - TUNNELING - - -“We’ll have to conserve our candles,” was Phil’s first remark after he -and his two assistants, Dan Fentress and Donald Winslow, reached the -foot of the stairway. “I haven’t any candlestick yet, but we can make -one with some stiff clay as soon as we get to digging.” - -“What kind of masonwork do we have to cut through?” asked Dan, stepping -over to the south wall and proceeding to find an answer to the question -for himself. - -“It’s brick and cement,” Phil replied, anticipating the questioner’s -move to answer himself. “Ordinarily it would be difficult to break even -with a crowbar and a sledge hammer; but observe that large frost-crack -running down from one corner of the window. Several of the bricks there -are almost loose. We can start a hole in the wall by picking out those -bricks. Then the work of enlarging the opening ought to be comparatively -easy with the aid of this pick.” - -As he spoke Phil took up the tool referred to, which he had stood up -against the wall, together with the spade, shovel and hoe discovered by -him on his first inspection of the cellar. It was by no means a delicate -looking pick, and all three of the Marines who examined it agreed that -it ought to withstand an extremely heavy leverage in the work before -them. - -“I figure that the man who lived here worked in that quarry, and that is -the explanation of these tools,” Phil continued after his companions had -examined the articles in question and satisfied themselves as to their -serviceability. - -“They are not exactly stonequarry tools, or at least they constitute a -decidedly incomplete kit,” Dan remarked critically. “This isn’t much -more than an ordinary garden outfit.” - -“Well, anyway, they’re here for us to use,” Winslow put in; “so let’s -get busy, for this candle is nearly half gone already, and we’re liable -to run out of light if we don’t hustle. Here goes for a starter.” - -He seized the pick and was about to transform his manifestation of -energy into action, when Phil stayed him with this caution: - -“Be careful, Winslow; no hard blows. Remember, there are guards within a -few rods of this house, and any noises, even though they are muffled by -cellar walls and masses of earth, are pretty certain to be -investigated.” - -“Very wisely said,” returned the young Marine with the pick. “I’m -altogether too impulsive for a general. That’s the reason I’m a private -and always will be. What shall I do, sergeant, begin a toothpick -operation on the wall?” - -“Yes, something o’ the sort,” Phil replied, smiling. “Jab the pick into -that crack there and see if you can’t pry some of those bricks loose.” - -Winslow did as directed, and was astonished on discovering with what -ease half a dozen of the bricks came out. - -“Fine!” exclaimed Phil gleefully. “Now, try some of that solid wall.” - -Winslow did as directed. He was a powerful fellow—Phil had selected him -as an aid for this reason. The pick stood the test and the wall fell -away in bits. In less than an hour—estimated—a section of the wall three -feet wide and nearly six feet high had been broken away, and the first -candle was still burning. - -“Everything’s going great,” said the young engineer of the enterprise. -“The candles are going to last longer than I thought.” - -“Shan’t we light two of them?” Dan suggested. “We can work faster, -maybe.” - -“No, not yet,” Sergeant Speed replied quickly. “We’ll have two or three -of them going after we get the tunnel started a few feet.” - -“Stick ’em on our hats?” inquired Winslow. - -“No, we haven’t any way that I know of to fasten them to our hats. We’ll -cut niches in the wall and set the candles in there. By the way, I’m -going upstairs and get a couple more fellows down here to help.” - -“We’ll have to have some fresh air before long,” said Dan. “First thing -we know we’ll be asphyxiated—carbon-dioxidized, as it were. That fresh -air upstairs won’t come down here unless forced down with a fan, or we -manage to effect some kind of open-air vent through these walls.” - -“I’ve been thinking of that,” said Phil; “and I have a scheme that I -think will work first rate. After we get ahead with the tunnel a few -feet, we’ll cut a hole straight up to the surface next to the -foundation. We’ll keep the lights away from that hole, and stop our -talking, too.” - -Phil now left his two companions hard at work and ascended the stairway -to report progress to his waiting companions and select two or three -more assistants to help speed up the work in the cellar. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - THE PRISONERS TAKE A PRISONER - - -The work of digging the tunnel progressed rapidly. At first Phil feared -that the job would prove exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, of -performance in the seven or eight hours they had before them for labor -before the next daybreak. He based this fear on the proximity of the -supposed stonequarry just south of the house. - -The earth was not even solidly packed at every place where they struck -with spade, shovel and pick. In fact, much of it was so loose that to -use the pick would have been a waste of time. Generally the spade served -the purpose best in the tunnel, the one who wielded that tool pitching -the diggings back as far as he could, while others threw or dragged them -still farther back against the opposite wall with the shovel and hoe. - -Before long it became evident to all the workers why the earth was so -easy to spade. There was considerable sand mixed with the clay and the -loam constituting the earth’s crust at this point. They concluded, -therefore, that the stonequarry must be of the sand variety, and that -the rocky substratum in this section of the country was covered with a -sandy admixture of supersoil. - -But they struck so much of this loosening element that it presently -began to appear as a menace rather than an advantage. If a vein of sand -should be struck overhead or in the upper part of the excavation, a -cave-in might result in the suffocation of the tunneler before he could -be rescued. Phil then suggested that thereafter the continuation of the -tunnel be elevated a foot or two in order to lessen the possibility of -such disaster. However, they were careful also not to cut too close to -the surface of the ground for fear lest a guard, passing that way, might -step through and be precipitated into the passage. - -But that is the very thing that happened, and it came near bringing the -enterprise of the energetic Marines to an unhappy conclusion. -Nevertheless, perhaps, it was fortunate that things turned out as they -did, for the guard who stepped through into the subterranean avenue was -so overwhelmed by the mass of sand and earth which closed in upon him, -that his wits, his voice and his power of self-help deserted him. - -Phil was taking his turn with the spade in the tunnel when this thing -occurred. Fortunately, he had stepped back several feet in order to -bring the candle forward to a new niche he had just cut in the wall and -was not covered by the avalanche of earth. As it was, he started back -several feet, fearing that the whole roof of the tunnel was about to -fall in, but was presently reassured by an appearance of the cause of -the sudden interruption of his work. - -A pair of coarse-broganned feet protruded from the heap of earth in the -wrecked passageway and apprised him of the fact that someone—certainly -not an American Marine—had been caught in a very effective trap, which -had been intended for anything but a trap. Moreover, it was likely to -prove a death trap in short order unless steps were taken to release the -victim with all possible speed. - -Phil took hold of the protruding brogans and pulled, but with no -favorable result. He pulled again—the buried form moved slightly, and -more earth slid down into the trench. The boy now realized that the -situation was desperate—for the victim was no doubt a boche soldier; but -the young Marine felt it a human duty to rescue him, nevertheless. - -Just then he felt the presence of someone behind him, and as he turned -to see who it was, Dan Fentress took hold of one of the protruding legs -and whispered: - -“Here, we’ll pull together. It’ll be tough on him, but not so tough as -leaving him there until we can shovel ’im out. He has some chance this -way.” - -It was close quarters for two to work in side by side, but one strong -pull together was effectual. A badly scared boche, hatless and with his -face considerably the worse for rough dragging through a mass of earth -and sharp stones, emerged, puffing with exhaustion and certainly not in -condition to exclaim, “Thank you for saving my life!” - -“Here’s his gun,” said Dan, reaching forward and pulling forth a Mauser -from the loose earth that had almost buried it. - -“And here’s his pistol,” said Phil, drawing a murderous looking weapon -from the fellow’s holster. “He must be a general handy man for all kinds -of service.” - -The prisoners’ prisoner, who was rapidly recovering from the effects of -his mishap and violent handling, sat up presently and looked about him -with astonishment. Evidently he did not know what to make of the -situation. - -“See here, my good enemy friend,” Dan warned, pointing the Mauser at his -head; “no noise out o’ you, or I’ll send you to the place where Kultur -gets all the reward comin’ to it. We’re Marines, not submarines; and we -hit _above_ water.” - -“Every word of that is lost on him,” said Phil, noting the blank -expression on the boche’s countenance. “He’s not a very intelligent -fellow—the better for us right now. He’s one of those old fellows -they’ve dragged into the army to perform duties of secondary importance. -We’d better get him back in the cellar and let some o’ the other boys -take care of ’im.” - -The unfortunate guard proved to be able to get on his feet and walk back -to where the other Marines were waiting anxiously for an explanation of -the disturbances that had reached their ears. Phil told the story in a -few words and then said: - -“You fellows stay here and take care of this prisoner, and I’ll go out -and reconnoiter. I want to see the lay o’ the land. Maybe we’ve done all -the digging necessary. With this guard out of the way, the coast may be -clear to the south. We want to know where we’re going before we start.” - -“Let me go along,” Dan requested. “I’ve got a notion that two spies -working together can do better than one.” - -“Come on, then,” Phil responded. “Is that satisfactory to you fellows?” - -The speaker by this time was acknowledged by all as their leader. Half a -dozen were now in the basement giving their assistance in shifts in the -preparations for escape. They nodded assent to this latest suggestion. - -A minute later Phil and Dan had crawled up over the pile of earth at the -end of the tunnel and were creeping over the ground toward the supposed -stonequarry. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - OVERHEARD IN A SANDPIT - - -Carefully the boys peered in every direction for signs of the presence -of guards in the vicinity, but apparently the boche whom they had -captured had been the only one stationed south of the house. They -reached the edge of the large excavation without an alarm to themselves -or the enemy, and then began an examination of the descent for an avenue -of departure for themselves and their waiting companions in the house. - -The night was clear, but there was no moon; and it was difficult, with -the aid of only the stars, to get a satisfactory view any considerable -distance ahead of them. However, it is well known that one can accustom -his eyes to ordinary darkness of night to such an extent that he is able -to discern distant objects with a clearness that at first would seem -impossible. - -And so it was that after lying several minutes at the edge of what at -first seemed to be a steep bluff, they found that they could make out -the edge of a deep pit directly to the south and a hill-like descent -that curved along to the left gradually to the southward. Bushes grew -here and there along this winding hill-path, so that it was evident that -they must make their inspection rod by rod, if not yard by yard, in -order to determine of what value it was to them. - -“Let’s go down there and see what it looks like,” Phil whispered in his -companion’s ear. - -Dan nodded his willingness, and soon they were creeping along the course -indicated. After they had left a considerable screen of bushes behind, -they stood erect and looked carefully about them; then continued their -descent. They stopped, however, several times on the way, looking about -and listening intently for evidence of the presence of enemy soldiers. -In one of these precautionary halts, Phil said to his companion scout: - -“I don’t believe this is a stonequarry at all. It’s a big sandpit, -according to my notion. And this is a path used by the workmen who live -up on the higher ground. I bet it leads right down to the entrance of -the pit.” - -“I believe you’re right,” Dan returned. “There’s so all-fired much sand -around here, it can’t be otherwise. How far do you think we’d better go? -Everything looks clear in this direction.” - -“Let’s go down to the foot of this hill and see how things look there -before we go back,” Phil proposed in reply. - -They continued to the bottom of the hill and found themselves at the -wide entrance of a huge sandpit with bushes growing in abundance along -the border nearest their approach. Here they stood close to a clump of -bushes, listening and peering cautiously in all directions for warning -sounds or signs indicating the presence of enemy soldiers in the -vicinity. - -The warning came almost immediately. The sound of voices in conversation -only a few feet from them caused the boys to stand as still almost as -the ground on which they stood. They held their breath, as it were, and -listened eagerly to catch the words being exchanged by two men on the -opposite side of the thicket. - -Apparently the conference was very secret, for the principals had sought -a dark and out-of-the-way place to “put their heads together,” and the -eagerness of their tones indicated the degree of importance they placed -on the purpose of the interview. But it was in German, and although both -of the listeners had studied that language at school, they were unable -to form a clear idea as to the main purpose of the conversation. - -It did not take Phil long, however, to identify one of the men. His -high-pitched voice and tripping utterance, little short of a stutter, -could hardly have been duplicated by another. Without a doubt he was the -oddly proportioned commissioned officer who had been in charge of the -squad of boches that Phil had captured at Belleau Woods and who later, -with the assistance of another, had turned the tables on him. - -“It’s my boaconstrictor evil genius,” Phil mused, although not very -apprehensively. “How I wish I could make out what they are talking -about.” - -He did, however, catch a few words that intensified his curiosity, -although they carried to his mind little or no enlightenment. -Considerable was said about an aeroplane and “the Americans” and bombs. -Phil and Dan both strained their ears and their imagination to put these -and other single-word ideas together and uncover the meaning of the -interview, but in vain. Both had studied “literary German” at school, -but their knowledge of conversational Prussian was exceedingly limited. - -Ten or fifteen minutes after Phil and Dan arrived at the mouth of the -sandpit, the conversation ended and the two men departed, starting up -the path by which the escaped prisoners had descended. The latter waited -a minute or two for them to get a good start, and were about to follow -them and, if possible, prevent them from giving the alarm if they -discovered the wrecked tunnel leading from their prison, when a new -surprise of startling nature added another thrill to the adventures of -the night. - -“Phil!” - -This utterance of Sergeant Speed’s given name was scarcely above a -whisper, but distinct. The latter shivered as if a ghost had touched him -on the shoulder. Then concluding with a desperate denial of his “sense -of sound location,” that it must have been his companion that spoke to -him, he turned to Dan to ask him what he wanted. But the latter was -looking about curiously to learn the source of the familiar address. - -A moment later both of them beheld a third human form standing a few -feet away and instinctively assumed an attitude of defense, prepared to -change it into one of attack, when the supposed stranger spoke thus in -low tones: - -“Don’t be alarmed, Phil. I am Tim Turner whom you left for dead in -Belleau Woods.” - - - - - CHAPTER XX - ESCAPE - - -“Well, of all the most wonderful things that ever happened this is out -of the ordinary!” - -One of the characteristics that made Phil a good soldier was the fact -that it was almost impossible to astound him. A fellow Marine commented -on this fact once, and he replied: - -“Sure. If a Hun plane should drop a bomb on the end of my nose in the -middle of the night, I shouldn’t be the least bit surprised.” - -His first impulse when Tim Turner presented himself to him and Dan -Fentress in the middle of the night at the entrance of the French -sandpit was to say something ridiculous. So he popped an anticlimax, -which amounted to serving notice on himself and his two friends that -this was no place for astonishment. The situation was therefore cleared -up for the benefit of all three with two sentences: - -“I came to just as you and your captors were leaving and followed to -help you, but was captured, put to work on the soup truck, and escaped -tonight,” said Tim. - -“We tunneled out of our prison, came here to see if the coast was clear, -and are going back now to get a bunch of prisoners who are waiting for -our report,” said Phil. - -“Go on, and I’ll wait till you get back this way,” Tim proposed. - -“All right,” Phil assented. “We must hustle along to see if those two -boches stumble into our tunnel. It caved in before we finished it.” - -That ended the conversation, and the two prisoner-scouts hastened up the -hill after the two enemy soldiers, whose mysterious conference, held -under appearances of the most careful secrecy, caused Phil and Dan to -wonder more and more as they puzzled over the few words they had been -able to understand. Halfway up the incline they caught sight of the -worthy pair, walking leisurely and almost arm-in-arm, totally -unsuspicious, it appeared, of the proximity of any unfriendly humans at -large. - -Near the top of the hill they turned to the right and soon were moving -along a highway that led into the heart of the town. The two scouts were -greatly relieved by this, as it virtually precluded any possibility of -their discovering the escape tunnel leading from the cellar of the -prison and overlooking the sandpit. The shorter route for them would -have been across the unfenced yard into which the tunnel had been cut. - -A minute later Phil and Dan were back again in the basement and -reporting the success of their scouting expedition. The prisoner of the -prisoners had been bound and gagged and lay like a mummy in one corner, -scowling weirdly in the dim candle light. After inspecting his bonds and -gag to make certain that he was not likely to work loose or raise an -alarm with his voice, Phil announced that all was ready for a departure. -This announcement was communicated to the prisoners upstairs and -presently all were assembled in the cellar and ready to file out through -the tunnel. - -Phil desired very much to talk over plans with the other escaping -prisoners, but the presence of the captured boche advised him that it -was not well to run the risk of his being able to understand English. So -they filed out with only a “follow the leader” understanding. - -Phil and Dan led the way down the hill to the point where Corporal Tim -waited for their reappearance. Then they selected a sequestered nook, -partly shielded with a growth of high bushes near the mouth of the -sandpit and there held a conference. - -“It seems to me that this is a case of every man for himself,” Evans -remarked after several of the boys, with less constitutional initiative, -had put, or seconded, the question, “What shall we do next?” - -“Yes,” Phil agreed; “I don’t believe there’s any argument to be made -against that. If we keep together, we’re bound to attract attention. If -we travel singly, or in twos, we can hide better in the daytime. We’ll -be hampered, too, with these uniforms. If we separate, traveling by -night and hiding in the daytime, perhaps some of us may be able to -exchange them in some of these French villages for something less -convicting. We may find some old work clothes that the boches overlooked -or rejected with contempt, or we may find some French inhabitants caught -in the big drive of the enemy, who will bend an effort to help us -camouflage our American looks.” - -“Before we separate, I want to make an announcement.” - -Everybody turned questioningly toward the speaker. - -“Who are you?” asked one of the escaped prisoners who stood near the boy -that volunteered this interposition and looked curiously into his face. -Evidently the inquisitor had spotted him as a stranger. - -“He’s all right,” said Phil, coming to the support of his friend. “Boys, -this is Tim Turner who was with us at Belleau Woods. After I was -captured, he followed in the dusk, hoping to be able to come to my -relief. But he also was taken prisoner and escaped today. Dan Fentress -and I found him down here, or, rather, he found us, and he’s been -waiting for our return with you boys. What is it, Tim? What announcement -do you want to make?” - -“This,” the bullet-headed corporal answered. “I don’t believe you and -Dan caught the significance of what those two Huns were talking about -down here, did you?” - -“No, we’ll have to confess that we didn’t,” Phil replied. “We flunked -bad in our German test.” - -“Well, I got it,” Tim continued impressively. “I never studied German at -school, but I worked for a German farmer two years and got so I could -carry on a conversation with him and his family without any trouble. -Those two Huns were planning one of the most fiendish plots you ever -heard of—dastardly, just about as bad as sinking the Lusitania or -torturing Belgian women and children. They were planning to kill most, -or all, of the prisoners in this place and make it appear that an -American did the deed.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXI - THE PLOT - - -“I understood almost every word they uttered and the plot is as clear as -day,” Tim declared excitedly. “It’s simply dastardly and as treacherous -as the violation of the Belgian treaty. Incidentally I learned something -more, too, that will interest you considerably. - -“One of those boche plotters is connected way high up, a distant -relative of the kaiser himself, as I got it. He’s the fellow with the -big girth—one of the bunch that captured you and brought you back behind -their lines. It was plain that the other fellow held him in a good deal -of awe, if he was only a second lieutenant. - -“This other fellow is an aviator, I wasn’t long finding out. There’s an -aviation field a short distance from here, and the ‘taube chauffeur’ -flies from that field. The kaiser’s umpty-umpth nephew cooked the scheme -up in his own cranium and called the flyer to the conference in the -sandpit. He called the aviator Hertz, and Hertz addressed him mostly as -Count, once or twice Count Topoff, and once referred to him as ‘a -general in disguise.’ - -“Well, the plot they cooked up was this—or rather it seemed to be cooked -up in the brain of ‘the count’ and was dished out to Hertz to swallow -willy-nilly: The bunch of prisoners are to continue their march toward -the Rhine tomorrow—or today. Is it past midnight yet? And Hertz is to -come along in his aeroplane loaded with bombs. The officers are to -announce that it’s an American plane on a bombing expedition and are to -keep the prisoners bunched together with threats to shoot them if they -try to get away. - -“‘He’s arter us,’ the guards will tell the prisoners; ‘and the only way -we can save our lives from his bombs and machine-gun is to keep our guns -trained on you, and we’ll have to stand off at a distance to keep you -from rushing us. Now, if you behave yourselves and obey orders, you’ll -save not only your own lives but ours, too. But if you make trouble for -us, we’ll kill as many of you as we can before he gets us, and he’ll -have to treat each of us as a separate target, for we’re all scattered -out around you.’ - -“Well, along will come the supposed American plane from the west and -it’s figured that the prisoners will drink in the boches’ warning and -huddle together like a lot o’ barnyard fowl in a cold rain. Hertz will -then proceed to drop a dozen or more bombs on them, while the guards -stand off at a distance and watch the fun.” - -“But what’s the purpose in such a program as that?” someone inquired. -“Why shouldn’t they go ahead and commit their wholesale murder in cold -blood and admit they’re responsible for the whole business? They haven’t -anything to be afraid of.” - -“They’ve two reasons for doing it the way they planned,” Tim replied. -“Those reasons were expressed very clearly in the course of their -conversation. First, some o’ the boche leaders are pretty sore because -of the reputation they’ve got for committing frightful cruelties, and a -kind of chicken-hearted warning has gone out from some high source to -put on the soft pedal. Still, it seems to be in the make-up of some of -those scoundrels to do the most fiendish things they can think of. If -they can satisfy their lust for curdled blood and throw the blame on -somebody else, they can also flatter their vanity for putting the thing -over with very smooth cunning. Then again, it would key up the morale of -the boche soldiers to a high pitch if the story could be circulated that -the Americans were such dummies that they are likely to commit such -blunders as this fake affair will seem to be. You see, Hertz is going to -fly in a captured French machine and will be dressed in the uniform of -an American prisoner.” - -“Can you beat that for sheer rascality?” Evans exclaimed. “Do you know, -fellows, I don’t feel like trying to escape and leaving all those other -boys to die like rats in a trap when a word from us passed among them -might at least give them a chance to make some of those fiends pay the -penalty of their dastardly plot when it’s put into effect. There are -only about a score of guards in charge of this bunch of prisoners and I -believe they could be overpowered if a concerted rush were made at the -right time.” - -“I confess that I feel the same way,” said Sergeant Phil vengefully. -“But really, boys, it isn’t necessary for all of us to go back. One of -us would be enough. He could pretend to be in sympathy with the boche -cause and tell them he refused to go with the rest. That probably would -get him considerable favor with them and enable him to do some effective -work.” - -“Who’s going to be the one to go back?” asked Evans, thereby propounding -a question not at all easy to answer. Undoubtedly all of the sixteen -escaped prisoners were not equally well fitted to handle the matter with -like promise of success. Phil realized this, and, without intending to -arrogate superior qualities to himself, replied: - -“I will, unless someone else can show good reason why he could do the -job better than I can.” - -“I’m conceited enough to believe that I can do it just as well,” said -Evans. “Unless you can show good reason why you can do it better than I -can, I demand that you match coins with me to determine who shall go.” - -“Where are the coins?” - -“Hold on,” interposed Dan Fentress. “You two aren’t going to have a -monopoly on this business. I want to come in on it.” - -“All right,” said Evans; “you ought to be able to outwit a score of -pie-faced boches with those squint eyes o’ yours. But I think we’d -better close the nominations now, hadn’t we?” - -“Not till I get in on it, if you’ll admit an outsider,” Tim protested -eagerly. “I don’t exactly belong to your bunch, for the boches sort o’ -took me over as chief cook an’ bottle washer, but I don’t object to -being traitor to my new alliance if you don’t.” - -“We’ll let you in on it, nobody objecting,” Evans ruled. “But unless -somebody speaks up quick, the nominations are closed. One, two, -three—they’re closed. Now, how shall we vote? Anybody got a coin to -flip?” - -Nobody had. - -“Let’s settle it among us four candidates,” Phil proposed. “Nobody shall -vote for himself. Everybody decide whom he will vote for and as soon as -you’re all ready I’ll say ‘one, two,’ and instead of ‘three’ I’ll call -out my vote. You do likewise.” - -This was agreed upon. Presently all announced that they were ready and -Phil began, “One, two—” - -“Evans.” - -“Fentress.” - -“Speed.” - -“Speed.” - -Phil was elected. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII - GOOD-BY - - -The ceremony of good-bys was short following Phil’s election to return -as a messenger of warning to the other prisoners concerning the fiendish -plot for their destruction. Pew words of advice were exchanged as to -what each escaping prisoner should do. It was a case of everybody for -himself with no sure promise of success for anybody. Nobody knew any -more than anybody else concerning the country through which they must -pass or how they might hope to conceal themselves in the daytime, or how -obtain food for their already hungry stomachs. Everybody must work his -wits to the limit. - -This, in fact, seemed to be the general understanding, for each of the -escaping prisoners apparently took it for granted that the -responsibility for his own success or failure in this most important -venture rested entirely on himself. No questions were asked. Everybody -seemed to desire to strike out for himself as soon as possible. A few -went in pairs, but most of them set out alone. - -Tim said good-by to Phil last. The bullet-headed corporal, who had -proved himself a boy of no mean intelligence by the manner in which he -had got evidence of the wholesale-murder plot of “Count Topoff” and -Aviator Hertz and reported it to his friends, was evidently much -disappointed because he had not been elected to return to the prison -camp of his comrade Marines and Frenchmen and warn them against the -menace that would soon be upon them. - -“I’m sorry I’m not going with you,” he said to his friend. “I envy you -very much, old man, for while the rest of us are running away, you are -going back to fight. That’s what it means, Phil, a very hard fight, and -a lot of credit to you for preventing a wholesale and cowardly -slaughter.” - -“You evidently expect us to come out victorious,” Phil observed. - -“Of course. Why not?” Tim returned with something of a challenge in his -tone of voice. “Don’t you?” - -“No, Tim, I can’t say that I do. Frankly, I am disposed to say good-by -to you right now for the last time.” - -“You’re not enough of an optimist for a venture of this kind,” Tim -declared regretfully. “Don’t you expect to be able to communicate the -warning to the other fellows? If you don’t, you’d better let me take -your place, for I’m dead sure I can do it.” - -“I admire your self-confidence,” Phil replied deliberatively; “and if I -didn’t feel that I could perform the duty commissioned to me as well as -you could, I’d do as you suggest. Moreover, you’d be at a disadvantage -because you’d have to return to the job you left or the boches ’u’d -discover the transfer and want to know the meaning of it.” - -“I wouldn’t care for that,” Tim said quickly. “All I’d care for would be -to get my story started among the boys and let them take care o’ the -rest.” - -“But I’m planning to be right on the job and do some o’ the fighting,” -Phil announced eagerly. “You see, I have the pistol I took from the -boche that fell into our tunnel. I can do some good work with that right -at the beginning.” - -“You don’t talk as if you expected to be licked,” Tim interrupted. - -“Oh, I’m not going into the fight like a coward,” Phil answered -reassuringly. “Up to the time when we actually mix, I suppose I shall -expect to lose everything under my hat, but when I once get into the -fight, I can easily imagine myself believing that I was going to lick -the whole boche army single-handed. I’m sure I can feel that way if I -can only fill my stomach with something substantial in the way of food. -Well, good-by, Tim. I must be moving along now, and so must you. I -haven’t much idea what time it is, but I should judge from the feeling -of my empty stomach that it’s almost breakfast time. I want to get back -into some place, if I can, where I won’t be suspected of having anything -to do with the night’s escapade.” - -“Good-by,” said Tim, squeezing his friend’s hand. “Good-by and good -luck. All things considered, I believe now that it’s fortunate you were -picked for this job. At first I had an idea I was the only one who could -do it right. But I have come around to the view that you’re going to -make good in a way that I might not be able to. Hope to meet you on the -other side of No Man’s Land in a few days.” - -Phil started up the hill again while his friend stole away in the -opposite direction, taken generally by the other escaping Marines. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII - THE FIGHT IN THE CELLAR - - -Phil returned at once to the prison from which he and his companions had -just escaped. He had one purpose in this move. The excitement of their -departure had caused him to forget one very important thing that he had -planned to do before leaving the place. That was to transfer the guard’s -pistol cartridges to his own person. While engaged in his good-by -conversation with Tim, he placed his hand on the pocket containing the -weapon he had taken from the captured guard, and this reminded him of -his neglect to take possession of the available supply of ammunition. - -The candles had been snuffed out just before the prisoners stole away -through the tunnel and down the path by the sandpit. Phil was not -exactly certain whether he was pleased or displeased with this fact. If -the bound and gagged boche guard still lay in the south-east corner of -the cellar where he had been left, the returning Marine would have no -trouble finding him; but if he had rolled away in his efforts to -liberate himself, undoubtedly a light would be a very desirable aid in -locating him. - -Phil crept back through the tunnel cautiously; not that he anticipated -trouble from any source just now, but his every act under present -circumstances must of necessity be stealthy and careful. And so, in -spite of his caution, he was totally unprepared for what took place as -he reentered the cellar. - -He scarcely realized what happened, too, for the blow that fell on him -half stunned him. It was a vicious blow, and if it had not glanced from -the side of his head, it must surely have knocked him out. As it was, -the spade, or shovel, which was the weapon in the hands of his -assailant, bounded from his head to his shoulder and thence with a dull -metallic clang on the clayey floor. - -Phil staggered, but struggled desperately to keep from falling, and then -made a dive for the dark form whose outlines he could faintly -distinguish by the starlight that came in through the window from which -several of the prisoners had removed their coats before departing. But -the fellow undoubtedly expected this move and, having, under the -circumstances, better control of his wits, got a better hold on the -returning Marine and quickly threw him on his back. - -The latter, meanwhile was rapidly recovering from the effects of the -blow on his head, and realizing that his enemy would fasten his fingers -on the throat of his victim as soon as possible, pressed his chin hard -against his chest, threw his left arm over his face for protection and -passed his right hand down to his right hip pocket. - -He was thankful now that it was dark for there was no possibility of the -boche’s seeing what he was doing. Meanwhile, Phil affected to be trying -to throw off his assailant, while in fact he was merely elevating his -right hip in order that he might draw the pistol that he had taken from -the captured guard less than an hour before. - -The ruse was successful. In a few moments the muzzle of the weapon was -pressed against the side of the boche, who was struggling hard to get -his fingers around Phil’s throat. The boy sergeant set his teeth as he -had never set them before and pulled the trigger. - -The explosion was well muffled by the burying of the muzzle in the -clothing of the desperately vicious fellow, who probably was bent on -having a full revenge for the treatment he had received at the hands of -the Yank prisoners. Doubtless none of the other guards in the vicinity -could hear the sound of the discharge of the weapon, in spite of the -vent afforded by the tunnel. Phil felt not the least uneasiness on this -score after hearing the dull thud against the body of the man on top of -him. - -The latter collapsed with scarcely a groan. Phil rolled him off and got -up, returning the firearm to his pocket and saying to himself: - -“Awful sorry for you, boche, but I couldn’t help it. Maybe you weren’t -so much to blame after the kind of training you fellows ’ave had. I -wonder what Tim would say about me now—would he think I’m a mollycoddle? -Really I’m beginning to believe that he was right when he predicted that -I’d be successful in my mission. I feel at this moment as if I could -lick the whole boche army all alone. - -“But I mustn’t stop to philosophize or Tim ’u’d call me a worse fool -than ever. First I must have that belt o’ yours. It probably holds -pistol cartridges for me and gun cartridges for Tim. Yes, there it is -and off it comes—and—around me it goes. Now, what next? I wonder if I -ought to take it. Yes, I believe I will. He’s a bigger fellow than I am -and his uniform’ll go over mine very snugly. That’ll camouflage me for -immediate purposes, and when I don’t want it any longer I can skin it -off. So here goes.” - -Twenty minutes later Phil was creeping out of the cellar again -“super-clad” with the guard’s uniform which he had removed from the -apparently lifeless form and transferred over his own khaki. - -“I wonder how he ever freed himself of those bonds,” the boy muttered as -he moved crouchingly toward the bushes at the head of the descending -pathway. “I suppose we didn’t tie his wrists as securely as we thought -we did and he worked loose. Anyway, I don’t believe he’ll ‘work loose’ -again. But I’m sorry for him and hope he’s only wounded enough to keep -him helpless till he can’t do us any more harm. Say, wouldn’t it be -glorious if everybody shot in this war were only wounded and would get -well again after it’s all over? But war ’u’d be only a game o’ ten pins -then, wouldn’t it? - -“Gee! I’m a bum soldier. If I confessed such a sentiment as that to Tim, -he’d shoot me on the spot for a Prussian propagandist.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV - ANOTHER CAPTURE - - -“Now, what next?” - -Phil stopped a minute or two and considered. First, he must find out -where some of the other prisoners had been housed or corralled. Then he -must devise means of access into their presence without being challenged -by the guards. - -He decided finally that any course that he might adopt must be preceded -by a little preliminary scouting at random. So he started out with this -in view, advancing toward a large building which he had observed -casually the evening before but had been unable to determine whether it -was a church or a village hall. Perhaps some of his comrades were housed -in there. - -The prisoners had been lodged for the night in several sections after -being fed in as many divisions from a like number of soup and -stale-bread services, and Phil had not seen where any of them, aside -from those in his own party, were put. Right now, however, he found -himself wondering why the church-or-village-hall edifice hadn’t been -selected as a way-prison for all the captured French and Americans, if -indeed it had not been chosen for that purpose. - -He decided to inspect this place first of all. It was next door to the -house in which he had spent an eventful half-night as a prisoner of war, -but there was no window in that house on the side next to the large -building, so that he had been unable to observe what might have taken -place near the latter structure during his imprisonment. The rear yard -of the premises bordered on a bush-and-sapling wildwood tangle that -extended over the hill bordering the big sandpit, and Phil advanced -cautiously through this thicket to the edge about sixty feet from the -rear end of the building. - -There he halted and stood for several minutes surveying the faint -outlines of everything perceptible. At first the scene appeared to be a -sort of silhouetted picture of desertion. Not a sound reached his ears -save the slight rustling of leaves in the breeze, the faint boom of -cannon in the distance, and the rumbling of supply trucks on the nearest -army thoroughfare, and nothing out of the ordinary in the dim objects in -his immediate vicinity at first attracted his special attention. - -But presently a dark form, which at first his passing notice had -interested him about as much as a log of wood might have done, moved -slightly. Phil started, scarcely willing to believe his eyes. If it was -a guard, he was lying down. But possibly it was a dog sleeping. The boy -was scarcely willing to believe this, however, although he had no good -reason for his skepticism. Nevertheless, it was sustained presently in a -substantial manner when the living thing sat up and looked about him a -few moments. There could be no doubt now that it was a man. - -Phil strained his eyes eagerly for further manifestation as to the -character of the fellow not more than twenty feet away from him. -Presently his sitting form seemed to waver and he lay down again so -suddenly that the watcher’s irresistible first impression was that he -fell. - -“That’s funny,” thought the boy. “What’s the matter with him?—asleep at -his post? If I had a couple of fellows with me, I think I’d tap him on -the head and take his gun away from him. Why didn’t we think of -something o’ the kind? I really believe that half a dozen unarmed men -could turn the tables in this camp tonight by using their wits a little. -These boches are as careless as can be. They seem to think that because -they’re behind their own lines they’re perfectly safe and their -prisoners wouldn’t dare start anything rough.” - -Just then Phil was thrilled at the sight of two dimly outlined human -forms stealing out of the thicket fifteen or twenty feet to his right -and advancing cautiously toward the reclining figure. Then suddenly they -pounced upon him, one of them evidently seizing him by the throat, for, -although he struggled desperately he was unable to make an outcry. - -“My goodness!” was the unvocalized exclamation of the watcher. “Who are -they? Are some of the other prisoners out and attempting the very thing -that just occurred to me? I’ll have to find out and take a hand in -this.” - -Presently it appeared that the victim of the surprise attack had been -choked into unconsciousness, for his captors picked him up and carried -him back into the thicket and laid him down not more than six feet from -the spot where Phil stood. The latter dared not move, for fear lest he -be discovered, for he was not certain yet whether he was in the presence -of friends or enemies. All doubt on this score was removed the next -instant, however, when he heard one of the captors address the other in -tones scarcely above a whisper: - -“There, Tim, our first strike was a bloomin’ good success. If we can -keep this up half a dozen more times, we can go back home as chesty as a -hunchback and get away with it.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXV - A CHAPTER OF WIND - - -If he had not been afraid of creating noises that would reach the ears -of other enemy guards in the vicinity, Phil undoubtedly would have -rushed toward his two friends, who had appeared so unexpectedly on the -scene, and have welcomed them as if separated from him for years, -instead of an hour, more or less. Tim’s companion was none other than -Arthur Evans, one of the most interesting and capable of all the young -sergeant’s comrades captured by the boches. - -As it was, Phil merely advanced a pace or two and said in cautious -tones: - -“Hello, Tim, Evans. This is Phil Speed. What are you fellows up to?” - -The two Marines thus addressed turned quickly, first to resist, then to -welcome, the intruder. - -“We’re attacking the enemy in the rear while our friends at Belleau -Woods meet him in front,” replied Evans. “By the way, how have you -succeeded thus far?” - -“I don’t think I ought to answer that question,” Phil replied with mock -severity. “Evidently you haven’t enough confidence in me to let me carry -out my mission. You are decidedly weak in your judgment, to say the -least. Suppose you had made a blunder and spoiled all my plans.” - -“But we didn’t,” Evans returned; “and, as matters stand, I have a sort -of conceit that we’ve helped matters along. Isn’t it so?” - -“Yes, I guess it is.” - -“Well, what’re you kicking about?” - -“I’m kicking right at this instant because we’re doing entirely too much -talking to no purpose and running great risk of being overheard by -dangerous ears. What are you trying to do?” - -“Evans and I bumped into each other after you and I separated,” said -Tim, taking on himself the task of explaining. “He’s the one that lost -confidence in you—not I. Or rather, he was very much concerned, being -afraid you would walk right into a death trap. So he persuaded me to -come back and watch around and see if we could be of some assistance if -you got into trouble. - -“Well, we got back, which was only a short distance, and what do you -think we discovered? You could never guess, unless you have found it out -for yourself. I won’t keep you guessing for this is no place for -trifling. We discovered that every last one of the guards around this -place is drunk.” - -Phil’s little gasp of astonishment was enough to settle any doubt his -friends may have had as to his previous information on the subject of -the bibulous laxity of the guards. - -“I suppose they must ’ave found a French wine cellar or something o’ the -kind,” Tim continued. “You saw this fellow rouse up and topple over just -before we jumped on him, I presume. Well, he was as drunk as a lord, and -we gave him a choking that will keep him asleep until a Chicago police -pulmotor arrives to pump oxygen into his lungs.” - -“Why Chicago and not Philadelphia?” inquired Phil who hailed originally -from the latter metropolis. - -“Because Chicago is the ‘Windy City,’ and we shut off this fellow’s -wind, which was not an act of brotherly love,—Philadelphia,—if you -please.” - -“Very good,” returned Phil quietly. “But we’ve expended enough wind over -this subject already and had better get busy. I had some lively -experience also since I left you, but my story will hold for future -telling. What shall we do now?—go around and tap the other guards on the -head or shut off their wind?” - -“No, I don’t think we’ll have to do much more than disarm them and keep -them quiet until we liberate the prisoners,” Evans answered. “We have -two guns now—took one from this fellow. I don’t think we’ll have much -trouble with them.” - -Evans held forward the weapon referred to as he spoke. - -“I have a pistol, too, that belonged to the guard who fell into our -tunnel,” Phil remarked by way of reminder. - -“That’s so,” said Evans. “I forgot about that. We’re well armed. Come -on, and we’ll have our game all bagged before the Crown Prince can say -papa twice.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVI - TURNING THE TABLES - - -Evans and Turner, who were making a circumambulating inspection of the -prison quarters while Phil engaged in desperate combat with a boche -soldier in a dark pocket of the earth, led the way to another sentry -post on the east side of the large building and there found a second -guard decidedly under the influence of liquor. He was seated on a low -concrete fence that marked the dividing line between yard and the -cul-de-sac, or little used stub of a street, that ran up to the edge of -the thicket which covered the hill adjoining the big sandpit. - -The guard was no longer a guard. His gun was lying on the ground and his -head hung almost between his knees. He was snoring. - -“No need o’ disturbing him,” said Evans, as he picked up the rifle and -handed it to Phil. “He’s dreamin’ about the iron cross the kaiser’s -about to bestow on him for faithful service.” - -They passed on to the next post, but there found a more lively minion of -the Prussian War Lord. He was evidently “under the influence,” but not -so much so that he was unable to spring to his feet in alarm as he heard -footsteps near him. The next instant he was looking into the muzzles of -three rifles and three very determined faces which must have resembled, -in his startled imagination, the weapons and merciless countenances of a -trio of highwaymen. - -“You keep him right where he is,” said Evans, addressing Tim, while the -latter took charge of the fellow’s gun and cartridge belt. - -Tim did as directed and his companions continued their rounds. They -found one more guard dead drunk and still another in a condition similar -to that of Tim’s prisoner. They took possession of their guns and then -returned with another staggering prisoner to the place where the young -corporal stood guard over Semi-Drunk Number 1. The two captives were -also relieved of their cartridge belts. - -“Now where are the rest of the guards?” Phil inquired. - -“They’re lodged snugly in that hotel down on the corner a block over -there,” replied Tim, indicating the direction with his hand. “And -they’ve got some comfortable quarters, too, believe me. That hotel was -hardly scratched when the bodies drove through this place. Everything -was left, apparently, in the best of order by the fleeing French, and -our prison guards are living like kings there. They’ve found a big store -of wine in the basement and tapped several casks.” - -“What’s their condition now?” asked Phil. - -“About the same as these fellows out here. Tim and I looked in through a -window and saw them.” - -“Where are their guns?” - -“Standing up in a corner right near the door,” said Tim. “We can open -the door, seize the weapons and have ’em at our mercy.” - -“How about the other prisoners?” - -“They’re all in this building, according to my notion,” said Evans. “My -guess is that they planned to put us all in there, but it got too full, -and, our bunch being the overflow, they put us in the first place -available.” - -“Let’s go and get several of those fellows to help us,” Phil proposed. -“We may not need them, but it isn’t going to do any harm to play safe. -You boys wait here while I go and announce what we’ve done and bring -some ‘moral reinforcements.’” - -“Go ahead,” Evans assented. “Bring ’em all, if you want to. The more -that come, the greater will be the moral effect, even if they haven’t -any guns. But tell ’em to be mighty quiet.” - -Phil hastened to the entrance of the building, which opened onto a small -pillared portico at the head of half a dozen steps. There was a stout -bar across the door holding it firmly in place, and this he lifted away -and found that there was no further obstacle to his entering. - -It was so dark inside that he could not, at first, see his hand before -him. So he closed the door and called out: - -“Hello.” - -A few moments’ silence followed this greeting; then an echoing response -came from a point several feet away: - -“Hello.” - -“We’ve made prisoners of all the guards around this building and the -others are all dead drunk waiting for us to walk in and take their -guns,” Phil announced. “There’s a plot on foot to wipe us all out -tomorrow by dropping bombs on us from an aeroplane. Some of us overheard -the plot. Three of us have handled the job thus far, but we want to play -safe. So if a dozen of you fellows will come along we’ll soon make it -impossible for those villains to carry out their dastardly plot.” - -As this speech was delivered in English, it was not understood by the -French prisoners, and only Americans responded to the call. But before -they filed out through the entrance, Phil addressed to the other -Americans a request that they remain quietly in the building until -notified that the coast was clear, and delegated to several of his -compatriots who could speak French the task of explaining the situation -to their companion poilus in prison. - -Outside, three men were left in charge of the two boche prisoners who -had not yielded quite all their senses to intoxication. Then the rest of -the party proceeded to the inn where the “bunch of off-duty convivials” -seemed to have transferred their interest in the outcome of the war into -several casks of “concentrated thirst.” They were lying in all attitudes -and aspects of alcoholic abandon. Evidently the last man who had taken a -drink was so lost to everything but his last swallow that, after filling -the tin cup which all appeared to have used for tipping the fiery liquid -into their stomachs, left the cock open and the rest of the liquid in -the cask ran out over the floor. - -After the soldiers’ guns had been secured and passed around among the -men, Evans, who was possessed of a rather ghastly sense of humor, -remarked: - -“Fellows, I’ve got a scheme for putting these beastly boches into a -state of mind and body that will render them harmless so far as we are -concerned for a day of two. They’ve drunk all they can pour into -themselves; I propose to finish the job by waking them up and filling -them full to the guards.” - -“But we won’t have time for that,” Phil objected. “We ought to be -getting away from here as quickly as possible. It’ll be daylight before -very long.” - -“We’ll settle that question in a jiffy,” said Evans, lifting a -wristwatch of one of the drunken soldiers toward the candle light -nearest him. Two of half a dozen candles, which had lighted the latter -portion of the thirst orgies, were still burning when the escaping Yanks -entered the place. - -“It’s only two-fifteen,” Evans continued. “We’ve got time enough at -least to make sure that these besotted fools have done a good job of -this thing. I insist that we make of this affair the best argument for -prohibition in the world. You know prohibition is about the biggest war -issue at home today. Why, do you know, when they get wind of this story -at home, there’ll be a constant demand for us as Chautauqua speakers -until the demon Rum has been put where we’re going to put the kaiser.