CHAPTER XVI--THE CARETAKER
"We shall have to clear everybody out of this double quick," saidPariset. "If the regiment comes up every soul will be massacred."
"You mean that we must all trek?" said Kenneth.
"Yes. You and I must rig ourselves up as Uhlans, and pretend that weare convoying prisoners. The villagers had better gather what valuablesthey want to save, and migrate, it doesn't much matter where to, so longas it is as far as possible from the line of the German advance."
He explained his plan to the farmer and the other Belgian peasants. Theysuggested that a short and easy way of securing safety was to shoot allthe Uhlans and bury them, but Pariset would not agree to that. The menhaving surrendered, their lives at least must be spared.
Without delay preparations were made. The body of the dead sergeant washastily buried. The Uhlan prisoners were stripped of their uniforms,clad in coarse garments provided by the villagers, and roped together.The wagon was emptied of its hay and loaded up with such littletreasures as the villagers possessed, among them an extraordinary numberof birdcages. Then it rumbled off, followed by the whole population ofthe hamlet, men, women, and children, setting off through the rain tosome sequestered village off the main route, where they might hope to beleft untouched by the German tide.
Pariset and Kenneth exchanged their uniforms for those of two of theUhlans, provided themselves with civilian clothes, selected two of thebest horses, and after a few minutes' puzzled consideration what to dowith the rest, removed their trappings and let them loose in the fields.
It was now getting late in the afternoon. Rain was still fallingheavily, which was at once an inconvenience and an advantage. Forsafety's sake Pariset bandaged his head again; then they started,Kenneth riding ahead, the captive Uhlans between him and Pariset.
They were under no illusion as to the danger they were incurring. Ifthey should meet any considerable body of Germans, a word from one ofthe prisoners would be their undoing. But what with the rain and theapproach of darkness they hoped to avoid any such contretemps. Thedirection of their march was westward, their intention being to approachLiege from the south-west. So far as they knew the Germans had notpushed their way in force farther west than Stoumont, so that they wereunlikely to encounter anything more serious than patrols and outposts.Such were formidable enough.
Marching across fields, by by-ways, through woods, they arrived bynightfall in the neighbourhood of the river Ourthe. Some few milesbeyond that river they believed that the French army was in line. Asthey were passing a cluster of cottages a voice in German called uponthem to halt. Pariset moved up to the front of the prisoners, andpointing his revolver threatened to shoot if any man spoke a word.Kenneth meanwhile, answering in German, had ridden a few paces ahead,and explained to the sentry who had challenged that he was escortingsome Belgian civilians as prisoners to Erezee, and asked in his turn fornews. To his surprise and alarm he learnt that the Germans were inforce a few miles to the south, and expected next day to force thepassage of the Ourthe. At the hamlet at which he had arrived a smallinfantry outpost had quartered itself that afternoon.
Getting from the sentry the direction of Erezee, he rode back and ledthe party away from the hamlet to the south-west.
"That was a near thing, Remi," he said. "We shall never be able to getthese fellows to our own lines."
"Pity we didn't let the farmer's men shoot them," returned Pariset."They'll be our ruin."
"I vote we leave them at the next village we come to. They'll bediscovered by the Germans in their advance to-morrow."
"Not a man of them! The villagers would have put them out of sight byto-morrow. We must leave them on the road if you want to keep themalive."
They had still not determined what to do with their troublesome chargeswhen they caught sight of lights twinkling mistily through therain-laden darkness ahead. Kenneth slipped down from his saddle, andwent forward on foot to reconnoitre, the rest halting. In a few minuteshe returned.
"The place is evidently full of Germans," he said. "I heard the eternal'Deutschland ueber Alles'; the bosches certainly sing well! We mustmake up our minds once for all what to do."
After a brief discussion they retreated some distance up the road, outof earshot from the village. On one side was an extensive plantation,probably the covert of some Belgian nobleman. Here they decided toleave their prisoners. The trees would give the men a certainprotection from the rain. They could make themselves heard when theirtroops passed along the road in the morning. There accordingly the twoyoung fellows placed the Uhlans, eking out the rope to bind their legsas well as their arms. Then they struck down a bridlepath that ranwestward, the direction of the Ourthe.
The night was so dark that though the rain ceased towards midnight theymade but slow progress. In changing clothes neither had providedhimself with matches, so that Pariset's compass was useless. Gropingfrom bridlepath to lane, from lane to high road, which they quitted assoon as possible, stealing past the few cottages they came upon, theywandered for an hour or two until both felt that they must wait fordaylight, if they were to secure themselves against the risk of fallingunawares among the enemy. They tethered their horses in a copse, and,being wet through, paced up and down to maintain their circulation untilthe dawn stole through the trees. Then, weary, hungry, and bedraggled,they remounted, and pursued their way along a narrow sunken road.Ignorant of their whereabouts, they could only trust to chance and thecompass, unless they should presently come upon Belgians whom they mightask to direct them.
