CHAPTER XIV--HUNTED
It occurred to Pariset that, so perfect was the German organisation, thearmy besieging Liege might be informed within a few minutes of thisaudacious raid upon one of their transport trains. He therefore sweptround in a wide circle southward, in order to approach the city from thesouth-west.
Both he and Kenneth were deeply impressed with the enormous westwardmovement of troops and transport which they saw in their flight. Thecountry beneath them seemed to be alive, like an anthill; with thisdifference, however, that although there were cross currents the generalmovement was all in one direction. Such might have been, in days longpast, the migrations of the Huns or of the Kalmuck Tartars.
Over the Meuse, which wound like a silver streak four thousand feetbeneath them, there appeared to be a number of pontoon bridges. Everyroad was a continuous stream of moving objects. Far away to the rightthey heard at times, above the whirr and hum of the engine, the dullboom of heavy guns; and now and then patches of white and yellowappeared in the air as from nowhere, spread into fantastic shapes, andfinally thinned away.
They had just passed over the little town of Verviers, and were bearingaway to the west-south-west, so as to pass round Forts Embourg andBoncelles, when the engine suddenly stopped. It had behaved well intheir previous excursions, and had been thoroughly overhauled beforethey started. There was only one thing to be done: to make a vol planeand land as best they could. The aeroplane was very high, and there wasplenty of room, but little choice of a landing place. Pariset workedthe controls for a long spiral descent, and came down in a field betweena wood and a highroad, which he believed to be the main road betweenLiege and Luxemburg.
There was no traffic at this spot, and they at once began to examine theengine.
"The plugs are choked," said Pariset after a few moments. "Luckily it'sonly a five minutes' job."
"Hadn't we better wheel the machine round the corner of the wood?"suggested Kenneth. "We don't know but that some Germans may come up atany moment."
"Come along then," said Pariset.
But they had hardly moved the machine three yards when they heard theclatter of hoofs, and a patrol of Uhlans came dashing round a bend inthe road. Neither hedge nor dyke bordered the field, and the Uhlansrode straight across it towards the aeroplane.
"We are in for it!" said Pariset, hastily adjusting his bandage. "Forgoodness' sake try to bluff it out."
Kenneth went hot and cold; his brain seemed paralysed; and when theUhlans reined up a few yards away he had cudgelled his wits in vain forsomething to say. A lead was given him by the lieutenant in command.
"Do you want any help, Herr Captain?" he said. "I saw you come downsuddenly, and guessed there was something wrong."
"Thanks; it is a mere trifle," replied Kenneth somewhat breathlessly."Two of the sparking plugs need cleaning. In five minutes we shall beup again."
He bent down to assist Pariset, who had turned his back and wasunscrewing the plugs.
"Have you been hit?" asked the lieutenant, noticing the bandage.
"No, luckily; he ought to have gone to the dentist long ago, butcouldn't bear the idea of losing a moment at a time like this. Aswollen jaw is very painful; you can't eat with any comfort. The onlything to do is to bandage it tightly. But he'll have to go to thedentist."
"You're not attached to the 4th army corps, are you? I haven't noticedyou among our airmen."
"We are on special service," said Kenneth, feeling that matters weregetting warm in spite of the officer's apparent freedom from suspicion."You'll excuse me, won't you? we are anxious to get to Liege."
"Certainly."
He watched the two men at their work, remarking that it was a very dirtyjob.
Meanwhile one of the troopers had been edging his horse close to theaeroplane. Pariset, out of the corner of his eye, noticed him lookingat it critically. He bent down to examine one of the planes, gave agrunt of satisfaction, and glanced at his officer, as if wonderingwhether he might venture to address him directly. Concluding that thismight be a breach of discipline, he backed gently towards theWachtmeister--the sergeant-major through whom he might communicate withthe lieutenant without being snubbed.
This by-play escaped the notice of Kenneth, who was half-turned towardsthe lieutenant. That officer, having satisfied his curiosity about thenature of sparking plugs, bade him good-bye, saluted, and gave the orderto ride on. The patrol moved away before the trooper had finished hiscommunication to the Wachtmeister.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Pariset whispered:
"One of those fellows suspects something. If they ride back before wehave got these plugs in place we must bolt into the wood."
While speaking he kept his eye on the Uhlans without rising from hisstooping posture. They were only a hundred yards away when theWachtmeister rode alongside the lieutenant and spoke to him. Theofficer gave the order to halt, reined up, and wheeled his horse.
"Get your revolver ready," whispered Pariset.