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVII - FOOD FOR PROHIBITION - - -Such an argument as this could hardly be controverted and Evans had his -way. This mischievous Marine of vengeful imagination opened another cask -of wine, which stood ready to be tapped, and “treated” those who had -less than their capacity to the “amount they had cheated themselves out -of.” - -The boches who had “stood” guard outside were all carried or conducted -in and given the “third degree test.” At this Evans proved himself a -master. If there was any “wake” in them, he discovered it. He behaved -like a sailor on a lark in a nest of cornered and cowed pirates, and -most of the other fellows caught the spirit and took a hand in the -sport. By the time the job was finished most of the cask just tapped had -been poured down the throats of six or eight rousable “soaks” and they -rolled over actually “running over at the brim.” - -“Now come on, fellows,” said Evans enthusiastically. “We’ve done our -deed well. We’re off now for home, after a little more fighting, and the -Chautauqua platform. But I want the testimony of every one of you that -not one of us drunk a drop. Am I right?” - -“Right,” was the chorused response. - -There was no need of further delay. The boys had taken possession of -twenty Mauser rifles, a dozen pistols, and a good supply of cartridges -for all these weapons. If they had felt it would be of any advantage to -them to do so, they would have stripped the drunken guards of their -uniforms and passed them around among themselves. But these, it was -decided, were hardly likely to be of service to them, inasmuch as they -could not pass for Prussian soldiers unless they separated from the -other Americans and French who were unable to obtain uniforms. Phil was -the first one to advance this idea, at the same time doffing the suit -that he had stripped from the guard with whom he fought a deadly combat -and expressing the opinion that the entire body of escaping prisoners -ought to “stick together for common protection.” - -“We have guns and pistols now for more than thirty of us, and a good -supply of ammunition,” he said. “It wouldn’t be fair for those of us who -are armed to leave those who are unarmed.” - -“You wouldn’t have us fight the whole German army in the rear, would -you?” one of the Marines inquired. - -“We sha’n’t have to,” Phil replied. “In the first place, they’ll never -suspect that so many of us are armed. The main command of the German -forces will have a hard time getting a clear statement of our escape -from these drunken guards. They’re not going to admit that they were -drunk and they’ll dodge as long as possible every question that will -tend to show they were under the influence of liquor. Meanwhile we’ll -keep away from the main traveled highways over which the enemy truck -lines run between the armies and the supply stations. Evidently they -haven’t been able to repair the French railroads as fast as they -advanced. In a few days they probably will have them in running order -and that will make conditions better for us, for the better rail service -they have, the less they’ll have to use the highways, and the freer the -roads’ll be for us. To tell you the truth, everything is remarkably in -our favor, and all we have to do is keep out of sight in the daytime -and—and—work out our own salvation at night.” - -“And forage for something to eat,” Tim added, slapping his middle -significantly. - -“Oh, yes, that reminds me,” Phil said quickly. “While one of us goes and -invites our comrades in yonder prison to join us, the rest of us will -load ourselves with provender from the truck where Tim cooked stew for -us yesterday.” - -“That’s just what I was goin’ to suggest,” the bullet-headed corporal -put in. - -“All right,” Sergeant Speed continued, in a well satisfied tone of -voice. “You go ahead and engineer that business and I’ll bring out the -other prisoners.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXVIII - THE PRISONERS FLEE - - -The mess truck had been driven into the court of the hotel, and the -escaping prisoners soon relieved it of its burden of food, principally -hard-baked or canned. This was distributed as equally as possible among -them all, and then the departure from the town was begun. - -They were only a short distance from a main highway over which the -noises of heavy and rapid traffic could be heard constantly. So their -chief caution was to avoid attracting attention to their unusual -proceedings from the soldiers and truckmen moving along this route. - -It was quickly decided by the leaders of the escaping prisoners that -they had better make their departure by way of the path that led down -the hill near the sandpit, as it was well shielded for a quarter of a -mile or more with small trees and bushes from the top of the hill down -into a sort of ravine through which ran a small stream of water. -Moreover, all admitted without debate that it was far more important for -them to find a good place of concealment than to travel any considerable -distance toward the lines of battle before daylight. - -Phil, Evans, Tim, and one or two others who had exhibited leadership -qualifications walked ahead of the column of Americans and Frenchmen and -held an almost incessant discussion of plans as they proceeded. The more -important of their conclusions were passed back among their comrades in -the rear to keep them informed and reassured that the leaders were -conducting the escape intelligently. One line of suggestions offered by -Phil and accepted by all with hopeful enthusiasm was as follows: - -“We ought to work our way as close as we can to the rear line of the -boches with safety, moving forward at night and hiding in the daytime, -and wait for the time when the big drive of the Allies pushes the enemy -back. After they have been pushed back beyond our hiding place, we can -come out and rejoin our comrades and take a hand in the fight. I figure -that it’ll be principally open fighting with lots of rifle and -machine-gun action. The boches won’t be strongly intrenched, and if the -Allies come back at ’em as strong as I believe they will, their heavy -guns won’t have much to do; and if we find good hiding places, we ought -to be comparatively safe. There’ll be a lot o’ bombs dropped from the -air, but our chances of keeping out of their way will be much better -than our chances would be in the midst of a heavy bombardment from big -guns. - -“The enemy’s advance over these grounds has been very rapid and no doubt -they have done little cleaning up after them. If we go along carefully, -we ought to pick up enough guns and ammunition to arm every last one of -us, and if we get in close quarters some time we’ll be able to give a -good account of ourselves. There’s little danger of our meeting a very -large body of the enemy miles behind their lines if we keep clear of -their routes of communication.” - -“What’s your idea of a good hiding place for us?” asked Tim. - -“A deserted village like the one we’ve just left,” Phil replied. -“Second-best place perhaps would be a group of farm houses.” - -“How about food if the Allied drive holds off several weeks?” was Tim’s -next question. - -“That’s a matter we’ve got to look out for without delay. It’ll probably -be hard picking, but if everybody keeps his eyes open. All the gardens -and fields no doubt have been pretty thoroughly devastated, and yet -there’s always bound to be some pickin’s left here and there. We may -find a few chickens, if we watch carefully, but we’ll have to knock ’em -over with clubs—no shooting, you know.” - -These suggestions rendered Phil more popular than ever among the -escaping American and French prisoners, so that by the time all had -discussed them fully he was tacitly voted leader of the fugitive -expedition. From that time on all looked to him for advice whenever any -problem of common interest came up for solution. - -The route taken was considerably of a “cross-country” character. They -avoided highways that appeared to have been much frequented, for fear -lest at any moment they run into an enemy patrol or expedition of some -sort that would demand an explanation of their wanderings. So across -fields and meadows and lowlands overgrown with weeds and bushes they -went, until finally Phil called a halt near a group of farmhouses and -said: - -“It must be almost daybreak. Here are two or three houses and barns that -ought to conceal us very well until the sun goes down again. Let’s -investigate, and if there’s nobody on the premises we’ll file in and -take charge.” - -Several scouts were sent ahead to ascertain, if possible, whether the -buildings were deserted. In a short time they reported that they were -unable to find evidence of anybody in possession, and the little army of -prisoners-at-large behind the enemy lines filed in and took refuge for a -day’s hiding. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIX - IN HIDING - - -The first day of freedom for the escaped prisoners of war in the land of -their captivity was spent midway between two lines of communication that -ran from the boche armies back to their bases of supply. One of these -routes lay about a mile to the north and the other about a mile to the -south of the group of farm houses in which the fugitive Americans and -French were concealed. At points in both of these routes they could see -numerous motor vehicles rushing in both directions, probably bearing -wounded and reserves as well as supplies. A little nearer to the north -also could be seen crews of men at work repairing a railroad bed and -tracks that undoubtedly had been blown up by the French in their -retreat. - -It was agreed that the men should move about very little in their -quarters during the day. Lookouts were stationed at certain windows and -doors of the farm buildings, although these positions were camouflaged -as much as possible with articles of furniture, farm implements, straw, -et cetera, to prevent any chance betrayal of the hiding place of the -escaped prisoners. - -These lookouts also inspected as best they could the harvest -possibilities of the agricultural vicinity, and it was estimated that -even in the dark a considerable supply of vegetables and nearly ripened -apples could be gathered. In a bin in one of the barns was discovered -several bushels of year-old barley. - -In the course of the day, between sleeps, Phil, Tim and Evans, from the -loftiest viewpoint attainable in the cupola of one of the barns, made a -studied survey of the country to the west. They found that they had -approached to within a mile and a half of a small village directly in -their course of advance, and that perhaps not more than two miles beyond -this were the (probable) ruins of another French town. Phil had not been -in France long before he observed that the municipalities, large and -small, are situated much more closely together than are the cities and -towns of even the most thickly populated portions of America. - -Phil and Tim also had opportunity during this day to recount in detail -their experiences to each other since their separation in Belleau Woods. -Phil also questioned his friend regarding the wound that had rendered -him unconscious for fifteen or twenty minutes on the scene of the novel -battle in the ravine. In reply, Tim pulled off his overseas cap and -disclosed a small crudely-made plaster-bandage, that was held in place -by the cap. - -“It wasn’t a bad wound,” he explained; “but it might easily have -fractured my skull. The bullet hit the side of my head a good hard rap, -but glanced and cut a furrow in my scalp. - -“I came to just as that funny looking bunch o’ boches were leading you -off through the timber. The sight o’ that put a thrill of life into me -and I staggered to my feet and started after you. The boches had left my -gun lying on the ground, thinking, I suppose, that I was dead and would -be unable to use it. - -“I was just waiting until I could get control of myself before I opened -fire on those pesky Huns. If I’d not felt quite so shaky on my pins I’d -’a’ blazed away as soon as I waked up, for I figured the firing would -attract friends our way. But I guess that fellow that jumped onto your -back was the smartest one in their crowd, for he must ’a’ figured we -were likely to have comrades in the neighborhood and been on the lookout -for ’em. Anyway, before long he played the same game on me that he -played on you, sneaking around and jumpin’ on me from behind. - -“Well, they took me along with you only a short distance behind, and you -never knew I was trailing along. I walked back behind with a couple of -boches and jollied them along the best I could. I guess I succeeded -pretty well, judging from results. - -“It seems that this squad were part of a regular crew that made trips -with prisoners back behind the lines and took part in the fighting while -waiting for a bunch of prisoners large enough for a trip. At least, -that’s what I gathered from their conversation. You know I learned to -talk German pretty well while living with a German family in -Pennsylvania, and I made good use of it with these fellows. Camouflaging -my boasts with all the modesty I could put into words, I told ’em all -about my accomplishments. I guess I hit ’em about right when I told ’em -I could cook as well as any Pennsylvania-Dutch grandmother, and they set -me to work on a mess truck right away. That’s why you didn’t see me -during the trip, Phil. But I picked you out in the line.” - -“I don’t admire your cooking very much,” his friend commented with a -smile. “Is that what you call Pennsylvania-Dutch cooking?” - -Tim grinned ruefully. - -“’Tisn’t my fault,” he said. “Those parsimonious Prussians stood over me -and told me how much oil I could burn to warm a barrel o’ stew. And if -the first match didn’t light the burner, you folks ’u’d have to eat your -meal cold, they said. Oh, they’ve got everything down to an efficiency -and conservation basis for winning the war, they have.” - -“How did you get away from them?” Phil asked. - -“Just walked away,” Tim replied in a matter-of-fact manner. “It was -really funny. I guess they were all interested in that wine cellar that -one o’ them discovered, but I didn’t know it at the time. Anyway, they -seemed to lose all interest in me, and several times I found myself all -alone. I was so astonished that I didn’t have sense to cut stick until I -concluded that I was an everlasting fool if I didn’t, and I don’t -believe they know I’m gone yet.” - -“They’ll know about the time they’ve sobered up,” Phil returned with a -prophetic grin. “And by the time the whole truth of developments dawns -on them, there’ll be something doing, believe me.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXX - AN AUDACIOUS SCHEME - - -As soon as the dusk of evening was sufficient to obscure objects of any -considerable size at a distance of a hundred yards, several scouting and -foraging parties were sent out with instructions to report back in about -two hours. The foraging parties were directed to gather in whatever -vegetables and fruit they were able to discover in the darkness, and the -scouts were instructed to travel due west for several miles and -determine if the way were clear for a general advance toward the battle -area. - -In the course of the day, Phil, Evans, Tim and several other leading -spirits had held half a dozen conferences and discussed plans for the -following night. It was during these conferences that the scouting and -foraging plans had been outlined. A bird-call code was also agreed upon -and practiced in the course of the day for the purpose of enabling the -scouts and foragers to locate one another or their hide-out in case any -of them should lose his way. - -The latter precaution proved to be of considerable service, as did also -a check-up system adopted to determine when all who were sent out on -their several missions had reported back. By about ten o’clock -(estimated), therefore, the checking proved all to have returned with a -gratifying supply of raw food, including apples, vegetables, half a -dozen chickens and a young pig. The fowl had been captured alive, and it -was decided to carry these to their next stopping place, but the pig, -which one of the men had slain with a heavy club without the provocation -of a squeal, had to be left behind. - -The scouts brought back information to the effect that there was a clear -field between them and the next town, and that a careful inspection -failed to disclose a sign of an occupant in the place. So far as they -were able to determine, the village was abandoned by both inhabitants -and invaders. - -Accordingly a silent, ghost-like march was made to this place. On the -way they passed a score or more of bodies of dead soldiers and a like -number of guns were found lying near them. Most of these were boches, as -was later discovered by examination of their rifles and cartridge belts -by the Americans and French who took possession of them. - -“The advance over this ground was so rapid that they didn’t have time -even to pick up the arms of their own dead,” Tim observed to Phil. - -“So much the better for us,” the latter replied. “And I’ve a suspicion -that it will work to the benefit of the Allies in more ways than one. -This is a drive of desperation, or I miss my guess, and the boches are -going to find themselves in a trap. They can’t possibly have enough -reserves to maintain such an advance as this. I bet you’ll find in the -end that Marshal Foch is just leading them on.” - -“I wish he’d have General Pershing throw in some of his troops at this -point,” said Tim eagerly. “They’d drive these fellows back, and we could -jump in and have some real fun as the Gray Coats came running past us.” - -“I can hardly hope that things will turn out just the way our dreams -picture them,” said Phil dubiously. “But it surely would be great if we -could put over such a stunt as that. Anyway, when we pick our last -hiding place we’ll pick it with that in view.” - -“We don’t want to advance too close to the enemy’s lines,” Tim argued; -“because they may take a notion to back up a little and establish some -kind of headquarters right where we are stationed.” - -“Yes, that’s another thing we want to keep in mind. And we must also try -to pick buildings that are not likely to interest them for any purpose.” - -These suggestions were communicated to the other escaped prisoners and -were received with such favor that they were observed carefully in the -selection of quarters not only for the following day, but for all the -succeeding days that they remained in hiding behind the enemy’s lines. -And these succeeding days were more than they at first reckoned on. They -had no way of knowing that the Marines had saved the day at Chateau -Thierry as well as at Belleau Wood, but there was not an American in -this company of escaped prisoners who did not firmly believe that the -advance of the enemy was cut short the instant the Yanks got into the -front line. - -And so as they advanced day by day, or night by night, nearer to the -enemy’s lines, sometimes a mile, sometimes two or three miles, sometimes -half a mile, they expected at any moment to discover evidence of a rapid -boche retreat. However, more than five weeks elapsed before the -hoped-for evidence of Allied victory appeared; after which events moved -so rapidly that Phil felt like comparing his existence to life on the -tail of a comet flying through space. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXI - PHIL’S STRATEGY - - -Again we find Phil and Tim within easy gun-roar of the battle line. But -this time they are on the “other side of No Man’s Land.” And the roar is -becoming louder and louder. Early one morning it burst forth with great -volume. The hiding refugees had not realized they were so near the -fighting front until this noisy evidence of proximity burst upon them. - -There had been comparative quiet for several weeks. The boches had made -their grand effort to break through the French line in the vicinity of -Chateau Thierry. At this place it had seemed as if they were about to -effect their purpose until two divisions of American Marines were -brought up to relieve the French. Then the enemy was forced to a -standstill, beyond which he was unable thereafter to advance a foot. - -Of all this the fugitives knew nothing, and their knowledge of -succeeding developments was quite as limited, save for the indications -of sound or silence from the battle area. When finally the unmistakable -evidence of another big battle reached their ears, they were quartered -in several buildings in the business section of a town a few miles from -the boche rear lines. They had selected these buildings with a view to -their special serviceability because of facilities for concealment, -intercommunication and defense or escape in case of attack. - -There was no need of a crier to announce the long awaited event when -finally it came. Everybody was on the alert almost in an instant. All -day the roar of battle continued without abatement, but the hidden -fugitives had no way to determine how it was going. At dusk several -scouts were sent on ahead to reconnoiter, but they were unable to obtain -any information of definite character except that, it appeared, the -enemy had launched a new drive against the Allies in the “great bend.” - -The battle continued with unabating fury the next day and the next and -the next. Finally two French soldiers, who said they were well -acquainted with the vicinity and who spoke German fluently, donned enemy -uniforms that they had taken from the bodies of slain boches, and set -out under cover of the darkness to learn what was the situation. - -“The battle of Chateau Thierry is being fought and it is being won by -American Marines,” they reported on their return after several hours’ -absence. - -“Marines!” was the exclamation uttered by every American that received -this message. They had not known that two divisions of fellow Sea -Soldiers had stopped the enemy advance on Paris at this point more than -a month before and, backed up with reinforcements, were now given the -task of driving back the enemy in a sector where other veteran allied -troops had failed. - -For several days more they continued in hiding and fared pretty well -meanwhile, all things considered. They managed to gather food enough, -such as it was, to keep soul and body together without any “internal -quarrel,” and they also gathered in a good supply of arms from the -strewn battlefields of the vicinity; so that, emboldened by numbers and -reports of successes of their friends on the other side of No Man’s -Land, they felt like attacking a whole boche army in the rear. - -Then at last came the announcement from scouts that the enemy was being -driven back, slowly, it is true, but surely, and after this information -reached them, it was not long before visual evidence of the retreat -loomed before them over the western horizon. - -This was followed by a tense waiting of several hours; then the boche -soldiers began to pour into the ruined town. - -“They’ll make a stand here, no doubt,” Phil remarked to several of his -comrades; “and that means we’ll have to begin to get busy before very -long. The Allies no doubt will train their heavy guns on this place, and -we’ll get our share of the shelling. What we want to do is to spring a -surprise on the enemy that will create consternation among them and make -them think an attacking army has dropped out of the clouds on top of -them.” - -It was ticklish business, this waiting for the psychological moment -which might be wiped out of future possibility almost any instant by the -dropping of a few bombs that would heap masses of debris on top of them -and convert their refuge into a tomb. Then suddenly Phil hit on a scheme -that probably proved their salvation. - -The two French scouts who had brought back information regarding the -success of the Americans at Chateau Thierry were sent out again after -they had volunteered for this second service planned by Sergeant Speed. -How they accomplished their mission is subject almost for another book, -for theirs was clever work, indeed. But they were aided materially by -the confusion of the boches resulting from their recent defeat and the -necessity for quick preparations for a new defense. - -These two Frenchmen, Rene La Ferre and Pierre Balsot, made their way in -Prussian uniforms through the newly forming enemy front and offered -themselves as prisoners to a squad of Yanks who had just raided a -machine-gun nest and were about to return to their own lines. They were -hurried to headquarters, where they told their story. Their description -of the location of the hiding place of the fugitive was so accurate that -the American artillery was able to blow up the rest of the town without -materially damaging the refuge of the 240 United States Marines and -Frenchmen. - -Still there remained a considerable force of the enemy machine gunners, -riflemen and bomb throwers behind breastworks afforded by the ruins, and -it was decided to dislodge these with a move planned by Phil and his -comrades and communicated to the American command through the two French -messengers. - -After the village had been thoroughly wrecked by the artillery, the -bombardment ceased and a charge on the town was made by hundreds of -Marines, who ran forward in extended order to minimize the deadly -effects of the sweeping machine-gun fire of the enemy. This was a signal -for the escaped prisoners to dash forth from their places of -concealment. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXII - MR. BOA AGAIN - - -It was one of the most rapid motion-picture affairs ever staged in real -or cinematic life. What film enthusiast would not have given every other -opportunity he might hope for in after years for this one? - -The Yanks and the poilus poured out of those buildings like an army—at -least so it must have seemed to their astonished foes. All of them were -armed with rifles, most of which had been picked up on the battlefield, -and were well drilled and officered, for Phil had looked after this -important factor while they were in hiding. - -Far more rapidly than the narrative can be told, they charged in squads, -routing out stronghold after stronghold, gun nest after gun nest. The -boches did not know what to make of it, and their panic grew like a -prairie fire. They had no way to tell how many they had to face or from -what source they had sprung. The situation was almost ghostly in its -aspect of mystery. Consternation presently seized the entire enemy force -in this section and the helter-skelter race that followed in a mad -effort to escape from something like a phantom foe sprung suddenly out -of the ground was laughable in spite of the carnage with which it was -associated. - -Near the end of the fight Phil found himself face to face with a -ponderous antagonist whom he was not slow to recognize. He cornered the -fellow in a street from which exit was blocked, or greatly impeded, by -heaps of debris. Mr. Boche then turned, at bay, with clubbed gun, missed -his swing, the weapon flew out of his hands and Phil had the late -commander of the “underwear squad” of Belleau Wood at his mercy. It was -“Mr. Boaconstrictor” of the large girth, “Count Topoff,” the so-called -“general in disguise,” who wore the insignia of a Prussian second -lieutenant. - -“You’d better surrender,” Phil advised with a grim grin. “My bayonet -maybe wouldn’t reach clear through you, and your royal family would be -forever disgraced.” - -Undoubtedly Phil would have succeeded in making a prisoner of his -antagonist if one of those fortunes, or misfortunes, of war that always -are beyond the control of even the most heroic had not intervened. A -pillar-like remnant of a brick wall about fifteen feet away, probably -shaken by some flying missile of the fight, toppled over, and a shower -of masonry struck Phil on the head. - -If it had not been for the helmet he had picked up several days before -and preserved for such an occasion as this, he probably would have been -seriously, if not fatally, injured. But in spite of the protection, the -shock was sufficient to knock him over. Still he was not utterly -incapacitated for further action, and he staggered to his feet, gripping -his gun and attempting to recover his battling equilibrium. - -But he was dazed, and his every effort was a wavering struggle. He saw -his recent antagonist bearing down upon him and tried his best to steel -himself for the meeting, but although armed and his assailant unarmed, -his chances were hopeless. He was like a drunken man attempting to stab -a piece of cheese with a table-fork. - -“Mr. Boa,” the titled boche, brushed the bayonet aside like a reed in -his path and gripped the boy’s left arm with his powerful right hand. In -spite of his odd proportions, the fellow evidently had his share of -physical strength. Phil tried to twist himself loose, but his efforts -were of no avail. He must recover from the effects of the shock of the -fallen masonry before he could hope to resist an assailant of half his -ordinary strength. - -“Count Topoff” held the boy with one hand, and with the other wrenched -away his gun. This was rendered the more easy of performance by a -feeling of nausea that seized Phil and took away most of his remaining -strength. - -“Methinks that we have met before this time.” - -If Phil had not been in his present condition of physical weakness, -undoubtedly he would have observed with interest this evidence of a -knowledge of English on the part of his captor. But it did occur to him -with a sort of hazy giddiness that undoubtedly the fellow had understood -his comment on the insufficient length of a bayonet to reach through the -diameter of his girth. He was in just the condition of mind on the -moment to face death with a sense of sickly humor. - -“I suppose he’ll be taking a short cut measurement of my girth with a -bayonet pretty soon if I don’t come to pretty quick,” was one of the -ideas that whirled through the boy’s mind like a buzz-saw. “But he’s -disposed to play with me a little, I take it from the kind of English he -uses. Or is it because he got his knowledge of English by the study of -stilted poetry at Heidelberg?” - -“You played a nice trick on me and some of my comrades at Belleau Wood, -didn’t you?” the boche of odd proportions continued. “Now what do you -think I ought to do with you?” - -“You ought to be very careful what you do,” Phil replied with a fair -degree of energy, for the nausea was leaving him, although a severe -headache was setting in. “Remember that you are surrounded now by my -friends and if you take advantage of your temporary power over me, -they’ll see to it that I’m fully avenged.” - -“Oh, that isn’t bothering me,” returned “Count Topoff” with a wave of -disgust. “What I’m thinking about is this: I can kill you very easily -right now with your own bayonet. But suppose I spare your life—will you -help me to escape?” - -“How can I help you escape?” Phil inquired wonderingly. “I wouldn’t have -charge of you as a prisoner. I don’t want to promise to help you, and -then fall down on my promise.” - -“Oh, I’ll figure out a way, never fear,” was the “count’s” answer. “All -I want is your promise—but, hello, maybe I won’t need your help if I can -hail this passing ship. Come on, I’m going to kidnap you on a tank.” - -Before this speech was finished, Phil had observed the source of his -captor’s new interest. It was indeed a tank, a very large one, of a -design known to be peculiar to boche construction. It came crunching, -rattle-blasting, “caterpillaring” along right toward them. - -Topoff led his prisoner directly in front of the huge engine of war and -stood there waving one hand as if signaling it to stop. Phil hardly -expected the hail to receive any response, even though it came from a -“kamerad” who was easily recognized by his uniform, but it did. The tank -stopped within a few feet of them, a side door was thrown open and a man -called out something in German to Phil’s captor. - -The prisoner did not understand what was said, but it was evident that -the man in the tank recognized Topoff. Presently the latter said to his -prisoner: - -“Go in there, quick, or I’ll run this bayonet through you. Hurry up now; -I won’t stand any fooling. My opportunity to escape and take you along -has arrived. Get in quick.” - -Phil obeyed and the ponderous boche followed into the ponderous machine. -A moment or two later the tank was in motion again. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIII - TANKS AND “WATER CURE” - - -Phil had never before seen the inside of a tank, and in spite of the -uncomfortable situation in which he now found himself, his first impulse -was to look about him and see what sort of affair a “land battleship” -might be. - -But he was not given much opportunity for an undisturbed inspection of -the interior of the huge war engine at this time. Almost immediately -after the metal door was closed, events began to take place with much -greater volume and intensity than at any time during the machine guns -and infantry battle amid the ruins of the town. Apparently, this tank -had just arrived on the scene of the fight and, finding the battle going -hopelessly against the boches, turned and fled. But the reason for the -flight did not spring from any menace of infantry or machine guns. The -big war engine might have cleaned up a whole army of such comparative -pygmies and toys. It was the advance of half a dozen British tanks into -the fight that caused the crew of the “land battleship” to see the -unwisdom of tarrying on the field of the already lost battle and to turn -about and seek safety in flight. - -Phil was unable to see much outside. All the portholes were occupied by -members of the crew who manned the guns or handled the driving and -steering apparatus. Now and then he was able to get a narrow peek -through one of these ports, but with little satisfaction. The evidence -of the new turn of events since his capture came to his ears from -without and to his eyes within the car. - -The firing of what seemed to be a battery of heavy guns apprised him of -the approach of a “fleet” of British tanks. The din of the firing of the -guns of the huge war engine in which he was imprisoned and of the -attacking tanks was terrific. It seemed as if some of the shells that -struck the armor plate of the fleeing machine must surely pierce it -through and explode inside the car. - -Up and down over the heaps of debris went the big “land ship,” and after -it came the pursuing “caterpillar batteries.” Phil watched the contest -with every sense of perception on the alert. The inside of the boche -tank was illuminated principally with electric bulbs, for little light -came in through the portholes. Five men, a driver, a mechanician, and -three gunners, constituted the crew. The driver sat on a low cushioned -seat in the forward part of the car. About him, and within easy reach, -were the controlling apparatus, directing lever, clutch and brake -pedals, gear lever and steering clutch. Behind him was the starting -crank, and behind this were the radiator, ventilator, fuel tank and -motor. - -Every member of the crew was desperately busy with his own duties in -connection with the operation of the war engine and its battery. The -driver looked straight ahead as if he hoped to pull the tank along at -greater speed by fastening his gaze on a distant object; the gunners sat -in their hammock-like seats that swung easily back and forth and from -side to side to suit the will of the occupants as they loaded and fired; -and the mechanician was busy most of the time with an oil can, the -nozzle of which he poked into more holes and cups than a layman would -have imagined to exist in a machine several times the size of this one. - -Phil had no technical knowledge of artillery, but he saw at once that -the battery of this tank was heavy and of very destructive character. -The three pieces sent forth their murderous messages almost as rapidly, -it seemed, as the fire of a machine-gun. One of the gunners sat up in a -revolving turret, while the other two were in swinging “half-turrets” at -both sides. - -“Count Topoff” forced his prisoner into a sitting position on what -appeared to be a closed tool-chest near the starting crank and then sat -down beside him. There they waited and watched and listened, both strung -to the highest tension of eagerness, apprehension, expectancy. - -Phil, of course, longed for victory to crown the efforts of the pursuing -tanks, and yet he had to admit to himself that probably his own safety -depended upon the escape of his captors. Their defeat could be effected -only by crippling the caterpillar tread, or “chain-feet,” or by -exploding shells in the machinery. The former was difficult to do -because of the peculiar construction of the treads with many slanting -surface-sections, and about the only kind of shell that could be thrown -into the machinery was an explosive bullet about two inches in diameter, -specially made to pierce armor plate. - -Phil had no sure way of determining how near the British tanks -approached to the fleeing boche engine, but he inferred from the sound -of their guns that it would require a long and continued peppering away -to put the big enemy tank out of business. He suspected, too, that this -land-dreadnaught carried at least one anti-tank rifle capable of firing -high power explosives through the armor of the attacking “fleet.” He -gathered this suspicion from the one grim and gleeful remark that “the -count” screamed into his ear “between shots”: - -“We’ve knocked two of them out already, and we’ll fix all the rest the -same way if they don’t keep a slanting front to that gimlet-twist up -there.” - -Phil was unable to figure out how Topoff could determine the number of -British tanks that had been put out of commission, if indeed any had -suffered such disaster, but he now observed for the first time the -smaller gun alongside the heavy shell-piece in the revolving turret. He -also watched the gunner in the turret more closely and before long he -understood clearly that the fellow was constantly on the alert for an -opening for an effective shot with the smaller piece. - -The battle continued thus for half an hour, but the British tanks seemed -to be unable to stop the big boche battler. At last the firing ceased. - -“What’s happened?” Phil ventured to inquire of the boche of big -circumference. - -“It’s all over and we’ve won, as we always will do,” was the latter’s -answer. “It was a stern chase for your British friends and we’ve sunk -half their fleet and peppered the sails of the rest of them so full of -holes that they won’t hold a cupful of wind.” - -“I’ll admit you’ve got a good pair of sea legs and ran a good race for a -tank, but I’d like to know how you can tell what your gunners did -without being able to see much farther than the end of your nose,” Phil -returned skeptically. - -“Ah,” said the other with an air of deep mystery; “that remark -demonstrates one of the great failings of you Americans. You can’t -understand the superior intelligence of the race you are foolishly -trying to whip. But you are going to wake up before long.” - -“What is going to wake us up?” Phil inquired curiously. His curiosity, -however, was directed more at the personal puzzle in “the count” than -the information “the count” might be able to communicate. - -“Water,” replied the “war prophet.” - -Phil looked at his captor a little more keenly, wondering if, after all, -this supposed relative of the kaiser were not a little off in his -“turret.” - -“Maybe he thinks he has an anti-tank gun in his head and has just fired -an explosive bullet into me,” the boy mused. “My! what a wise squint he -has in his eyes.” - -“How is water going to wake us up?” Phil asked after a few moments’ -silent contemplation of the strange fellow on the box beside him. - -“How?” repeated the latter, looking his prisoner hard in the face. -“Don’t you know what’ll wake a sleeping man up quicker than anything -else?” - -“No,” replied Phil calmly, but with a well-mimicked open-mouthed -ingenuousness. “What will wake a sleeping man up quicker than anything -else?” - -“Throw a pail of water on him,” said Topoff. - -“Well?” Phil queried with sustained simple-mindedness. - -“Well!” roared “the count” with voluminous contempt; “I believe you’re -just fool enough to think that’s the way we’re going to wake you up.” - -“Isn’t it?” Phil asked, provokingly. - -“No!” the boche officer bellowed, and the boy began to fear he had -carried the matter too far. Perhaps even now an attack of insane -violence could not be averted. - -“No,” repeated “the count,” his face becoming flushed with, crimson -hate; “we’re going to push you all, Americans, English, French, -Belgians, into the Atlantic Ocean; then you’ll wake up.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIV - FROM TANK TO LIMOUSINE - - -The big tank was still laboring along with the retreating boche army, -although no more shells were being hurled at her. The defeat and rout -effected by the dash and daring of the “devil-hound” Marines had been -complete and this powerful “dreadnaught,” although uninjured by the -score or more of shells that struck her, evidently was unfitted to fight -a finish fight with the “fleet of land cruisers” of the enemy, in the -opinion of her crew. - -The engine made a good deal of noise as the huge war machine -“caterpillared” along, and Phil and “the count” had to lift their voices -to high pitch in order to be understood during their conversation. -Although the battle had resulted in disaster for the kaiser’s army, -still the “titled Topoff” appeared to gloat with satisfaction over such -phases of the engagement as could be shown to have an element of glory -for the boches. He seemed to have no eye, ear, taste, or smell of -appreciation for anything that suggested defeat for his soldier -comrades. - -“He’s awfully conceited, but not such a fool as I thought he was,” Phil -mused during a lapse of the conversation. “That was a fairly clever joke -he put over on me about the water cure, but I don’t believe he saw the -joke himself. He seems to take himself seriously even when he says -something funny.” - -Fifteen or twenty minutes after the finish of the battle, the tank came -to a standstill, and the door in the right side was opened. Topoff then -ordered his prisoner to get out and followed close at his heels. Outside -the tank, “the count” seized the boy’s arm with one hand and led him -along—whither, Phil was curious to know. - -The defeated army had retreated to a new line and dropped into a series -of trenches undoubtedly occupied by them, or the French, during an -earlier stage of the big boche offensive. The most feverish activity -marked the scene, which extended north and south as far as eye could see -and east and west for a depth of about half a mile. The country -consisted of a succession of rolling hills, but Phil was able to command -a good view of proceedings from the eminence on which he stood. The -trenches had suffered considerably from shell explosions and rainy -weather since their last condition of serviceability, and consequently -there was much to do now to get them back into the most comfortable -shape possible. - -All this Phil gleaned with little more than a sweep of the eye, for he -was not left in leisurely contemplation of the scene more than a minute -or two. He was suddenly aroused from his spell of enchantment by a new -order from “Mr. Boaconstrictor.” - -“Come on,” said the latter; “no time to waste.” - -Phil accompanied his captor to the foot of the hill behind the front -line trench, and there “the count” held a short consultation with a -superior officer. They conversed in German, and the prisoner was unable -to understand much that they said. However, he did glean this from -several disgruntled remarks: that very few prisoners had been taken in -the recent engagement, due, no doubt, to the boches’ heavy defeat, and -there seemed to be no others in the vicinity to corral with Phil. - -“Am I the only prisoner in the hands of these badly defeated boches in -this sector?” the boy mused. “I feel very much honored, also -considerably ashamed of myself. Well, it’s some consolation to realize -that I wouldn’t be here if a side of a house hadn’t fallen on top o’ -me.” - -A peculiar circumstance in this interview struck Phil so forcibly that -the impression remained with him almost constantly as long as the -mystery surrounding “Count Boaconstrictor Topoff” was unexplained. This -was the manifest attention and deference shown the oddly shaped -lieutenant by the superior officer, whose insignia indicated that he -bore the rank of major. - -“I can’t understand it,” Phil mused with a puzzled confusion. “From the -way everybody bows and scrapes before him, one might think he’s the -kaiser himself. The officers all seem to know him at sight, and if it -weren’t contrary to military form, I believe they’d bend before him in -the middle like jackknives. He must be something more than a count. -Maybe I ought to feel honored at being his prisoner.” - -The interview developed remarkable characteristics more and more as it -progressed. “The count” became more and more demonstrative and finally -was giving unmistakable orders to the major, who apparently acquiesced -to everything the second lieutenant said. Finally the subservient -superior officer scribbled a few words on a bit of paper and delivered -it to an orderly with instruction as to what to do with it. - -The orderly jumped onto a motorcycle and dashed away on his errand. Phil -did not watch him after his departure, as he would have done if he had -suspected that the note had any bearing on what was to be done with him -as a prisoner of war. He was considerably surprised when, a few minutes -later, the messenger returned, followed by an automobile driven by a -soldier in uniform. It was a large closed limousine, hardly the kind one -would expect to see on a battlefield. - -“Pile in,” ordered Topoff, taking hold of his prisoner’s arm and half -dragging him toward the machine. - -Phil obeyed the order literally. He was so astonished he could do -nothing with any degree of grace. He “piled into” the automobile and -stumbled and fell onto the rear seat. “Mr. Boa” also squeezed into the -car and sat down beside the boy, taking up so much room that he pushed -the Yank against the upholstered side hard enough to render breathing -difficult. Then he gave an order through a speaking tube to the driver, -and they were whirled away to the rear of the Prussian lines. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXV - IN A TIGHT PLACE - - -“Well, if this doesn’t beat any adventure ever had outside the Arabian -Nights, I’ll eat a Zeppelin alive,” Phil mused with all the pep of an -ejaculation. “If somebody doesn’t clear up the mystery of this amorphous -monster of a man pretty soon, I’ll bu’st.” - -It surely was a confusing situation, with a puzzling personality to add -to the bewilderment. Phil would gladly have dismissed the subject from -his mind if such thing had been possible, but he soon found this out of -the question, so he attempted to quiet his nerves by venturing a -conversation with his captor. He decided to make this attempt by an -appeal to the unmistakable vanity of “the count.” - -“May I ask you how it happens that you speak the American language so -well?” he inquired. - -Topoff turned quickly toward the boy and fired back at him in his usual -high-pitched tone of voice: - -“May I ask you why you call it the American language instead of the -English?” - -“I suppose I may as well tell you the truth,” Phil answered, somewhat -crestfallen. “I thought I’d be more likely to get an answer out of you -if I steered clear of that word English. I understand you people hate -the English worse than anything else in the world.” - -“Right you are, boy, right you are,” was the vehement reply of the big -boche. “I hate them worse than poison, as does every other true subject -of the kaiser. That was good diplomacy on your part, but it didn’t work -on me, did it? Did you see how quickly I called you for it?” - -“Yes, I did, and I’m not going to try anything on you again. But may I -repeat my question? You speak the best of English, and your accent is -perfect. How did you do it?” - -“That isn’t the only mystery about me that is puzzling you, is it?” -returned Topoff sharply. - -“No, it isn’t,” Phil admitted frankly. “You’re by far the most -mysterious man I ever met. I could sit here and fire questions at you -all day, seeking an explanation of this and that.” - -“Your first question is very simple,” answered the boche officer, -swelling with pride and almost crushing the boy against the side of the -car. “I studied in both England and America, also in France. I speak -French just as well as English.” - -“I must admit that you studied well,” Phil observed genuinely enough, -yet with the view of winning the fellow’s favor by an appeal to his -vanity. - -“I didn’t do much studying at all,” Topoff flashed back. “Learning -always came easy to me.” - -He “swelled” his prisoner still harder against the well padded -upholstering, so that the latter was scarcely able to restrain an outcry -of pain. After the puff of pride had relaxed, the boy said to himself: - -“This is the most monumental exhibition of conceit I ever saw in my -life. But I must keep him going, in spite of the habit he has of -swelling up like a gas bag every time I tickle his vanity. Maybe I can -get used to these tight quarters. I wonder how long this journey is -going to last.” - -By this time they had passed the rear line trenches and were speeding -past a company of artillerymen who were busy emplacing and camouflaging -their field pieces in a bushy hollow. The automobile was tearing along -at high speed, and in a short time they had left behind the fighting -belt of trenches and ordnance and were traversing a broad territory of -supply stations and relief and reinforcement camps. - -Phil now found himself almost forced to resort to methods that he did -not like, and, yet, the situation was in a considerable degree amusing. -In order to bring about a condition that might prove favorable to -himself, he saw that he must continue to play on his captor’s vanity. -But it was a problem how to do this successfully. This ungainly and -vainglorious anomaly of military officialdom was certainly a queer -offshoot of humanity, but not a fool in all respects, according to a -conclusion reached by Phil in more simple language. - -“I don’t believe he’d fall for flat flattery,” the boy mused; “but I -believe I can get him going if I work it right. It makes me feel kind o’ -small to engage in such business, but that’s one of the penalties of -war, and we all have to be victims of some sort. There’s one thing I’d -like to find out above everything else, and that is how he manages to -violate every principle of military authority and get away with it. If I -could get an answer to that question, perhaps I could find out what he’s -going to do with me and perhaps prevail on him to go slow on any rough -stuff he may have in mind. It’s just possible he’s bent on revenge for -the indignity I heaped on him at Belleau Wood. Well, here goes for a try -anyway at some—some—suggestive flattery; yes, that’s a good name for -it—suggestive flattery—to make him swell out so big, horizontally, that -I’ll be pushed—right—through—yes, right through—happy thought!—the side -of this limousine and escape. Oh!” - -Phil did not, of course, utter this “exclamation” aloud, but he gave a -sudden start that aroused the curiosity of “the count” quite as -thoroughly as if he had expressed aloud the eagerness in his mind with -the interjection that he succeeded in holding behind his lips. - -“It’s the very idea I’ve been waiting for ever since I fell into this -fellow’s hands,” Phil told himself, returning the curious look of his -captor with another of naive innocence. “If this doesn’t work, I may as -well jump into the first river we come to.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVI - SUGGESTIVE FLATTERY - - -“Do you know,” said Phil, with a manner of meditative musing, “you -remind me of something that has caused a good deal of comment all over -America on a number of occasions?” - -The prisoner stopped to observe the effect of his question, but not with -the expectation of receiving an answer. The query was of a rhetorical -character hardly calling for more of a return than a manifestation of -interest. However, the effect on “Count Topoff’s” vanity moved him to -answer in as matter-of-fact a manner as if he were being quizzed on a -problem in arithmetic. - -“No, indeed,” he said. “Is that so? How is it that I remind you of such -a thing?” - -“Now, I’ve got to appeal to his intelligence as well as to his vanity,” -the flattery plotter mused. “I mustn’t fall down on this. I must handle -it so that he can’t help reading glory for himself between every two -words.” - -He hesitated several moments, really for the purpose of phrasing his -ideas, although he attempted to resume an impressive attitude of -meditation. Then he said: - -“Every now and then in America, we hear of a son of some -multi-millionaire starting at the bottom of some business in order to -learn it from the ground up. He sometimes dons overalls and enters the -shops of a foundry or other mechanical plant. He puts himself on a level -with the man who earns his bread by the sweat of his brow, in order that -when he reaches the top—maybe president of the company—there may be no -element of the business that he won’t understand.” - -Phil paused for time to consider how next to proceed. He figured also -that his captor might interpose a remark of some sort that would aid him -in the development of his vanity trap. But the looked-for remark proved -to be more confusing than helpful. - -“Boy,” said “the count,” with seeming irrelevance and casting a sharp -glance at his prisoner; “have you any idea whose car you’re riding in?” - -“No,” Phil replied quickly; “unless it’s yours.” - -“It belongs to the emperor of Germany,” was the rather startling -announcement. - -The boy was silent for some moments. He was in doubt at first whether to -believe “the count’s” statement or to regard it as a bit of frivolous -fiction. Then he decided it was best to appear, at least, to accept it -as worthy of his credence. - -“Is that so?” he said with affected eagerness of interest. “I’ll have -something big to tell my friends when I get back home—that I rode in the -kaiser’s car.” - -“That is, if you ever get back home,” interposed “the count.” - -“To be sure,” Phil agreed quickly. “The fortunes of war are very -uncertain.” - -“Yes, in most wars; but in this war the fortunes and misfortunes are -absolutely fixed and have been fixed ever since it started,” said -Topoff, with unpleasant insinuation in his tone of voice. “I suppose you -know how this war is going to result.” - -“No, I can’t say that I do. Can you tell me how it’s going to result?” - -“Certainly. It’s going to result in complete victory for the central -allies. You ought to have been able to answer that question.” - -“I suppose so,” Phil returned slowly. “But the question that now -interests me most is, what is going to become of me in the meantime?” - -“What do you think ought to become of you?” - -“It isn’t a question of oughtness. I imagine it’s a question of your own -disposition. I seem to be your personal prisoner.” - -“We’ve been rambling a good deal in our conversation,” said Topoff. -“Let’s go back and pick up the broken threads and tie them together. -Now, did you understand why I told you who owned this car?” - -“No,” Phil replied. - -“The reason is very simple. You had been comparing me with the sons of -wealthy men who enter shops to learn, from the ground up, the business -they propose to follow. Well, you weren’t very far off in your -comparison. I’ve been doing the same thing in military life. That’s why -you’ve seen me fighting shoulder to shoulder with privates in the front -ranks, although I can give orders to captains, colonels, majors and -generals. If I can command the use of one of the emperor’s automobiles, -it’s reasonable to believe that I belong pretty high up, isn’t it?” - -“Yes, it is,” the Marine sergeant answered. “I would assume that you -must be related to the kaiser. Is it a fact that you are a cousin of his -and that you are known as Count Topoff?” - -“Where did you ever learn that?” “the count” demanded, gazing sharply at -his youthful prisoner. - -Phil shuddered apprehensively at the almost threatening manner of his -captor. Was he, indeed, in possession of a secret regarding “Mr. -Boaconstrictor’s” identity which was supposed to be known to only a -favored and responsible few? - -“You’d better explain how you got that information,” declared “the -count” with menacing coldness; “and you’ll have to make your explanation -very clear and straightforward if you escape a firing squad. It looks -very much to me as if you are a spy.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVII - A USELESS ARGUMENT - - -“I’ve got to go the limit now in flattering this man’s vanity,” was the -conclusion that flashed through Phil’s mind as he listened to his -captor’s coldly worded spy-suspicion. “And I’ve got to work fast, too.” - -Then he addressed the occupant of more than two-thirds of the seat as -follows: - -“Let me subject myself to a test under your detective microscope, if you -please. I must tell my story rapidly, so that you cannot accuse me of -taking time to think it up. If I tell the truth so that you can’t -puncture it with any reasonable doubt, will you assume that I am not a -spy until there is some evidence tending to prove that I am one?” - -“Of course,” replied Topoff with high-pitched, cutting tone peculiar to -him. Every time it rasped into Phil’s ear it gave him “apprehensive -creeps,” but the situation was desperate now, and the boy decided to -disregard it. - -“You have recognized me, I take it, as the American soldier who engaged -in a rather spectacular contest with a squad under your command in -Belleau Wood a few weeks ago,” Phil continued. - -Topoff nodded with another affirmative squeak. - -“Did you know that I was in that bunch of prisoners that you started to -take back to your nearest railroad communication?