But the country appeared to be deserted. When they cautiouslyapproached the first wayside cottage they came to, they found no onethere. Everything was in order; the Germans had not yet visited it;clearly the inhabitants had fled at the mere rumour of their advance.
About eight o'clock they came in sight of a large country-house, lyingback from the road in extensive grounds. The aspect of it, and anarmoured motor-car standing at the gates, caused them to draw up withinthe cover of the trees bordering the road. The gates were broken, therewere gaps in the wall, and one side of the house was damaged by shells.
"We had better go back a little, and cut across the fields," saidPariset. "That car is probably German; there may be Germans inside. Itwould be risky to pass the house."
"Perhaps it's a Belgian car," Kenneth suggested. "I'm inclined to waituntil we know. We have hopelessly lost our way."
"Look out!" said Pariset.
Two men in German uniform had descended on the far side of the car, andbegun to walk up and down in front of the gates, in the manner of menstretching their legs after long waiting. Pariset and Kenneth drewfarther back, behind a clump of trees, dismounted, and watched.
In a few minutes they heard the characteristic clatter of a motorbicycle. From beyond the house a cyclist in uniform dashed up at fullspeed; he halted at the gates, dismounted, and exchanging a word withthe waiting men walked up the drive and entered the house. Soon hereappeared, with a German officer and a civilian. These entered themotor-car with the two men, and drove away in the direction from whichthe cyclist had come. He remounted and rode after them. An old man hadtottered after the Germans; he closed the gates, or what remained ofthem; then, after watching the vehicles out of sight, he returned to thehouse, stepping much more briskly than when he came from it.
"He's glad to see the backs of them; a Belgian, without doubt," saidKenneth. "Let us go and ask him the way."
"I'll go; you remain with the horses," said Pariset.
Looking along the road to make sure that no enemy was in sight, Parisethurried to the gates, walked up the drive, and rang the bell at thefront door. It was only after ringing twice that his summons wasanswered. The door opened; the bent old man, white of hair and beard,rubbed his hands nervously together as he stood on the threshold.
"Good morning!" said Pariset in French. "You don't speak German?"
"Alas, we Belgians are backward in many things,"
replied the man inFrench with a provincial accent and in quavering tones. "What can I dofor you?"
"First, tell me where I am, where does the road lead to?"
"By Hamoir to Liege."
"Who were the party who left just now?"
"Officers of your own army": he glanced at the Uhlan uniform.
"And the cyclist?"
"A despatch rider, I think." Then, in the same trembling uncertainvoice of an old man, he went on in English: "He was a glue merchant inthe Minories six months ago--Ernst Lilienthal & Co., 2nd floor: mind thelift! And if I were you, Herr Pariset, I should wear that tureen"(pointing to the Uhlan helmet) "a trifle more upright, and your shoulderstrap a little more aslant, when you meet more Germans than you care totackle single-handed."
At the first words of English Pariset stared; then he smiled; before theseeming old man had concluded Pariset grasped his hand.
"Mr. Granger! Your disguise is complete, wonderful."
"My dear sir!" said Granger deprecatingly. "But come inside. I wantnews of our friend Amory."
"He is only a few yards away. I'll fetch him; he is in Uhlan uniform,like me. Is it safe?"
"A little more than safe, I hope," said Granger with a smile. "We havesome few hours to spare; not too many, perhaps. You have horses?"
"Yes."
"Tether them behind that shrubbery yonder. I don't recommend thestables. Bring Amory straight into the house."
Pariset hastened back to the spot where he had left Kenneth.
"Come along!" he said. "I have discovered a friend."
"That's capital!" said Kenneth. "Is he an old friend?"
"Not exactly an old friend. It is that old man you saw come to thegate. I have only known him a few days--since I met you, in fact."
"That's odd," said Kenneth, puzzled. "We have been together practicallyevery minute since we met, and I wasn't aware you had made a newacquaintance of any old man except that farmer and his friend themiller."
"What is odder is that he asked after you."
"Really! Who is he?"
"Come and see. You'll be glad to meet him."
"Hang your mystifications!"
"Not mine. But there he is at the door. Those fellows, by the way, whowent off in the automobile were Germans, but the old man assured me itis quite safe to accept his invitation."
While speaking they had led their horses to the house. They tied themup in a thick shrubbery behind the lawn, and went up the steps to thefront door.
"How do you do, Amory?" said Granger in his natural voice, holding outhis hand.
"By George!" gasped Kenneth. "A splendid get-up; I shouldn't have knownyou. What a Proteus you are!"
"Without his prophetic gifts, or I should have expected you. Come in: Ihave some interesting news for you."
"But what----"
"What am I?" Granger interposed. "I am an old family servant who, likethe domestic cat, stuck to the old place after the family had left. Iam caretaker, _pro tem._--and the time will be very short, I fancy. Wewill bar the door; I am very vigilant. Now I am at your service."