He reached for one of the smallest bombs, and fitting a short fuseprepared to light it from the petrol lamp.
The lieutenant was not yet riding back. He had taken out a pocket-book,and was consulting one of its pages. Pretending to be still busy withthe engine, the airmen watched him anxiously. The Wachtmeister calledup the trooper, who, sitting his horse stiffly, saluted, and spoke inanswer to a question from the lieutenant.
"He's got a description of the aeroplane," whispered Kenneth.
"Yes--probably circulated to every patrol," said Pariset. "Run for dearlife if he comes this way."
As he spoke the lieutenant shut up his pocket-book, and began to canterback.
"Now!" said Pariset, lighting the fuse, and laying the bomb swiftly butgently behind the engine. Then, taking care to keep the aeroplanebetween them and the Uhlans, the two dashed towards the wood, about ahundred and twenty yards away.
The majority of the patrol, having received no order, had not turnedtheir horses, nor even ventured to glance round. Only the lieutenant,the Wachtmeister, and the suspicious trooper had seen the flight of theairmen during the first few seconds. But now the lieutenant shouted anorder, the men wheeled round, and galloped after their officer, who dughis spurs into his horse and dashed after the fugitives, followedclosely by his two troopers.
He had plucked out his revolver, but the aeroplane stood between him andthe airmen, running like sprinters towards the wood. Swerving to theleft to get a clear field of fire, the lieutenant discharged all itschambers one after another on the chance of a lucky shot. But thefugitives, having made the most of their start, were out of range. Theygained the outer fringe of trees and plunged in, the lieutenant beingthen about thirty yards behind them. He had drawn his sword. His menwere strung out at short intervals in his rear.
There was not much cover at the edge of the wood, and the airmen dashedon towards the spot where the trees grew more densely, Pariset leadingby a few yards. By the time he reached it, Kenneth heard thelieutenant's horse pounding the turf almost at his heels. It seemedthat in a second or two he must be ridden down. With instant decisionhe dived to the right behind a large tree. The lieutenant, unable tocheck his horse in time, galloped past, shouting to his men to catch thespy. Kenneth took a flying shot at him, missed, and rushed afterPariset, who at the sound of the shot turned and fired at theWachtmeister, now only a few yards behind his leader. There was a howl.Neither of the airmen stayed to see the effect of the shot. They plungedinto the brushwood, which grew more and more densely as they proceeded,and was more closely set with trees.
"They can't ride through this," Kenneth panted as he overtook Pariset."They would be swept from their saddles."
"Yes; we're as good as they on foot; we are safe for a while. Did youhear the bomb?"
"Rather: it went off all right; the Taube must be blown to atoms."
The pursuing horsemen, on finding themselves checked by the undergrowthand the trees, flung themsel
ves from their saddles. They lost a fewminutes in tethering their horses, so that when they pushed on on foot,the fugitives had been enabled to penetrate deeper into the wood.
"I hope they'll give it up soon," said Pariset, hearing the troopers'movements in the rustling and crackling undergrowth. "To rout us outthey must beat the wood thoroughly."
"It's lucky they're only a patrol and not a whole squadron, or theymight encircle the wood," responded Kenneth in the same low tone.
They went still farther among the trees, moving as quietly as theycould. It was soon evident that they were being followed up. Every nowand then they heard the same sounds of movement, and shouts in differentdirections behind them. Apparently the Uhlans were scattering to beatthe wood systematically.
"Our uniforms account for their perseverance," Pariset remarked. "TheGermans don't scruple to wear Belgian uniform, or to dress as civilians;nothing makes them more angry than that we should do the same."
"And they know it was their own Taube, purloined at Cologne," saidKenneth. "You may be sure they are particularly incensed at that."
"We are outstripping them," said Pariset a few moments later. "Thesounds are fainter."
"The question is, what shall we find at the other side of the wood? Ifopen fields, we shan't stand a dog's chance against their rifles.Perhaps we had better dodge about among the trees."
"With the risk of tumbling up against one! No, we had better gostraight on."
Again they pressed forward in silence. The sounds behind them grewstill fainter, but they became aware in a few minutes that the number oftheir pursuers had increased. There were more voices, distributed overa wider area.
"The regiment has come up, I fancy," said Kenneth. "Very likely some ofthem will ride round the wood. We're in a tight corner, Remi."
"Hurry on, man. Our one chance is to be first out."
From the continual diminution of the sounds it was plain that the Uhlanswere moving with great caution. No doubt they feared an enemy in everybush. The fugitives, on the other hand, pressed on as fast as theycould, guarding against a circular course by means of the small compasswhich Pariset wore in a strap on his wrist.