—I presume that was -where you were taking us?” - -“You bet I knew it,” “the count” answered with a nod of significance, -which indicated that the author of the “novel disarmament” of the boches -in the wooded ravine had not been forgotten. - -“Well, I was one of the fellows that engineered our escape,” Phil -continued. “But I didn’t get the information myself about your identity. -One of the other fellows who understood German overheard your -conversation with Hertz down in the sandpit and told us all about it. -Naturally we didn’t want to be blown to atoms with bombs dropped from -Hertz’s aeroplane; so we decided to seek more healthful quarters. That’s -all there is to it. Now, have I proved to your satisfaction that I’m not -a spy?” - -“No, you haven’t proved anything,” Topoff answered with a sneering look -at his prisoner, “until you explain how you managed to hide a company of -soldiers right in our midst ready to spring out and attack us in a -manner that nobody in the wide world would ever think possible. If it -hadn’t been for your little handful of men, we’d ’ave held the American -army and would now be driving them back. Can you guess now what I’m -going to do with you?” - -“No,” Phil replied eagerly, but not without some apprehension. - -“I’m going to put you through a ‘sweating’ process that will make the -worst ‘sweating’ given a suspected criminal in the Tower of London look -like a royal reception to the crown prince,” announced “Count Topoff” -with some more of his villainous sharpness of voice. “You’re going to -have an experience that will make you remember your uninvited visit to -Europe away beyond the River Jordan or the River Styx, wherever you go -after you give up the ghost.” - -“But we were invited here,” Phil answered, with a chill of apprehension -that his vanity plot was doomed to failure. - -“You invited yourselves here,” piped the big fellow, with an angry -swelling of his form decidedly uncomfortable to the boy beside him. “Any -other statement from you is a lie.” - -Phil ached to give the blustering boche a sharp answer about submarines -and the torture of women and children, but he wisely restrained the -impulse. - -“I think I can answer right now any questions you may put to me to -settle your suspicion about my being a spy,” he said resolutely. “You’d -better put the question to me now before I have time to think up a -story. If I hesitate, you’ll know you’ve caught me; if I tell a clear, -well-connected and rapid story, you ought to give me credit of telling -the truth.” - -“No,” insisted “the count,” whose constitutional brutality seemed to be -showing itself more and more on the surface; “you had an opportunity to -go on with your story without waiting for any more questions. You’ve -been hesitating and talking about other things for several minutes in -order to take time to think up an answer to the last question I put to -you. When I told you you’d have to explain how you managed to hide a -company of soldiers right inside our lines and near the battle front -ready to spring out and throw our forces into confusion, why didn’t you -answer right away?” - -“Because you stopped me by putting another question,” Phil replied -without hesitation. “You asked me if I could guess what you were going -to do with me.” - -“And you took that as an excuse to delay answering the other question. -You think you’re very sharp, don’t you?” - -“I can answer that question in a very reasonable way,” Phil insisted. -“It’s the only explanation any living man could give. You can’t, with -all your experience, conceive of another intelligent explanation. The -so-called company that I was with consisted of only the soldiers who -escaped from the guard under your command a few weeks ago. We hid in the -daytime and traveled at night, creeping nearer and nearer to the front. -At last we got as near as we thought safe and hid ourselves in dark -buildings and basements and waited for the American drive at Chateau -Thierry. When it came and your soldiers were pushed back to the point -where we were hidden, we jumped out and made our attack.” - -“Too thin, too thin, my boy,” declared Topoff with a sneer. “I thought -you’d cook up some such story.” - -“Keep up your ‘sweating’ process,” Phil insisted. “Don’t give me any -time to think up anything more. Fire your questions at me like a -machine-gun. Surely with your keenness of mind you can catch me if I’ve -been lying.” - -“No, no, nothing more now,” returned Topoff with a doggedness of manner -and a glitter of hate in his eyes. “I haven’t begun to ‘sweat’ you yet. -You see, I didn’t bring any ‘sweating’ machinery along.” - -His eyes fairly bulged with bestial cruelty as he made this announcement -with an implied promise of torture that caused a succession of shudders -to shake the boy’s frame in spite of his efforts to resist and control -the panic attack that he felt coming. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXVIII - WHAT THE LIGHTNING REVEALED - - -“Sweating machinery! What is it?” - -This question rang in Phil’s brain during all the rest of the drive. -Under the play of his stimulated imagination it became a nightmare -transferred into an atmosphere of reality. There was no point in the -progress of the continuous tragic dread where he could say to himself, -even as one might say in his sleep: “Oh, this is only a dream.” - -Who was this more-than-ever mysterious man? What was the explanation of -his anomalous position and his tyrannical manner? - -That he was a man of power and authority could no longer be doubted. -Phil had at first been inclined to regard this blustering trip-voiced -misfit of a soldier as an unaccountable joke, but he was fully convinced -now that his judgment was decidedly in error in this respect. - -On, on they went in a general north-easterly direction. They passed over -a crudely repaired bridge that spanned the River Aisne, though Phil did -not know at the time what stream it was. They dashed along deep rutted -thoroughfares, which engineering crews were trying vainly to keep in -smooth-surfaced repair; they passed miles of truck caravans and marching -soldiers, also numerous supply stations, around which were usually -camped large bodies of soldiers held in reserve to be placed here and -there on the battle front as needed. Before long, however, the long -lines of moving camions ceased to appear, and the boy concluded that -this was an indication that the captured French railroads had been put -back into operation up to this point. - -Most of the towns that they passed through were in states of partial or -total ruin. The greater portion of the inhabitants of the entire country -apparently had moved ahead of the boche advance as refugees, or had been -transported into the enemy’s country to labor there, while men, women -and children of bocheland fought or prepared supplies for the fighters. - -Much of this, however, Phil saw in the dusk of evening, for they had not -traveled more than two or three hours when the sun began to sink below -the western horizon. On, on, they went, through the gathering gloom, -then through the thickening darkness. Although they passed a number of -military stations where food might have been obtained for the asking, -they did not stop for supper. On, on, on, into the night they continued -their course, how late the prisoner could only conjecture from his own -weariness and hunger. - -But at last the journey came to an end, as all journeys do. It had -produced a good many surprises for Phil, nor was the least of these the -one that met him at the finish. - -Hardly an area of any considerable size in the course of the drive had -the prisoner observed that did not bear some evidence of battle -devastation. This condition was evident even in the latter part of the -journey, which was in the darkness of the early half of the night. They -passed close to the ruins of many houses and other buildings, and found -it necessary to drive slower after sunset in order to avoid “turning -turtle” in the numerous shell holes of the road, which had been repaired -with great haste and imperfection in those parts of the invaded country -where the railroads remained in operation. - -Moreover, an hour or two before they reached the end of their journey, -the sky became heavily clouded and much rain fell. This made it -necessary to drive with even greater care, so that the rate at which -they covered the ground during this dark and rainy period was little -more than a creep, as compared with the speed maintained in the hours of -daylight. - -Phil was able to see but little of his surroundings for a time, except -directly in front of the machine, as they neared their place of -destination. The storm had abated somewhat, but the sky had not cleared, -and the darkness was just as intense as ever. Then suddenly the storm -burst anew with a heavier downpour than at any time since the rain began -to fall, and the lightning, which had flashed with indifferent -illumination, blazed forth with great brilliance and frequency. - -By the aid of this light, Phil saw that they were entering a drive that -ran through a woods of considerable size. Phil was interested as well as -awed by this new development. The surroundings were not at all cheerful, -especially in view of the circumstances, but the situation was decidedly -impressive nevertheless. - -“If I were back in my fairy-story days, I’d imagine that I’m being -carried captive into an ogre’s den,” the boy half-muttered to himself -after they had ridden several minutes along the drive. “Hello!” he -almost exclaimed a minute later. “Here’s the ogre’s castle, all right.” - -There was good cause for this play of grewsome imagination. It was -revealed by a specially brilliant flash of lightning that lighted the -surroundings like day. Before them in a comparatively small clearing was -a magnificent structure of mediaeval mass, lines and turrets. To a -tourist it would have been greeted with rapturous recollections of a -romantic past; to Phil it was a picture of apprehension of horror. - - - - - CHAPTER XXXIX - “THE CASTLE OF THE HUMAN SNAKE” - - -The driver had driven the car under a large and heavily pillared shelter -at one side of the chateau, and he now honked his horn, evidently as a -signal to someone inside. Presently a burly Prussian servant came out, -carrying a powerful hand searchlight, with which he supplemented the -front lights of the automobile. The rain continued to come down in -torrents and the lightning to flash and the thunder to clap heavily. -However, the travelers were well protected under the shelter, so that -there was no need to hurry inside. - -Phil would have broken loose and made a dash into the uncomfortable -storm and the pitch-dark forest if there had been any opportunity for -him to do so. But, evidently, “the count” anticipated that he might -attempt such a move and kept a firm hold on one arm of his prisoner. The -servant also, well schooled in his duties, took hold of the other arm of -the boy, who was thus led through a massive entrance into the building. - -It was a dingy looking place into which Phil was conducted. Undoubtedly -this appearance was a result of two principal conditions, for, with -quite as little doubt, this chateau had been kept in excellent condition -before the war. First, the light was poor, being supplied principally -with oil lamps and candles. The electric flash-light, in the hands of -the servant, when switched on, caused the other lights to fade into -insignificance. Second, the number of servants available for the -maintenance of so large an establishment must have been small indeed. - -But an unmistakable atmosphere of luxury, in spite of its mustiness, -almost blew into Phil’s face as he entered. A breath of rich tapestries -and soft velvety rugs met in sharp contrast the gust of wet-woods wind -that forced itself in past the midnight arrivals. But for this contrast, -perhaps the neglected richness of the interior would not have impressed -itself so noticeably on the prisoner’s olfactory sense. - -The room into which Phil was first inducted was a large reception hall, -which opened upon two other apartments, one to the left and one straight -ahead, through wide high-arched doorways, partly closed with heavy -portieres. The boy was led straight forward through the latter doorway -and into a large room whose rich decorations and furniture were only -vaguely discernible by the light of two or three candles on a deep -mantel over a great fireplace. - -Here Topoff gave instructions in German to the servant and left the -latter alone to proceed with the prisoner. Phil next found himself being -conducted through a long hall and then down a flight of stairs to a -basement floor. There he was thrust into a dark room and the door was -closed and locked. - -It was a most unceremonious proceeding, but Phil decided that he could -hardly expect anything else under the circumstances. He forgot for the -moment that he was wretchedly hungry, in his eagerness and anxiety to -learn the character of his quarters. He began his examination of the -place by getting down on his hands and knees. Then he realized for the -first time that he was on a floor of cold, hard clay, like that of a -deep cellar. - -Suddenly his investigation was aided by a brilliant flash of lightning, -which afforded him a good view of the floor of his prison. There was -nothing of particular interest in it except a board platform at the -farther side of the room, probably built there as a dry elevation for -vegetables harvested from lands of the estate. No such articles of raw -food, however, were on it now. - -“That’ll be a much better place for me to sleep on than this -pneumonia-and-rheumatism floor,” Phil muttered. “I think I’ll go over -there and try to sleep. I wonder if I can.” - -He had good reason to doubt his ability to forget his physical and -mental distress in slumber, and the effort he made was therefore the -more courageous. As he lay down on his back, another flash of lightning -illuminated the room, so that he had now a fairly complete picture in -his mind as to the size and character of his prison. - -It was circular, like a huge cistern, and deep. A curved wall of masonry -arose on all sides. Midway between floor and ceiling and far above his -reach were two long, narrow, deep windows. The diameter of the -cylindrical room was twenty-five or thirty feet. - -“A regular donjon, or dungeon, of a mediaeval castle,” Phil said to -himself. He almost uttered the words aloud, just to satisfy his -curiosity as to how his voice would sound, but a dread of the awe-thrill -that would probably follow controlled the impulse. - -“I’m going to do my best to go to sleep,” he resolved. “Goodness -knows, I need it bad enough, and maybe this place won’t seem so -dreadful in the morning. I wonder if they’ll give me anything to eat -then, or if starvation is a concomitant of that villain’s sweating -machinery. Concomitant is a good word under the circumstances, I -guess. It ought to go well with a donjon of a castle keep. Just to -think! the position ’u’d be reversed and I’d have that monster of big -circumference in limbo behind the Marine lines at Chateau Thierry if -that tall slim piece of a wall hadn’t toppled over on top o’ me. But -instead of his being under guard at Chateau Thierry, I’m in a cellar -tomb in Chateau—Chateau—what’ll I call it? Oh, yes, I’ll call it -Chateau Boaconstrictor, or the Castle of the Human Snake.” - -His dread of what the near future might have in store for him being thus -mollified somewhat by his damp-dungeon serpentine wit, Phil dozed -several minutes over the grewsome idea and then fell hungrily asleep. - - - - - CHAPTER XL - A ROOM OF TORTURE - - -Phil was awakened in the morning by the creaking of his prison door, and -opened his eyes to behold the jailer of his midnight imprisonment -advancing toward him. He observed now, as he had not noticed when he -first saw him, that this fellow wore a military uniform. - -With a few words in German and expressive movements of his hands, the -jailer indicated to the boy an order to come with him, and the prisoner -obeyed. Up the stairs they went and into a very strange room occupied by -that very strange man, “Count Topoff.” Strewn about in the apartment -were a dozen or more remarkable contrivances, a few of which indicated -the probable general character of all of them. One was plainly a pillory -with holes for the head and the hands, but within the hand holes -projected many sharp metal points, while on the stand for the -undoubtedly barefooted pilloried victim were a hundred or more sharp -metal points projecting upwards. There were also hanging on the wall -numerous straps and belts, some of them crossed and riveted here and -there until they bore the appearance of elaborate body-brace or harness, -while from various ends hung numerous sharp-toothed jaw-clasps. -Overhead, suspended on a pulley by a long rope, was what appeared to be -a head harness. The other end of the rope was caught around a cleat over -against the wall. - -Phil shuddered at the sight. Here was cruelty apparatus of the most -fiendish ingenuity. And there could be no doubt that it was intended to -be used and that “Count Topoff” was the very fellow to use it with -frigid glee. - -The prisoner was aroused from his secretly shrinking contemplation of -the prospect before him by the voice of “the count,” who addressed him -in English, thus: - -“You see, most foolish American, what is in store for you unless you -give me a true explanation of what took place this side of Chateau -Thierry. Now, I’ll give you one more chance before the course of -persuasion begins. By telling me the truth, you can escape all that you -see before you.” - -His voice was more repulsive than it had been at any time before in -Phil’s hearing. The high-pitched, tripping near-stutter, if the speaker -had spoken from a position of concealment, might have caused any hearer -to suspect that the utterances popped forth from the lips of a bully of -imp-land. - -“But,” Phil protested, hopelessly, it is true, “I have already told you -the truth. You surely don’t want me to fabricate a yarn just to escape -your cruelty.” - -“No,” thundered the big fellow. “I want the truth. If you lie, I’ll know -it at once and something worse will follow. Orderly, knee-splints, -toe-thumb.” - -The direction was given in English, but it evidently was understood. The -orderly picked up two pieces of pine board, about three inches wide, an -inch thick and a little more than two feet long. These he proceeded to -strap to Phil’s legs, behind, so that the prisoner was unable to bend -his knees. Then he tied a string to each of the boy’s thumbs and with -the persuasive power of a strong pull drew those digits down against the -victim’s great toes and tied these two extremities together. - -“There,” rattled the boche military ogre, as he viewed the plight of his -prisoner with evident enjoyment; “when you decide you’re ready to tell -the truth, send for me.” - -“I don’t know what to tell you besides what I’ve already told,” replied -Phil desperately, for the pain of his cramped position was already -testing his endurance. - -“Think, think hard!” advised “the count” as he left the room. - -The orderly also departed, and the victim was left alone in his misery. -The latter twisted and squirmed into every possible position to relieve -his distress. The strain on his legs, back, thumbs and toes was so -uniformly painful that he only increased his misery when he added -tension at one point or portion to relieve the others. - -Anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour after Topoff and the orderly -left, another man in coarse tattered civilian garments appeared, bearing -a tray of steaming food. As he set it down before the prisoner, he -startled the latter with the following speech, scarcely above a whisper: - -“This is not intended for you to eat, only to look at. If you try to eat -it, you’ll find it full of the hottest of red pepper. By the way, I’m an -English spy and want to give you a little advice. Think up some kind of -plausible story and tell it to ‘the count’ in the place of the one he -refuses to believe. Grit your teeth, stick through your torment, for -help is on the way, I hope. As soon as you think up a story that you -think will stand a test of reason, yell to the orderly and tell him that -you’re ready to give in.” - -“He can’t understand me, can he?” Phil returned. - -“Oh, yes, he can understand a good deal, although he pretends to be -contemptuously ignorant of the hated English tongue. Good-by, now, I -must go, but I’ll keep my eyes open and will do everything that I can -for you.” - -The spy glided swiftly out of the room, leaving the tray of food setting -on the floor. - -Encouraged by the fact of the nearness of a friend and the assurance -that there was reasonable hope of rescue, Phil cudgeled his brain hard -for an inspiration to think up a plausible story to tell his tormentor. -The strain of pain and necessity helped him wonderfully, and in a short -time he was yelling at the top of his voice to the orderly. The latter -strolled in in leisurely manner after the boy yelled two or three -minutes. - -“Tell ‘the count’ I’m ready to tell the truth,” Phil announced in -pleading tones, which were genuine enough, in spite of the fiction plot -behind them. - -Without a word the orderly went out of the room and soon returned -accompanied by “Count Topoff.” - -“Ready to tell me the truth?” snapped the latter, addressing the -suffering prisoner. - -“Yes, yes,” cried Phil, designedly making no effort to conceal his -distress. - -Topoff gave the orderly directions in German, and the latter proceeded -to cut the strings that bound the boy’s thumbs and great toes together. - - - - - CHAPTER XLI - THE “SUBTERRENE” - - -The first impression that struck Phil forcibly as “Count Topoff” entered -the room was the fact that he had been drinking. This reminded him of -the drink-fest that had incapacitated “the count” and his command of -guards, in a French inn a few weeks previously, to prevent the prisoners -in their charge from turning the tables on them. - -“It’s probably lucky for me that he was too much under the influence to -remember the trick we played on them when we saw to it that every -‘drunk’ among them was super-drunk,” the boy mused after the strain of -his torture had been relieved by the cutting of his thumb-toe bonds. - -Topoff wasted no time in the carrying out of the portion of his program -now due. Although plainly flushed with the liquor he had drunk recently, -there was nothing maudlin in his manner, and he had full command of his -usual wits. - -“Well, go ahead with your yarn,” he ordered, sitting down in an armchair -ancient enough in appearance to have belonged to the days of -Charlemagne. “But hold on. Do you realize what is going to happen to you -if you lie? You’re going into that pillory, with your bare feet on those -sharp steel points. Now go ahead, but you’d better not talk at all if -you’re thinking of telling me another string of lies.” - -Phil’s resolution was almost shattered at this prospect, and he was on -the verge of confessing the untruth of his purpose, when it occurred to -him that torture on the puncturing pillory could hardly be worse than -the agony he suffered in the unendurable attitude from which he had just -been released. - -“If I have to die or torture, I don’t see that there’s much choice -between these two ways,” he concluded. “So here goes, hoping I’ll be -able to pull the wool over his eyes.” - -“The truth is this,” he continued aloud with a camouflage of -desperation, “and may my native land never know of my traitorous act. -There’s really no need of my begging you to have mercy on me after -you’ve learned the truth from me, for I shall be so ashamed of my -cowardice that I shan’t be satisfied until I find a place where I can -hide my face from every other man on earth.” - -As he spoke Phil covertly watched the countenance of Topoff and was -gratified with the evidence of growing and expectant interest that he -saw there. - -“You people,” he continued, looking his captor straight in the eye, -“perfected the submarine and used it as a most destructive war engine. -America has just completed her invention of the subterrene, and will -soon be able with it to undermine any battle front you may be able to -establish.” - -“What is the subterrene?” demanded “the count,” leaning forward eagerly. - -“The word, I think, will explain itself to a man of your learning,” -replied the boy, recalling his flattery weapon. “It’s a machine that -bores a hole seven or eight feet in diameter right through the earth at -the rate of about a mile a day. It was through the first tunnel of the -first machine delivered at the battle front that I led a company of -soldiers into the basement of one of those buildings behind your lines -near Chateau Thierry.” - -“And who invented that machine?” inquired the now excited and somewhat -bewildered Topoff. - -“Thomas A. Edison,” Phil answered, uttering that magic name with a -swelling of hero worship and national pride. - -The count meditated a few moments. It was evident that he was deeply -impressed with his prisoner’s story. - -“How many of those machines has the American army?” he asked. - -“Of course, I can’t say as to that,” Phil replied slowly. “But there’s -only one at the part of the front with which I’m familiar. However, I -understand they’re being made as rapidly as possible to be rushed all -along the American, English, and French fronts.” - -Again Topoff lapsed into meditation. This time he was silent longer than -before. Then suddenly he looked up sharply at his “fabulizing informant” -and said: - -“Here is an important question that needs more than any other to be -answered: What becomes of the excavated earth as the tunnel advances?” - -This was surely a “stunner of a question” and tested Phil’s ingenuity to -the limit. When it first “hit” him it made the boy’s head swim, but he -clenched his fists and gritted his teeth with desperation and thought as -he had never thought before. An answer came, such as it was, and Phil -communicated it with all the aplomb that he could command. - -“I’m not very familiar with the mechanical working of the contrivance,” -he said, “although I’ve seen it operate. The question you ask, of -course, involves the problem of the great principle of the invention. -The way I get it is this: It seems that Mr. Edison, in working out his -scheme, applied a new scientific discovery of his, electro-chemical, -they call it. By means of this new process they seem to be able to -convert the excavated earth into gas and a small amount of powdered -refuse. The gas is piped back through flexible tubes, and the refuse is -carted out in a low, narrow auto-truck.” - -Phil had good cause, as he proceeded with this explanation, to -congratulate himself on the training he had received in a Philadelphia -technical school. But he never knew with what degree of credence the -latter part of his ingenious fabrication was received. He had scarcely -finished the statement last recorded, when sound of the hurried tramping -of many feet reached his ears. It reached the ears also of “Count -Topoff,” who sprang to his feet in bewildered alarm. Then the forms of -half a dozen armed men rushed into the room. - -“Marines!” gasped Phil in amazement. “How in the world did they get -here?” - - - - - CHAPTER XLII - RESCUED - - -“Count Topoff” undoubtedly did not appreciate the situation, or he would -not have acted so rashly. He drew a pistol and fired point blank at the -soldier in the lead. This was a signal for the Americans to answer in a -business-like manner, which they did without ceremony, and “Mr. -Boaconstrictor” dropped dead with several bullets in his body. Two of -the Marines were wounded by the one shot fired by the mysterious -“relative of the kaiser,” but not seriously. - -This was the extent of the battle. The soldiers had taken possession of -the chateau without other resistance. The British spy had prepared the -way for the raid, having managed to get information to the allies of -conditions at the century-old castle. He did this by means of Morse-code -signaling to a fleet of American aviators just returning from an air -raid over enemy territory, and it was answered with assurance that they -would return prepared to raid the place. - -There were only six prisoners in the chateau, but three of them were -French and American spies with information of great importance. There -were also only half a dozen boche guards in the place, including the -orderly who had acted as Topoff’s personal servant. All but the latter -were men of advanced age, too old for military service, and, as the -fleet of aeroplanes that had arrived with a score of soldiers, could not -carry the released prisoners and the captured boches very well, the -latter were given their freedom as the raiders flew away, back behind -the American lines. - -On the way Phil rode in a large machine with the British spy, whose -resourcefulness may have saved him from further untold torture and, it -may be, death, for Phil subsequently grew extremely doubtful of his -ability to make his “subterrene yarn stick.” - -The spy’s name was Roscoe Chance. He proved to be an excellent type for -impersonating almost any Caucasian nationality, and as he had studied -German at college and spoke the language fluently he had been chosen as -specially gifted to handle the secret service work that was consummated -by the air raid which resulted in the rescue of Phil from the most -fiendish torture. - -Before they started on their return to the American lines, Chance gave -Phil the following brief account of the history of the mysterious “Count -Topoff”: - -“He was a Prussian spy in France for twenty years, owning the chateau in -which he lived. He pretended to be a great friend of the French cause, -had even become a citizen of France to camouflage the real nature of his -business. But an English spy in Berlin heard a rumor that Topoff was a -relative of the kaiser and reported this to his government. I was -therefore sent here to find out what I could. - -“But it seems he was on guard against the very thing I was after, and I -was unable to detect a suspicious look or act until after the last big -drive of the enemy. Meanwhile I had managed to convey to him the idea on -a number of occasions that my sympathies were on the other side of the -Rhine, so that I was in a position to take up the role of a boche when -he revealed his true colors. - -“I made quite a hit with him, and found that he was in constant secret -communication with Berlin. His second lieutenancy was a mere camouflage, -for he was high up in secret service rank. I got considerable -corroboration of the report that he was a relative of the kaiser, but no -direct confirmation.” - -“There’s just one peculiarity about him that I’d like to understand,” -said Phil. “Why did he run so much risk of being killed by mixing in -infantry battles right at the front?” - -“There’s only one reason I can give for that,” Chance replied, “and I -think it’s the true one. He was a clever, shrewd rascal, but also a -brazen daredevil. There’s no doubt he had lots of courage, and it’s a -wonder he wasn’t killed long ago. In spite of his misshapen physique he -was powerful and quite active. He seemed to have almost a mania for -proving that his big girth was no obstacle to his putting up just as -good a fight as a slender athlete could put up.” - -The squadron of aeroplanes made the return trip without encountering an -enemy plane. No doubt there were boche air-fighters within sighting -distance, but it is also probably true that they could not muster -sufficient available force to meet the Yanks, so they remained in -hiding. Two days later Phil met Tim, who had been transferred -temporarily from trench duty to Headquarters messenger service, and they -had a half hour’s conversation over their recent experiences. He met -also Dan Fentress and Emmet Harding, two of the twelve Marines who made -their escape from the boche prison in advance of the remaining 240. They -had managed to get back with the American army in a manner similar to -the scheme worked by the larger body of prisoners. The other ten, Phil -learned months afterward, were recaptured by the enemy and finally were -returned, after the armistice, as released prisoners of war. - -And, oh, yes, by the way, before the signing of the armistice, which -meant virtually the end of the war, Phil was wearing the bar of a -lieutenant, and Corporal Tim became a sergeant. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES - - - 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - 2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - 3. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Over There with the Marines at Chateau -Thierry, by Capt. George H. 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George H. Ralphson</title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - body { margin-left: 8%; margin-right: 10%; } - h1 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: xx-large; } - h2 { text-align: center; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; } - .pageno { right: 1%; font-size: x-small; background-color: inherit; color: silver; - text-indent: 0em; text-align: right; position: absolute; - border: thin solid silver; padding: .1em .2em; font-style: normal; - font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; } - p { text-indent: 0; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; text-align: justify; } - .sc { font-variant: small-caps; } - .large { font-size: large; } - .xlarge { font-size: x-large; } - .small { font-size: small; } - .xsmall { font-size: x-small; } - .ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; } - ol.ol_1 {padding-left: 0; margin-left: 2.78%; margin-top: .5em; - margin-bottom: .5em; list-style-type: decimal; } - div.pbb { page-break-before: always; } - hr.pb { border: none; border-bottom: thin solid; margin-bottom: 1em; } - @media handheld { hr.pb { display: none; } } - .chapter { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .figcenter { clear: both; max-width: 100%; margin: 2em auto; text-align: center; } - div.figcenter p { text-align: center; text-indent: 0; } - .figcenter img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; } - .id001 { width:30%; } - .id002 { width:10%; } - @media handheld { .id001 { margin-left:35%; width:30%; } } - @media handheld { .id002 { margin-left:45%; width:10%; } } - .ic001 { width:100%; } - .ig001 { width:100%; } - .table0 { margin: auto; margin-top: 2em; margin-left: 14%; margin-right: 15%; - width: 71%; } - .nf-center { text-align: center; } - .nf-center-c0 { text-align: left; margin: 0.5em 0; } - p.drop-capa0_0_6 { text-indent: -0em; } - p.drop-capa0_0_6:first-letter { float: left; margin: 0.100em 0.100em 0em 0em; - font-size: 250%; line-height: 0.6em; text-indent: 0; } - @media handheld { - p.drop-capa0_0_6 { text-indent: 0; } - p.drop-capa0_0_6:first-letter { float: none; margin: 0; font-size: 100%; } - } - .c000 { margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; } - .c001 { margin-top: 2em; } - .c002 { page-break-before: always; margin-top: 4em; } - .c003 { margin-top: 4em; } - .c004 { margin-top: 1em; } - .c005 { page-break-before:auto; margin-top: 4em; } - .c006 { vertical-align: top; text-align: right; padding-right: 1em; } - .c007 { vertical-align: top; text-align: left; padding-right: 1em; } - .c008 { vertical-align: top; text-align: right; } - .c009 { margin-top: 2em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - .c010 { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: 0.25em; margin-bottom: 0.25em; } - div.tnotes { padding-left:1em;padding-right:1em;background-color:#E3E4FA; - border:1px solid silver; margin:2em 10% 0 10%; font-family: Georgia, serif; - } - .covernote { visibility: hidden; display: none; } - div.tnotes p { text-align:left; } - .x-ebookmaker .covernote { visibility: visible; display: block; } - .figcenter {font-size: .9em; page-break-inside: avoid; max-height: 100%; - max-width: 100%; } - .chapter,.section { clear: both; page-break-before: always; } - .ol_1 li {font-size: .9em; } - .x-ebookmaker .ol_1 li {padding-left: 1em; text-indent: 0em; } - body {font-family: serif, 'DejaVu Sans'; text-align: justify; } - table {font-size: .9em; padding: 1.5em .5em 1em; page-break-inside: avoid; - clear: both; } - div.titlepage {text-align: center; page-break-before: always; - page-break-after: always; } - div.titlepage p {text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; - line-height: 1.5; margin-top: 3em; } - .ph1 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: xx-large; - margin: .67em auto; page-break-before: always; } - .ph2 { text-indent: 0em; font-weight: bold; font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; - page-break-before: always; } - </style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Over There with the Marines at Chateau -Thierry, by Capt. George H. Ralphson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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 -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Over There with the Marines at Chateau Thierry - -Author: Capt. George H. Ralphson - -Release Date: October 14, 2020 [EBook #63462] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OVER THERE WITH THE MARINES *** - - - - -Produced by Richard Tonsing, David Garcia, Larry B. -Harrison, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -https://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class='tnotes covernote'> - -<p class='c000'><b>Transcriber’s Note:</b></p> - -<p class='c000'>The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.</p> - -</div> - -<div class='box'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div><span class='large'>OVER THERE SERIES</span></div> - <div class='c001'>THE MARINES AT CHATEAU THIERRY</div> - <div>THE CANADIANS AT VIMY RIDGE</div> - <div>THE DOUGHBOYS AT ST. MIHIEL</div> - <div>PERSHING’S HEROES AT CANTIGNY</div> - <div>THE ENGINEERS AT CAMBRAI</div> - <div>THE YANKS IN THE ARGONNE FOREST</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id001'> -<img src='images/p0002-illus.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -<div class='ic001'> -<p>THE GERMANS GAVE WAY UNDER THE TERRIBLE FIRE OF THE TANKS.<br /><br />[The Marines at Chateau Thierry]</p> -</div> -</div> - -<div class='titlepage'> - -<div> - <h1 class='c002'>OVER THERE<br /> <span class='large'>WITH</span><br /> <span class='xlarge'>THE MARINES</span><br /> <span class='large'>AT</span><br /> <span class='xlarge'>CHATEAU THIERRY</span></h1> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c001'> - <div><i>By</i></div> - <div><span class='large'>CAPT. GEORGE H. RALPHSON</span></div> - <div><span class='xsmall'>Author of</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>OVER THERE WITH THE DOUGHBOYS AT ST. MIHIEL, OVER THERE WITH THE CANADIANS AT VIMY RIDGE, OVER THERE WITH PERSHING’S HEROES AT CANTIGNY</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='figcenter id002'> -<img src='images/titlepage.jpg' alt='' class='ig001' /> -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> - <div class='nf-center'> - <div>M. A. DONOHUE & COMPANY</div> - <div>CHICAGO NEW YORK</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div><span class='small'>Copyright, 1919</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>M. A. DONOHUE & CO.</span></div> - <div><span class='small'>CHICAGO</span></div> - </div> -</div> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div class='chapter'> - <h2 class='c005'>CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - -<table class='table0' summary='CONTENTS'> -<colgroup> -<col width='16%' /> -<col width='72%' /> -<col width='11%' /> -</colgroup> - <tr> - <td class='c006'><span class='small'>CHAPTER</span></td> - <td class='c007'> </td> - <td class='c008'><span class='small'>PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>I</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Phil and Tim</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_7'>7</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>II</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Four Kilos on Hobnails</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_11'>11</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>III</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Digging in</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_17'>17</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>IV</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Gas Masks</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_22'>22</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>V</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Machine-Gun Barrage</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_27'>27</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>VI</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Boches Charge</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_32'>32</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>VII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Timber Fighting</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_37'>37</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>VIII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Aid from the Air</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_44'>44</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>IX</td> - <td class='c007'>“<span class='sc'>Kill, Kill, Kill</span>”</td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_48'>48</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>X</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Novel Disarmament</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_52'>52</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XI</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Phil a Prisoner</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_57'>57</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Barbed Wire Prison</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_62'>62</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XIII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Mr. Boaconstrictor</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_69'>69</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XIV</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A New Prison</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_75'>75</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XV</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Light without Matches</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_81'>81</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XVI</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Plans for Escape</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_87'>87</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XVII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Tunneling</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_92'>92</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XVIII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Prisoners Take a Prisoner</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_96'>96</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XIX</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Overheard in a Sandpit</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_102'>102</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XX</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Escape</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_107'>107</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXI</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Plot</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_112'>112</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Good-by</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_118'>118</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXIII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Fight in the Cellar</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_122'>122</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXIV</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Another Capture</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_127'>127</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXV</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Chapter of Wind</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_131'>131</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXVI</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Turning the Tables</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_135'>135</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXVII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Food for Prohibition</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_141'>141</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXVIII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The Prisoners Flee</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_145'>145</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXIX</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>In Hiding</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_150'>150</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXX</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>An Audacious Scheme</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_155'>155</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXI</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Phil’s Strategy</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_159'>159</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Mr. Boa Again</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_164'>164</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXIII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Tanks and “Water Cure”</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_170'>170</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXIV</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>From Tank to Limousine</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_178'>178</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXV</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>In a Tight Place</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_183'>183</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXVI</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Suggestive Flattery</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_188'>188</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXVII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Useless Argument</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_193'>193</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXVIII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>What the Lightning Revealed</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_199'>199</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XXXIX</td> - <td class='c007'>“<span class='sc'>The Castle of the Human Snake</span>”</td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_204'>204</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XL</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>A Room of Torture</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_209'>209</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XLI</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>The “Subterrene”</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_215'>215</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td class='c006'>XLII</td> - <td class='c007'><span class='sc'>Rescued</span></td> - <td class='c008'><a href='#Page_220'>220</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<div class='section ph1'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>Over There with the Marines</div> - <div class='c004'><span class='small'>at</span></div> - <div class='c004'>Chateau Thierry</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - -<div> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_7'>7</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER I<br /> <span class='large'>PHIL AND TIM</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Top Sergeant Phil Speed did not -know exactly where he was when the long -train of trucks bearing hundreds of khaki-clad -American Marines stopped at a small town -within easy gun-roar of the battle front in -France. They were making little demonstration -now. For weeks they had been cheering -and been cheered until their throats became -sore and well again—calloused, as it were. So -spontaneous and so nearly universal had been -the enthusiastic reception extended to them -everywhere that it seemed as if every person -who didn’t yell his head off must be pro-kaiser.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the noise of battle becoming more and -made distinct through the rumble, roar, and -rattle of trucks and ordnance racing toward -the scene of conflict into which they themselves -<span class='pageno' id='Page_8'>8</span>were about to plunge, the hearts of these messengers -of liberty were not so gay as they had -been for weeks, aye, months, before. Everywhere, -among all sorts and conditions of men, -even among fighting patriots, there are bound -to be a few “smart” ones who forget the proprieties -sometimes as their bright ideas go skyrocketing. -And this sort of gay wight was not -lacking even among the pick of America’s -young manhood; but for once the gayest of -them were serious and sober minded.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The person who would joke in the face of -death, or with a messenger of eternity lurking -in the vicinity must be a philosopher “to get -away with it.” Phil had no idea of putting the -thing in such language, but if somebody had -stepped up close to him and whispered the conceit -in his ear, he probably would have responded, -“That fits the situation exactly.” -Still a considerable period of time elapsed before -he was able to dispel all doubt as to the -occasion of such unwonted sobriety.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I wonder if we’re not all cowards, and if -that isn’t the reason we’ve all stopped our -noise,” he mused. “I hope we don’t turn tail -and run lickety-cut when we see a big bunch o’ -boches swinging over the top at us.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>As if in reply to his musing, Timothy Turner, -a training-camp chum, who stood at his elbow -<span class='pageno' id='Page_9'>9</span>in the midst of the throng of soldiers waiting -for orders to move along, spoke thus rather -grimly:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’re quite a solemn bunch, aren’t we, -Phil? I guess what we need is the explosion of -a few bombs in our midst to get us good and -mad.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Maybe,” Phil replied, regarding his friend -meditatively. “Well, it won’t be very long -before we’ll have a chance to find out. Do you -think an explosion a few feet away from you -would make you mad, Tim?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, I do,” the latter replied unhesitatingly. -“I believe it would make me want -to telescope with the next shell that came -whistling along.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tim was a kind of bullet-headed Yank, -“built on the ground,” his school-boy friends -used to say. Really he looked as if he might -be accepted as a personification of that irresistible -force which would create “the most -powerful standstill” if it struck an immovable -object. But in spite of his bullet-headness, -Tim was anything but dull. Both officers and -fellow soldiers regarded him hopefully as one -of the prospective star fighters of the regiment -because of his mental keenness as well as his -physical prowess.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was built along different lines. He was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_10'>10</span>strong and athletic, but he would hardly have -been expected to be able to push over a stone -wall. Whether or not he was more intelligent -than Tim may be a matter for debate. It may -be admitted, perhaps, that he was not so -shrewd, but if they had both lived in the middle -ages, Phil undoubtedly would have listened -with interest to the first declaration that the -world was round, while Tim would just as -surely have repelled it with derision. But in -business Phil might have fallen a comparatively -easy victim to the wiles of a trickster, -where as the cleverest “con man” would have -had to get up very early in the morning to catch -Tim napping.</p> - -<p class='c010'>So here we have a double-barreled standard -for measuring intelligence among men and -among boys. Shall we call Phil more intelligent -than Tim, or vice versa? Let us dismiss -the debatable question without answer, while -we admit that they were both intelligent, but -different; and in spite of their difference—some -would say “in consequence of their difference”—they -were very good friends.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_11'>11</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER II<br /> <span class='large'>FOUR KILOS ON HOBNAILS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“Battalion!” called out the major.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Company!” the captain followed, as -it were, with the next breath.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Attention!” continued the battalion commander.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The line was quickly formed, two deep, officers -in position, the major in attitude of -review.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“At ease!” was the next order which indicated -“something coming.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Men,” he said with an incisiveness of tone -indicating that his words would be brief, -“word has just reached me that the officers of -the enemy division that you are soon to meet -welcome you with expressions of contempt. -They say you are soft and will melt before the -Hun armies like wax over white heat. Will -you show them you can go through fire hot -enough to melt steel?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The yell that greeted this question set at -rest all doubt that may have inspired the -“wonder” which came to Phil’s mind a few -minutes before as to their courage. And nobody -yelled louder or more fiercely than Phil -<span class='pageno' id='Page_12'>12</span>did. After it was over he heaved a sigh of -relief.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s what we needed,” he muttered.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What did we need?” asked Tim, who -heard the remark.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil had no opportunity to reply. The major -was giving orders again.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Attention!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Squads, right!” the superior officer added, -and immediately there was a swinging half-about -along the line, and a column of American -Marines, four abreast, was marching up the -street that led away from the detrucking point.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then followed a hike of four kilometers -(two and a half miles) along the Paris-Metz -road. After journeying on hobnailed soles this -distance, the order was given to fix bayonets.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil and Tim were good enough soldiers by -this time to accept everything as it came and -not to look for too much that was not in evidence. -They had had try-out experience at -Verdun and, along with other rapidly seasoning -warriors of their regiment, had given a -good account of themselves. And yet, in spite -of all this curiosity-crushing experience, they -could not help looking just a little expectantly -for a camouflaged line of “bloomin’ boches” -upon whom to use their one-tined pitchforks -when the order was given to “fix bayonets.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_13'>13</span>“Does it mean charge?” both of them -longed to ask somebody, and after this question -they realized must follow another equally -important:</p> - -<p class='c010'>Where was the mysterious enemy?</p> - -<p class='c010'>It proved, however, to be only a precautionary -move to guard against surprise while advancing -through a wheatfield. There might be -a score or two of machine-gun nests in that -field, Phil reasoned. But then, he wondered -how that could very well be, as it must mean -that the gunners had made their way undiscovered -through the front line, which was a -mile farther on. However, the surmise proved -to be in error, for nothing of livelier nature -than a flock of hens and turkeys was encountered. -Presently a halt was ordered at -a group of deserted farm buildings, where -quarters were established pending the development -of further plans.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Meanwhile there were other battalions following, -and the country round about was rapidly -becoming a concentration camp of reserves, -who were sent forward in sections to -take positions in the front line as rapidly as -way was prepared for them, the French moving -out to take positions in other sections. Phil -and Tim were pleased when it became apparent -that they would not be ordered ahead before -<span class='pageno' id='Page_14'>14</span>the next day, for they were weary from exertion -and loss of sleep and longed as much as -anything else to be in vigorous, fresh condition -when it came their time to meet the merciless, -unscrupulous foe in battle.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was nothing radically new in this experience -to any of the Marines billeted at this -place less than two kilometers from the front -line, which was being pressed hard, by the -enemy. All of them had seen a very real kind -of practice service along with the French at -Verdun, and so there was little to arouse their -wonder in the sights and sounds of rumbling -camions, tanks and artillery as they were -rushed hither and thither, the shouts of officers -and drivers, aeroplanes soaring overhead, and -the whistle of an occasional shell fired with -apparent random purpose and exploding far -beyond the range of serious mischief. These -sights and sounds were fast merging into the -obscurity and quiet of darkness and inaction as -Phil and Tim lay down under a large apple -tree, resolved to get as much rest as possible -before the next daybreak.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’ve been wanting to ask you a question -ever since we detrucked from those lorries four -kilos up the road,” said Tim after the two boys -had lodged themselves in the privacy of a “ten-foot -sector” of the orchard. As he spoke, he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_15'>15</span>picked up a full-grown apple from the ground -and sunk his teeth into it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“This apple isn’t very ripe,” he observed, -indicating by his digression that the question -on his mind was not as vital as the importance -of appeasing his appetite or of winning the -war. “But the juice is sweet and pungent and -I’m going to make a cider press of my jaws and -squeeze the beverage down my throat.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“If you haven’t forgotten your question, you -may put it to me,” Phil returned more to the -point.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I was wondering what you meant when you -remarked, ‘That’s what we needed,’ after the -major made his little speech to us and we yelled -our throats hoarse to prove we weren’t soft,” -said Tim. “Were you afraid we really were -soft?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, not exactly,” Phil replied. “But I -just had a kind o’ longing for proof that we -weren’t.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But we’d proved ourselves at Verdun, -hadn’t we?” Tim reasoned.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes and no,” answered Phil. “At Verdun -we fought all right, but we had a lot o’ French -vets right at our elbows to ginger our nerve. -Here, I understand, they’re going to give us a -front all our own, ten or fifteen miles. I was -talking to Corporal Ross about it. He’s been -<span class='pageno' id='Page_16'>16</span>doing messenger service at the major’s headquarters -and picked up a good deal of information. -He says we’re bound for a place called -Belleau Wood. The French call it Bois de Belleau. -The Huns, you know, have been pressing -the French pretty hard all the way from -Rheims to Soissons, and we’ve been sent to relieve -the French at this point so that they can -stop the enemy at other points. But I’ve got -a suspicion that a lot more American boys will -be thrown in about here and we’re going to -have a chance to make ourselves famous in the -next few days.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It’s up to us to make good,” declared Tim -with characteristic bullet-headed doggedness. -“The Marines have been criticised a good deal -lately. Some say we ought to be eliminated -from the service.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ve got to make good,” Phil echoed emphatically. -“The reputation of the Marines -is at stake.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_17'>17</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER III<br /> <span class='large'>DIGGING IN</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Sergeant Phil was a year older than -Corporal Tim. The latter, unbeknown to -anybody except himself and his parents, had -entered the Marine Service in not the most -regular manner, but it was real patriotism that -had caused him to misrepresent his age, which -was the only bar to his eligibility. A wait of -eight months longer would have put him “over -the top” in this respect but he decided not to -wait. He looked 18 years old, and boldly declared -this to be his age, and, as some of his -slangy boy friends would have said, he got -away with it. When his Philadelphia father -learned of his enlistment, the bullet-headed -youngster was already on his way for probation -at the Paris Island, South Carolina, recruit -depot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then Mr. Turner thought twice and decided -not to interfere. He was thoroughly patriotic -and concluded that if his son had put over anything -on anybody it was on the kaiser.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was a more regular sort of fellow in -such matters. He would never have misrepresented -<span class='pageno' id='Page_18'>18</span>his age in order to gain admittance into -Uncle Sam’s fighting force. If he had not been -able to pass all the tests on merit, he would -have sought to aid the government in some -other branch of service. This is not intended, -by contrast, as a serious reflection on Tim. -The latter was different. He saw no particular -harm in adding a year on his age if thereby he -might help to shorten the reign of the Prussian -despot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tim kept his secret religiously, fearing lest -he be sent home or assigned to disgrace service -if it should come to the knowledge of his superior -officers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil and Tim were disappointed in their expectation -that they would move early in the -morning following their arrival at the deserted -farm to a position in the front line. But they -were not disappointed in their anticipation of -thrilling activities before the close of the day. -Until late in the afternoon the entire battalion -was busy perfecting arrangements for relieving -the Frenchies in this sector.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The excitement of the day came at about 4 -o’clock in the afternoon. The firing at the -front was heavy, but not of intensity such as -they had witnessed at Verdun. But it seemed -to grow hotter and nearer, so that the only -conclusion the Americans could draw was that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_19'>19</span>the boches were driving the French back -through the woods.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Suddenly the company to which Phil and -Tim belonged was thrown into confusion by the -bursting of a shell on the roof of the barn in -which they had sought shelter. This would -have been a poor place for them if they had -been under constant fire from the enemy. But -it had served well enough against injury from -shrapnel, and still better from flying debris -heaved in all directions by the explosion of -bombs dropped from hostile aeroplanes. That -the wrecking of the roof of the barn was -effected by the bursting of a cannon shell was -evidenced by the shriek that immediately preceded -the explosion.</p> - -<p class='c010'>None of those in the barn was killed or injured -so severely that he had to be taken to -the rear for surgical treatment, but the lieutenant -was severely cut on his right arm. Phil -sprang to his assistance and helped him to -bandage the limb; then they rushed out after -the rest of the company. The wounded officer -now gave order for all to take to the woods and -dig in.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The Marines thus deprived of a shelter -rushed back into the roofless building, grabbed -up a supply of entrenching tools and then made -a dash for the woods. Most of them had -<span class='pageno' id='Page_20'>20</span>snatched up their guns before making their -hurried exit. About halfway between the barn -and the woods another shell burst in their -midst, killing five and severely wounding a -score of others. Almost as if by magic a corps -of stretcher-bearers were on the scene. The -uninjured scarcely hesitated, and almost in less -time than is required to tell it the order to “dig -in” was being obeyed with the skill and speed -of long practiced teamwork.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The digging-in process was a simple though -strenuous task. All of the members of the company -not seriously injured by the bursting of -the shell were presently spading in the earth -for dear life a short distance within the timber. -They worked as if according to a systematic, -prearranged schedule. If they had been going -through a drill performance, under instruction -from manual and teacher, their work could -hardly have been more nearly true to military -form.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Each of these Marines quickly scratched off -a rectangular plot about three by five feet and -then began to dig. Phil and Tim, who always -endeavored to keep as near together as possible -in all emergencies where they might be able -to aid each other, “dug in” a few feet apart. -After they had cut roots and scooped the dirt -out to a depth of three or four feet, they dashed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_21'>21</span>about here and there in the immediate vicinity -and gathered dead limbs and brushwood with -which each built a shelter at one end of his -funk hole, or “stub trench.” These shelters -were rendered more stable and impervious to -rain by heaping on them mounds of loose earth -that had been shoveled out of the trenches.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But the disastrous explosion of the two shells -seemed to have served as a false alarm as to -what ought to be expected for some time thereafter. -The fact of the matter is, “nothing happened.” -Three days they remained “dug in” -and not another shell or bomb struck within -two hundred yards of any point of the sheltered -“stub trenches” of the recently bombarded -regiment.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On the evening of the third day they received -an order to make a quick march to a shell-shattered -village on the front line.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now we’re going to see some real fighting,” -Tim prophesied to his friend, as they prepared -to obey the order.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He was not mistaken.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_22'>22</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IV<br /> <span class='large'>GAS MASKS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Phil and Tim had made good use of their -time while in training at Paris Island, so -that when they were ordered on board a transport -to steam for “somewhere in France,” -they could boast of being “Jacks of all trades -and masters of all” in the hyperbolic parlance -of Sea Soldier excellence. They could do pretty -nearly everything from the fitting of gun gear -to the operation of a wireless outfit or a portable -searchlight. Moreover, they were both well -qualified to handle machine guns, and Phil was -drawing an extra $3 a month as a rifle sharpshooter.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The company to which Phil and Tim belonged -was stationed just outside the village. -They reached this position at about 2 p. m. and -had little more than completed their digging-in -operations, when the word was passed along -that they would “go over the top” at 4:30.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But this announcement was presently countered -from headquarters, coupled with a “man-to-man message” that scouting aeroplanes and -observation balloons had communicated to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_23'>23</span>headquarters the information that the boches -were evidently planning to “come over” at the -Yanks. A hurried conference among the officers -of the Marines decided then that it would -be better strategy to let the enemy come on and -get their fill and then counter their decimated -forces with a good strong bayonet and hand-grenade -drive.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil and Tim were near enough to each other -to carry on a conversation in ordinary tones, -and when the word reached them that they -must wait for the enemy to attack them they -expressed their disappointment vigorously.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I hate this waiting business,” Phil declared. -“We’ll never reach Berlin at this -rate.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“So do I,” responded Tim. “I wonder what -those minions of the kaiser think they’re going -to do. To my mind it’s a sign of weakness on -their part, making a drive this time o’ the day.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why?” Phil inquired. “I don’t see why it -should be a sign of weakness on their part any -more than our plan to go over the top at 4:30 is -a sign of weakness.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Maybe not from their point of view. But -we know what we’ve got behind us—millions -of men and billions of money. We know, too, -that we’ve got vastly more of these than the -boches have. So you see, I have something -<span class='pageno' id='Page_24'>24</span>more than suspicion to base my theory on that -they like to make an attack late in the day so -that if they fail they will have the darkness to -cover their retreat. I bet that when our record -is summed up you’ll find that we made most of -our dashes against the enemy’s lines at 4 or 5 -o’clock in the morning.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I hope I’m spared to contemplate such a -record,” said Phil soberly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You don’t doubt it, do you?” Tim asked, -for he was surprised and disappointed to hear -his friend speak so diffidently.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I was just wondering,” Phil replied meditatively.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“See here, Phil,” Tim said, shaking his -hand toward his soldier comrade; “you’re -making a big mistake. You’re meditating. Do -you realize that a soldier should never meditate? -He should never even think twice. He’s -got to do his best thinking the first time.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What’s that got to do with my wondering -whether I’m going to come out o’ this alive?” -Phil inquired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It’s got this to do with it: It’s as bad as -writing poetry in a trench. I think you’ll agree -with me that anybody that does that is a nut. -Now, I don’t believe I’m going to have my head -blown off. Notice that I don’t say, ‘I don’t let -myself think I’m going to be killed.’ I’m <i>dead -<span class='pageno' id='Page_25'>25</span>sure</i> I’m not going to be killed. Get me?—<i>dead -sure</i>; not sure dead.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sure thing I get you,” Phil answered enthusiastically; -“that’s a peach of an idea. It’s -too bad all the other soldiers of the Allies -haven’t got the same idea.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How do you know they haven’t?” Tim demanded -quickly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t know it,” Phil admitted with a -smile, for he saw what was coming next.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“A fellow must get this pretty much by himself -to make the best kind of soldier,” Tim said, -speaking with the convincing manner of a veteran. -“I’ve heard young fellows talk about -going into battle with the expectation of being -killed, but that’s before the bullets begin to fly -and the shells begin to burst. The real soldier -is never desperate. The minute you get desperate, -that minute you are rattled. The soldier -who goes into battle expecting to be killed, goes -into battle desperate and is soon rattled. Don’t -go into battle expecting to be killed; go into -battle expecting to kill, kill, kill, and keep on -killing.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hooray!” said Phil jocularly. “That’s -what I call war philosophy. Get me? War -Phil-osophy for a fighting Phil of Philadelphia.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Philosophy nothing,” Tim snapped back. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_26'>26</span>“You make me ashamed of your name with -your jesting pun. I thought you understood -me better than that, Phil. Wartime is no time -for philosophy. That’s what got a lot of pacifists -into trouble and some of them in prison. -They weren’t philosophers enough to realize -that you can’t stop to philosophize when somebody -is punching you in the nose.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Gas masks!” yelled Phil suddenly, and -similar cries came from others along the timber-sheltered -line.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But the warning was not needed by Tim.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Even as he uttered the last word of his -soldier’s common-sense lecture, he caught a -faint whiff of mustard. Instinctively he held -his breath, and eight seconds later he was inhaling -the pure, safe lung-fuel, “canned oxygen,” -contained in the reservoir of his mask.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_27'>27</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER V<br /> <span class='large'>A MACHINE-GUN BARRAGE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>That settled it in Phil’s mind. There -would be no “over the top” from the -enemy lines that night. Probably, after all, he -was mistaken in assuming that the boches, conscious -of their own insufficiency of reserves, -would hesitate to make a morning attack. They -were planning to harass the Yanks all night -with gas and a hurricane of shells, and in the -morning make a charge that would sweep -everything before it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With the putting on of the masks, the conversation -between Phil and Tim stopped. It -really seemed that the former’s soliloquy following -this operation was better reasoning than -his earlier conjectures had been. The cannonade -that followed the “gas wave” was terrific -and it seemed that such a barrage must mean -something in the nature of a sequence, but they -would hardly charge right into the gas they had -shelled into the Yank’s lines.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But again Phil was privileged to change his -mind, and that very suddenly. The bombardment -continued until after dark and many -shells exploded perilously near the Pershing -<span class='pageno' id='Page_28'>28</span>forces—a few did fatal damage right in the -midst of the waiting Americans at the edge of -the woods.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At about 9:30 o’clock this bombardment -ceased as suddenly as it had begun. Neither -Phil nor Tim had taken part in or witnessed -a night attack, except in the nature of a cannonading, -since their first experience on the -Verdun front, and they were greatly astonished -at what came next.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But they were not without warning, for the -signal service was on the qui vive constantly, -as were also the advance sentries, and about -two minutes before there was any sign of -the approach of the enemy, word went -along the line to be on the lookout for an -attack.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“So my first surmise was right, after all,” -Phil mused. “They’re going to attack under -cover of the darkness so that they may retreat -more successfully if their attack fails.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Another surprise was coming not only to -Phil and Tim, but to many other “dug-in” -Marines along the American front. It had to -do with the character of the attack.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Suddenly the American lines were swept -with a sharp, snappy, vicious machine-gun fire. -The boches had crept up under cover of the -darkness and succeeded in planting a score or -<span class='pageno' id='Page_29'>29</span>more of machine guns at various places in the -timber a hundred yards ahead and started -pumping a murderous storm of bullets at the -doughboys.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But fortunately it was murderous in sight -and sound chiefly, for very few of the Yanks -were hit. In the first place, it was almost a -random attack, for the muzzles of the guns -were elevated a degree or more too high to -rake the edges of the funk holes in which the -Americans were crouching. Moreover, the intervening -trees intercepted many of the bullets, -as was evident from the tattoo thuds that could -be heard even amid the noisy spitting of the -machine guns.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Just what the enemy hoped to accomplish by -this method of attack it was difficult at first to -determine, although the Yanks were destined -to discover very shortly that it was a clever -sort of camouflage.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But the cunning boches were destined to discover -something, too, and to Phil was due the -credit for this rather startling enlightenment -of the enemy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Tim,” he called out to his friend, “I believe -that is nothing but a machine-gun barrage intended -to throw us off our guard. They’re -planning a surprise attack.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>A “machine-gun barrage” was a new one to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_30'>30</span>Tim, but he listened respectfully for further -explanation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We can expect them to come over any -minute,” Phil continued rapidly. “I’ve got an -idea of how they’re going to do it. By the way, -I’m going to make a dive over to Lieutenant -Stone and tell him what I’ve got in mind. He’s -only a few jumps away. He’ll probably reprimand -me, if he doesn’t report me to headquarters, -but the suspicion I’ve got seems to me -so important that I’ll risk any punishment this -side of the firing squad.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The thunder of the cannonade and the -sharper rattle of the machine guns were so intense -that Phil found it necessary to scream -his message to his next-trench neighbor to insure -being heard.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, if it’s so very important, don’t stop -to tell me about it, but hurry up and get it -where it will do most good,” Tim yelled back. -“They won’t take me by surprise.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>A moment later Phil was dashing over the -underbrush and among the trees in momentary -danger of butting his head against a very solid -and substantial interference or of sprawling -violently on the ground. But he had surveyed -the vicinity carefully before the shadows of -evening thickened in the woods and knew -pretty accurately where the lieutenant had dug -<span class='pageno' id='Page_31'>31</span>in. He had to move just as carefully also as -if he were stealing along an enemy line of -trenches, for some of the American soldiers -were likely to discover him and shoot him as a -spy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He succeeded in making his way within a few -feet of the lieutenant’s trench and, crouching -low, began to signal to him by calling his name -in graduated rising tones. Presently the officer -replied and Phil informed him who he was.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In a few words the sergeant communicated -his self-imposed message to his superior officer.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That is probably the best suggestion that -has come from any source on this front since -the American Marines were stationed here,” -remarked Lieutenant Stone. “Now, you get -back to your post as fast as ever you can, or -I’ll order you sent back behind the lines under -guard.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil darted back gleefully along the rear -of the American line and toward his empty -funk hole, which he reached with very good -caution as well as expedition.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_32'>32</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VI<br /> <span class='large'>THE BOCHE CHARGE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Before Phil got back to his funk hole, the -intelligence he had communicated to Lieutenant -Stone had been transmitted over the -trench telephone to every camouflaged station, -and rapidly thereafter by runners to every man -in the line. The message thus delivered was -this:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Look out for an attack while the machine -guns are going full blast. They may elevate -the muzzles of their machine guns and send -their men over the top when it seems impossible -for them to leave their trenches without -being mowed down with their own fire.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil’s prediction was fulfilled. Indeed, the -preliminary, which constituted, in effect, a signal -for the charge, was exceedingly obvious to -all the Marines in the front line after they had -been advised as to what to expect. It is quite -possible that many of them would not have observed -the elevation of the streams of machine-gun -fire to an angle of forty-five degrees if they -had not received Phil’s warning; and most of -those who might have observed this seemingly -reckless waste of “powder and pills” undoubtedly -<span class='pageno' id='Page_33'>33</span>would have been puzzled, if not confused, -by so strange a phenomenon.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As it was, the Yanks were able to time the -attack with remarkable accuracy and met the -boches with volleys from their rifles so nearly -simultaneous that those of the enemy who were -not taken off their feet by the deadly hail of -steel-jacketed bullets must almost have been -taken off their feet with astonishment. At any -rate, the attack failed utterly, not a few of the -Marines leaping out of their “trenchettes” and -engaging the panic-stricken boches with bayonets -or clubbed guns.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was impossible to get any idea of the number -slain in the fight, for although the sky was -clear and the stars shone brightly, the moon -had not risen and the woods was almost as dark -as a pocket. The Americans kept a sharp lookout -for the appearance of shadowy forms a few -feet away from their intrenchments, and as -soon as they saw them creeping cautiously forward -they blazed away with good execution.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The Marines were bothered with no more -“over the top” from the boches that night, -although there was a heavy bombardment from -their larger guns located beyond the opposite -edge of the woods. When this began, Tim -called out to his friend:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That means they’ve gone back a respectful -<span class='pageno' id='Page_34'>34</span>distance. We’re surely safe from another -attack as long as that keeps up. By the way, -they’re pretty bum marksmen, aren’t they? -Those shells are dropping far behind us.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes; but we have other lines back there, -and they’ll get a taste of what is probably -meant for us,” Phil replied. “Say, there’s a -wounded fellow lying only a few feet away -from me. Somebody else shot him. I was just -drawing a bead on him when some good friend -tipped him over for me. It wasn’t you, was it, -Tim?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yep, I’m the fellow,” Tim answered modestly. -“I’d disposed of the baboon that was -coming in my direction and saw the one that -was makin’ for your hole in the ground, and I -said, says I, to myself: ‘Phil’s well able to take -care o’ himself, but I don’t think he’ll be -offended if I relieve his soul of the burden of -slayin’ a man.’ So I pulled my trigger, and -over went the villainous gink.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Good work,” Phil commended. “I won’t -criticise you for failing to kill him, for you did -far better than I did as it was. You’ve put at -least two serfs of the kaiser out of business, -and I didn’t even fire my gun at one.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What’ll we do with ’im?” asked Tim. -“Pull ’im back behind the lines to wait till the -Red Cross comes along?”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_35'>35</span>“No, we won’t pull him,” Phil returned more -compassionately. “We’ll pick him up and -carry ’im.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He doesn’t deserve any such gentle handling,” -Tim objected stubbornly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It isn’t a question of what he deserves, but -the kind of record we Americans want to leave -behind us,” Phil replied earnestly. “You -know how horrified we were by the sinking of -the Lusitania and the atrocities in Belgium -and northern France. Because of those atrocities -we called the whole group of central allies -Huns. Do we want to deserve the same title of -reproach? Besides, the boches aren’t more -than half responsible. They were brought up -that way. A man can get in the habit of thinking -anything that’s popular if he drifts with -the current.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, you’re doing the very thing I warned -you against,” Tim protested vigorously. “I -told you that wartime was no time for any -philosophy business.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And I agreed with you,” Phil responded. -“You win. Come on and we’ll get that fallen -foe and hustle ’im back behind the lines. We’ll -take him any way you say.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The two boys leaped out of their shallow -“trenchettes” and picked up the boche and -carried him almost gently ten or fifteen feet -<span class='pageno' id='Page_36'>36</span>to the rear. Just then two relief men dashed -up, laid the wounded man on a stretcher and -hustled him away.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Bloodthirsty Tim listened to reason that -time,” Phil told himself.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I drove some common sense into Phil’s -head,” Timothy mused. “I hope he keeps it -and he’ll make a better soldier.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_37'>37</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VII<br /> <span class='large'>TIMBER FIGHTING</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Early the next morning a squadron of -aeroplanes flew over the American lines -dropping bombs and doing considerable damage. -But it was not long before they were met -by a score of Allied planes, which poured into -them such a fusillade of machine-gun bullets -that two of them dived to the ground with a -crash and the others were driven back behind -their own lines.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The cannonading from the German big guns -during the night did little damage to the -Americans, for most of the shells dropped far -to the rear. Moreover, the Yankee field artillery -replied with much better marksmanship -than that of the boches, as was reported in the -morning by scout aviators and balloon observers. -But it was not necessary to wait for -these reports to get an idea of the devastation -effected by the Americans’ cannonading. The -timber that had shielded the enemy forces, -whose attack had been camouflaged by a spitting -of machine guns “at the stars,” was now -a scene of arboreal ruin. The boys decided -<span class='pageno' id='Page_38'>38</span>that they had never seen quite so abundant an -assortment of splintered kindling wood in their -lives.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the course of the day the American lines -were advanced to the farther edge of the belt -of timber in which the battle of the night had -been fought. It seemed that this belt had been -entirely cleared of the enemy. Beyond the -waste of splintered and contorted forestry was -a narrow open stretch of lowland, and beyond -this was another woods undoubtedly peopled -with outpost of sharpshooters and machine-gun -nests. The Yanks did not have to wait -long for a verification of this suspicion. -Scarcely had they taken up their positions -near the edge of the area of green kindling -wood when there came a vicious spitting of -machine guns and sharpshooters’ rifles.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was exceedingly difficult to bring up the -artillery through the shell-and-shrapnel-torn -timber for the purpose of raking the opposite -woods in a similar manner. There was considerable -work for the engineers before this -could be done. Meanwhile, however, the commander -of the Marines decided not to wait in -idleness. Machine-gun corps were stationed -behind uprooted trees and splintered stumps -and huge boulders and in yawning shell holes -and deep gullies and were presently spitting -<span class='pageno' id='Page_39'>39</span>away into the opposite timber wherever a nest -could be located.</p> - -<p class='c010'>At last several cannon were brought up and -a storm of shell and shrapnel was poured into -the woods beyond the clearing. This proved to -be effective to a considerable extent, for many -of the machine guns of the enemy were silenced, -as were also a battery or two located -behind the enemy’s front line.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But certain nests of sharpshooters and machine -guns proved to be exceedingly difficult -to dislodge and orders were given to take those -positions at as little cost as possible, <i>but take -them</i>. Accordingly a body of Marines were -selected for this duty, including the company -to which Phil and Tim belonged.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a dangerous task, for it meant a -charge across an open stretch into another timber -in which an uncertain number of the enemy -were concealed waiting to receive them with -all the advantage of position and concealment -on their side. They did not make the fatal -error of massed attack that so often characterized -the death plunges of the boches. -Rather, they scattered out and dashed forward -with more or less individual independence and -bravery almost unknown among the usually -kamerad-encouraged enemy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m going to try Tim’s method of generating -<span class='pageno' id='Page_40'>40</span>self-confidence,” Phil told himself as he -dashed with his fellow Marines across the -open. “Here it is: I’m going to come out of -this without a scratch and I’m going to kill, -kill, kill.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>He saw several Marines in front and on each -side of him fall victims of the accurate shooting -of the concealed enemy, but this did not feaze -him in the least. He <i>knew</i> he was going to -dash through successfully and he <i>knew</i> he was -going to find a hidden machine-gun nest and -whip it single handed if necessary.</p> - -<p class='c010'>And he was not mistaken. He reached the -opposite timber without receiving a scratch. -Then followed a more careful procedure to -hunt out the pests that were doing everything -in their power to make things uncomfortable -for the Marines. The latter were armed with -rifles and hand grenades, and the timber was -soon ringing with evidence of their discoveries.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil had charge of a squad that worked as -a unit in the scouring of the woods, and Tim -was a member of this squad. Alternately they -were in hiding in thickets of saplings and -bushes or racing ahead to make a swift surprise -attack on a machine-gun nest located by -the sound of firing or the creeping cunning of -a camouflaged spy. This handful of Marines -cleaned out two nests without the loss of a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_41'>41</span>man, and then, it appearing that there were -no others within the sweep of their advance, -they separated in parties of two or three each -to hunt for snipers after agreeing on a place -of meeting and a call by which Phil might -summon them together again whenever he desired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil and Tim, perhaps by force of habit, -continued together without other company. -The Marines were now driving a considerable -rear guard of the enemy ahead of them, principally -snipers and machine gunners, who were -trailing behind the main body of the defeated -boches to facilitate the latter’s retreat. Realizing -that the remnant of this rear guard was -moving more rapidly in its haste to get out of -the way of the terrible American butt-or-muzzle -riflemen and hand-grenade throwers, -Phil and Tim put as much speed to their advance -as the character of the terrain would -permit, hoping to overtake some of the fugitive -snipers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A few minutes after the squad had spread -out to cover a larger territory, the two friends -arrived at the meadow-like opening into a -wooded ravine which appeared to grow deeper -and deeper in the direction taken by the fleeing -boches. With little hesitation they dashed into -the ravine, becoming more cautious, however, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_42'>42</span>as they entered the timber-shaded lowland -with its tangle of ferns and shrubbery.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was really a dangerous undertaking, but -these boys were in a dangerous business. The -ravine was lined with many ideal places for -concealment of snipers and the route taken by -the venturesome pair along the bottom was an -ideal place to get sniped. But Phil and Tim -felt that the place ought to be explored, and as -a call to summon the other boys of the squad -would serve only to alarm any hidden bodies -in the vicinity, they decided to take the burden -of the investigation on their own shoulders.</p> - -<p class='c010'>They advanced a hundred yards into the ravine -without seeing another living creature, -except a few squirrels and hundreds of birds -which chattered and chirped away as if the -carnage of a world war was the farthest possible -from their thoughts.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The boom of cannon was confined now to distant -portions of the indeterminate battle line, -and the discharge of smaller firearms also had -ceased in the immediate vicinity. It seemed to -the two boys that they and the squirrels and -the birds had the ravine all to themselves, but -they were destined presently to be disillusioned.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Suddenly—of course, for all explosions are -sudden,—Phil was startled by the discharge of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_43'>43</span>two rifles from behind a thicket twenty feet -ahead. “Ping!” sung a bullet past his left ear. -Tim was not startled. He did not know what -hit him. Over he went, and Phil sprang behind -a tree, as a true American, to meet the -enemy Indian fashion.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_44'>44</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER VIII<br /> <span class='large'>AID FROM THE AIR</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>A bullet through his own body would -not have given Phil as intense a pain as -the one that struck Tim and apparently ended -his career. But he was too good a soldier to -let even so distressing an incident delay him -in the duty of speedy self preservation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>And yet, swift though he was in springing -behind a tree and bringing his rifle into position -for firing, there were others just as speedy -as he. Six men in gray uniforms, but decidedly -un-uniform as to size and grace of physique, -were standing out in full view with guns leveled -at him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Instinctively Phil’s hand moved an inch or -two toward his hand-grenade sack. But it -stopped almost with the impulse. He had used -the last of his grenades half an hour before -in the squad’s last fight that resulted in the -extermination of one of the most obstinate -of all the machine-gun nests in the woods. -How he wished he had been more mindful of -his supply while hurling those missiles at the -enemy. Two of them, he recalled distinctly, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_45'>45</span>had gone wide of their marks and represented -a sheer waste of powder and shell. Oh, if he -had only one of those grenades! With it he -could produce such execution in that group of -snipers that he could easily capture or finish -with his rifle those not slain by the explosion -of the hand missile. He was sure he could -hurl a grenade accurately and at the same time -keep his head and body fairly well protected -from the enemy’s rifles behind the hole of the -tree.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But there was no use now of mourning over -spilled milk or exploded shells, and an attempt -to engage in battle, alone, with six Hohenzollernites, -all of whom had the drop on him, -could mean nothing more hopeful than death.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of the snipers called out an order in -German, but Phil did not understand it, although -he had studied the language one year -at school. Then all six men advanced toward -him with their guns ready to fire the instant -the Marine showed a disposition to fight.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The boy was on the verge of offering to surrender -when a new interruption of proceedings -produced one of those spectacular thrills -that relieve the carnage of battle of some of -its dreadfulness. Almost without warning, -save for a heavy, momentary rushing sound in -the atmosphere, there was an explosion and upheaval -<span class='pageno' id='Page_46'>46</span>of earth midway between the boches -and the American Marines.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil did not see what occurred. For the -moment he could see nothing but confusion. -His first thought was that the explosion was -caused by a shell from either American or -boche artillery. But this could hardly be. He -had heard no shrill scream that always heralds -the approach of such missiles. Sound travels -more rapidly than even a cannon projectile, -and soldiers often comment with grim amusement -on their acquired skill at “dodging” -shells whose approach is announced by their -own shrieks piercing the air ahead of them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Suddenly Phil recalled that, in the midst -of the excitement attending his and Tim’s excursion -into the ravine, he had heard faintly -a familiar noise in the upper atmosphere—caused -by the powerful gyrations of an aeroplane. -As the echoes of the explosion of the -shell died away, he heard the super-sonorous -buzz of the “great mechanical bee” again and -looked upward.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a French aeroplane, from which the -bomb had fallen. Apparently the flyer had -seen the unequal combat going on below and -dropped an explosive in the hope of incapacitating -the opponents of the boy in khaki to do -him any harm. The overhead foliage was not -<span class='pageno' id='Page_47'>47</span>heavy at this point and it was not inconceivable -that the aviator might have seen even -more of the activities of the six snipers than -Phil and Tim had seen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>None of the advancing enemy was killed, although -it seemed well-nigh miraculous that all -of them were not at least fatally injured. However, -Phil saw two of them picking themselves -up after the cloud of flying earth, stones, and -sticks had fallen back to earth. Blood was -trickling from the face of each of these and -all of the others were nursing severe cuts or -bruises.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil saw his opportunity. Every one of the -boches had dropped his gun in order the better -to pet his smarting wounds. The boy, protected -by the hole of the large tree which he was -endeavoring to keep between himself and the -enemy’s bullets, had not been touched by even -the smallest of the flying stones, sticks, bits -of earth or pieces of shell. Springing out from -behind the tree he ran toward the panic-stricken -sextette, with rifle ready to be brought -to his shoulder at a moment’s warning.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Halt!” he cried; “Halt, or I’ll shoot!”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_48'>48</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER IX<br /> <span class='large'>KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL, KILL!</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Whether or not the boches could understand -this much, or this little, English -was a matter of no importance. They evidently -knew what the Marine in khaki meant, -and they obeyed, several of them yelling -“Kamerad!” in tones of panic.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil had not forgotten all his school German -vocabulary. The next order that left his -lips slipped out with very good Prussian accent:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“<span lang="de" xml:lang="de">Kom her! Hande ueber Kopf.</span>”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The now timid Teutons advanced with hands -over their heads toward their youthful captor, -in strict obedience to the order.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was relieved that his prisoners did not -laugh at his German. They came forward -with all due respect for the order given—or -was it for the bullets in the boy’s gun? He -did not know. Under ordinary civil circumstances -he would have hesitated to engage in -conversation with a German in the latter’s native -tongue for fear lest he show his ignorance -of the idioms of the language. “<span lang="de" xml:lang="de">Hande ueber -Kopf</span>” was a literal translation of “hands over -<span class='pageno' id='Page_49'>49</span>(your) head.” It might be very good German, -and then again it might be very poor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Relieved at the failure of his prisoners to -give him the laugh, he decided to continue to -give orders in their language whenever he -could recall words that seemed to carry -the intended meaning. But he found it difficult -sometimes to keep from laughing at himself, -for he knew unmistakably that some of -the German he was using was at least unique. -Still his prisoners regarded him with profound -respect—or, again, was it the bullets in his -gun?</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was puzzled what to do with his prisoners, -whose condition of captivity was, after -all, rather uncertain. He dared not take his -eyes off them for a moment. Possibly some or -all of them carried small firearms, which they -would bring into action at a moment’s opportunity. -The boy dared not attempt to search -them, nor dared he attempt to march them -back through the woods toward the American -rear line. They were almost certain, if they -carried such weapons, to find an opportunity, -by springing behind large trees, to whip out -their pistols and turn the tables on him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There were evidently only three courses -open for Phil to pursue. One was to stand -where he was and compel his prisoners to remain -<span class='pageno' id='Page_50'>50</span>in their present positions, with hands -over their heads until help came. Another was -to shoot the six men down in their tracks as -rapidly as he was able to discharge his repeater -accurately. The other was to turn and flee -with all his well practiced fleetness of foot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The last he could not consider for an instant. -The second was contrary to American principles -opposed to unnecessary frightfulness in -war. The first was impracticable in view of -the fact that the sun was setting and darkness -would soon cover the ravine.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It occurred to the young sergeant that he -might also compel his doubtfully secured captives -to divest themselves of their uniforms in -order to make certain that they had no concealed -firearms, but such a course would not -guarantee his ability to prevent them from escaping -in the woods after dark. It might, however, -be the means eventually of saving his life -if the men should escape from him, and Phil -decided to adopt it as a precautionary measure.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But at the same time he cast about him in a -vague hope that help of some kind might be -at hand. He glanced quickly up to see if perchance -the French flyer was not about to offer -him further assistance, but that very thoughtful -air-fighter was now engaged in a skirmish -with an enemy plane, which was taking them -<span class='pageno' id='Page_51'>51</span>farther and farther away from the precarious -scene in the ravine. Then the young officer bethought -him of his fallen companion, and with -almost hysterical hopefulness he cast a quick -glance toward the spot where the corporal had -dropped without a groan. As he did so, it -seemed that he must behold his friend rising -on his hands and knees in a determination to -lend his much needed assistance.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil shuddered as he saw the bullet-headed -boy lying as still as any corpse on a battlefield.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Poor Tim,” he muttered. “He was sure he -wouldn’t be killed. Well, so am I,” the doubtful -captor of six doubtful prisoners added. -“I’m not going to be killed—I <i>know</i> it. I’m -going to kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, as Tim said -I should do. There, I said ‘kill’ six times. -That means that these six prisoners have to -die as rapidly as this repeater can repeat. Fortunately, -I’m a sharpshooter and can do the -job before the last one of them can much more -than shudder and look pale. Well, here goes, -converting my army rifle into a machine-gun.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_52'>52</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER X<br /> <span class='large'>A NOVEL DISARMAMENT</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“No, I can’t do it. I’m no Hun.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>That sentiment, which flashed revulsively -through Phil’s brain, probably saved -the lives of those six boches, but it also must -be held responsible for certain subsequent misfortunes -and hardships that rendered Sergeant -Speed’s army experiences worthy of a -many-chaptered record. Meanwhile there was -nothing in the boy’s manner or actions that -indicated what was going on in his mind. None -of them knew how narrowly they escaped execution -at the hands of a “firing squad of one.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil’s next order to his captives was such a -mongrel admixture of English, poor French -and worse German that he has asked that it -be not recorded against him. But it was thoroughly -understood, being in several short sentences -intended to carry something of an explanation -of his purpose, and was obeyed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of the men with hands over their heads -was directed to step forward and remove his -“<span lang="de" xml:lang="de">roch und beinkleider</span>.” This he did expeditiously, -having a great respect for the khaki -boy’s gun, and presently appeared in the very -<span class='pageno' id='Page_53'>53</span>amusing combination of—beginning at the -feet, surveying upward—a pair of coarse -heavy shoes, a suit of union underwear and a -steel helmet.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It had occurred to Phil several times since -the dropping of the bomb from the aeroplane -that he could best serve his own interests in -the present predicament by sending forth the -call agreed upon for reassembling the members -of his squad, except for one grave possibility. -The sounding of such a call might be taken by -his six prisoners as indicating panic on his -part and serve as a signal for a desperate move -by them. He decided, therefore, to make certain -that they were stripped of all firearms, -before issuing any such summons.</p> - -<p class='c010'>So he continued the de-uniforming program -already begun, and soon six much humiliated -boches stood before him in “union-suit uniforms,” -the “complexion” of which indicated -that the laundry business was not thriving -among the minions of the war lords of central -Europe.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then Phil ordered his prisoners to move a -considerable distance away from the litter of -uniforms strewn over the ground. When he -was satisfied as to their position and arrangement, -he issued a few more orders with his -ingenious, but hardly idiomatic adaptation of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_54'>54</span>first-year school German, which were obeyed -with, as much respect as if delivered by a Heidelberg -graduate with military authority.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The prisoners, who no longer were required -to keep their hands over their heads, were -standing near the apparently lifeless form of -Corporal Tim; and Phil now, with the aid of -expressive motions of his hands and nodding -of his head, communicated to them that he -desired an examination made of his friend to -determine if he were yet alive. The officer in -charge, a fellow of surprisingly large girth -for a soldier, and another boche of ungainly -physique complied with apparent alacrity, and -after a seemingly diligent inspection straightened -up with looks of sadness on their faces -that would have been comical indeed if it had -not been for the seriousness of the situation. -With voluble expressions of condolence and -deprecating shrugs of their shoulders, they -gave the young American soldier to understand -that they regretted profoundly that his -companion lying on the ground was dead.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You’re a pretty pair of liars,” Phil said -to them with a “happy scowl.” He made no -effort, however, to express himself in German, -for his utterance was intended more as an outburst -of feeling than a communication. “That -boy is alive, or I don’t know anything about -<span class='pageno' id='Page_55'>55</span>the early stiffening of a corpse. When you -lifted that body up it hung as limp and limber -as a wet rag.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Whether any of the six captives understood -what Sergeant Phil said could not be determined -from the expression, or lack of expression, -on their faces. However, that question -mattered little to Phil now. He must do something -quickly to secure his prisoners against -escape and also to effect freedom for himself, -in order that he might render much needed -first aid to his unconscious friend.