After a quarter of an hour's hot exertion they came suddenly to thefarther edge of the wood. The country immediately in front was open andlevel, dotted about with single trees and small clumps. In the distancethey saw a farmhouse, and still farther away, a picturesque chateau onthe side of a hill.
"Shall we make a run for it?" said Kenneth, as they paused a momentbefore leaving the shelter of the trees.
For answer, Pariset caught him by the sleeve, and drew him back.
"Cut off?" asked Kenneth.
"Yes; a troop of Uhlans are galloping along the edge of the wood awaythere to the left; nearly a mile away, thank goodness!"
"Fairly trapped!" said Kenneth, with nervous twitching of his eyebrow.
In the excitement of the last half hour their thoughts had been too busyto give them time for apprehension. But now, with Uhlans on foot spreadout in the wood behind them, a troop on horseback approaching on theirleft, possibly another on their right, they began to realise what it waslike to be hunted. They felt as if inexorable walls were closing uponthem to crush them. It would be madness to take to the open. Theimpulse to turn to the right in the wood, away from the gallopingUhlans, was dulled by the fear that a second troop had been sent to headthem off in that direction. They adopted the wisest course in such asituation: remained where they were, some few yards from the outerfringe of trees, and tried to think out their problem calmly.
"It will be safer to let them pass us," said Pariset presently. "Theywill expect to see us emerge; let us go to meet them. Can you hear thefellows behind us in the wood?"
They stood listening.
"No," said Kenneth. "I daresay they are stealing up quietly."
"We must keep our ears open. Now, as quickly as possible."
They threaded their way cautiously through the wood towards the oncomingUhlans. Very soon they heard the thuds of the horses' hoofs to theirright. Among the trees they could neither see nor be seen. The soundceased suddenly. Then came the muffled murmur of voices. Apparently theUhlans had drawn rein almost at the spot where the fugitives hadintended to break cover.
"A clever lot!" whispered Pariset. "They calculated to a yard or twowhere we should be likely to come out. A good thing we turned thisway."
The Uhlans, in fact, only about two hundred yards away, had dismounted,and leaving their horses tethered in the charge of two of their number,had entered the wood, spread out, and begun to beat the coverts in thedirection of their comrades advancing from the farther side.
The fugitives pressed on rapidly, parallel with the edge of the wood,hoping that they would not meet the men at the extremity of thefar-extended line. There was no sound to guide them or give warning.Presently they ventured to draw a little nearer to the edge, where thetrees were sparser and they could move more quickly. Pariset constantlyconsulted his compass. Their course was northward, in the direction ofLiege.
For twenty minutes or more they jogged on, careful not to lose theirwind. Then they discovered that the wood was narrowing, and a few moreminutes brought them within sight of its end, the apex of a triangle.Peering out cautiously through the trees, they saw a little way aheadthe fork of two roads. That to the left was evidently the main roadnear which the aeroplane had landed. That to the right must be thebyroad along which the Uhlans had ridden to cut them off. Beyond, oneither side, were open fields.
They halted in perplexity, anxious though they were to lose no time. Afalse move, an unfortunate decision, and they were lost.
"If we dash across country we may be seen," said Pariset. "If we taketo the road we may meet more troops. But we can't stay in the wood. TheUhlans will beat it thoroughly."
"Could we climb a tree and hide in the foliage?" suggested Kenneth.
"We mightn't be as lucky as your Merry Monarch," said Pariset. "Thefellows are capable of burning down the whole wood if they can't findus. And in a very short time they are sure to draw a cordon round it.We must get out, somehow or other. If only the roads were hedged, likeyour English country roads, we should stand a chance."
They were still discussing their quandary when they heard the rumble ofan approaching cart. Looking eagerly ahead, they saw a large wagonpiled with loose hay. The driver appeared to be a Belgian peasant.Beside him sat an armed soldier in the bluish grey German uniform. Theyseemed only half awake. The two horses were plodding slowly, withdrooping heads. The appearance of men and beasts suggested that theyhad been travelling all night.
There was a gleam in Kenneth's eyes as he turned to Pariset.
"Into the hay?" he whispered.
"The wagon will pass the Uhlans," Pariset replied.
"So much the better."
"But the hay may be for their horses."
"Not very likely. It must have been definitely requisitioned, and theywouldn't dare to touch it."
Pariset pondered. A faint sound came from the depths of the wood.
"It's our only chance," he said, "but in ten minutes we may have lancesor bullets through us. A la bonne heure!"