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In his early school days, Phil had been the -envy of all his boy friends because of one -achievement that every boy longs to attain. -He could pucker his tongue against his teeth -and expel a gust of breath through the straitened -avenue thus formed in such manner as to -vie in shrillness a miniature fire alarm siren. -He was not much good at whistling a tune, but -he surely could wake the echoes with a piercing -air blast through his teeth, and this he proceeded -now to do.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was his agreed signal to the other members -of his squad to assemble and it surely -startled the six boches, as was evident from -the fact that their faces no longer were expressionless. -There was no doubt in the boy’s mind -now that their minds had been secretly busy -<span class='pageno' id='Page_56'>56</span>over something that they did not wish communicated -to him and that his shrill signal -was not in the least pleasing to them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>However, although Phil never had all the -facts and circumstances before him to aid him -in determining the truth, he is of the opinion -now that his call was the one thing needed by -his prisoners to bring about the very result -for which they longed most deeply. But the -startled look on their faces indicated that they -did not know it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil waited a minute for an answer from -other members of his squad, but received none. -Then he was about to repeat the call, when -something occurred that rendered another -shrill whistle through his teeth virtually impossible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Suddenly a heavy weight landed on him -from behind. A pair of powerful arms were -thrown about his neck, and he was borne to -the ground by the impetus of the onset.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_57'>57</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XI<br /> <span class='large'>PHIL A PRISONER</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Although this overpowering attack -from behind was doubtless almost as -much a surprise to Phil’s six prisoners as it -was to the boy himself, it did not take them -long to recover and seize advantage of the situation. -Like a football team they rushed forward -to tackle their recent captor, but their -assistance was scarcely needed, for the fellow -who had leaped on Phil’s back was a powerful -200-pounder, and the shock that resulted -when earth and the boy came together half -stunned the latter.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But it was not enough to deprive him entirely -of his senses, and as he was being jerked -to his feet, he had the hazy gratification of -hearing an answering whistle to his own “siren -shriek.” The boches evidently were alarmed -by the same sound, for they put greater energy -and speed in their actions in order to get out -of the ravine as soon as possible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>First they raced about and gathered up their -guns, which lay strewn around the crater-like -hole made by the explosion of the bomb -dropped from the aeroplane. Then they gathered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_58'>58</span>up their uniforms, but did not stop to -put them on, and darted into the thick of the -timber in the direction of the retreating boche -lines, two of them half carrying, half dragging -their boy prisoner between them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But Phil was not the kind of lad who would -attempt to hinder the progress of his captors -by hanging back and pretending to be unable -to keep pace with them. He preferred to conduct -himself as thoroughly able-bodied as soon -as he had recovered from the shock that attended -his capture. In a few minutes he won -just a slight manifestation of good-will from -the two who had hold of his arms by “going -them one better” and actually leading them -slightly in the race through the timber.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In a short time the dusk was so heavy in the -woods that it was difficult for them to make -progress at more than a slow walk. Efforts -to push ahead rapidly were sure to result in -trouble with tripping underbrush, scratching -branches, and bruising boles of trees.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil realized that it was next to vain to hope -that they would be overtaken by the comrade -Marines of his squad; for although answering -calls from them had reached his ears, indicating -that they had almost arrived at the scene -of his capture, there was small likelihood, indeed, -that they would be able to hit the trail -<span class='pageno' id='Page_59'>59</span>of the fleeing boches and overtake them and -rescue him. He was tempted several times to -repeat his whistle and yell out information as -to his predicament, but vicious threats from -the officer of big girth in charge of the squad -now in “underclothing uniform,” accompanied -by a significant pressing of a rifle muzzle -now and then against his head, advised him -convincingly against any such proceeding.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Sergeant Speed’s one hope of rescue was -that they might run into a body of Americans -who had advanced farther into the timber in -their search for retreating snipers and machine -gunners. But this hope was only remotely -reasonable, for the instruction from -the commanding officer had been that the entire -raiding force return by nightfall. Undoubtedly -he and Corporal Tim, and perhaps -the other members of the squad as well, were -being reckoned among the missing. It was -hardly probable that the latter had yet given -up their efforts to rejoin him after hearing -and answering his siren whistle. Possibly -they had discovered Tim lying on the ground -and even now were doing their best to revive -him or were bearing him back toward the -American lines.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil and his captors had by this time advanced -some distance into this wooded battle -<span class='pageno' id='Page_60'>60</span>ground, most of which had until recently been -occupied by the enemy. But the heavy shell -fire and attacks by the air fleet of the allies -had driven the main boche division back a considerable -distance, and after the Marines had -routed out the nests of machine guns and -sharpshooters that were concealed in the woods -and rendered perilous any further attempt on -the part of the enemy to hold these positions, -the captured timber terrain was a desolate -waste indeed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>No doubt there would be no attempt on the -part of the Marines to move much farther -toward the enemy’s lines that night. In the -morning probably the commanding officer -would order another advance unless the enemy -anticipated him with a counter attack.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The effects of the shelling of the woods by -the American artillery was evident to some extent -almost to the very front of the boche new -positions. In spite of the darkness, Phil could -see with the aid of the stars that peeped down -through the foliage, torn, twisted and splintered -branches and tree trunks, while every -now and then they stumbled into or narrowly -avoided a jagged shell-hole in the ground.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But at last they reached the objective of -the young non-com’s captors, which was a position -of safety behind their own lines, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_61'>61</span>Phil found himself confronted with the prospect -of remaining a prisoner in the hands of -the enemy for the duration of the rest of the -war.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_62'>62</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XII<br /> <span class='large'>A BARBED WIRE PRISON</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>A short distance out in No Man’s Land -from the German lines, Phil’s captors -stopped long enough to put on their outer -clothing and thus cover the comical evidence -of their humiliation by the young American -who subsequently became their prisoner only -through a surprise rear attack. Doubtless -they had not stopped sooner for this purpose -because they feared the possible consequences -of any delay, with a swarm of Yankee “devil -dogs” scouring the timber for boches.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was rushed to the rear where he was -placed under guard with a dozen other American -prisoners who had been brought in from -various quarters. Half an hour later, it appearing -that no more prisoners would be -brought in that night, they were hustled back -several miles over a rough road to a physically -wrecked village, deserted by its civilian population, -and there corralled in a barbed wire -inclosure already occupied by more than 200 -captured Americans and Frenchmen. There -each prisoner was stripped of his helmet and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_63'>63</span>every other superfluous article of use or treasure.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a wretched place, from all dim appearances -in the darkness. There was not a -glimmer of light within the barbed wire -prison, and only a few outside. The patrol of -guards that paced about outside the inclosure -were ghostly looking shadows against the various -background of empty darkness or debris -of shell-shattered buildings. The other prisoners -did not pay much attention as the newly -captured Marines were driven into the place -like so many cattle. This apparent indifference -doubtless was due to the darkness of the -night and the weariness of all the prisoners.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The young Marine sergeant at once sought -a resting place for the night. He knew better -than to expect any courtesies in the way of -food, water, or couch for the night from men -of the brutal type that characterized most of -the boches with whom he had come into contact -thus far.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was tired and fell asleep “as soon as -his head touched his pillow,” which consisted -of his arm curled up under his head. Later -when this became uncomfortable for the “pillow,” -he rolled over in his sleep, and his only -headrest was the uncushioned earth.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The boy awoke at sunup and looked around -<span class='pageno' id='Page_64'>64</span>him with a kind of eager curiosity, rendered -possible by his refreshed condition following -a very good night’s rest. A soldier does not -need a hair mattress to insure slumber in comfort. -Sometimes he would be thankful for a -dry six feet of earth on which to rest his weary -form. Phil congratulated himself as he lay -down to sleep on his first night as a prisoner -of war not only that he had a dry resting place -in the open air, but that the weather was warm.</p> - -<p class='c010'>About two-thirds of the prisoners in this inclosure -were French, as nearly as Phil was -able to estimate after the dawn of day rendered -it possible for him to get a clear view of his -surroundings. The invading army had selected -what appeared to have been a small village -park and fenced it in with barbed wire -stapled to the rows of trees that marked the -marginal border line. The young Marine -“non-com” soon picked out the “colony” of -Americans in the place and discovered among -them two young fellows, Dan Fentress and -Emmet Harding, whose acquaintance he had -made at the last billeting place before the -Yanks were given the Belleau and Bouresches -sector. The three were soon engaged in an animated -conversation on the events of the last -few days. All expressed themselves as deeply -disappointed because it appeared probable that -<span class='pageno' id='Page_65'>65</span>they had struck their last blow for world freedom -and must in all probability labor as slaves -for the mailed-fisted kaiserites until their more -fortunate fellow crusaders drove home the last -blow which would make the entire Hohenzollern -host throw up their hands and yell -“Kamerad!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What makes me sorest in my hardest-to-hurt -spot,” said Dan, grinding his teeth with -impotent rage, “is the fact that I can’t go back -home and say that I know I killed a Hun. Not -that I wanted to brag about it. I might not -even tell anybody about it if I had shot holes -through a dozen slayers of women and children. -But I’d just like to be able to say I’d made a -record to be proud of and—and—then—keep -the secret to myself if I liked modesty as well as -I’d like real American roast beef in a Hun -prison camp.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Maybe you’re just playing modest now,” -suggested Emmet Harding with a shrewd -smile. “Maybe you’ve actually wiped out a -score of Huns and are just practicing, to feel -how it seems to deny you’re a hero.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, I don’t believe he’s doing any such -thing,” interposed Phil almost eagerly. “At -least I hope he isn’t, for I want company right -now. I’m in the same boat he says he’s in. I -don’t know that I’ve even smashed a cootie on -<span class='pageno' id='Page_66'>66</span>a Hun’s hide, although I had a chance to shoot -down half a dozen apostles of frightfulness -like so many ten-pins, but didn’t do it; and -that, very probably, is the reason I’m here -now.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What!” exclaimed Dan in tones of contemptuous -astonishment. “What sort of animal -are you—a pacifist? You’d better keep -that story under your hat when you get back -home.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t know whether I’ll be able to,” Phil -returned with a forlorn smile. “You see, -there’s no person I’d rather tell a joke on than -myself, and this is surely a joke on me. At -first it looked like a joke on the Huns—”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Whoever heard of turning the biggest and -most bloody war this world has ever known -into humor?” Dan interrupted almost angrily.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I respect your impatience under the circumstances,” -Phil returned quietly. “But -hear me through before you judge me too -harshly. I’m the sort of fellow that wouldn’t -be guilty of a Lusitania sinking or of a violation -of a Belgian treaty. Neither would I shoot -enemy soldiers after they’ve thrown up their -hands.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Did those six Huns throw up their hands?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And you had a gun pointed at them?”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_67'>67</span>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And did they yell ‘Kamerad?’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I thought so. You’re a fool. But where’s -the humor in that situation?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The first joke, I suppose, came when I -ordered them to strip off their uniforms one -after another and had them standing before me -in brogans, underwear and steel helmets.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“A comical sight, indeed,” declared Phil’s -critic sarcastically. “But what did you do that -for?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“To be sure they had no firearms on their -person,” interposed Emmet.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, what did you mean to do after that?” -inquired Dan as Phil nodded assent to Emmet’s -interpretation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“March them back to our lines.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And why didn’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You’re admitting by your line of questions -now that there may have been a little intelligence -in my method,” Phil observed as a prelude -to his answer.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Intelligent enough if you had succeeded,” -retorted Dan grimly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I get your argument and am inclined to -agree with you in a way,” the severely grilled -Marine returned. “Well, I’m going to tell you -why I didn’t take my prisoners back to our -<span class='pageno' id='Page_68'>68</span>lines in triumph. A 200-pound boche sneaked -up from behind and jumped on my back -and—”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s enough; you got what was coming -to you,” declared Dan with a finality of opinion -that admitted of no further discussion. “If -you care for my judgment in the matter, I’ll -say it’s up to you to use your wits as you never -used ’em before and whip the kaiser internally -in order to retrieve your honor. Get me? -You’re on the inside now and you must do -something to help win the war from this side of -the boche lines. But here’s the call to breakfast -and some guards coming this way. Methinks -they’re curious to know what’s the -nature of this warm discussion of ours. Everybody -shut up and look hungry—for something -a dog can hardly eat.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_69'>69</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIII<br /> <span class='large'>MR. BOACONSTRICTOR</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“Something we can hardly swallow” -proved to be a true characterization of the -meat-and-vegetable stew that was served to the -prisoners in tin bowls, which looked as if they -had seen service in the Franco-Prussian war. -The meat was in small bits, which were few in -number and so tough or gristly as to be hardly -edible. The vegetables were principally potatoes -and onions. This combination would have -been fairly well calculated to sustain life if it -had been well seasoned and if it had not tasted -and smelled as if it had been warmed several -times over a low fire insufficient to bring it to -the boiling point. A piece of stale brown bread -was served to each prisoner with this stew.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In order to prevent any of the prisoners from -getting double portions of this mess, the men -were lined up next to the barbed wire fence, -along which several boys and men, the latter -too old for military service, passed, carrying -kettles of stew and buckets of sliced bread and -handing out dippersful and slices through the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_70'>70</span>fence to the hungry Americans and Frenchmen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Meanwhile two guards, also of the superannuated -post-military class entered the inclosure -and advanced to the spot where the animated -discussion was going on among the three comrade -Marines. The latter, as has been observed, -noticed their approach and so camouflaged -their further words and actions that the evident -suspicion of the guards was effectually -dispelled.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was a good deal of comment among the -prisoners concerning the quality of food served -to them and other conveniences—or inconveniences—with -which they were provided. -The general opinion among them was that the -enemy was approaching dangerously near the -limit of their resources, which might mean an -ending of the war in the not far distant future. -Indeed, Phil was sure that he could detect signs -of spitefulness in the manner and actions of -both commissioned officers and non-coms -toward the prisoners, and he was equally certain -that the reason for this spitefulness was an -undisguisable consciousness of their shortage -of resources and equipment.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“This war isn’t going to last very much -longer,” Phil remarked to his two friends as -he forced down the last spoonful of stew. He -<span class='pageno' id='Page_71'>71</span>was ravenously hungry, having had nothing to -eat since early the preceding day, and in spite -of the fact that the food served was most unpalatable, -he deemed it wise not to waste any -of the scanty portion served to him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s what lots of soldiers are saying principally -because of stories of experiences similar -to ours that find their way across No Man’s -Land,” said Dan. “But there’s one thing that -gets me in this connection more than anything -else, and that is that the more defeat you cram -down these boches’ throats, the more arrogant -and overbearing they become. Just look at that -human boaconstrictor strutting around as if -utterly unconscious of the fact that he ought -to be going to sleep.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t get you,” said Emmet with an expression -of challenging curiosity. “If we were -campaigning with the British among the pyramids -of Egypt, it might be appropriate for you -to talk like a Sphinx.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I get him,” announced Phil. “He means -that boche officer has such an ungainly girth -that he looks like a boa that has swallowed a -pig and ought to be taking an after-dinner nap. -But I have something to add to Dan’s observation. -That fellow is one of the six kaiserites -whom I forced to strip to their underclothes -and who turned the tables on me and recaptured -<span class='pageno' id='Page_72'>72</span>their pants et cetera, and brought me -here as an honored guest.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Better keep out of his sight then,” Emmet -advised. “If he sets eyes on you, he’s likely -not to rest until he gets his revenge. And you -know what revenge means in wartime. He’ll -probably find some way of blowin’ you to atoms -to feed the molecules.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You do him too great a chemical honor by -presenting the matter in such light,” Phil objected, -screwing up one side of his face to indicate -his skepticism. “He looks to me like an -ordinary butcher, and I don’t think he’d attempt -to do anything more than make mincemeat -of me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Have it your own way,” Emmet returned -with a shrug. “But look out for him at any -event. He seems to be recognized as having -a good deal of authority around here.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He’s only a second lieutenant,” was Phil’s -reminder.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That doesn’t make any difference,” Emmet -insisted. “This fellow’s in right with the -higher-ups. It may be easier, you know, -to use an officer of low rank for all sorts of -jobs than one of higher rank. He can work -more quietly—won’t attract so much attention -sometimes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil decided to take his companion’s advice, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_73'>73</span>and keep as much in the background as possible -in order that “Mr. Boaconstrictor” might -not fall into revengeful temptation at the sight -of him. And before long he was congratulating -himself on this decision. Half an hour after -the early “feed,” as he was pleased to designate -the morning stew and bread, the order was -given for everybody in the inclosure to get -ready to move. This was succeeded by another -order ten minutes later for all to file out -through the gate and follow two soldiers who -would lead the way.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Mechanically Phil glanced toward the two -soldiers referred to by the prison guard who -made the announcement. Dan and Emmet, who -were still near him, did likewise.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It seems impossible for you to shake your -friend, Boche Boa,” observed Emmet. “He’s -going to be one of the leaders of the grand -march to some munitions factory, where, undoubtedly, -we will be set at work making big -shells to shoot at the Allies.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s hang back and fall in at the rear end -of the line of march,” Dan suggested. “He -may have forgotten all about his experience -with Phil, and the sight of the fellow who -dragged his dignity in the dust may make him -show his fangs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This seemed to be good advice, and was followed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_74'>74</span>as nearly as possible, although they were -forced into the line several paces ahead of the -rear end by the guards who herded the prisoners -out of the inclosure without regard for the -wish or convenience of anybody.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_75'>75</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIV<br /> <span class='large'>A NEW PRISON</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>There were few incidents of special interest -during the first day of the march of -these 250 prisoners toward the German border. -Of course to persons unaccustomed to the -sights and scenes in the blasted war zone, everything -along the route must have been interesting. -But to these men of several months’ experience, -a landscape of unmarred beauty and -order must have been a novelty worthy of observation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Every town, village or hamlet that they -passed through was partly or completely -wrecked by shell explosions or fire. Most of -the French inhabitants had fled, although here -and there were a few who had been caught in -the advancing wave of the invading army. -Much of the open country was disfigured with -shell holes and trenches, and many of the farm -houses had been converted, wantonly it appeared, -into heaps of charred woodwork, black -masonry and ashes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>An hour before the dusk of evening they -arrived at a small town that was in better condition -<span class='pageno' id='Page_76'>76</span>of physical preservation than any of -the others they had passed through. Apparently -it was used as a sort of way-station in the -line of communications between the fighting -front and the Rhine frontier.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was no barbed wire inclosure for keeping -the prisoners over night in this place, and -so they were housed in buildings that showed -no serious effects of recent bombardment. Phil -and his two friends managed to keep close -together during the march and were much -gratified with the result of their efforts when -they found themselves lodged in the same -building for the night. They were given their -unvarying breakfast-dinner-supper stew and -stale bread shortly before dusk and then, together -with a dozen others, were locked in a -small house that undoubtedly, before the last -big drive of the enemy, had been occupied by a -French family of not more than three or four.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The house was bare. Every article of furniture -had been removed. Not even a lamp -with which to dispel the gloom of the place was -to be found.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There isn’t a bit of ventilation in this -house,” declared one of the prisoners, whose -name, it soon developed, was Arthur Evans.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And we don’t dare try to open a window -for fear one of the guards may try his marksmanship -<span class='pageno' id='Page_77'>77</span>at us,” said another who had been -addressed in Phil’s hearing as Jerry Carey.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It’s almost as big a menace as being -gassed,” muttered another Marine, who answered -to the name of Burns.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t suppose we fifteen men would exactly -die in these tightly closed rooms in one -night,” said Phil meditatively; “but I’m -afraid we’d almost have to be carried out by -morning. We’d better get our wits together -and contrive some kind of vent that will make -possible a current of air up through the chimney.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m in favor of smashing one of the windows -with a shoe,” Burns announced. “We -can all drop down flat on the floor and escape -a volley from the guards if they fire in -here.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s try something else,” Phil proposed. -“Here’s a trapdoor. Maybe it opens into a -basement or cellar. Let’s see if we can’t get -some air through that.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was no ring or handle of any kind -with which to lift the door. So Phil hunted -around until he found a small stick with which -he was able to get a slight purchase and lifted -the door until he was able to get hold of it with -his fingers. A moment later the entire group -of prisoners were gazing down into a dark hole -<span class='pageno' id='Page_78'>78</span>in which the only visible object was the upper -part of a rude flight of steps.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There’s no air in that place,” declared one -of the Marines, sniffing in disgust at the scent -of mold and must of the atmosphere in the -cellar.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I wish I had a light and I’d go down and -explore it,” said Phil. “Who knows what we -might find in it?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Some rotten apples and potatoes and a lot -of mice and vermin, more’n likely,” prophesied -Dan Fentress pessimistically.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Oh, I agree with you there, and I agree also -that it is hardly probable that I’d find anything -worth while,” Phil replied. “Still, just to be -doing something, I’d like to explore that hole -in the ground. Remember, fellows, this is -pretty nearly on the other side of the world -from where we live. Consequently, everything -we see and hear around, about, within and -among these our approximate antipodes ought -to interest us.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Nobody could say you nay after such poetic -persuasion as that,” avowed one of the imprisoned -Marines who thus far had been conspicuous -principally because of his silence.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I left a hard-headed friend unconscious -back in Belleau Woods yesterday who had no -use for poets in war,” Phil returned quickly. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_79'>79</span>“He regarded them as worse than enemy spies, -and I don’t know but that I agree with him. -So, you see, you haven’t complimented me very -much.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There seems to be a little light down there,” -said Evans, who had been peering into the cellarway -while the others were engaged in what -he regarded as profitless palaver. “There must -be a window in the cellar wall, and as it isn’t -dark yet, probably a wee bit of daylight is -filtering through.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m going down and feel about with my -hands,” Phil announced, placing one foot on -the top step. “If there’s any light at all down -there, I’ll get the benefit of it after my eyes -have got accustomed to conditions. So here’s -hoping that I’ll find something of more value -than rotten apples.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I hope you’ll find a keg o’ cider,” said -Evans, smacking his lips.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil had descended no more than half a -dozen steps when he stopped with a low exclamation -of interest.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What’s up?” asked Emmet Harding.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There’s a shelf here right beside the stairway -and several things on it. I’ll hand them -up to you, and you see what they are.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The first article that Phil laid, his hands on -was a short housewife’s paring knife. As he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_80'>80</span>had been deprived of his own jackknife when -searched behind the boche lines, he decided to -appropriate this valuable kitchen tool to his -own use and put it into a pocket of his coat. -The next was a small wooden box, which the -finder passed up to one of the fellows who -reached down to receive it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Candles!” announced the latter eagerly, -for there was no lid on it and the contents were -plainly visible in the twilight.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You don’t say!” exclaimed Phil, returning -to the top of the stairway eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You bet I do,” answered the other, holding -up one of the sticks of molded wax. “There -must be a dozen here.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What good will they do unless somebody -has a match?” inquired Evans skeptically. “I -bet there isn’t a match in this crowd.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>A hurried search by everybody present confirmed -this bit of pessimism.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Never mind,” said Phil quietly; “I’m -going to light one of those candles without a -match.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_81'>81</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XV<br /> <span class='large'>A LIGHT WITHOUT MATCHES</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Phil’s proposition to light without a match -one of the candles discovered in the cellarway -of the probable former residence of a family -of French refugees interested every one of -his imprisoned companions. None of them was -incredulous. All were sufficiently experienced -in human resourcefulness to give attention to -even a seemingly impossible scheme when it -came from an intelligent young man under circumstances -of urgent necessity. Indeed, one -of them, suspecting at once the nature of Sergeant -Speed’s plan, inquired quickly:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How are you going to do it—rub sticks?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You’ve hit it about right,” answered Phil. -“But it’s getting dark, and we’ve got to hustle -if we’re going to be able to do anything. Any -of you fellows got a knife?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was not a pocketknife among them. -All had been thoroughly searched after being -brought back behind the enemy lines.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, never mind,” said Phil. “I found a -strong paring knife in the cellarway and it -seems to be pretty sharp. Now, here is what I -want: Several of you fellows hunt about over -<span class='pageno' id='Page_82'>82</span>the floor and woodwork and see if you can find -a loose board. If you can get hold of a loose -end of a board rip it up.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You don’t need to rip up any boards,” -called out one of the fellows from an adjoining -room. “Here’s half a dozen short pieces—probably -meant as kindling for the fireplace.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Good!” exclaimed the volunteer fire-maker. -“Bring them here near the window.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The comrade did as requested. A few moments -later Phil had selected one of the short -boards and split it on his knee.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m going to make a bow out of this,” he -announced, as he began to whittle. “Some of -you fellows take these shavings and shred them -against something. I’ll need some punk to -catch the sparks in.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There’s a brick fireplace in the next room,” -said Dan. “Some of the bricks are loose and -we can pull out a couple and shred the whittlings -between them.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Good again,” pronounced the leader of the -enterprise. “Now one of you can help a whole -lot by tying two or three shoestrings together -for a string of the bow I am preparing. Make -the knots as small as you can.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That isn’t necessary,” a young fellow -named Barber interposed. “I have a stout cord -five or six feet long that will suit your purpose -<span class='pageno' id='Page_83'>83</span>fine. I picked it up in camp a few days ago -and put it in my pocket, thinking it might come -handy sometime.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil received the string offered to him by -the last speaker, and then offered this suggestion -by way of general advice on an important -subject:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We ought to be careful not to pitch our -voices too loud. Of course there’s nothing in -what has been said that could do us any particular -harm if it had been overheard by one of -the guards. Still, there’s no telling when we’ll -discover something or concoct a scheme that it -would be advisable to keep to ourselves. We’d -better tone our voices down so that we have to -lean forward to hear each other; then we’ll be -on the safe side.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Several of the prisoners expressed their approval -of this suggestion, and the succeeding -conversations were in lower tones.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The work progressed rapidly, considering -the insufficiency of light in the house. In a -remarkably short time Phil and his assistants -had produced a rude bow two and a half feet -long, a fireboard with a small cone-shaped drill-socket, -or pit, in one side, and a V-shaped -trough leading from the pit to the edge of the -board; a “thunder-bird,” or small block of -wood with a cone-shaped socket in the center; -<span class='pageno' id='Page_84'>84</span>a drill, or a rounded piece of wood about fifteen -inches long and sharpened at both ends; and a -handful of shredded shavings.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There!” exclaimed Phil in subdued tone, -as he surveyed the completed task in the dusk -now so heavy that he was sure the work could -not have progressed successfully many minutes -longer. “I’m glad that’s done. By the -way, it’s fortunate that there are curtain -shades still on the windows. Let’s pull them -down and then light one of the candles. We -can shade the light with our bodies so that there -won’t be much danger of its being seen outside. -Be careful not to let the guards see you pulling -the shades down. It’s so dark now that they -won’t notice what we’ve done after they’re -down.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The shades were drawn down cautiously, and -fourteen Marine prisoners of war gathered -around Phil to watch the hoped-for success of -making fire in the Old World after the manner -developed and perfected by the aborigines of -the New.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But they did little actual watching before the -first spark appeared. Immediately after the -drawing of the shades there was scarcely a -glimmer of light in the room, and Phil had to -depend on his sense of feeling to enable him to -operate his fire-making contrivance.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_85'>85</span>“Now, all of you crowd around in as close -a circle as you can without hindering my movements,” -he directed as he fitted the sharpened -ends of the drill into the pit of the fireboard, -which he had laid on the floor, and the pit of the -“thunder-bird,” which he held in his left hand. -Then he began a sawing motion with the bow, -the string of which was looped around the drill.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A moment later all were listening eagerly to -the merry hum of the drill as it whirled around -in its perpendicular position, the revolving motion -being produced by the drawing back and -forth of the bow string looped about it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Keep close together,” Phil warned. “Don’t -let any light get through. It’s coming. Smell -the burning of the wood?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Suddenly there was a tiny glow at the base of -the drill.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Quick with the punk,” said Phil eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Nobody could see the move, but nevertheless -Dan dropped a pinch of the dry shredded wood -on the tiny brilliance.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The bright spot grew larger, the drill whirled -more rapidly, a few more pinches of punk were -applied, and the glow burst into a flame.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, the candle,” Phil directed, but even -as he spoke the wick of one of the illuminants -was being applied to the burning punk.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil seized the lighted candle and started for -the open trap-doorway.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_86'>86</span>“I’m going downstairs and see what I can -find,” he announced, holding his coat lapel over -the flame. “All of you stand close together and -help keep any rays of this candle from getting -to any of the windows.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How about the basement windows?” asked -one of the men. “How’re you going to keep -the light from shining through them?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’ll have to run a little risk on that account,” -Phil replied; “but I’ll shield the light -all I can with my coat and when I get down -there I’ll set it in a corner where it can’t be -seen through the window or windows, if possible.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The boy descended slowly, and the others, or -such of them as could obtain a view at once -through the opening in the floor, gazed eagerly -after him. They were unable to see much, however, -for he covered the light with the lapel of -his coat so carefully that the entire illumination -fell directly in front of him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil’s first trip into the cellar was a short -one. In less than five minutes he returned to -the head of the stairs without the light and -offered this startling announcement in low but -clear tones:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Fellows, I’ve made a great discovery. If -you’re game, there’s a good chance for us to -escape.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_87'>87</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVI<br /> <span class='large'>PLANS FOR ESCAPE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Everybody was eager to hear of Phil’s -discovery, and a chorus of low-toned demands -for an explanation followed his announcement.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It isn’t a very romantic discovery,” the explorer -of the cellar replied. “In fact, it’s very -ordinary and points toward some hard work -for us.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’re used to that,” returned one of the -prisoners quickly. “Out with it. Don’t keep -us guessing.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There’s a regular outfit of excavating tools -down there,” the boy sergeant explained. -“They were concealed behind some boxes, and -I suppose that’s the reason the boche invaders -never found them. There’s a spade, shovel, -pick and hoe there—all in good condition.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Do you mean to suggest that we dig our -way out of this place?” asked Phil’s last inquisitor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sure—why not?” was the reply.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’d have to tunnel out—clear to the other -side of their outposts.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_88'>88</span>“And that’s just what I propose to do,” said -Phil deliberately.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There being no light in the room, nobody -could see anybody else’s expression of countenance, -but the chilly silence that followed this -announcement indicated something of what -was going on in the minds of those who heard -it. One of the latter whispered into another’s -ear:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He’s gone clean daft—insane. We’d better -amuse him.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>But Phil’s sharp ear caught enough of these -words to enable him to understand their purport. -He realized, too, that it was a very natural -conclusion, although he had not intended -to provoke it. Any such self-amusement as -this would have been exceedingly out of place. -Still, he was tempted just a little to see if someone -of his prison-associates would perceive the -feasibility of his plan. None of them did, however, -until he supplemented his last assertion, -as follows:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It isn’t so crazy an idea after all, when you -consider that we have only about fifteen feet to -dig.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“By crackey, that’s so!” exclaimed Dan -Fentress excitedly. Then moderating his tone -of voice in mindfulness of their recent agreement -on the subject, he added: “Didn’t you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_89'>89</span>fellows notice that there’s an old stonequarry -or something of the kind just south o’ this -house? We can dig right into that and slip -down and away. It’s hardly likely we’ll find -anybody watching from that quarter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s a brilliant idea, and we’re a lot o’ -mutts for not getting it sooner,” Evans declared. -“Let’s get busy at once.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There’s just one window in the basement -wall, and that’s on the south side,” Phil continued. -“We’ll have to blind that up some way -before we do much work. Probably there’s -nobody watching on that side, but we don’t -want to run any risk.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ll take off our coats and jam ’em up in -the window if the frame is deep enough,” -Emmet Harding proposed. “Is it?” he inquired, -addressing Phil.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, it’s six or eight inches deep,” the latter -replied. “I propped the candle up with several -brickbats on the floor a few feet from the window. -Nobody’d be likely to see a light from -that side unless he were inspecting very closely -for one.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s go down and begin work at once,” -Evans proposed. “The sooner we get away the -better our chances of escape will be.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ll need about eight or ten coats to blind -the window with,” said Phil. “Here’s mine. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_90'>90</span>Some of you pass over yours and I’ll go down -and take care of that matter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>A minute later the prison tunnel engineer -had as big a load of coats on his arm as he -wished to carry while descending into the cellar, -and he was about to return below when Dan -startled him a little by saying:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We haven’t got the ventilation yet that we -started out to get. And this place is growing -stuffy already. How about it? We can’t work -very long in such atmosphere as this, and the -worst of it will settle into the cellar, where we’ll -have to do all our hard work.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s so,” said Phil. “We can’t open -that cellar window any easier probably than -one of the windows up here, and if we could, we -wouldn’t dare use it for ventilating while -working down there with a light. Let’s go -around and try the windows up here and see if -we can’t get one of them open without making -any noise.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s try to open one on the north side,” -Emmet suggested. “If the guards hear us, -we’ll explain that we’ve got to have some fresh -air. Then, too, they’ll probably watch that end -of the house more closely and maybe neglect the -south end if they know one of the north windows -is open.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This plan was adopted and Emmet was delegated -<span class='pageno' id='Page_91'>91</span>to try the north windows. The general -suspense was greatly relieved when he turned -and whispered that he had raised the lower -sash of the first window he tried and propped -it up with a short piece of board. He had not -made a sound audible to his companions while -doing this.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, nobody must talk above a whisper, -and that as little as possible, while the window -is open,” he cautioned.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil took this as a cue for him to descend -into the cellar and blind the foundation window -with his load of coats. In a few minutes, after -accomplishing this, he returned and selected -two aids, with whom he went below again to -begin work on the proposed escape tunnel into -the excavation to the south.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_92'>92</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVII<br /> <span class='large'>TUNNELING</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“We’ll have to conserve our candles,” -was Phil’s first remark after he and his -two assistants, Dan Fentress and Donald Winslow, -reached the foot of the stairway. “I -haven’t any candlestick yet, but we can make -one with some stiff clay as soon as we get to digging.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What kind of masonwork do we have to -cut through?” asked Dan, stepping over to the -south wall and proceeding to find an answer to -the question for himself.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It’s brick and cement,” Phil replied, anticipating -the questioner’s move to answer himself. -“Ordinarily it would be difficult to break -even with a crowbar and a sledge hammer; but -observe that large frost-crack running down -from one corner of the window. Several of the -bricks there are almost loose. We can start a -hole in the wall by picking out those bricks. -Then the work of enlarging the opening ought -to be comparatively easy with the aid of this -pick.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>As he spoke Phil took up the tool referred -<span class='pageno' id='Page_93'>93</span>to, which he had stood up against the wall, together -with the spade, shovel and hoe discovered -by him on his first inspection of the cellar. -It was by no means a delicate looking pick, and -all three of the Marines who examined it agreed -that it ought to withstand an extremely heavy -leverage in the work before them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I figure that the man who lived here worked -in that quarry, and that is the explanation of -these tools,” Phil continued after his companions -had examined the articles in question and -satisfied themselves as to their serviceability.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“They are not exactly stonequarry tools, or -at least they constitute a decidedly incomplete -kit,” Dan remarked critically. “This isn’t -much more than an ordinary garden outfit.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, anyway, they’re here for us to use,” -Winslow put in; “so let’s get busy, for this -candle is nearly half gone already, and we’re -liable to run out of light if we don’t hustle. -Here goes for a starter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>He seized the pick and was about to transform -his manifestation of energy into action, -when Phil stayed him with this caution:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Be careful, Winslow; no hard blows. Remember, -there are guards within a few rods of -this house, and any noises, even though they -are muffled by cellar walls and masses of earth, -are pretty certain to be investigated.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_94'>94</span>“Very wisely said,” returned the young -Marine with the pick. “I’m altogether too impulsive -for a general. That’s the reason I’m a -private and always will be. What shall I do, -sergeant, begin a toothpick operation on the -wall?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, something o’ the sort,” Phil replied, -smiling. “Jab the pick into that crack there -and see if you can’t pry some of those bricks -loose.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Winslow did as directed, and was astonished -on discovering with what ease half a dozen of -the bricks came out.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Fine!” exclaimed Phil gleefully. “Now, -try some of that solid wall.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Winslow did as directed. He was a powerful -fellow—Phil had selected him as an aid for -this reason. The pick stood the test and the -wall fell away in bits. In less than an hour—estimated—a -section of the wall three feet wide -and nearly six feet high had been broken away, -and the first candle was still burning.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Everything’s going great,” said the young -engineer of the enterprise. “The candles are -going to last longer than I thought.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Shan’t we light two of them?” Dan suggested. -“We can work faster, maybe.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, not yet,” Sergeant Speed replied -quickly. “We’ll have two or three of them -<span class='pageno' id='Page_95'>95</span>going after we get the tunnel started a few -feet.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Stick ’em on our hats?” inquired Winslow.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, we haven’t any way that I know of to -fasten them to our hats. We’ll cut niches in -the wall and set the candles in there. By the -way, I’m going upstairs and get a couple more -fellows down here to help.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ll have to have some fresh air before -long,” said Dan. “First thing we know we’ll -be asphyxiated—carbon-dioxidized, as it were. -That fresh air upstairs won’t come down here -unless forced down with a fan, or we manage to -effect some kind of open-air vent through these -walls.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’ve been thinking of that,” said Phil; -“and I have a scheme that I think will work -first rate. After we get ahead with the tunnel -a few feet, we’ll cut a hole straight up to the -surface next to the foundation. We’ll keep the -lights away from that hole, and stop our talking, -too.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil now left his two companions hard at -work and ascended the stairway to report progress -to his waiting companions and select two -or three more assistants to help speed up the -work in the cellar.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_96'>96</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XVIII<br /> <span class='large'>THE PRISONERS TAKE A PRISONER</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>The work of digging the tunnel progressed -rapidly. At first Phil feared that the job -would prove exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, -of performance in the seven or eight -hours they had before them for labor before -the next daybreak. He based this fear on the -proximity of the supposed stonequarry just -south of the house.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The earth was not even solidly packed at -every place where they struck with spade, -shovel and pick. In fact, much of it was so -loose that to use the pick would have been a -waste of time. Generally the spade served the -purpose best in the tunnel, the one who wielded -that tool pitching the diggings back as far as -he could, while others threw or dragged them -still farther back against the opposite wall with -the shovel and hoe.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Before long it became evident to all the workers -why the earth was so easy to spade. There -was considerable sand mixed with the clay and -the loam constituting the earth’s crust at this -point. They concluded, therefore, that the -stonequarry must be of the sand variety, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_97'>97</span>that the rocky substratum in this section of the -country was covered with a sandy admixture of -supersoil.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But they struck so much of this loosening element -that it presently began to appear as a -menace rather than an advantage. If a vein of -sand should be struck overhead or in the upper -part of the excavation, a cave-in might result -in the suffocation of the tunneler before he -could be rescued. Phil then suggested that -thereafter the continuation of the tunnel be -elevated a foot or two in order to lessen the possibility -of such disaster. However, they were -careful also not to cut too close to the surface -of the ground for fear lest a guard, passing -that way, might step through and be precipitated -into the passage.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But that is the very thing that happened, -and it came near bringing the enterprise of the -energetic Marines to an unhappy conclusion. -Nevertheless, perhaps, it was fortunate that -things turned out as they did, for the guard -who stepped through into the subterranean -avenue was so overwhelmed by the mass of -sand and earth which closed in upon him, that -his wits, his voice and his power of self-help -deserted him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was taking his turn with the spade in -the tunnel when this thing occurred. Fortunately, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_98'>98</span>he had stepped back several feet in -order to bring the candle forward to a new -niche he had just cut in the wall and was not -covered by the avalanche of earth. As it was, -he started back several feet, fearing that the -whole roof of the tunnel was about to fall in, -but was presently reassured by an appearance -of the cause of the sudden interruption of his -work.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A pair of coarse-broganned feet protruded -from the heap of earth in the wrecked passageway -and apprised him of the fact that -someone—certainly not an American Marine—had -been caught in a very effective trap, -which had been intended for anything but -a trap. Moreover, it was likely to prove -a death trap in short order unless steps were -taken to release the victim with all possible -speed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil took hold of the protruding brogans and -pulled, but with no favorable result. He pulled -again—the buried form moved slightly, and -more earth slid down into the trench. The boy -now realized that the situation was desperate—for -the victim was no doubt a boche soldier; but -the young Marine felt it a human duty to rescue -him, nevertheless.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Just then he felt the presence of someone -behind him, and as he turned to see who it was, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_99'>99</span>Dan Fentress took hold of one of the protruding -legs and whispered:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Here, we’ll pull together. It’ll be tough on -him, but not so tough as leaving him there until -we can shovel ’im out. He has some chance this -way.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was close quarters for two to work in side -by side, but one strong pull together was -effectual. A badly scared boche, hatless and -with his face considerably the worse for rough -dragging through a mass of earth and sharp -stones, emerged, puffing with exhaustion and -certainly not in condition to exclaim, “Thank -you for saving my life!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Here’s his gun,” said Dan, reaching forward -and pulling forth a Mauser from the -loose earth that had almost buried it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And here’s his pistol,” said Phil, drawing -a murderous looking weapon from the fellow’s -holster. “He must be a general handy man for -all kinds of service.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The prisoners’ prisoner, who was rapidly -recovering from the effects of his mishap and -violent handling, sat up presently and looked -about him with astonishment. Evidently he -did not know what to make of the situation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“See here, my good enemy friend,” Dan -warned, pointing the Mauser at his head; “no -<span class='pageno' id='Page_100'>100</span>noise out o’ you, or I’ll send you to the place -where Kultur gets all the reward comin’ to it. -We’re Marines, not submarines; and we hit -<i>above</i> water.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Every word of that is lost on him,” said -Phil, noting the blank expression on the -boche’s countenance. “He’s not a very intelligent -fellow—the better for us right now. He’s -one of those old fellows they’ve dragged into -the army to perform duties of secondary importance. -We’d better get him back in the cellar -and let some o’ the other boys take care -of ’im.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The unfortunate guard proved to be able to -get on his feet and walk back to where the -other Marines were waiting anxiously for an -explanation of the disturbances that had -reached their ears. Phil told the story in a -few words and then said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You fellows stay here and take care of this -prisoner, and I’ll go out and reconnoiter. I -want to see the lay o’ the land. Maybe we’ve -done all the digging necessary. With this -guard out of the way, the coast may be clear -to the south. We want to know where we’re -going before we start.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let me go along,” Dan requested. “I’ve -got a notion that two spies working together -can do better than one.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_101'>101</span>“Come on, then,” Phil responded. “Is that -satisfactory to you fellows?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The speaker by this time was acknowledged -by all as their leader. Half a dozen were now -in the basement giving their assistance in shifts -in the preparations for escape. They nodded -assent to this latest suggestion.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A minute later Phil and Dan had crawled up -over the pile of earth at the end of the tunnel -and were creeping over the ground toward the -supposed stonequarry.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_102'>102</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XIX<br /> <span class='large'>OVERHEARD IN A SANDPIT</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Carefully the boys peered in every -direction for signs of the presence of -guards in the vicinity, but apparently the boche -whom they had captured had been the only one -stationed south of the house. They reached the -edge of the large excavation without an alarm -to themselves or the enemy, and then began an -examination of the descent for an avenue of -departure for themselves and their waiting -companions in the house.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The night was clear, but there was no moon; -and it was difficult, with the aid of only the -stars, to get a satisfactory view any considerable -distance ahead of them. However, it is well -known that one can accustom his eyes to -ordinary darkness of night to such an extent -that he is able to discern distant objects with a -clearness that at first would seem impossible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>And so it was that after lying several minutes -at the edge of what at first seemed to be a steep -bluff, they found that they could make out the -edge of a deep pit directly to the south and a -hill-like descent that curved along to the left -gradually to the southward. Bushes grew here -<span class='pageno' id='Page_103'>103</span>and there along this winding hill-path, so that -it was evident that they must make their inspection -rod by rod, if not yard by yard, in order -to determine of what value it was to them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s go down there and see what it looks -like,” Phil whispered in his companion’s ear.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Dan nodded his willingness, and soon they -were creeping along the course indicated. -After they had left a considerable screen of -bushes behind, they stood erect and looked carefully -about them; then continued their descent. -They stopped, however, several times -on the way, looking about and listening intently -for evidence of the presence of enemy soldiers. -In one of these precautionary halts, Phil said -to his companion scout:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t believe this is a stonequarry at all. -It’s a big sandpit, according to my notion. -And this is a path used by the workmen who -live up on the higher ground. I bet it leads -right down to the entrance of the pit.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I believe you’re right,” Dan returned. -“There’s so all-fired much sand around here, -it can’t be otherwise. How far do you think -we’d better go? Everything looks clear in this -direction.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s go down to the foot of this hill and see -how things look there before we go back,” Phil -proposed in reply.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_104'>104</span>They continued to the bottom of the hill and -found themselves at the wide entrance of a -huge sandpit with bushes growing in abundance -along the border nearest their approach. -Here they stood close to a clump of bushes, -listening and peering cautiously in all directions -for warning sounds or signs indicating -the presence of enemy soldiers in the vicinity.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The warning came almost immediately. The -sound of voices in conversation only a few feet -from them caused the boys to stand as still -almost as the ground on which they stood. -They held their breath, as it were, and listened -eagerly to catch the words being exchanged by -two men on the opposite side of the thicket.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Apparently the conference was very secret, -for the principals had sought a dark and out-of-the-way -place to “put their heads together,” -and the eagerness of their tones indicated the -degree of importance they placed on the purpose -of the interview. But it was in German, -and although both of the listeners had studied -that language at school, they were unable to -form a clear idea as to the main purpose of -the conversation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It did not take Phil long, however, to identify -one of the men. His high-pitched voice and -tripping utterance, little short of a stutter, -could hardly have been duplicated by another. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_105'>105</span>Without a doubt he was the oddly proportioned -commissioned officer who had been in charge of -the squad of boches that Phil had captured at -Belleau Woods and who later, with the assistance -of another, had turned the tables on him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It’s my boaconstrictor evil genius,” Phil -mused, although not very apprehensively. -“How I wish I could make out what they are -talking about.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>He did, however, catch a few words that -intensified his curiosity, although they carried -to his mind little or no enlightenment. Considerable -was said about an aeroplane and -“the Americans” and bombs. Phil and Dan -both strained their ears and their imagination -to put these and other single-word ideas together -and uncover the meaning of the interview, -but in vain. Both had studied “literary -German” at school, but their knowledge of -conversational Prussian was exceedingly limited.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Ten or fifteen minutes after Phil and Dan -arrived at the mouth of the sandpit, the conversation -ended and the two men departed, -starting up the path by which the escaped prisoners -had descended. The latter waited a minute -or two for them to get a good start, and -were about to follow them and, if possible, -prevent them from giving the alarm if they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_106'>106</span>discovered the wrecked tunnel leading from -their prison, when a new surprise of startling -nature added another thrill to the adventures -of the night.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Phil!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This utterance of Sergeant Speed’s given -name was scarcely above a whisper, but distinct. -The latter shivered as if a ghost had -touched him on the shoulder. Then concluding -with a desperate denial of his “sense of sound -location,” that it must have been his companion -that spoke to him, he turned to Dan to ask -him what he wanted. But the latter was looking -about curiously to learn the source of the -familiar address.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A moment later both of them beheld a third -human form standing a few feet away and instinctively -assumed an attitude of defense, -prepared to change it into one of attack, when -the supposed stranger spoke thus in low tones:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Don’t be alarmed, Phil. I am Tim Turner -whom you left for dead in Belleau Woods.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_107'>107</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XX<br /> <span class='large'>ESCAPE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“Well, of all the most wonderful things -that ever happened this is out of the -ordinary!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>One of the characteristics that made Phil a -good soldier was the fact that it was almost impossible -to astound him. A fellow Marine -commented on this fact once, and he replied:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Sure. If a Hun plane should drop a bomb -on the end of my nose in the middle of the -night, I shouldn’t be the least bit surprised.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>His first impulse when Tim Turner presented -himself to him and Dan Fentress in the -middle of the night at the entrance of the -French sandpit was to say something ridiculous. -So he popped an anticlimax, which -amounted to serving notice on himself and his -two friends that this was no place for astonishment. -The situation was therefore cleared -up for the benefit of all three with two sentences:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I came to just as you and your captors -were leaving and followed to help you, but -was captured, put to work on the soup truck, -and escaped tonight,” said Tim.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_108'>108</span>“We tunneled out of our prison, came here -to see if the coast was clear, and are going -back now to get a bunch of prisoners who are -waiting for our report,” said Phil.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Go on, and I’ll wait till you get back this -way,” Tim proposed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“All right,” Phil assented. “We must hustle -along to see if those two boches stumble -into our tunnel. It caved in before we finished -it.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>That ended the conversation, and the two -prisoner-scouts hastened up the hill after the -two enemy soldiers, whose mysterious conference, -held under appearances of the most careful -secrecy, caused Phil and Dan to wonder -more and more as they puzzled over the few -words they had been able to understand. Halfway -up the incline they caught sight of the -worthy pair, walking leisurely and almost arm-in-arm, -totally unsuspicious, it appeared, of -the proximity of any unfriendly humans at -large.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Near the top of the hill they turned to the -right and soon were moving along a highway -that led into the heart of the town. The two -scouts were greatly relieved by this, as it virtually -precluded any possibility of their discovering -the escape tunnel leading from the -cellar of the prison and overlooking the sandpit. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_109'>109</span>The shorter route for them would have -been across the unfenced yard into which the -tunnel had been cut.</p> - -<p class='c010'>A minute later Phil and Dan were back -again in the basement and reporting the success -of their scouting expedition. The prisoner -of the prisoners had been bound and -gagged and lay like a mummy in one corner, -scowling weirdly in the dim candle light. After -inspecting his bonds and gag to make certain -that he was not likely to work loose or raise -an alarm with his voice, Phil announced that -all was ready for a departure. This announcement -was communicated to the prisoners upstairs -and presently all were assembled in the -cellar and ready to file out through the tunnel.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil desired very much to talk over plans -with the other escaping prisoners, but the presence -of the captured boche advised him that -it was not well to run the risk of his being able -to understand English. So they filed out with -only a “follow the leader” understanding.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil and Dan led the way down the hill to -the point where Corporal Tim waited for their -reappearance. Then they selected a sequestered -nook, partly shielded with a growth of -high bushes near the mouth of the sandpit and -there held a conference.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It seems to me that this is a case of every -<span class='pageno' id='Page_110'>110</span>man for himself,” Evans remarked after several -of the boys, with less constitutional initiative, -had put, or seconded, the question, -“What shall we do next?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes,” Phil agreed; “I don’t believe there’s -any argument to be made against that. If we -keep together, we’re bound to attract attention. -If we travel singly, or in twos, we can -hide better in the daytime. We’ll be hampered, -too, with these uniforms. If we separate, -traveling by night and hiding in the daytime, -perhaps some of us may be able to exchange -them in some of these French villages -for something less convicting. We may find -some old work clothes that the boches overlooked -or rejected with contempt, or we may -find some French inhabitants caught in the -big drive of the enemy, who will bend an effort -to help us camouflage our American looks.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Before we separate, I want to make an -announcement.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Everybody turned questioningly toward the -speaker.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Who are you?” asked one of the escaped -prisoners who stood near the boy that volunteered -this interposition and looked curiously -into his face. Evidently the inquisitor had -spotted him as a stranger.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He’s all right,” said Phil, coming to the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_111'>111</span>support of his friend. “Boys, this is Tim Turner -who was with us at Belleau Woods. After -I was captured, he followed in the dusk, hoping -to be able to come to my relief. But he -also was taken prisoner and escaped today. -Dan Fentress and I found him down here, or, -rather, he found us, and he’s been waiting for -our return with you boys. What is it, Tim? -What announcement do you want to make?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“This,” the bullet-headed corporal answered. -“I don’t believe you and Dan caught -the significance of what those two Huns were -talking about down here, did you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, we’ll have to confess that we didn’t,” -Phil replied. “We flunked bad in our German -test.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, I got it,” Tim continued impressively. -“I never studied German at school, -but I worked for a German farmer two years -and got so I could carry on a conversation with -him and his family without any trouble. Those -two Huns were planning one of the most fiendish -plots you ever heard of—dastardly, just -about as bad as sinking the Lusitania or torturing -Belgian women and children. They -were planning to kill most, or all, of the prisoners -in this place and make it appear that an -American did the deed.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_112'>112</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXI<br /> <span class='large'>THE PLOT</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“I understood almost every word they -uttered and the plot is as clear as day,” -Tim declared excitedly. “It’s simply dastardly -and as treacherous as the violation of -the Belgian treaty. Incidentally I learned -something more, too, that will interest you considerably.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“One of those boche plotters is connected -way high up, a distant relative of the kaiser -himself, as I got it. He’s the fellow with the -big girth—one of the bunch that captured you -and brought you back behind their lines. It -was plain that the other fellow held him in a -good deal of awe, if he was only a second lieutenant.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“This other fellow is an aviator, I wasn’t -long finding out. There’s an aviation field a -short distance from here, and the ‘taube chauffeur’ -flies from that field. The kaiser’s umpty-umpth -nephew cooked the scheme up in his -own cranium and called the flyer to the conference -in the sandpit. He called the aviator -Hertz, and Hertz addressed him mostly as -<span class='pageno' id='Page_113'>113</span>Count, once or twice Count Topoff, and once -referred to him as ‘a general in disguise.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, the plot they cooked up was this—or -rather it seemed to be cooked up in the brain -of ‘the count’ and was dished out to Hertz -to swallow willy-nilly: The bunch of prisoners -are to continue their march toward the Rhine -tomorrow—or today. Is it past midnight yet? -And Hertz is to come along in his aeroplane -loaded with bombs. The officers are to announce -that it’s an American plane on a bombing -expedition and are to keep the prisoners -bunched together with threats to shoot them -if they try to get away.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“‘He’s arter us,’ the guards will tell the -prisoners; ‘and the only way we can save our -lives from his bombs and machine-gun is to -keep our guns trained on you, and we’ll have -to stand off at a distance to keep you from -rushing us. Now, if you behave yourselves -and obey orders, you’ll save not only your -own lives but ours, too. But if you make trouble -for us, we’ll kill as many of you as we can -before he gets us, and he’ll have to treat each -of us as a separate target, for we’re all scattered -out around you.’</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, along will come the supposed American -plane from the west and it’s figured that -the prisoners will drink in the boches’ warning -<span class='pageno' id='Page_114'>114</span>and huddle together like a lot o’ barnyard -fowl in a cold rain. Hertz will then proceed -to drop a dozen or more bombs on them, while -the guards stand off at a distance and watch -the fun.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But what’s the purpose in such a program -as that?” someone inquired. “Why shouldn’t -they go ahead and commit their wholesale murder -in cold blood and admit they’re responsible -for the whole business? They haven’t anything -to be afraid of.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“They’ve two reasons for doing it the way -they planned,” Tim replied. “Those reasons -were expressed very clearly in the course of -their conversation. First, some o’ the boche -leaders are pretty sore because of the reputation -they’ve got for committing frightful cruelties, -and a kind of chicken-hearted warning -has gone out from some high source to put on -the soft pedal. Still, it seems to be in the -make-up of some of those scoundrels to do the -most fiendish things they can think of. If -they can satisfy their lust for curdled blood -and throw the blame on somebody else, they -can also flatter their vanity for putting the -thing over with very smooth cunning. Then -again, it would key up the morale of the boche -soldiers to a high pitch if the story could be -circulated that the Americans were such dummies -<span class='pageno' id='Page_115'>115</span>that they are likely to commit such blunders -as this fake affair will seem to be. You -see, Hertz is going to fly in a captured French -machine and will be dressed in the uniform -of an American prisoner.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Can you beat that for sheer rascality?” -Evans exclaimed. “Do you know, fellows, I -don’t feel like trying to escape and leaving -all those other boys to die like rats in a trap -when a word from us passed among them -might at least give them a chance to make -some of those fiends pay the penalty of their -dastardly plot when it’s put into effect. There -are only about a score of guards in charge of -this bunch of prisoners and I believe they -could be overpowered if a concerted rush were -made at the right time.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I confess that I feel the same way,” said -Sergeant Phil vengefully. “But really, boys, -it isn’t necessary for all of us to go back. One -of us would be enough. He could pretend to -be in sympathy with the boche cause and tell -them he refused to go with the rest. That -probably would get him considerable favor -with them and enable him to do some effective -work.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Who’s going to be the one to go back?” -asked Evans, thereby propounding a question -not at all easy to answer. Undoubtedly all of -<span class='pageno' id='Page_116'>116</span>the sixteen escaped prisoners were not equally -well fitted to handle the matter with like promise -of success. Phil realized this, and, without -intending to arrogate superior qualities -to himself, replied:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I will, unless someone else can show good -reason why he could do the job better than -I can.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m conceited enough to believe that I can -do it just as well,” said Evans. “Unless you -can show good reason why you can do it better -than I can, I demand that you match coins -with me to determine who shall go.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Where are the coins?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hold on,” interposed Dan Fentress. “You -two aren’t going to have a monopoly on this -business. I want to come in on it.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“All right,” said Evans; “you ought to be -able to outwit a score of pie-faced boches with -those squint eyes o’ yours. But I think we’d -better close the nominations now, hadn’t we?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Not till I get in on it, if you’ll admit an -outsider,” Tim protested eagerly. “I don’t -exactly belong to your bunch, for the boches -sort o’ took me over as chief cook an’ bottle -washer, but I don’t object to being traitor to -my new alliance if you don’t.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ll let you in on it, nobody objecting,” -Evans ruled. “But unless somebody speaks -<span class='pageno' id='Page_117'>117</span>up quick, the nominations are closed. One, -two, three—they’re closed. Now, how shall -we vote? Anybody got a coin to flip?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Nobody had.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s settle it among us four candidates,” -Phil proposed. “Nobody shall vote for himself. -Everybody decide whom he will vote for -and as soon as you’re all ready I’ll say ‘one, -two,’ and instead of ‘three’ I’ll call out my -vote. You do likewise.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This was agreed upon. Presently all announced -that they were ready and Phil began, -“One, two—”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Evans.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Fentress.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Speed.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Speed.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was elected.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_118'>118</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXII<br /> <span class='large'>GOOD-BY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>The ceremony of good-bys was short following -Phil’s election to return as a messenger -of warning to the other prisoners concerning -the fiendish plot for their destruction. -Pew words of advice were exchanged as to -what each escaping prisoner should do. It -was a case of everybody for himself with no -sure promise of success for anybody. Nobody -knew any more than anybody else concerning -the country through which they must pass or -how they might hope to conceal themselves -in the daytime, or how obtain food for their -already hungry stomachs. Everybody must -work his wits to the limit.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This, in fact, seemed to be the general understanding, -for each of the escaping prisoners -apparently took it for granted that the -responsibility for his own success or failure -in this most important venture rested entirely -on himself. No questions were asked. Everybody -seemed to desire to strike out for himself -as soon as possible. A few went in pairs, -but most of them set out alone.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tim said good-by to Phil last. The bullet-headed -<span class='pageno' id='Page_119'>119</span>corporal, who had proved himself a -boy of no mean intelligence by the manner in -which he had got evidence of the wholesale-murder -plot of “Count Topoff” and Aviator -Hertz and reported it to his friends, was evidently -much disappointed because he had not -been elected to return to the prison camp of -his comrade Marines and Frenchmen and -warn them against the menace that would soon -be upon them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m sorry I’m not going with you,” he said -to his friend. “I envy you very much, old -man, for while the rest of us are running away, -you are going back to fight. That’s what it -means, Phil, a very hard fight, and a lot of -credit to you for preventing a wholesale and -cowardly slaughter.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You evidently expect us to come out victorious,” -Phil observed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Of course. Why not?” Tim returned with -something of a challenge in his tone of voice. -“Don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, Tim, I can’t say that I do. Frankly, -I am disposed to say good-by to you right now -for the last time.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You’re not enough of an optimist for a -venture of this kind,” Tim declared regretfully. -“Don’t you expect to be able to communicate -the warning to the other fellows? -<span class='pageno' id='Page_120'>120</span>If you don’t, you’d better let me take your -place, for I’m dead sure I can do it.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I admire your self-confidence,” Phil replied -deliberatively; “and if I didn’t feel that -I could perform the duty commissioned to me -as well as you could, I’d do as you suggest. -Moreover, you’d be at a disadvantage because -you’d have to return to the job you left or -the boches ’u’d discover the transfer and want -to know the meaning of it.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I wouldn’t care for that,” Tim said -quickly. “All I’d care for would be to get -my story started among the boys and let them -take care o’ the rest.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But I’m planning to be right on the job -and do some o’ the fighting,” Phil announced -eagerly. “You see, I have the pistol I took -from the boche that fell into our tunnel. I -can do some good work with that right at the -beginning.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You don’t talk as if you expected to be -licked,” Tim interrupted.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Oh, I’m not going into the fight like a -coward,” Phil answered reassuringly. “Up to -the time when we actually mix, I suppose I -shall expect to lose everything under my hat, -but when I once get into the fight, I can easily -imagine myself believing that I was going to -lick the whole boche army single-handed. I’m -<span class='pageno' id='Page_121'>121</span>sure I can feel that way if I can only fill my -stomach with something substantial in the way -of food. Well, good-by, Tim. I must be moving -along now, and so must you. I haven’t -much idea what time it is, but I should judge -from the feeling of my empty stomach that -it’s almost breakfast time. I want to get back -into some place, if I can, where I won’t be -suspected of having anything to do with the -night’s escapade.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Good-by,” said Tim, squeezing his friend’s -hand. “Good-by and good luck. All things -considered, I believe now that it’s fortunate -you were picked for this job. At first I had -an idea I was the only one who could do it -right. But I have come around to the view -that you’re going to make good in a way that -I might not be able to. Hope to meet you on -the other side of No Man’s Land in a few days.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil started up the hill again while his -friend stole away in the opposite direction, -taken generally by the other escaping Marines.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_122'>122</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXIII<br /> <span class='large'>THE FIGHT IN THE CELLAR</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Phil returned at once to the prison from -which he and his companions had just escaped. -He had one purpose in this move. The -excitement of their departure had caused him -to forget one very important thing that he had -planned to do before leaving the place. That -was to transfer the guard’s pistol cartridges -to his own person. While engaged in his good-by -conversation with Tim, he placed his hand -on the pocket containing the weapon he had -taken from the captured guard, and this reminded -him of his neglect to take possession -of the available supply of ammunition.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The candles had been snuffed out just before -the prisoners stole away through the tunnel -and down the path by the sandpit. Phil was -not exactly certain whether he was pleased or -displeased with this fact. If the bound and -gagged boche guard still lay in the south-east -corner of the cellar where he had been left, -the returning Marine would have no trouble -finding him; but if he had rolled away in his -efforts to liberate himself, undoubtedly a light -would be a very desirable aid in locating him.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_123'>123</span>Phil crept back through the tunnel cautiously; -not that he anticipated trouble from -any source just now, but his every act under -present circumstances must of necessity be -stealthy and careful. And so, in spite of his -caution, he was totally unprepared for what -took place as he reentered the cellar.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He scarcely realized what happened, too, for -the blow that fell on him half stunned him. -It was a vicious blow, and if it had not glanced -from the side of his head, it must surely have -knocked him out. As it was, the spade, or -shovel, which was the weapon in the hands of -his assailant, bounded from his head to his -shoulder and thence with a dull metallic clang -on the clayey floor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil staggered, but struggled desperately -to keep from falling, and then made a dive -for the dark form whose outlines he could -faintly distinguish by the starlight that came -in through the window from which several of -the prisoners had removed their coats before -departing. But the fellow undoubtedly expected -this move and, having, under the circumstances, -better control of his wits, got a -better hold on the returning Marine and -quickly threw him on his back.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The latter, meanwhile was rapidly recovering -from the effects of the blow on his head, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_124'>124</span>and realizing that his enemy would fasten his -fingers on the throat of his victim as soon as -possible, pressed his chin hard against his -chest, threw his left arm over his face for protection -and passed his right hand down to his -right hip pocket.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He was thankful now that it was dark for -there was no possibility of the boche’s seeing -what he was doing. Meanwhile, Phil affected -to be trying to throw off his assailant, while -in fact he was merely elevating his right hip -in order that he might draw the pistol that he -had taken from the captured guard less than -an hour before.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The ruse was successful. In a few moments -the muzzle of the weapon was pressed against -the side of the boche, who was struggling hard -to get his fingers around Phil’s throat. The -boy sergeant set his teeth as he had never set -them before and pulled the trigger.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The explosion was well muffled by the burying -of the muzzle in the clothing of the desperately -vicious fellow, who probably was bent -on having a full revenge for the treatment he -had received at the hands of the Yank prisoners. -Doubtless none of the other guards in -the vicinity could hear the sound of the discharge -of the weapon, in spite of the vent afforded -by the tunnel. Phil felt not the least -<span class='pageno' id='Page_125'>125</span>uneasiness on this score after hearing the dull -thud against the body of the man on top of -him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The latter collapsed with scarcely a groan. -Phil rolled him off and got up, returning the -firearm to his pocket and saying to himself:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Awful sorry for you, boche, but I couldn’t -help it. Maybe you weren’t so much to blame -after the kind of training you fellows ’ave -had. I wonder what Tim would say about -me now—would he think I’m a mollycoddle? -Really I’m beginning to believe that he was -right when he predicted that I’d be successful -in my mission. I feel at this moment as if -I could lick the whole boche army all alone.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But I mustn’t stop to philosophize or Tim -’u’d call me a worse fool than ever. First I -must have that belt o’ yours. It probably holds -pistol cartridges for me and gun cartridges -for Tim. Yes, there it is and off it comes—and—around -me it goes. Now, what next? I -wonder if I ought to take it. Yes, I believe I -will. He’s a bigger fellow than I am and his -uniform’ll go over mine very snugly. That’ll -camouflage me for immediate purposes, and -when I don’t want it any longer I can skin -it off. So here goes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Twenty minutes later Phil was creeping out -of the cellar again “super-clad” with the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_126'>126</span>guard’s uniform which he had removed from -the apparently lifeless form and transferred -over his own khaki.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I wonder how he ever freed himself of -those bonds,” the boy muttered as he moved -crouchingly toward the bushes at the head of -the descending pathway. “I suppose we didn’t -tie his wrists as securely as we thought we did -and he worked loose. Anyway, I don’t believe -he’ll ‘work loose’ again. But I’m sorry for -him and hope he’s only wounded enough to -keep him helpless till he can’t do us any more -harm. Say, wouldn’t it be glorious if everybody -shot in this war were only wounded and -would get well again after it’s all over? But -war ’u’d be only a game o’ ten pins then, -wouldn’t it?</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Gee! I’m a bum soldier. If I confessed -such a sentiment as that to Tim, he’d shoot -me on the spot for a Prussian propagandist.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_127'>127</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXIV<br /> <span class='large'>ANOTHER CAPTURE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“Now, what next?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil stopped a minute or two and -considered. First, he must find out where -some of the other prisoners had been housed or -corralled. Then he must devise means of access -into their presence without being challenged -by the guards.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He decided finally that any course that he -might adopt must be preceded by a little preliminary -scouting at random. So he started -out with this in view, advancing toward a large -building which he had observed casually the -evening before but had been unable to determine -whether it was a church or a village hall. -Perhaps some of his comrades were housed -in there.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The prisoners had been lodged for the night -in several sections after being fed in as many -divisions from a like number of soup and stale-bread -services, and Phil had not seen where -any of them, aside from those in his own party, -were put. Right now, however, he found himself -wondering why the church-or-village-hall -edifice hadn’t been selected as a way-prison for -<span class='pageno' id='Page_128'>128</span>all the captured French and Americans, if indeed -it had not been chosen for that purpose.</p> - -<p class='c010'>He decided to inspect this place first of all. -It was next door to the house in which he had -spent an eventful half-night as a prisoner of -war, but there was no window in that house -on the side next to the large building, so that -he had been unable to observe what might have -taken place near the latter structure during -his imprisonment. The rear yard of the premises -bordered on a bush-and-sapling wildwood -tangle that extended over the hill bordering -the big sandpit, and Phil advanced cautiously -through this thicket to the edge about sixty -feet from the rear end of the building.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There he halted and stood for several minutes -surveying the faint outlines of everything -perceptible. At first the scene appeared to be -a sort of silhouetted picture of desertion. Not -a sound reached his ears save the slight rustling -of leaves in the breeze, the faint boom -of cannon in the distance, and the rumbling -of supply trucks on the nearest army thoroughfare, -and nothing out of the ordinary in -the dim objects in his immediate vicinity at -first attracted his special attention.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But presently a dark form, which at first -his passing notice had interested him about as -much as a log of wood might have done, moved -<span class='pageno' id='Page_129'>129</span>slightly. Phil started, scarcely willing to believe -his eyes. If it was a guard, he was lying -down. But possibly it was a dog sleeping. -The boy was scarcely willing to believe this, -however, although he had no good reason for -his skepticism. Nevertheless, it was sustained -presently in a substantial manner when the -living thing sat up and looked about him a -few moments. There could be no doubt now -that it was a man.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil strained his eyes eagerly for further -manifestation as to the character of the fellow -not more than twenty feet away from him. -Presently his sitting form seemed to waver -and he lay down again so suddenly that the -watcher’s irresistible first impression was that -he fell.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s funny,” thought the boy. “What’s -the matter with him?—asleep at his post? If -I had a couple of fellows with me, I think I’d -tap him on the head and take his gun away -from him. Why didn’t we think of something -o’ the kind? I really believe that half a dozen -unarmed men could turn the tables in this -camp tonight by using their wits a little. These -boches are as careless as can be. They seem -to think that because they’re behind their own -lines they’re perfectly safe and their prisoners -wouldn’t dare start anything rough.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_130'>130</span>Just then Phil was thrilled at the sight of -two dimly outlined human forms stealing out -of the thicket fifteen or twenty feet to his -right and advancing cautiously toward the reclining -figure. Then suddenly they pounced -upon him, one of them evidently seizing him -by the throat, for, although he struggled desperately -he was unable to make an outcry.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“My goodness!” was the unvocalized exclamation -of the watcher. “Who are they? -Are some of the other prisoners out and attempting -the very thing that just occurred to -me? I’ll have to find out and take a hand in -this.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Presently it appeared that the victim of the -surprise attack had been choked into unconsciousness, -for his captors picked him up and -carried him back into the thicket and laid him -down not more than six feet from the spot -where Phil stood. The latter dared not move, -for fear lest he be discovered, for he was not -certain yet whether he was in the presence of -friends or enemies. All doubt on this score -was removed the next instant, however, when -he heard one of the captors address the other -in tones scarcely above a whisper:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There, Tim, our first strike was a bloomin’ -good success. If we can keep this up half a -dozen more times, we can go back home as -chesty as a hunchback and get away with it.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_131'>131</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXV<br /> <span class='large'>A CHAPTER OF WIND</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>If he had not been afraid of creating noises -that would reach the ears of other enemy -guards in the vicinity, Phil undoubtedly would -have rushed toward his two friends, who had -appeared so unexpectedly on the scene, and -have welcomed them as if separated from him -for years, instead of an hour, more or less. -Tim’s companion was none other than Arthur -Evans, one of the most interesting and capable -of all the young sergeant’s comrades captured -by the boches.</p> - -<p class='c010'>As it was, Phil merely advanced a pace or -two and said in cautious tones:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hello, Tim, Evans. This is Phil Speed. -What are you fellows up to?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The two Marines thus addressed turned -quickly, first to resist, then to welcome, the -intruder.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’re attacking the enemy in the rear -while our friends at Belleau Woods meet him -in front,” replied Evans. “By the way, how -have you succeeded thus far?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t think I ought to answer that question,” -Phil replied with mock severity. “Evidently -<span class='pageno' id='Page_132'>132</span>you haven’t enough confidence in me -to let me carry out my mission. You are decidedly -weak in your judgment, to say the -least. Suppose you had made a blunder and -spoiled all my plans.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But we didn’t,” Evans returned; “and, as -matters stand, I have a sort of conceit that -we’ve helped matters along. Isn’t it so?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, I guess it is.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, what’re you kicking about?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m kicking right at this instant because -we’re doing entirely too much talking to no -purpose and running great risk of being overheard -by dangerous ears. What are you trying -to do?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Evans and I bumped into each other after -you and I separated,” said Tim, taking on himself -the task of explaining. “He’s the one that -lost confidence in you—not I. Or rather, he -was very much concerned, being afraid you -would walk right into a death trap. So he persuaded -me to come back and watch around -and see if we could be of some assistance if -you got into trouble.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, we got back, which was only a short -distance, and what do you think we discovered? -You could never guess, unless you have -found it out for yourself. I won’t keep you -guessing for this is no place for trifling. We -<span class='pageno' id='Page_133'>133</span>discovered that every last one of the guards -around this place is drunk.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil’s little gasp of astonishment was -enough to settle any doubt his friends may -have had as to his previous information on the -subject of the bibulous laxity of the guards.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I suppose they must ’ave found a French -wine cellar or something o’ the kind,” Tim -continued. “You saw this fellow rouse up and -topple over just before we jumped on him, I -presume. Well, he was as drunk as a lord, -and we gave him a choking that will keep him -asleep until a Chicago police pulmotor arrives -to pump oxygen into his lungs.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Why Chicago and not Philadelphia?” inquired -Phil who hailed originally from the latter -metropolis.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Because Chicago is the ‘Windy City,’ and -we shut off this fellow’s wind, which was not -an act of brotherly love,—Philadelphia,—if -you please.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Very good,” returned Phil quietly. “But -we’ve expended enough wind over this subject -already and had better get busy. I had some -lively experience also since I left you, but my -story will hold for future telling. What shall -we do now?—go around and tap the other -guards on the head or shut off their wind?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, I don’t think we’ll have to do much -<span class='pageno' id='Page_134'>134</span>more than disarm them and keep them quiet -until we liberate the prisoners,” Evans answered. -“We have two guns now—took one -from this fellow. I don’t think we’ll have -much trouble with them.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Evans held forward the weapon referred to -as he spoke.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I have a pistol, too, that belonged to the -guard who fell into our tunnel,” Phil remarked -by way of reminder.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s so,” said Evans. “I forgot about -that. We’re well armed. Come on, and we’ll -have our game all bagged before the Crown -Prince can say papa twice.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_135'>135</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVI<br /> <span class='large'>TURNING THE TABLES</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Evans and Turner, who were making a -circumambulating inspection of the -prison quarters while Phil engaged in desperate -combat with a boche soldier in a dark -pocket of the earth, led the way to another -sentry post on the east side of the large building -and there found a second guard decidedly -under the influence of liquor. He -was seated on a low concrete fence that -marked the dividing line between yard -and the cul-de-sac, or little used stub of a -street, that ran up to the edge of the thicket -which covered the hill adjoining the big sandpit.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The guard was no longer a guard. His gun -was lying on the ground and his head hung -almost between his knees. He was snoring.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No need o’ disturbing him,” said Evans, -as he picked up the rifle and handed it to Phil. -“He’s dreamin’ about the iron cross the kaiser’s -about to bestow on him for faithful -service.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>They passed on to the next post, but there -found a more lively minion of the Prussian -<span class='pageno' id='Page_136'>136</span>War Lord. He was evidently “under the influence,” -but not so much so that he was unable -to spring to his feet in alarm as he heard footsteps -near him. The next instant he was looking -into the muzzles of three rifles and three -very determined faces which must have resembled, -in his startled imagination, the weapons -and merciless countenances of a trio of highwaymen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You keep him right where he is,” said -Evans, addressing Tim, while the latter took -charge of the fellow’s gun and cartridge belt.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tim did as directed and his companions continued -their rounds. They found one more -guard dead drunk and still another in a condition -similar to that of Tim’s prisoner. They -took possession of their guns and then returned -with another staggering prisoner to -the place where the young corporal stood -guard over Semi-Drunk Number 1. The two -captives were also relieved of their cartridge -belts.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now where are the rest of the guards?” -Phil inquired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“They’re lodged snugly in that hotel down -on the corner a block over there,” replied Tim, -indicating the direction with his hand. “And -they’ve got some comfortable quarters, too, -believe me. That hotel was hardly scratched -<span class='pageno' id='Page_137'>137</span>when the bodies drove through this place. -Everything was left, apparently, in the best of -order by the fleeing French, and our prison -guards are living like kings there. They’ve -found a big store of wine in the basement and -tapped several casks.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What’s their condition now?” asked Phil.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“About the same as these fellows out here. -Tim and I looked in through a window and -saw them.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Where are their guns?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Standing up in a corner right near the -door,” said Tim. “We can open the door, -seize the weapons and have ’em at our mercy.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How about the other prisoners?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“They’re all in this building, according to -my notion,” said Evans. “My guess is that -they planned to put us all in there, but it got -too full, and, our bunch being the overflow, -they put us in the first place available.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let’s go and get several of those fellows -to help us,” Phil proposed. “We may not -need them, but it isn’t going to do any harm -to play safe. You boys wait here while I go -and announce what we’ve done and bring some -‘moral reinforcements.’”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Go ahead,” Evans assented. “Bring ’em -all, if you want to. The more that come, the -greater will be the moral effect, even if they -<span class='pageno' id='Page_138'>138</span>haven’t any guns. But tell ’em to be mighty -quiet.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil hastened to the entrance of the building, -which opened onto a small pillared portico -at the head of half a dozen steps. There was -a stout bar across the door holding it firmly -in place, and this he lifted away and found -that there was no further obstacle to his entering.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was so dark inside that he could not, at -first, see his hand before him. So he closed -the door and called out:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hello.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>A few moments’ silence followed this greeting; -then an echoing response came from a -point several feet away:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Hello.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ve made prisoners of all the guards -around this building and the others are all -dead drunk waiting for us to walk in and take -their guns,” Phil announced. “There’s a plot -on foot to wipe us all out tomorrow by dropping -bombs on us from an aeroplane. Some -of us overheard the plot. Three of us have -handled the job thus far, but we want to play -safe. So if a dozen of you fellows will come -along we’ll soon make it impossible for those -villains to carry out their dastardly plot.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>As this speech was delivered in English, it -<span class='pageno' id='Page_139'>139</span>was not understood by the French prisoners, -and only Americans responded to the call. -But before they filed out through the entrance, -Phil addressed to the other Americans a -request that they remain quietly in the building -until notified that the coast was clear, and -delegated to several of his compatriots who -could speak French the task of explaining the -situation to their companion poilus in prison.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Outside, three men were left in charge of -the two boche prisoners who had not yielded -quite all their senses to intoxication. Then -the rest of the party proceeded to the inn -where the “bunch of off-duty convivials” -seemed to have transferred their interest in -the outcome of the war into several casks of -“concentrated thirst.” They were lying in all -attitudes and aspects of alcoholic abandon. -Evidently the last man who had taken a drink -was so lost to everything but his last swallow -that, after filling the tin cup which all appeared -to have used for tipping the fiery liquid -into their stomachs, left the cock open and -the rest of the liquid in the cask ran out over -the floor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the soldiers’ guns had been secured -and passed around among the men, Evans, who -was possessed of a rather ghastly sense of -humor, remarked:</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_140'>140</span>“Fellows, I’ve got a scheme for putting -these beastly boches into a state of mind and -body that will render them harmless so far -as we are concerned for a day of two. They’ve -drunk all they can pour into themselves; I -propose to finish the job by waking them up -and filling them full to the guards.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But we won’t have time for that,” Phil -objected. “We ought to be getting away from -here as quickly as possible. It’ll be daylight -before very long.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ll settle that question in a jiffy,” said -Evans, lifting a wristwatch of one of the -drunken soldiers toward the candle light nearest -him. Two of half a dozen candles, which -had lighted the latter portion of the thirst orgies, -were still burning when the escaping -Yanks entered the place.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It’s only two-fifteen,” Evans continued. -“We’ve got time enough at least to make sure -that these besotted fools have done a good job -of this thing. I insist that we make of this -affair the best argument for prohibition in -the world. You know prohibition is about the -biggest war issue at home today. Why, do -you know, when they get wind of this story at -home, there’ll be a constant demand for us as -Chautauqua speakers until the demon Rum -has been put where we’re going to put the kaiser.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_141'>141</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVII<br /> <span class='large'>FOOD FOR PROHIBITION</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Such an argument as this could hardly be -controverted and Evans had his way. This -mischievous Marine of vengeful imagination -opened another cask of wine, which stood -ready to be tapped, and “treated” those who -had less than their capacity to the “amount -they had cheated themselves out of.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The boches who had “stood” guard outside -were all carried or conducted in and given the -“third degree test.” At this Evans proved -himself a master. If there was any “wake” -in them, he discovered it. He behaved like a -sailor on a lark in a nest of cornered and cowed -pirates, and most of the other fellows caught -the spirit and took a hand in the sport. By -the time the job was finished most of the cask -just tapped had been poured down the throats -of six or eight rousable “soaks” and they -rolled over actually “running over at the -brim.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now come on, fellows,” said Evans enthusiastically. -“We’ve done our deed well. -We’re off now for home, after a little more -fighting, and the Chautauqua platform. But -<span class='pageno' id='Page_142'>142</span>I want the testimony of every one of you -that not one of us drunk a drop. Am I -right?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Right,” was the chorused response.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was no need of further delay. The -boys had taken possession of twenty Mauser -rifles, a dozen pistols, and a good supply of -cartridges for all these weapons. If they had -felt it would be of any advantage to them to -do so, they would have stripped the drunken -guards of their uniforms and passed them -around among themselves. But these, it was -decided, were hardly likely to be of service to -them, inasmuch as they could not pass for -Prussian soldiers unless they separated from -the other Americans and French who were unable -to obtain uniforms. Phil was the first -one to advance this idea, at the same time doffing -the suit that he had stripped from the -guard with whom he fought a deadly combat -and expressing the opinion that the entire body -of escaping prisoners ought to “stick together -for common protection.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We have guns and pistols now for more -than thirty of us, and a good supply of ammunition,” -he said. “It wouldn’t be fair for -those of us who are armed to leave those who -are unarmed.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You wouldn’t have us fight the whole German -<span class='pageno' id='Page_143'>143</span>army in the rear, would you?” one of -the Marines inquired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We sha’n’t have to,” Phil replied. “In the -first place, they’ll never suspect that so many -of us are armed. The main command of the -German forces will have a hard time getting -a clear statement of our escape from these -drunken guards. They’re not going to admit -that they were drunk and they’ll dodge as long -as possible every question that will tend to -show they were under the influence of liquor. -Meanwhile we’ll keep away from the main -traveled highways over which the enemy truck -lines run between the armies and the supply -stations. Evidently they haven’t been able -to repair the French railroads as fast as they -advanced. In a few days they probably will -have them in running order and that will make -conditions better for us, for the better rail -service they have, the less they’ll have to use -the highways, and the freer the roads’ll be -for us. To tell you the truth, everything is -remarkably in our favor, and all we have to -do is keep out of sight in the daytime and—and—work -out our own salvation at night.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And forage for something to eat,” Tim -added, slapping his middle significantly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Oh, yes, that reminds me,” Phil said -quickly. “While one of us goes and invites -<span class='pageno' id='Page_144'>144</span>our comrades in yonder prison to join us, the -rest of us will load ourselves with provender -from the truck where Tim cooked stew for -us yesterday.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s just what I was goin’ to suggest,” -the bullet-headed corporal put in.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“All right,” Sergeant Speed continued, in -a well satisfied tone of voice. “You go ahead -and engineer that business and I’ll bring out -the other prisoners.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_145'>145</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXVIII<br /> <span class='large'>THE PRISONERS FLEE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>The mess truck had been driven into the -court of the hotel, and the escaping prisoners -soon relieved it of its burden of food, -principally hard-baked or canned. This was -distributed as equally as possible among them -all, and then the departure from the town was -begun.</p> - -<p class='c010'>They were only a short distance from a main -highway over which the noises of heavy and -rapid traffic could be heard constantly. So -their chief caution was to avoid attracting attention -to their unusual proceedings from the -soldiers and truckmen moving along this route.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was quickly decided by the leaders of the -escaping prisoners that they had better make -their departure by way of the path that led -down the hill near the sandpit, as it was well -shielded for a quarter of a mile or more with -small trees and bushes from the top of the -hill down into a sort of ravine through which -ran a small stream of water. Moreover, all -admitted without debate that it was far more -important for them to find a good place of concealment -<span class='pageno' id='Page_146'>146</span>than to travel any considerable distance -toward the lines of battle before daylight.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil, Evans, Tim, and one or two others who -had exhibited leadership qualifications walked -ahead of the column of Americans and Frenchmen -and held an almost incessant discussion -of plans as they proceeded. The more important -of their conclusions were passed back -among their comrades in the rear to keep them -informed and reassured that the leaders were -conducting the escape intelligently. One line -of suggestions offered by Phil and accepted -by all with hopeful enthusiasm was as follows:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We ought to work our way as close as we -can to the rear line of the boches with safety, -moving forward at night and hiding in the daytime, -and wait for the time when the big drive -of the Allies pushes the enemy back. After -they have been pushed back beyond our hiding -place, we can come out and rejoin our comrades -and take a hand in the fight. I figure -that it’ll be principally open fighting with lots -of rifle and machine-gun action. The boches -won’t be strongly intrenched, and if the Allies -come back at ’em as strong as I believe they -will, their heavy guns won’t have much to do; -and if we find good hiding places, we ought to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_147'>147</span>be comparatively safe. There’ll be a lot o’ -bombs dropped from the air, but our chances -of keeping out of their way will be much -better than our chances would be in the -midst of a heavy bombardment from big -guns.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The enemy’s advance over these grounds -has been very rapid and no doubt they have -done little cleaning up after them. If we go -along carefully, we ought to pick up enough -guns and ammunition to arm every last one -of us, and if we get in close quarters some time -we’ll be able to give a good account of ourselves. -There’s little danger of our meeting a -very large body of the enemy miles behind -their lines if we keep clear of their routes of -communication.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What’s your idea of a good hiding place -for us?” asked Tim.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“A deserted village like the one we’ve just -left,” Phil replied. “Second-best place perhaps -would be a group of farm houses.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How about food if the Allied drive holds -off several weeks?” was Tim’s next question.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’s a matter we’ve got to look out for -without delay. It’ll probably be hard picking, -but if everybody keeps his eyes open. All the -gardens and fields no doubt have been pretty -thoroughly devastated, and yet there’s always -<span class='pageno' id='Page_148'>148</span>bound to be some pickin’s left here and there. -We may find a few chickens, if we watch carefully, -but we’ll have to knock ’em over with -clubs—no shooting, you know.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>These suggestions rendered Phil more popular -than ever among the escaping American -and French prisoners, so that by the time all -had discussed them fully he was tacitly voted -leader of the fugitive expedition. From that -time on all looked to him for advice whenever -any problem of common interest came up for -solution.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The route taken was considerably of a -“cross-country” character. They avoided -highways that appeared to have been much frequented, -for fear lest at any moment they run -into an enemy patrol or expedition of some -sort that would demand an explanation of their -wanderings. So across fields and meadows and -lowlands overgrown with weeds and bushes -they went, until finally Phil called a halt near -a group of farmhouses and said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It must be almost daybreak. Here are two -or three houses and barns that ought to conceal -us very well until the sun goes down again. -Let’s investigate, and if there’s nobody on the -premises we’ll file in and take charge.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Several scouts were sent ahead to ascertain, -if possible, whether the buildings were deserted. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_149'>149</span>In a short time they reported that they -were unable to find evidence of anybody in possession, -and the little army of prisoners-at-large -behind the enemy lines filed in and took -refuge for a day’s hiding.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_150'>150</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXIX<br /> <span class='large'>IN HIDING</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>The first day of freedom for the escaped -prisoners of war in the land of their captivity -was spent midway between two lines of -communication that ran from the boche armies -back to their bases of supply. One of these -routes lay about a mile to the north and the -other about a mile to the south of the group of -farm houses in which the fugitive Americans -and French were concealed. At points in both -of these routes they could see numerous motor -vehicles rushing in both directions, probably -bearing wounded and reserves as well as supplies. -A little nearer to the north also could be -seen crews of men at work repairing a railroad -bed and tracks that undoubtedly had been -blown up by the French in their retreat.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was agreed that the men should move -about very little in their quarters during the -day. Lookouts were stationed at certain windows -and doors of the farm buildings, although -these positions were camouflaged as much as -possible with articles of furniture, farm implements, -straw, et cetera, to prevent any chance -<span class='pageno' id='Page_151'>151</span>betrayal of the hiding place of the escaped prisoners.</p> - -<p class='c010'>These lookouts also inspected as best they -could the harvest possibilities of the agricultural -vicinity, and it was estimated that even in -the dark a considerable supply of vegetables -and nearly ripened apples could be gathered. -In a bin in one of the barns was discovered several -bushels of year-old barley.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the course of the day, between sleeps, Phil, -Tim and Evans, from the loftiest viewpoint -attainable in the cupola of one of the barns, -made a studied survey of the country to the -west. They found that they had approached to -within a mile and a half of a small village -directly in their course of advance, and that -perhaps not more than two miles beyond this -were the (probable) ruins of another French -town. Phil had not been in France long before -he observed that the municipalities, large and -small, are situated much more closely together -than are the cities and towns of even the most -thickly populated portions of America.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil and Tim also had opportunity during -this day to recount in detail their experiences -to each other since their separation in Belleau -Woods. Phil also questioned his friend regarding -the wound that had rendered him unconscious -for fifteen or twenty minutes on the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_152'>152</span>scene of the novel battle in the ravine. In reply, -Tim pulled off his overseas cap and disclosed -a small crudely-made plaster-bandage, -that was held in place by the cap.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It wasn’t a bad wound,” he explained; “but -it might easily have fractured my skull. The -bullet hit the side of my head a good hard rap, -but glanced and cut a furrow in my scalp.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I came to just as that funny looking bunch -o’ boches were leading you off through the timber. -The sight o’ that put a thrill of life into -me and I staggered to my feet and started after -you. The boches had left my gun lying on the -ground, thinking, I suppose, that I was dead -and would be unable to use it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I was just waiting until I could get control -of myself before I opened fire on those pesky -Huns. If I’d not felt quite so shaky on my -pins I’d ’a’ blazed away as soon as I waked up, -for I figured the firing would attract friends -our way. But I guess that fellow that jumped -onto your back was the smartest one in their -crowd, for he must ’a’ figured we were likely to -have comrades in the neighborhood and been on -the lookout for ’em. Anyway, before long he -played the same game on me that he played on -you, sneaking around and jumpin’ on me from -behind.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, they took me along with you only a -<span class='pageno' id='Page_153'>153</span>short distance behind, and you never knew I -was trailing along. I walked back behind with -a couple of boches and jollied them along the -best I could. I guess I succeeded pretty well, -judging from results.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It seems that this squad were part of a -regular crew that made trips with prisoners -back behind the lines and took part in the fighting -while waiting for a bunch of prisoners -large enough for a trip. At least, that’s what -I gathered from their conversation. You know -I learned to talk German pretty well while living -with a German family in Pennsylvania, -and I made good use of it with these fellows. -Camouflaging my boasts with all the modesty I -could put into words, I told ’em all about my -accomplishments. I guess I hit ’em about right -when I told ’em I could cook as well as any -Pennsylvania-Dutch grandmother, and they -set me to work on a mess truck right away. -That’s why you didn’t see me during the trip, -Phil. But I picked you out in the line.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t admire your cooking very much,” -his friend commented with a smile. “Is that -what you call Pennsylvania-Dutch cooking?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Tim grinned ruefully.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“’Tisn’t my fault,” he said. “Those parsimonious -Prussians stood over me and told me -how much oil I could burn to warm a barrel o’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_154'>154</span>stew. And if the first match didn’t light the -burner, you folks ’u’d have to eat your meal -cold, they said. Oh, they’ve got everything -down to an efficiency and conservation basis -for winning the war, they have.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How did you get away from them?” Phil -asked.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Just walked away,” Tim replied in a matter-of-fact -manner. “It was really funny. I -guess they were all interested in that wine cellar -that one o’ them discovered, but I didn’t -know it at the time. Anyway, they seemed to -lose all interest in me, and several times I found -myself all alone. I was so astonished that I -didn’t have sense to cut stick until I concluded -that I was an everlasting fool if I didn’t, and -I don’t believe they know I’m gone yet.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“They’ll know about the time they’ve -sobered up,” Phil returned with a prophetic -grin. “And by the time the whole truth of -developments dawns on them, there’ll be something -doing, believe me.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_155'>155</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXX<br /> <span class='large'>AN AUDACIOUS SCHEME</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>As soon as the dusk of evening was sufficient -to obscure objects of any considerable -size at a distance of a hundred yards, -several scouting and foraging parties were sent -out with instructions to report back in about -two hours. The foraging parties were directed -to gather in whatever vegetables and fruit they -were able to discover in the darkness, and the -scouts were instructed to travel due west for -several miles and determine if the way were -clear for a general advance toward the battle -area.</p> - -<p class='c010'>In the course of the day, Phil, Evans, Tim -and several other leading spirits had held half -a dozen conferences and discussed plans for the -following night. It was during these conferences -that the scouting and foraging plans had -been outlined. A bird-call code was also agreed -upon and practiced in the course of the day for -the purpose of enabling the scouts and foragers -to locate one another or their hide-out in case -any of them should lose his way.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The latter precaution proved to be of considerable -service, as did also a check-up system -<span class='pageno' id='Page_156'>156</span>adopted to determine when all who were sent -out on their several missions had reported back. -By about ten o’clock (estimated), therefore, -the checking proved all to have returned with -a gratifying supply of raw food, including apples, -vegetables, half a dozen chickens and a -young pig. The fowl had been captured alive, -and it was decided to carry these to their next -stopping place, but the pig, which one of the -men had slain with a heavy club without the -provocation of a squeal, had to be left behind.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The scouts brought back information to the -effect that there was a clear field between them -and the next town, and that a careful inspection -failed to disclose a sign of an occupant in the -place. So far as they were able to determine, -the village was abandoned by both inhabitants -and invaders.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Accordingly a silent, ghost-like march was -made to this place. On the way they passed a -score or more of bodies of dead soldiers and a -like number of guns were found lying near -them. Most of these were boches, as was later -discovered by examination of their rifles and -cartridge belts by the Americans and French -who took possession of them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The advance over this ground was so rapid -that they didn’t have time even to pick up the -arms of their own dead,” Tim observed to Phil.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_157'>157</span>“So much the better for us,” the latter replied. -“And I’ve a suspicion that it will work -to the benefit of the Allies in more ways than -one. This is a drive of desperation, or I miss -my guess, and the boches are going to find themselves -in a trap. They can’t possibly have -enough reserves to maintain such an advance -as this. I bet you’ll find in the end that Marshal -Foch is just leading them on.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I wish he’d have General Pershing throw -in some of his troops at this point,” said Tim -eagerly. “They’d drive these fellows back, and -we could jump in and have some real fun as -the Gray Coats came running past us.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I can hardly hope that things will turn out -just the way our dreams picture them,” said -Phil dubiously. “But it surely would be great -if we could put over such a stunt as that. Anyway, -when we pick our last hiding place we’ll -pick it with that in view.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We don’t want to advance too close to the -enemy’s lines,” Tim argued; “because they -may take a notion to back up a little and establish -some kind of headquarters right where we -are stationed.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, that’s another thing we want to keep -in mind. And we must also try to pick buildings -that are not likely to interest them for any -purpose.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_158'>158</span>These suggestions were communicated to the -other escaped prisoners and were received with -such favor that they were observed carefully in -the selection of quarters not only for the following -day, but for all the succeeding days that -they remained in hiding behind the enemy’s -lines. And these succeeding days were more -than they at first reckoned on. They had no -way of knowing that the Marines had saved the -day at Chateau Thierry as well as at Belleau -Wood, but there was not an American in this -company of escaped prisoners who did not -firmly believe that the advance of the enemy -was cut short the instant the Yanks got into -the front line.</p> - -<p class='c010'>And so as they advanced day by day, or night -by night, nearer to the enemy’s lines, sometimes -a mile, sometimes two or three miles, sometimes -half a mile, they expected at any moment -to discover evidence of a rapid boche retreat. -However, more than five weeks elapsed before -the hoped-for evidence of Allied victory appeared; -after which events moved so rapidly -that Phil felt like comparing his existence to -life on the tail of a comet flying through space.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_159'>159</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXI<br /> <span class='large'>PHIL’S STRATEGY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Again we find Phil and Tim within easy -gun-roar of the battle line. But this time -they are on the “other side of No Man’s Land.” -And the roar is becoming louder and louder. -Early one morning it burst forth with great -volume. The hiding refugees had not realized -they were so near the fighting front until this -noisy evidence of proximity burst upon them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There had been comparative quiet for several -weeks. The boches had made their grand -effort to break through the French line in the -vicinity of Chateau Thierry. At this place it -had seemed as if they were about to effect their -purpose until two divisions of American -Marines were brought up to relieve the French. -Then the enemy was forced to a standstill, beyond -which he was unable thereafter to advance -a foot.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Of all this the fugitives knew nothing, and -their knowledge of succeeding developments -was quite as limited, save for the indications of -sound or silence from the battle area. When -finally the unmistakable evidence of another -big battle reached their ears, they were quartered -<span class='pageno' id='Page_160'>160</span>in several buildings in the business section -of a town a few miles from the boche rear -lines. They had selected these buildings with a -view to their special serviceability because of -facilities for concealment, intercommunication -and defense or escape in case of attack.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was no need of a crier to announce the -long awaited event when finally it came. Everybody -was on the alert almost in an instant. All -day the roar of battle continued without abatement, -but the hidden fugitives had no way to -determine how it was going. At dusk several -scouts were sent on ahead to reconnoiter, but -they were unable to obtain any information of -definite character except that, it appeared, the -enemy had launched a new drive against the -Allies in the “great bend.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The battle continued with unabating fury -the next day and the next and the next. Finally -two French soldiers, who said they were well -acquainted with the vicinity and who spoke -German fluently, donned enemy uniforms that -they had taken from the bodies of slain boches, -and set out under cover of the darkness to learn -what was the situation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The battle of Chateau Thierry is being -fought and it is being won by American -Marines,” they reported on their return after -several hours’ absence.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_161'>161</span>“Marines!” was the exclamation uttered by -every American that received this message. -They had not known that two divisions of fellow -Sea Soldiers had stopped the enemy advance -on Paris at this point more than a month -before and, backed up with reinforcements, -were now given the task of driving back the -enemy in a sector where other veteran allied -troops had failed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>For several days more they continued in hiding -and fared pretty well meanwhile, all things -considered. They managed to gather food -enough, such as it was, to keep soul and body -together without any “internal quarrel,” and -they also gathered in a good supply of arms -from the strewn battlefields of the vicinity; so -that, emboldened by numbers and reports of -successes of their friends on the other side of -No Man’s Land, they felt like attacking a whole -boche army in the rear.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then at last came the announcement from -scouts that the enemy was being driven back, -slowly, it is true, but surely, and after this information -reached them, it was not long before -visual evidence of the retreat loomed before -them over the western horizon.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This was followed by a tense waiting of several -hours; then the boche soldiers began to -pour into the ruined town.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_162'>162</span>“They’ll make a stand here, no doubt,” Phil -remarked to several of his comrades; “and that -means we’ll have to begin to get busy before -very long. The Allies no doubt will train their -heavy guns on this place, and we’ll get our -share of the shelling. What we want to do is -to spring a surprise on the enemy that will -create consternation among them and make -them think an attacking army has dropped out -of the clouds on top of them.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was ticklish business, this waiting for the -psychological moment which might be wiped -out of future possibility almost any instant by -the dropping of a few bombs that would heap -masses of debris on top of them and convert -their refuge into a tomb. Then suddenly Phil -hit on a scheme that probably proved their salvation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The two French scouts who had brought back -information regarding the success of the -Americans at Chateau Thierry were sent out -again after they had volunteered for this second -service planned by Sergeant Speed. How -they accomplished their mission is subject -almost for another book, for theirs was clever -work, indeed. But they were aided materially -by the confusion of the boches resulting from -their recent defeat and the necessity for quick -preparations for a new defense.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_163'>163</span>These two Frenchmen, Rene La Ferre and -Pierre Balsot, made their way in Prussian uniforms -through the newly forming enemy front -and offered themselves as prisoners to a squad -of Yanks who had just raided a machine-gun -nest and were about to return to their own lines. -They were hurried to headquarters, where they -told their story. Their description of the location -of the hiding place of the fugitive was so -accurate that the American artillery was able -to blow up the rest of the town without materially -damaging the refuge of the 240 United -States Marines and Frenchmen.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Still there remained a considerable force of -the enemy machine gunners, riflemen and bomb -throwers behind breastworks afforded by the -ruins, and it was decided to dislodge these with -a move planned by Phil and his comrades and -communicated to the American command -through the two French messengers.</p> - -<p class='c010'>After the village had been thoroughly -wrecked by the artillery, the bombardment -ceased and a charge on the town was made by -hundreds of Marines, who ran forward in extended -order to minimize the deadly effects of -the sweeping machine-gun fire of the enemy. -This was a signal for the escaped prisoners to -dash forth from their places of concealment.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_164'>164</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXII<br /> <span class='large'>MR. BOA AGAIN</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>It was one of the most rapid motion-picture -affairs ever staged in real or cinematic life. -What film enthusiast would not have given -every other opportunity he might hope for in -after years for this one?</p> - -<p class='c010'>The Yanks and the poilus poured out of those -buildings like an army—at least so it must have -seemed to their astonished foes. All of them -were armed with rifles, most of which had been -picked up on the battlefield, and were well -drilled and officered, for Phil had looked after -this important factor while they were in hiding.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Far more rapidly than the narrative can be -told, they charged in squads, routing out -stronghold after stronghold, gun nest after gun -nest. The boches did not know what to make -of it, and their panic grew like a prairie fire. -They had no way to tell how many they had to -face or from what source they had sprung. The -situation was almost ghostly in its aspect of -mystery. Consternation presently seized the -entire enemy force in this section and the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_165'>165</span>helter-skelter race that followed in a mad effort -to escape from something like a phantom foe -sprung suddenly out of the ground was laughable -in spite of the carnage with which it was -associated.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Near the end of the fight Phil found himself -face to face with a ponderous antagonist whom -he was not slow to recognize. He cornered the -fellow in a street from which exit was blocked, -or greatly impeded, by heaps of debris. Mr. -Boche then turned, at bay, with clubbed gun, -missed his swing, the weapon flew out of his -hands and Phil had the late commander of the -“underwear squad” of Belleau Wood at his -mercy. It was “Mr. Boaconstrictor” of the -large girth, “Count Topoff,” the so-called -“general in disguise,” who wore the insignia -of a Prussian second lieutenant.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You’d better surrender,” Phil advised -with a grim grin. “My bayonet maybe -wouldn’t reach clear through you, and your -royal family would be forever disgraced.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Undoubtedly Phil would have succeeded in -making a prisoner of his antagonist if one of -those fortunes, or misfortunes, of war that -always are beyond the control of even the most -heroic had not intervened. A pillar-like remnant -of a brick wall about fifteen feet away, -probably shaken by some flying missile of the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_166'>166</span>fight, toppled over, and a shower of masonry -struck Phil on the head.</p> - -<p class='c010'>If it had not been for the helmet he had -picked up several days before and preserved -for such an occasion as this, he probably would -have been seriously, if not fatally, injured. -But in spite of the protection, the shock was -sufficient to knock him over. Still he was not -utterly incapacitated for further action, and -he staggered to his feet, gripping his gun and -attempting to recover his battling equilibrium.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But he was dazed, and his every effort was -a wavering struggle. He saw his recent antagonist -bearing down upon him and tried his -best to steel himself for the meeting, but -although armed and his assailant unarmed, -his chances were hopeless. He was like a -drunken man attempting to stab a piece of -cheese with a table-fork.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Mr. Boa,” the titled boche, brushed the -bayonet aside like a reed in his path and -gripped the boy’s left arm with his powerful -right hand. In spite of his odd proportions, -the fellow evidently had his share of physical -strength. Phil tried to twist himself loose, -but his efforts were of no avail. He must -recover from the effects of the shock of the -fallen masonry before he could hope to resist -an assailant of half his ordinary strength.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_167'>167</span>“Count Topoff” held the boy with one hand, -and with the other wrenched away his gun. -This was rendered the more easy of performance -by a feeling of nausea that seized Phil -and took away most of his remaining strength.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Methinks that we have met before this -time.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>If Phil had not been in his present condition -of physical weakness, undoubtedly he would -have observed with interest this evidence of -a knowledge of English on the part of his -captor. But it did occur to him with a sort of -hazy giddiness that undoubtedly the fellow -had understood his comment on the insufficient -length of a bayonet to reach through the -diameter of his girth. He was in just the condition -of mind on the moment to face death -with a sense of sickly humor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I suppose he’ll be taking a short cut -measurement of my girth with a bayonet pretty -soon if I don’t come to pretty quick,” was one -of the ideas that whirled through the boy’s -mind like a buzz-saw. “But he’s disposed to -play with me a little, I take it from the kind -of English he uses. Or is it because he got his -knowledge of English by the study of stilted -poetry at Heidelberg?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You played a nice trick on me and some -of my comrades at Belleau Wood, didn’t you?” -<span class='pageno' id='Page_168'>168</span>the boche of odd proportions continued. “Now -what do you think I ought to do with you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You ought to be very careful what you do,” -Phil replied with a fair degree of energy, for -the nausea was leaving him, although a severe -headache was setting in. “Remember that -you are surrounded now by my friends and if -you take advantage of your temporary power -over me, they’ll see to it that I’m fully -avenged.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Oh, that isn’t bothering me,” returned -“Count Topoff” with a wave of disgust. -“What I’m thinking about is this: I can kill -you very easily right now with your own -bayonet. But suppose I spare your life—will -you help me to escape?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How can I help you escape?” Phil inquired -wonderingly. “I wouldn’t have charge of you -as a prisoner. I don’t want to promise to help -you, and then fall down on my promise.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Oh, I’ll figure out a way, never fear,” was -the “count’s” answer. “All I want is your -promise—but, hello, maybe I won’t need your -help if I can hail this passing ship. Come on, -I’m going to kidnap you on a tank.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Before this speech was finished, Phil had -observed the source of his captor’s new interest. -It was indeed a tank, a very large one, -of a design known to be peculiar to boche construction. -<span class='pageno' id='Page_169'>169</span>It came crunching, rattle-blasting, -“caterpillaring” along right toward them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Topoff led his prisoner directly in front of -the huge engine of war and stood there waving -one hand as if signaling it to stop. Phil -hardly expected the hail to receive any response, -even though it came from a “kamerad” -who was easily recognized by his uniform, but -it did. The tank stopped within a few feet of -them, a side door was thrown open and a -man called out something in German to Phil’s -captor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The prisoner did not understand what was -said, but it was evident that the man in the -tank recognized Topoff. Presently the latter -said to his prisoner:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Go in there, quick, or I’ll run this bayonet -through you. Hurry up now; I won’t stand -any fooling. My opportunity to escape and -take you along has arrived. Get in quick.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil obeyed and the ponderous boche followed -into the ponderous machine. A moment -or two later the tank was in motion again.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_170'>170</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXIII<br /> <span class='large'>TANKS AND “WATER CURE”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Phil had never before seen the inside of -a tank, and in spite of the uncomfortable -situation in which he now found himself, his -first impulse was to look about him and see -what sort of affair a “land battleship” might -be.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But he was not given much opportunity for -an undisturbed inspection of the interior of -the huge war engine at this time. Almost -immediately after the metal door was closed, -events began to take place with much greater -volume and intensity than at any time during -the machine guns and infantry battle amid the -ruins of the town. Apparently, this tank had -just arrived on the scene of the fight and, -finding the battle going hopelessly against the -boches, turned and fled. But the reason for -the flight did not spring from any menace of -infantry or machine guns. The big war engine -might have cleaned up a whole army of -such comparative pygmies and toys. It was -the advance of half a dozen British tanks into -the fight that caused the crew of the “land -<span class='pageno' id='Page_171'>171</span>battleship” to see the unwisdom of tarrying -on the field of the already lost battle and to -turn about and seek safety in flight.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was unable to see much outside. All -the portholes were occupied by members of the -crew who manned the guns or handled the -driving and steering apparatus. Now and -then he was able to get a narrow peek through -one of these ports, but with little satisfaction. -The evidence of the new turn of events since -his capture came to his ears from without and -to his eyes within the car.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The firing of what seemed to be a battery of -heavy guns apprised him of the approach of -a “fleet” of British tanks. The din of the -firing of the guns of the huge war engine in -which he was imprisoned and of the attacking -tanks was terrific. It seemed as if some of the -shells that struck the armor plate of the fleeing -machine must surely pierce it through and -explode inside the car.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Up and down over the heaps of debris went -the big “land ship,” and after it came the -pursuing “caterpillar batteries.” Phil -watched the contest with every sense of perception -on the alert. The inside of the boche -tank was illuminated principally with electric -bulbs, for little light came in through the portholes. -Five men, a driver, a mechanician, and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_172'>172</span>three gunners, constituted the crew. The -driver sat on a low cushioned seat in the forward -part of the car. About him, and within -easy reach, were the controlling apparatus, -directing lever, clutch and brake pedals, -gear lever and steering clutch. Behind him -was the starting crank, and behind this -were the radiator, ventilator, fuel tank and -motor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Every member of the crew was desperately -busy with his own duties in connection with -the operation of the war engine and its battery. -The driver looked straight ahead as if he -hoped to pull the tank along at greater speed -by fastening his gaze on a distant object; the -gunners sat in their hammock-like seats that -swung easily back and forth and from side to -side to suit the will of the occupants as they -loaded and fired; and the mechanician was -busy most of the time with an oil can, the -nozzle of which he poked into more holes and -cups than a layman would have imagined to -exist in a machine several times the size of -this one.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil had no technical knowledge of artillery, -but he saw at once that the battery of this tank -was heavy and of very destructive character. -The three pieces sent forth their murderous -messages almost as rapidly, it seemed, as the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_173'>173</span>fire of a machine-gun. One of the gunners sat -up in a revolving turret, while the other two -were in swinging “half-turrets” at both sides.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Count Topoff” forced his prisoner into a -sitting position on what appeared to be a closed -tool-chest near the starting crank and then sat -down beside him. There they waited and -watched and listened, both strung to the -highest tension of eagerness, apprehension, -expectancy.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil, of course, longed for victory to crown -the efforts of the pursuing tanks, and yet he -had to admit to himself that probably his own -safety depended upon the escape of his captors. -Their defeat could be effected only by -crippling the caterpillar tread, or “chain-feet,” -or by exploding shells in the machinery. -The former was difficult to do because of the -peculiar construction of the treads with many -slanting surface-sections, and about the only -kind of shell that could be thrown into the -machinery was an explosive bullet about two -inches in diameter, specially made to pierce -armor plate.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil had no sure way of determining how -near the British tanks approached to the -fleeing boche engine, but he inferred from the -sound of their guns that it would require a -long and continued peppering away to put the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_174'>174</span>big enemy tank out of business. He suspected, -too, that this land-dreadnaught carried at -least one anti-tank rifle capable of firing high -power explosives through the armor of the -attacking “fleet.” He gathered this suspicion -from the one grim and gleeful remark that -“the count” screamed into his ear “between -shots”:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ve knocked two of them out already, -and we’ll fix all the rest the same way if they -don’t keep a slanting front to that gimlet-twist -up there.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil was unable to figure out how Topoff -could determine the number of British tanks -that had been put out of commission, if indeed -any had suffered such disaster, but he now -observed for the first time the smaller gun -alongside the heavy shell-piece in the revolving -turret. He also watched the gunner in the -turret more closely and before long he understood -clearly that the fellow was constantly on -the alert for an opening for an effective shot -with the smaller piece.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The battle continued thus for half an hour, -but the British tanks seemed to be unable to -stop the big boche battler. At last the firing -ceased.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What’s happened?” Phil ventured to inquire -of the boche of big circumference.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_175'>175</span>“It’s all over and we’ve won, as we always -will do,” was the latter’s answer. “It was a -stern chase for your British friends and we’ve -sunk half their fleet and peppered the sails of -the rest of them so full of holes that they won’t -hold a cupful of wind.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’ll admit you’ve got a good pair of sea -legs and ran a good race for a tank, but I’d -like to know how you can tell what your gunners -did without being able to see much farther -than the end of your nose,” Phil returned -skeptically.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ah,” said the other with an air of deep -mystery; “that remark demonstrates one of -the great failings of you Americans. You -can’t understand the superior intelligence of -the race you are foolishly trying to whip. But -you are going to wake up before long.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What is going to wake us up?” Phil inquired -curiously. His curiosity, however, was -directed more at the personal puzzle in “the -count” than the information “the count” -might be able to communicate.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Water,” replied the “war prophet.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil looked at his captor a little more keenly, -wondering if, after all, this supposed relative -of the kaiser were not a little off in his -“turret.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Maybe he thinks he has an anti-tank gun -<span class='pageno' id='Page_176'>176</span>in his head and has just fired an explosive -bullet into me,” the boy mused. “My! what -a wise squint he has in his eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How is water going to wake us up?” Phil -asked after a few moments’ silent contemplation -of the strange fellow on the box beside -him.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How?” repeated the latter, looking his -prisoner hard in the face. “Don’t you know -what’ll wake a sleeping man up quicker than -anything else?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No,” replied Phil calmly, but with a -well-mimicked open-mouthed ingenuousness. -“What will wake a sleeping man up quicker -than anything else?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Throw a pail of water on him,” said -Topoff.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well?” Phil queried with sustained simple-mindedness.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well!” roared “the count” with voluminous -contempt; “I believe you’re just fool -enough to think that’s the way we’re going to -wake you up.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Isn’t it?” Phil asked, provokingly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No!” the boche officer bellowed, and the -boy began to fear he had carried the matter -too far. Perhaps even now an attack of insane -violence could not be averted.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No,” repeated “the count,” his face becoming -<span class='pageno' id='Page_177'>177</span>flushed with, crimson hate; “we’re -going to push you all, Americans, English, -French, Belgians, into the Atlantic Ocean; -then you’ll wake up.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_178'>178</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXIV<br /> <span class='large'>FROM TANK TO LIMOUSINE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>The big tank was still laboring along with -the retreating boche army, although no -more shells were being hurled at her. The -defeat and rout effected by the dash and daring -of the “devil-hound” Marines had been complete -and this powerful “dreadnaught,” although -uninjured by the score or more of shells -that struck her, evidently was unfitted to fight -a finish fight with the “fleet of land cruisers” -of the enemy, in the opinion of her crew.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The engine made a good deal of noise as the -huge war machine “caterpillared” along, and -Phil and “the count” had to lift their voices -to high pitch in order to be understood during -their conversation. Although the battle had -resulted in disaster for the kaiser’s army, still -the “titled Topoff” appeared to gloat with -satisfaction over such phases of the engagement -as could be shown to have an element of -glory for the boches. He seemed to have no -eye, ear, taste, or smell of appreciation for -anything that suggested defeat for his soldier -comrades.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_179'>179</span>“He’s awfully conceited, but not such a fool -as I thought he was,” Phil mused during a -lapse of the conversation. “That was a fairly -clever joke he put over on me about the water cure, -but I don’t believe he saw the joke himself. -He seems to take himself seriously even -when he says something funny.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Fifteen or twenty minutes after the finish -of the battle, the tank came to a standstill, and -the door in the right side was opened. Topoff -then ordered his prisoner to get out and followed -close at his heels. Outside the tank, “the -count” seized the boy’s arm with one hand and -led him along—whither, Phil was curious to -know.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The defeated army had retreated to a new -line and dropped into a series of trenches -undoubtedly occupied by them, or the French, -during an earlier stage of the big boche offensive. -The most feverish activity marked the -scene, which extended north and south as far -as eye could see and east and west for a depth -of about half a mile. The country consisted -of a succession of rolling hills, but Phil was -able to command a good view of proceedings -from the eminence on which he stood. The -trenches had suffered considerably from shell -explosions and rainy weather since their last -condition of serviceability, and consequently -<span class='pageno' id='Page_180'>180</span>there was much to do now to get them back into -the most comfortable shape possible.</p> - -<p class='c010'>All this Phil gleaned with little more than -a sweep of the eye, for he was not left in -leisurely contemplation of the scene more than -a minute or two. He was suddenly aroused -from his spell of enchantment by a new order -from “Mr. Boaconstrictor.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Come on,” said the latter; “no time to -waste.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil accompanied his captor to the foot of -the hill behind the front line trench, and there -“the count” held a short consultation with a -superior officer. They conversed in German, -and the prisoner was unable to understand -much that they said. However, he did glean -this from several disgruntled remarks: that -very few prisoners had been taken in the -recent engagement, due, no doubt, to the -boches’ heavy defeat, and there seemed to be -no others in the vicinity to corral with Phil.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Am I the only prisoner in the hands of -these badly defeated boches in this sector?” -the boy mused. “I feel very much honored, -also considerably ashamed of myself. Well, -it’s some consolation to realize that I wouldn’t -be here if a side of a house hadn’t fallen on -top o’ me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>A peculiar circumstance in this interview -<span class='pageno' id='Page_181'>181</span>struck Phil so forcibly that the impression -remained with him almost constantly as long -as the mystery surrounding “Count Boaconstrictor -Topoff” was unexplained. This was -the manifest attention and deference shown -the oddly shaped lieutenant by the superior -officer, whose insignia indicated that he bore -the rank of major.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I can’t understand it,” Phil mused with a -puzzled confusion. “From the way everybody -bows and scrapes before him, one might think -he’s the kaiser himself. The officers all seem -to know him at sight, and if it weren’t contrary -to military form, I believe they’d bend before -him in the middle like jackknives. He must -be something more than a count. Maybe I -ought to feel honored at being his prisoner.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The interview developed remarkable characteristics -more and more as it progressed. -“The count” became more and more demonstrative -and finally was giving unmistakable -orders to the major, who apparently acquiesced -to everything the second lieutenant said. -Finally the subservient superior officer scribbled -a few words on a bit of paper and delivered -it to an orderly with instruction as to -what to do with it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The orderly jumped onto a motorcycle and -dashed away on his errand. Phil did not watch -<span class='pageno' id='Page_182'>182</span>him after his departure, as he would have done -if he had suspected that the note had any bearing -on what was to be done with him as a prisoner -of war. He was considerably surprised -when, a few minutes later, the messenger -returned, followed by an automobile driven by -a soldier in uniform. It was a large closed -limousine, hardly the kind one would expect -to see on a battlefield.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Pile in,” ordered Topoff, taking hold of -his prisoner’s arm and half dragging him -toward the machine.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil obeyed the order literally. He was so -astonished he could do nothing with any degree -of grace. He “piled into” the automobile and -stumbled and fell onto the rear seat. “Mr. -Boa” also squeezed into the car and sat down -beside the boy, taking up so much room that -he pushed the Yank against the upholstered -side hard enough to render breathing difficult. -Then he gave an order through a speaking tube -to the driver, and they were whirled away to -the rear of the Prussian lines.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_183'>183</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXV<br /> <span class='large'>IN A TIGHT PLACE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“Well, if this doesn’t beat any adventure -ever had outside the Arabian Nights, -I’ll eat a Zeppelin alive,” Phil mused with all -the pep of an ejaculation. “If somebody -doesn’t clear up the mystery of this amorphous -monster of a man pretty soon, I’ll bu’st.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>It surely was a confusing situation, with a -puzzling personality to add to the bewilderment. -Phil would gladly have dismissed the -subject from his mind if such thing had been -possible, but he soon found this out of the question, -so he attempted to quiet his nerves by -venturing a conversation with his captor. He -decided to make this attempt by an appeal to -the unmistakable vanity of “the count.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“May I ask you how it happens that you -speak the American language so well?” he -inquired.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Topoff turned quickly toward the boy and -fired back at him in his usual high-pitched tone -of voice:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“May I ask you why you call it the American -language instead of the English?”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_184'>184</span>“I suppose I may as well tell you the truth,” -Phil answered, somewhat crestfallen. “I -thought I’d be more likely to get an answer -out of you if I steered clear of that word English. -I understand you people hate the English -worse than anything else in the world.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Right you are, boy, right you are,” was -the vehement reply of the big boche. “I hate -them worse than poison, as does every other -true subject of the kaiser. That was good diplomacy -on your part, but it didn’t work on me, -did it? Did you see how quickly I called you -for it?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, I did, and I’m not going to try anything -on you again. But may I repeat my -question? You speak the best of English, and -your accent is perfect. How did you do -it?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That isn’t the only mystery about me -that is puzzling you, is it?” returned Topoff -sharply.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, it isn’t,” Phil admitted frankly. -“You’re by far the most mysterious man I -ever met. I could sit here and fire questions -at you all day, seeking an explanation of this -and that.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Your first question is very simple,” answered -the boche officer, swelling with pride -and almost crushing the boy against the side -<span class='pageno' id='Page_185'>185</span>of the car. “I studied in both England and -America, also in France. I speak French just -as well as English.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I must admit that you studied well,” Phil -observed genuinely enough, yet with the view -of winning the fellow’s favor by an appeal to -his vanity.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I didn’t do much studying at all,” Topoff -flashed back. “Learning always came easy -to me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>He “swelled” his prisoner still harder -against the well padded upholstering, so that -the latter was scarcely able to restrain an outcry -of pain. After the puff of pride had -relaxed, the boy said to himself:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“This is the most monumental exhibition of -conceit I ever saw in my life. But I must keep -him going, in spite of the habit he has of swelling -up like a gas bag every time I tickle his -vanity. Maybe I can get used to these tight -quarters. I wonder how long this journey is -going to last.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>By this time they had passed the rear line -trenches and were speeding past a company of -artillerymen who were busy emplacing and -camouflaging their field pieces in a bushy hollow. -The automobile was tearing along at high -speed, and in a short time they had left behind -the fighting belt of trenches and ordnance and -<span class='pageno' id='Page_186'>186</span>were traversing a broad territory of supply -stations and relief and reinforcement camps.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil now found himself almost forced to -resort to methods that he did not like, and, yet, -the situation was in a considerable degree -amusing. In order to bring about a condition -that might prove favorable to himself, he saw -that he must continue to play on his captor’s -vanity. But it was a problem how to do this -successfully. This ungainly and vainglorious -anomaly of military officialdom was certainly -a queer offshoot of humanity, but not a fool in -all respects, according to a conclusion reached -by Phil in more simple language.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t believe he’d fall for flat flattery,” -the boy mused; “but I believe I can get him -going if I work it right. It makes me feel kind -o’ small to engage in such business, but that’s -one of the penalties of war, and we all have to -be victims of some sort. There’s one thing I’d -like to find out above everything else, and that -is how he manages to violate every principle -of military authority and get away with it. If -I could get an answer to that question, perhaps -I could find out what he’s going to do with me -and perhaps prevail on him to go slow on any -rough stuff he may have in mind. It’s just -possible he’s bent on revenge for the indignity -I heaped on him at Belleau Wood. Well, here -<span class='pageno' id='Page_187'>187</span>goes for a try anyway at some—some—suggestive -flattery; yes, that’s a good name for -it—suggestive flattery—to make him swell out -so big, horizontally, that I’ll be pushed—right—through—yes, -right through—happy -thought!—the side of this limousine and -escape. Oh!”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil did not, of course, utter this “exclamation” -aloud, but he gave a sudden start that -aroused the curiosity of “the count” quite as -thoroughly as if he had expressed aloud the -eagerness in his mind with the interjection -that he succeeded in holding behind his lips.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It’s the very idea I’ve been waiting for ever -since I fell into this fellow’s hands,” Phil told -himself, returning the curious look of his captor -with another of naive innocence. “If this -doesn’t work, I may as well jump into the first -river we come to.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_188'>188</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXVI<br /> <span class='large'>SUGGESTIVE FLATTERY</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“Do you know,” said Phil, with a manner -of meditative musing, “you remind me -of something that has caused a good deal of -comment all over America on a number of -occasions?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The prisoner stopped to observe the effect -of his question, but not with the expectation -of receiving an answer. The query was of a -rhetorical character hardly calling for more -of a return than a manifestation of interest. -However, the effect on “Count Topoff’s” vanity -moved him to answer in as matter-of-fact -a manner as if he were being quizzed on a problem -in arithmetic.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, indeed,” he said. “Is that so? How -is it that I remind you of such a thing?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Now, I’ve got to appeal to his intelligence -as well as to his vanity,” the flattery plotter -mused. “I mustn’t fall down on this. I must -handle it so that he can’t help reading glory -for himself between every two words.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>He hesitated several moments, really for the -purpose of phrasing his ideas, although he -<span class='pageno' id='Page_189'>189</span>attempted to resume an impressive attitude of -meditation. Then he said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Every now and then in America, we hear -of a son of some multi-millionaire starting at -the bottom of some business in order to learn -it from the ground up. He sometimes dons -overalls and enters the shops of a foundry or -other mechanical plant. He puts himself on -a level with the man who earns his bread by -the sweat of his brow, in order that when he -reaches the top—maybe president of the company—there -may be no element of the business -that he won’t understand.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil paused for time to consider how next -to proceed. He figured also that his captor -might interpose a remark of some sort that -would aid him in the development of his vanity -trap. But the looked-for remark proved to -be more confusing than helpful.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Boy,” said “the count,” with seeming irrelevance -and casting a sharp glance at his prisoner; -“have you any idea whose car you’re -riding in?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No,” Phil replied quickly; “unless it’s -yours.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It belongs to the emperor of Germany,” -was the rather startling announcement.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The boy was silent for some moments. He -was in doubt at first whether to believe “the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_190'>190</span>count’s” statement or to regard it as a bit of -frivolous fiction. Then he decided it was best -to appear, at least, to accept it as worthy of his -credence.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Is that so?” he said with affected eagerness -of interest. “I’ll have something big to -tell my friends when I get back home—that I -rode in the kaiser’s car.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That is, if you ever get back home,” interposed -“the count.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“To be sure,” Phil agreed quickly. “The -fortunes of war are very uncertain.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, in most wars; but in this war the fortunes -and misfortunes are absolutely fixed and -have been fixed ever since it started,” said Topoff, -with unpleasant insinuation in his tone of -voice. “I suppose you know how this war is -going to result.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, I can’t say that I do. Can you tell me -how it’s going to result?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Certainly. It’s going to result in complete -victory for the central allies. You ought to -have been able to answer that question.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I suppose so,” Phil returned slowly. “But -the question that now interests me most is, -what is going to become of me in the meantime?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What do you think ought to become of -you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_191'>191</span>“It isn’t a question of oughtness. I imagine -it’s a question of your own disposition. I seem -to be your personal prisoner.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“We’ve been rambling a good deal in our -conversation,” said Topoff. “Let’s go back -and pick up the broken threads and tie them -together. Now, did you understand why I told -you who owned this car?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No,” Phil replied.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The reason is very simple. You had been -comparing me with the sons of wealthy men -who enter shops to learn, from the ground up, -the business they propose to follow. Well, you -weren’t very far off in your comparison. I’ve -been doing the same thing in military life. -That’s why you’ve seen me fighting shoulder -to shoulder with privates in the front ranks, -although I can give orders to captains, colonels, -majors and generals. If I can command the -use of one of the emperor’s automobiles, it’s -reasonable to believe that I belong pretty high -up, isn’t it?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Yes, it is,” the Marine sergeant answered. -“I would assume that you must be related to -the kaiser. Is it a fact that you are a -cousin of his and that you are known as Count -Topoff?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Where did you ever learn that?” “the -<span class='pageno' id='Page_192'>192</span>count” demanded, gazing sharply at his youthful -prisoner.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil shuddered apprehensively at the almost -threatening manner of his captor. Was he, -indeed, in possession of a secret regarding “Mr. -Boaconstrictor’s” identity which was supposed -to be known to only a favored and responsible -few?</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You’d better explain how you got that information,” -declared “the count” with menacing -coldness; “and you’ll have to make your -explanation very clear and straightforward if -you escape a firing squad. It looks very much -to me as if you are a spy.”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_193'>193</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXVII<br /> <span class='large'>A USELESS ARGUMENT</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“I’ve got to go the limit now in flattering -this man’s vanity,” was the conclusion -that flashed through Phil’s mind as he listened -to his captor’s coldly worded spy-suspicion. -“And I’ve got to work fast, too.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Then he addressed the occupant of more -than two-thirds of the seat as follows:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Let me subject myself to a test under your -detective microscope, if you please. I must -tell my story rapidly, so that you cannot accuse -me of taking time to think it up. If I tell the -truth so that you can’t puncture it with any -reasonable doubt, will you assume that I am -not a spy until there is some evidence tending -to prove that I am one?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Of course,” replied Topoff with high-pitched, -cutting tone peculiar to him. Every -time it rasped into Phil’s ear it gave him “apprehensive -creeps,” but the situation was -desperate now, and the boy decided to disregard -it.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You have recognized me, I take it, as the -American soldier who engaged in a rather spectacular -<span class='pageno' id='Page_194'>194</span>contest with a squad under your command -in Belleau Wood a few weeks ago,” Phil -continued.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Topoff nodded with another affirmative -squeak.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Did you know that I was in that bunch of -prisoners that you started to take back to your -nearest railroad communication?—I presume -that was where you were taking us?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You bet I knew it,” “the count” answered -with a nod of significance, which indicated that -the author of the “novel disarmament” of the -boches in the wooded ravine had not been -forgotten.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, I was one of the fellows that engineered -our escape,” Phil continued. “But I -didn’t get the information myself about your -identity. One of the other fellows who understood -German overheard your conversation -with Hertz down in the sandpit and told us all -about it. Naturally we didn’t want to be blown -to atoms with bombs dropped from Hertz’s -aeroplane; so we decided to seek more healthful -quarters. That’s all there is to it. Now, -have I proved to your satisfaction that I’m not -a spy?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, you haven’t proved anything,” Topoff -answered with a sneering look at his prisoner, -“until you explain how you managed to hide -<span class='pageno' id='Page_195'>195</span>a company of soldiers right in our midst ready -to spring out and attack us in a manner that -nobody in the wide world would ever think possible. -If it hadn’t been for your little handful -of men, we’d ’ave held the American army and -would now be driving them back. Can you -guess now what I’m going to do with you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No,” Phil replied eagerly, but not without -some apprehension.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m going to put you through a ‘sweating’ -process that will make the worst ‘sweating’ -given a suspected criminal in the Tower of -London look like a royal reception to the crown -prince,” announced “Count Topoff” with some -more of his villainous sharpness of voice. -“You’re going to have an experience that will -make you remember your uninvited visit to -Europe away beyond the River Jordan or the -River Styx, wherever you go after you give up -the ghost.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But we were invited here,” Phil answered, -with a chill of apprehension that his vanity -plot was doomed to failure.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You invited yourselves here,” piped the -big fellow, with an angry swelling of his form -decidedly uncomfortable to the boy beside him. -“Any other statement from you is a lie.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil ached to give the blustering boche a -sharp answer about submarines and the torture -<span class='pageno' id='Page_196'>196</span>of women and children, but he wisely restrained -the impulse.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I think I can answer right now any questions -you may put to me to settle your suspicion -about my being a spy,” he said resolutely. -“You’d better put the question to me now -before I have time to think up a story. If I -hesitate, you’ll know you’ve caught me; if I -tell a clear, well-connected and rapid story, -you ought to give me credit of telling the -truth.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No,” insisted “the count,” whose constitutional -brutality seemed to be showing itself -more and more on the surface; “you had an -opportunity to go on with your story without -waiting for any more questions. You’ve been -hesitating and talking about other things for -several minutes in order to take time to think -up an answer to the last question I put to you. -When I told you you’d have to explain how -you managed to hide a company of soldiers -right inside our lines and near the battle front -ready to spring out and throw our forces into -confusion, why didn’t you answer right away?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Because you stopped me by putting another -question,” Phil replied without hesitation. -“You asked me if I could guess what you were -going to do with me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And you took that as an excuse to delay -<span class='pageno' id='Page_197'>197</span>answering the other question. You think -you’re very sharp, don’t you?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I can answer that question in a very reasonable -way,” Phil insisted. “It’s the only -explanation any living man could give. You -can’t, with all your experience, conceive of -another intelligent explanation. The so-called -company that I was with consisted of only the -soldiers who escaped from the guard under -your command a few weeks ago. We hid in -the daytime and traveled at night, creeping -nearer and nearer to the front. At last we got -as near as we thought safe and hid ourselves -in dark buildings and basements and waited -for the American drive at Chateau Thierry. -When it came and your soldiers were pushed -back to the point where we were hidden, we -jumped out and made our attack.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Too thin, too thin, my boy,” declared Topoff -with a sneer. “I thought you’d cook up -some such story.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Keep up your ‘sweating’ process,” Phil insisted. -“Don’t give me any time to think up -anything more. Fire your questions at me like -a machine-gun. Surely with your keenness of -mind you can catch me if I’ve been lying.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No, no, nothing more now,” returned Topoff -with a doggedness of manner and a glitter -of hate in his eyes. “I haven’t begun to ‘sweat’ -<span class='pageno' id='Page_198'>198</span>you yet. You see, I didn’t bring any ‘sweating’ -machinery along.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>His eyes fairly bulged with bestial cruelty -as he made this announcement with an implied -promise of torture that caused a succession of -shudders to shake the boy’s frame in spite of -his efforts to resist and control the panic attack -that he felt coming.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_199'>199</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXVIII<br /> <span class='large'>WHAT THE LIGHTNING REVEALED</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“Sweating machinery! What is it?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This question rang in Phil’s brain during -all the rest of the drive. Under the play -of his stimulated imagination it became a nightmare -transferred into an atmosphere of reality. -There was no point in the progress of the -continuous tragic dread where he could say to -himself, even as one might say in his sleep: -“Oh, this is only a dream.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Who was this more-than-ever mysterious -man? What was the explanation of his anomalous -position and his tyrannical manner?</p> - -<p class='c010'>That he was a man of power and authority -could no longer be doubted. Phil had at first -been inclined to regard this blustering trip-voiced -misfit of a soldier as an unaccountable -joke, but he was fully convinced now that his -judgment was decidedly in error in this respect.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On, on they went in a general north-easterly -direction. They passed over a crudely repaired -bridge that spanned the River Aisne, -though Phil did not know at the time what -stream it was. They dashed along deep rutted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_200'>200</span>thoroughfares, which engineering crews were -trying vainly to keep in smooth-surfaced repair; -they passed miles of truck caravans and -marching soldiers, also numerous supply stations, -around which were usually camped large -bodies of soldiers held in reserve to be placed -here and there on the battle front as needed. -Before long, however, the long lines of moving -camions ceased to appear, and the boy concluded -that this was an indication that the -captured French railroads had been put back -into operation up to this point.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Most of the towns that they passed through -were in states of partial or total ruin. The -greater portion of the inhabitants of the entire -country apparently had moved ahead of the -boche advance as refugees, or had been transported -into the enemy’s country to labor there, -while men, women and children of bocheland -fought or prepared supplies for the fighters.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Much of this, however, Phil saw in the dusk -of evening, for they had not traveled more than -two or three hours when the sun began to sink -below the western horizon. On, on, they went, -through the gathering gloom, then through the -thickening darkness. Although they passed -a number of military stations where food might -have been obtained for the asking, they did -not stop for supper. On, on, on, into the night -<span class='pageno' id='Page_201'>201</span>they continued their course, how late the prisoner -could only conjecture from his own weariness -and hunger.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But at last the journey came to an end, as -all journeys do. It had produced a good many -surprises for Phil, nor was the least of these -the one that met him at the finish.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Hardly an area of any considerable size in -the course of the drive had the prisoner observed -that did not bear some evidence of battle -devastation. This condition was evident even -in the latter part of the journey, which was in -the darkness of the early half of the night. -They passed close to the ruins of many houses -and other buildings, and found it necessary -to drive slower after sunset in order to avoid -“turning turtle” in the numerous shell holes -of the road, which had been repaired with great -haste and imperfection in those parts of the -invaded country where the railroads remained -in operation.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Moreover, an hour or two before they reached -the end of their journey, the sky became heavily -clouded and much rain fell. This made it -necessary to drive with even greater care, so -that the rate at which they covered the ground -during this dark and rainy period was little -more than a creep, as compared with the speed -maintained in the hours of daylight.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_202'>202</span>Phil was able to see but little of his surroundings -for a time, except directly in front of the -machine, as they neared their place of destination. -The storm had abated somewhat, but -the sky had not cleared, and the darkness was -just as intense as ever. Then suddenly the -storm burst anew with a heavier downpour -than at any time since the rain began to fall, -and the lightning, which had flashed with indifferent -illumination, blazed forth with great -brilliance and frequency.</p> - -<p class='c010'>By the aid of this light, Phil saw that they -were entering a drive that ran through a woods -of considerable size. Phil was interested as -well as awed by this new development. The -surroundings were not at all cheerful, especially -in view of the circumstances, but the -situation was decidedly impressive nevertheless.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“If I were back in my fairy-story days, -I’d imagine that I’m being carried captive -into an ogre’s den,” the boy half-muttered to -himself after they had ridden several minutes -along the drive. “Hello!” he almost exclaimed -a minute later. “Here’s the ogre’s castle, all -right.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>There was good cause for this play of grewsome -imagination. It was revealed by a specially -brilliant flash of lightning that lighted -<span class='pageno' id='Page_203'>203</span>the surroundings like day. Before them in a -comparatively small clearing was a magnificent -structure of mediaeval mass, lines and -turrets. To a tourist it would have been -greeted with rapturous recollections of a romantic -past; to Phil it was a picture of apprehension -of horror.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_204'>204</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XXXIX<br /> <span class='large'>“THE CASTLE OF THE HUMAN SNAKE”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>The driver had driven the car under a -large and heavily pillared shelter at -one side of the chateau, and he now honked -his horn, evidently as a signal to someone inside. -Presently a burly Prussian servant came -out, carrying a powerful hand searchlight, -with which he supplemented the front lights -of the automobile. The rain continued to come -down in torrents and the lightning to flash and -the thunder to clap heavily. However, the -travelers were well protected under the shelter, -so that there was no need to hurry inside.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil would have broken loose and made a -dash into the uncomfortable storm and the -pitch-dark forest if there had been any opportunity -for him to do so. But, evidently, “the -count” anticipated that he might attempt such -a move and kept a firm hold on one arm of his -prisoner. The servant also, well schooled in -his duties, took hold of the other arm of the -boy, who was thus led through a massive entrance -into the building.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a dingy looking place into which Phil -<span class='pageno' id='Page_205'>205</span>was conducted. Undoubtedly this appearance -was a result of two principal conditions, for, -with quite as little doubt, this chateau had been -kept in excellent condition before the war. -First, the light was poor, being supplied principally -with oil lamps and candles. The electric -flash-light, in the hands of the servant, -when switched on, caused the other lights to -fade into insignificance. Second, the number -of servants available for the maintenance of so -large an establishment must have been small -indeed.</p> - -<p class='c010'>But an unmistakable atmosphere of luxury, -in spite of its mustiness, almost blew into Phil’s -face as he entered. A breath of rich tapestries -and soft velvety rugs met in sharp contrast the -gust of wet-woods wind that forced itself in -past the midnight arrivals. But for this contrast, -perhaps the neglected richness of the -interior would not have impressed itself so -noticeably on the prisoner’s olfactory sense.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The room into which Phil was first inducted -was a large reception hall, which opened upon -two other apartments, one to the left and one -straight ahead, through wide high-arched doorways, -partly closed with heavy portieres. The -boy was led straight forward through the latter -doorway and into a large room whose rich -decorations and furniture were only vaguely -<span class='pageno' id='Page_206'>206</span>discernible by the light of two or three candles -on a deep mantel over a great fireplace.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Here Topoff gave instructions in German to -the servant and left the latter alone to proceed -with the prisoner. Phil next found himself -being conducted through a long hall and then -down a flight of stairs to a basement floor. -There he was thrust into a dark room and the -door was closed and locked.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was a most unceremonious proceeding, -but Phil decided that he could hardly expect -anything else under the circumstances. He -forgot for the moment that he was wretchedly -hungry, in his eagerness and anxiety to learn -the character of his quarters. He began his -examination of the place by getting down on -his hands and knees. Then he realized for the -first time that he was on a floor of cold, hard -clay, like that of a deep cellar.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Suddenly his investigation was aided by a -brilliant flash of lightning, which afforded him -a good view of the floor of his prison. There -was nothing of particular interest in it except -a board platform at the farther side of the -room, probably built there as a dry elevation -for vegetables harvested from lands of the -estate. No such articles of raw food, however, -were on it now.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“That’ll be a much better place for me to -<span class='pageno' id='Page_207'>207</span>sleep on than this pneumonia-and-rheumatism -floor,” Phil muttered. “I think I’ll go over -there and try to sleep. I wonder if I can.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>He had good reason to doubt his ability to -forget his physical and mental distress in slumber, -and the effort he made was therefore the -more courageous. As he lay down on his back, -another flash of lightning illuminated the room, -so that he had now a fairly complete picture in -his mind as to the size and character of his -prison.</p> - -<p class='c010'>It was circular, like a huge cistern, and deep. -A curved wall of masonry arose on all sides. -Midway between floor and ceiling and far above -his reach were two long, narrow, deep windows. -The diameter of the cylindrical room was -twenty-five or thirty feet.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“A regular donjon, or dungeon, of a mediaeval -castle,” Phil said to himself. He almost -uttered the words aloud, just to satisfy his -curiosity as to how his voice would sound, but -a dread of the awe-thrill that would probably -follow controlled the impulse.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m going to do my best to go to sleep,” -he resolved. “Goodness knows, I need it bad -enough, and maybe this place won’t seem so -dreadful in the morning. I wonder if they’ll -give me anything to eat then, or if starvation -is a concomitant of that villain’s sweating -<span class='pageno' id='Page_208'>208</span>machinery. Concomitant is a good word under -the circumstances, I guess. It ought to go well -with a donjon of a castle keep. Just to think! -the position ’u’d be reversed and I’d have that -monster of big circumference in limbo behind -the Marine lines at Chateau Thierry if that -tall slim piece of a wall hadn’t toppled over -on top o’ me. But instead of his being under -guard at Chateau Thierry, I’m in a cellar tomb -in Chateau—Chateau—what’ll I call it? Oh, -yes, I’ll call it Chateau Boaconstrictor, or the -Castle of the Human Snake.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>His dread of what the near future might have -in store for him being thus mollified somewhat -by his damp-dungeon serpentine wit, Phil -dozed several minutes over the grewsome idea -and then fell hungrily asleep.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_209'>209</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XL<br /> <span class='large'>A ROOM OF TORTURE</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>Phil was awakened in the morning by the -creaking of his prison door, and opened -his eyes to behold the jailer of his midnight -imprisonment advancing toward him. He observed -now, as he had not noticed when he first -saw him, that this fellow wore a military -uniform.</p> - -<p class='c010'>With a few words in German and expressive -movements of his hands, the jailer indicated -to the boy an order to come with him, and the -prisoner obeyed. Up the stairs they went and -into a very strange room occupied by that very -strange man, “Count Topoff.” Strewn about -in the apartment were a dozen or more remarkable -contrivances, a few of which indicated the -probable general character of all of them. One -was plainly a pillory with holes for the head -and the hands, but within the hand holes projected -many sharp metal points, while on the -stand for the undoubtedly barefooted pilloried -victim were a hundred or more sharp metal -points projecting upwards. There were also -hanging on the wall numerous straps and belts, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_210'>210</span>some of them crossed and riveted here and -there until they bore the appearance of elaborate -body-brace or harness, while from various -ends hung numerous sharp-toothed jaw-clasps. -Overhead, suspended on a pulley by a long -rope, was what appeared to be a head harness. -The other end of the rope was caught around -a cleat over against the wall.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil shuddered at the sight. Here was -cruelty apparatus of the most fiendish ingenuity. -And there could be no doubt that it was -intended to be used and that “Count Topoff” -was the very fellow to use it with frigid glee.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The prisoner was aroused from his secretly -shrinking contemplation of the prospect before -him by the voice of “the count,” who addressed -him in English, thus:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You see, most foolish American, what is in -store for you unless you give me a true explanation -of what took place this side of Chateau -Thierry. Now, I’ll give you one more chance -before the course of persuasion begins. By -telling me the truth, you can escape all that -you see before you.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>His voice was more repulsive than it had -been at any time before in Phil’s hearing. The -high-pitched, tripping near-stutter, if the -speaker had spoken from a position of concealment, -might have caused any hearer to suspect -<span class='pageno' id='Page_211'>211</span>that the utterances popped forth from the lips -of a bully of imp-land.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But,” Phil protested, hopelessly, it is true, -“I have already told you the truth. You surely -don’t want me to fabricate a yarn just to escape -your cruelty.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“No,” thundered the big fellow. “I want -the truth. If you lie, I’ll know it at once and -something worse will follow. Orderly, knee-splints, -toe-thumb.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The direction was given in English, but it -evidently was understood. The orderly picked -up two pieces of pine board, about three inches -wide, an inch thick and a little more than two -feet long. These he proceeded to strap to -Phil’s legs, behind, so that the prisoner was -unable to bend his knees. Then he tied a string -to each of the boy’s thumbs and with the persuasive -power of a strong pull drew those digits -down against the victim’s great toes and tied -these two extremities together.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There,” rattled the boche military ogre, -as he viewed the plight of his prisoner with -evident enjoyment; “when you decide you’re -ready to tell the truth, send for me.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I don’t know what to tell you besides what -I’ve already told,” replied Phil desperately, -for the pain of his cramped position was already -testing his endurance.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_212'>212</span>“Think, think hard!” advised “the count” -as he left the room.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The orderly also departed, and the victim -was left alone in his misery. The latter twisted -and squirmed into every possible position to -relieve his distress. The strain on his legs, -back, thumbs and toes was so uniformly painful -that he only increased his misery when he -added tension at one point or portion to relieve -the others.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour -after Topoff and the orderly left, another man -in coarse tattered civilian garments appeared, -bearing a tray of steaming food. As he set it -down before the prisoner, he startled the latter -with the following speech, scarcely above a -whisper:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“This is not intended for you to eat, only -to look at. If you try to eat it, you’ll find it -full of the hottest of red pepper. By the way, -I’m an English spy and want to give you a -little advice. Think up some kind of plausible -story and tell it to ‘the count’ in the place of -the one he refuses to believe. Grit your teeth, -stick through your torment, for help is on the -way, I hope. As soon as you think up a story -that you think will stand a test of reason, yell -to the orderly and tell him that you’re ready -to give in.”</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_213'>213</span>“He can’t understand me, can he?” Phil -returned.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Oh, yes, he can understand a good deal, -although he pretends to be contemptuously -ignorant of the hated English tongue. -Good-by, now, I must go, but I’ll keep my eyes -open and will do everything that I can for -you.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The spy glided swiftly out of the room, leaving -the tray of food setting on the floor.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Encouraged by the fact of the nearness of a -friend and the assurance that there was reasonable -hope of rescue, Phil cudgeled his brain -hard for an inspiration to think up a plausible -story to tell his tormentor. The strain of pain -and necessity helped him wonderfully, and in -a short time he was yelling at the top of his -voice to the orderly. The latter strolled in in -leisurely manner after the boy yelled two or -three minutes.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Tell ‘the count’ I’m ready to tell the truth,” -Phil announced in pleading tones, which were -genuine enough, in spite of the fiction plot -behind them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Without a word the orderly went out of the -room and soon returned accompanied by -“Count Topoff.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Ready to tell me the truth?” snapped the -latter, addressing the suffering prisoner.</p> - -<p class='c010'><span class='pageno' id='Page_214'>214</span>“Yes, yes,” cried Phil, designedly making -no effort to conceal his distress.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Topoff gave the orderly directions in German, -and the latter proceeded to cut the strings -that bound the boy’s thumbs and great toes -together.</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_215'>215</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XLI<br /> <span class='large'>THE “SUBTERRENE”</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>The first impression that struck Phil forcibly -as “Count Topoff” entered the room -was the fact that he had been drinking. This -reminded him of the drink-fest that had incapacitated -“the count” and his command of -guards, in a French inn a few weeks previously, -to prevent the prisoners in their charge -from turning the tables on them.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“It’s probably lucky for me that he was too -much under the influence to remember the trick -we played on them when we saw to it that every -‘drunk’ among them was super-drunk,” the -boy mused after the strain of his torture had -been relieved by the cutting of his thumb-toe -bonds.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Topoff wasted no time in the carrying out -of the portion of his program now due. Although -plainly flushed with the liquor he had -drunk recently, there was nothing maudlin in -his manner, and he had full command of his -usual wits.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Well, go ahead with your yarn,” he ordered, -sitting down in an armchair ancient -<span class='pageno' id='Page_216'>216</span>enough in appearance to have belonged to the -days of Charlemagne. “But hold on. Do you -realize what is going to happen to you if you -lie? You’re going into that pillory, with your -bare feet on those sharp steel points. Now go -ahead, but you’d better not talk at all if -you’re thinking of telling me another string -of lies.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil’s resolution was almost shattered at -this prospect, and he was on the verge of confessing -the untruth of his purpose, when it -occurred to him that torture on the puncturing -pillory could hardly be worse than the agony -he suffered in the unendurable attitude from -which he had just been released.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“If I have to die or torture, I don’t see that -there’s much choice between these two ways,” -he concluded. “So here goes, hoping I’ll be -able to pull the wool over his eyes.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The truth is this,” he continued aloud with -a camouflage of desperation, “and may my -native land never know of my traitorous act. -There’s really no need of my begging you to -have mercy on me after you’ve learned the -truth from me, for I shall be so ashamed of -my cowardice that I shan’t be satisfied until -I find a place where I can hide my face from -every other man on earth.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>As he spoke Phil covertly watched the countenance -<span class='pageno' id='Page_217'>217</span>of Topoff and was gratified with the -evidence of growing and expectant interest -that he saw there.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“You people,” he continued, looking his -captor straight in the eye, “perfected the submarine -and used it as a most destructive war -engine. America has just completed her invention -of the subterrene, and will soon be able -with it to undermine any battle front you may -be able to establish.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“What is the subterrene?” demanded “the -count,” leaning forward eagerly.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“The word, I think, will explain itself to a -man of your learning,” replied the boy, recalling -his flattery weapon. “It’s a machine that -bores a hole seven or eight feet in diameter -right through the earth at the rate of about a -mile a day. It was through the first tunnel -of the first machine delivered at the battle front -that I led a company of soldiers into the basement -of one of those buildings behind your -lines near Chateau Thierry.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“And who invented that machine?” inquired -the now excited and somewhat bewildered -Topoff.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Thomas A. Edison,” Phil answered, uttering -that magic name with a swelling of hero -worship and national pride.</p> - -<p class='c010'>The count meditated a few moments. It was -<span class='pageno' id='Page_218'>218</span>evident that he was deeply impressed with his -prisoner’s story.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“How many of those machines has the American -army?” he asked.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Of course, I can’t say as to that,” Phil -replied slowly. “But there’s only one at the -part of the front with which I’m familiar. -However, I understand they’re being made as -rapidly as possible to be rushed all along the -American, English, and French fronts.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Again Topoff lapsed into meditation. This -time he was silent longer than before. Then -suddenly he looked up sharply at his “fabulizing -informant” and said:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Here is an important question that needs -more than any other to be answered: What -becomes of the excavated earth as the tunnel -advances?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>This was surely a “stunner of a question” -and tested Phil’s ingenuity to the limit. When -it first “hit” him it made the boy’s head swim, -but he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth -with desperation and thought as he had never -thought before. An answer came, such as it -was, and Phil communicated it with all the -aplomb that he could command.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I’m not very familiar with the mechanical -working of the contrivance,” he said, “although -I’ve seen it operate. The question you -<span class='pageno' id='Page_219'>219</span>ask, of course, involves the problem of the -great principle of the invention. The way I -get it is this: It seems that Mr. Edison, in -working out his scheme, applied a new scientific -discovery of his, electro-chemical, they call -it. By means of this new process they seem to -be able to convert the excavated earth into gas -and a small amount of powdered refuse. The -gas is piped back through flexible tubes, and -the refuse is carted out in a low, narrow auto-truck.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>Phil had good cause, as he proceeded with -this explanation, to congratulate himself on -the training he had received in a Philadelphia -technical school. But he never knew with what -degree of credence the latter part of his ingenious -fabrication was received. He had -scarcely finished the statement last recorded, -when sound of the hurried tramping of many -feet reached his ears. It reached the ears also -of “Count Topoff,” who sprang to his feet in -bewildered alarm. Then the forms of half a -dozen armed men rushed into the room.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“Marines!” gasped Phil in amazement. -“How in the world did they get here?”</p> - -<div class='chapter'> - <span class='pageno' id='Page_220'>220</span> - <h2 class='c005'>CHAPTER XLII<br /> <span class='large'>RESCUED</span></h2> -</div> - -<p class='drop-capa0_0_6 c009'>“Count Topoff” undoubtedly did not -appreciate the situation, or he would not -have acted so rashly. He drew a pistol and -fired point blank at the soldier in the lead. -This was a signal for the Americans to answer -in a business-like manner, which they did without -ceremony, and “Mr. Boaconstrictor” -dropped dead with several bullets in his body. -Two of the Marines were wounded by the one -shot fired by the mysterious “relative of the -kaiser,” but not seriously.</p> - -<p class='c010'>This was the extent of the battle. The soldiers -had taken possession of the chateau without -other resistance. The British spy had -prepared the way for the raid, having managed -to get information to the allies of conditions -at the century-old castle. He did this by means -of Morse-code signaling to a fleet of American -aviators just returning from an air raid over -enemy territory, and it was answered with -assurance that they would return prepared to -raid the place.</p> - -<p class='c010'>There were only six prisoners in the chateau, -<span class='pageno' id='Page_221'>221</span>but three of them were French and American -spies with information of great importance. -There were also only half a dozen boche guards -in the place, including the orderly who had -acted as Topoff’s personal servant. All but -the latter were men of advanced age, too old -for military service, and, as the fleet of aeroplanes -that had arrived with a score of soldiers, -could not carry the released prisoners and the -captured boches very well, the latter were given -their freedom as the raiders flew away, back -behind the American lines.</p> - -<p class='c010'>On the way Phil rode in a large machine with -the British spy, whose resourcefulness may -have saved him from further untold torture -and, it may be, death, for Phil subsequently -grew extremely doubtful of his ability to make -his “subterrene yarn stick.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The spy’s name was Roscoe Chance. He -proved to be an excellent type for impersonating -almost any Caucasian nationality, and -as he had studied German at college and spoke -the language fluently he had been chosen as -specially gifted to handle the secret service -work that was consummated by the air raid -which resulted in the rescue of Phil from the -most fiendish torture.</p> - -<p class='c010'>Before they started on their return to the -American lines, Chance gave Phil the following -<span class='pageno' id='Page_222'>222</span>brief account of the history of the mysterious -“Count Topoff”:</p> - -<p class='c010'>“He was a Prussian spy in France for -twenty years, owning the chateau in which he -lived. He pretended to be a great friend of -the French cause, had even become a citizen -of France to camouflage the real nature of his -business. But an English spy in Berlin heard -a rumor that Topoff was a relative of the kaiser -and reported this to his government. I was -therefore sent here to find out what I could.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“But it seems he was on guard against the -very thing I was after, and I was unable to -detect a suspicious look or act until after the -last big drive of the enemy. Meanwhile I had -managed to convey to him the idea on a number -of occasions that my sympathies were on the -other side of the Rhine, so that I was in a -position to take up the role of a boche when -he revealed his true colors.</p> - -<p class='c010'>“I made quite a hit with him, and found -that he was in constant secret communication -with Berlin. His second lieutenancy was a -mere camouflage, for he was high up in secret -service rank. I got considerable corroboration -of the report that he was a relative of the -kaiser, but no direct confirmation.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There’s just one peculiarity about him that -I’d like to understand,” said Phil. “Why did -<span class='pageno' id='Page_223'>223</span>he run so much risk of being killed by mixing -in infantry battles right at the front?”</p> - -<p class='c010'>“There’s only one reason I can give for -that,” Chance replied, “and I think it’s the -true one. He was a clever, shrewd rascal, but -also a brazen daredevil. There’s no doubt he -had lots of courage, and it’s a wonder he wasn’t -killed long ago. In spite of his misshapen -physique he was powerful and quite active. -He seemed to have almost a mania for proving -that his big girth was no obstacle to his putting -up just as good a fight as a slender athlete -could put up.”</p> - -<p class='c010'>The squadron of aeroplanes made the return -trip without encountering an enemy plane. No -doubt there were boche air-fighters within -sighting distance, but it is also probably true -that they could not muster sufficient available -force to meet the Yanks, so they remained in -hiding. Two days later Phil met Tim, who -had been transferred temporarily from trench -duty to Headquarters messenger service, and -they had a half hour’s conversation over their -recent experiences. He met also Dan Fentress -and Emmet Harding, two of the twelve Marines -who made their escape from the boche prison -in advance of the remaining 240. They had -managed to get back with the American army -in a manner similar to the scheme worked by -<span class='pageno' id='Page_224'>224</span>the larger body of prisoners. The other ten, -Phil learned months afterward, were recaptured -by the enemy and finally were returned, -after the armistice, as released prisoners of -war.</p> - -<p class='c010'>And, oh, yes, by the way, before the signing -of the armistice, which meant virtually the end -of the war, Phil was wearing the bar of a lieutenant, -and Corporal Tim became a sergeant.</p> - -<div class='pbb'> - <hr class='pb c004' /> -</div> -<div class='tnotes'> - -<div class='section ph2'> - -<div class='nf-center-c0'> -<div class='nf-center c003'> - <div>TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES</div> - </div> -</div> - -</div> - - <ol class='ol_1 c001'> - <li>Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling. - - </li> - <li>Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed. - </li> - </ol> - -</div> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Over There with the Marines at Chateau -Thierry, by Capt. George H. 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