CHAPTER XXIX
GASSED
SOMETHING fluttered past the flight-sub's ear. It was a dead leaf.Whisked by a sudden gust it disappeared. Simultaneously the windmoaned dismally betwixt the gaunt branches.
Hitherto the air had been heavy and still. Now, almost miraculously,a stiff breeze had sprung up, blowing in the direction of theinfernal gas cylinders, just as they liberated their poisonouscontents.
The rolling columns of vapour, forced back by the wind, literallyenveloped the hideously masked operators. More, the deadly cloud,keeping close to the ground, travelled at prodigious speed towardsthe two Hun officers, who hitherto had been thoroughly enjoying theproceedings.
Quickly their brutal hilarity changed to an attitude of terror, asthe death-dealing gas, spreading from the right and left of them,bore down at a rate exceeding that of a trotting horse. For a briefmoment Barcroft had a vision of two grey-coated forms, two pairs ofheels in the air and two pairs of outstretched arms. Then the cloudhid them from sight.
Already the operators, finding that the gas had been misdirected,had shut off the controlling valves. But the mischief was alreadydone. When the cloud had drifted away before the now steady breezethe German officers could be discerned lying on the ground andbeating a frantic tattoo with their elbows and heels as thepoisonous vapour tore their lungs.
Aghast the corporal watched his superiors' death agonies. While hismen hastened to render aid--a useless task--the luckless non com.,tearing away his mask and liberating the poisonous vapour, held hisface close to the hissing nozzle. Then he, too, dropped, writhing onthe ground in mortal pain.
Finding that the gas-masks impeded their action the men who gatheredround the dying officers discarded their protection, since the fumesof the first discharge had passed far beyond the scene. But they hadnot reckoned on a repetition of the dose. Suddenly overwhelmed bythe fumes that issued uncontrolled from one of the cylinders, fiveof the men were stricken down. The remaining few, who had notdeprived themselves of their masks, made no attempt to check theoutpouring cloud. They promptly fled.
"By Jove, if the wind lulls we are done for!" thought Barcroft. "Afellow wouldn't stand a ghost of a chance after a sniff of thatstuff. Wonder how long the gas lasts?"
A back eddy sent a faint tinge of chlorine over the prostrate trio.It was as much as Billy could do to restrain himself from tearinghis handkerchief from his mouth and gasping for breath. Fullercoughed heavily, while the A.P. rose to a kneeling position. Had notBarcroft grasped him by the arm he would have toppled off the bough.Then came another rush of pure air and the danger was past.
It was nearly twenty minutes before the apparatus exhausted itself.For nearly half a mile the track of the gas could be followed. Therich dark earth was turned a sickly yellow. Trees on the edge of theadjoining field were literally bleached by the corrosive vapour,while its effect upon the bodies of the victims of their owninfernal contrivance was to make it difficult to distinguish betweenthe colour of their uniform and that of their hideously drawnfeatures.
"I vote we shift," suggested Barcroft. "The Boches evidently have asuspicion that we are somewhere in this wood. It's positively nothealthy to remain."
"I think otherwise, with due deference to you," objected Fuller."Granted the Huns imagine we are here. Those bloodhounds told themthat; but after this delightful fiasco of the gas-business they'lltake it for certain that if we are here we've been done in. So itwould be well to sit tight till dark--much as I want to be on themove."
"What is the effect of chlorine gas upon food?" inquired the A.P.
"Rotten, I should imagine. Why?" asked Billy in surprise.
"Because there's food and drink down there," continued Kirkwood,pointing to the body of the corporal. "These fellows, for somereason, are in heavy marching order. There's almost certain to begrub in his pack and I can see his water bottle. We can't afford tobe too squeamish, you know."
"Don't fancy German tack steeped in poison," remarked Fuller."Although I feel as if I could eat almost anything. As forwater--well, there's plenty of that about."
"And that's what makes me think that the fellow has something betterthan water in his canteen. At any rate, here goes."
Giving a glance round to see that no one was in sight the A.P. againdescended to earth. Gingerly unbuckling the dead soldier's knapsackhe produced half a loaf of black bread, a tin of meat and ahermetically-sealed box that afterwards proved to contain biscuits.One sniff at the bread was enough. Kirkwood promptly replaced it andcarefully rebuckled the straps of the pack. The man's water-bottlehe risked taking. Unscrewing the cork he found that the bottlecontained neat Schnapps.
"One teaspoonful only for you, Fuller," he announced as he rejoinedhis comrades with the spoils. "Raw spirit will play the deuce withthat wound of yours."
"You are quite right," agreed the flight-lieutenant as Barcroftproceeded to prise open the meat tin. Its contents consisted oftightly packed sausages. "For the same reason I suppose I mustabstain from rich food. Give me a biscuit, you despoiler of thedead."
Late in the afternoon another party of Germans arrived upon thescene, this time merely to collect the victims of the gas and toremove the instruments of retribution.
"Double patrols at all cross-roads to-night, curse it!" said one ofthe soldiers. "Always more work. These Englishmen must be stiff bythis time. Why send us out to arrest corpses?"
"We don't know that the gas has settled them," replied hiscompanion. "Although it did the trick very neatly for JohannesMuller. I'm sorry for him. As for the ober-leutnant----"
He shrugged his shoulders expressively. Evidently the officer was atypical Prussian.
"These English airmen played the deuce at Aerschot and Lierre,"continued the first speaker. "It will go badly with them if they'recaught, but, as I said, it's my opinion that they are done foralready. Double patrols on a night like this. It's as bad as thetrenches at Ypres."
"Fortunately I am warned for the Golden Lion cross-roads," said hiscompanion. "As soon as the leutnant has made the rounds our partywill make tracks for the cabaret. I am an old campaigner, Fritz."
"Ach! Do not, then, get caught," cautioned the other as he slammedthe lid of the box on the cart. "It will be safe enough betweenmidnight and two o'clock. I've a mind to join you, only it's agoodish step from Quatre Vents."
"Where's the map?" inquired Fuller, after the fatigue party haddisappeared. "The 'Golden Lion' he said? That's it--_le LionDore_--it's marked here. Luck, boys! It's on the way to thefrontier. Roll on, eleven o'clock. Only six hours more. Why didn'twe bring a gramophone, or even a pack of cards?"
Slowly the leaden-footed hours sped. Darkness fell upon the scene.To add to the cold and discomfort; a chilly rain followed the"piping down" of the wind. The gnarled bough, rendered slippery withthe moisture, was hardly safe. Its condition presaged danger whenthe time came for the three fugitives to attempt to descend the treetrunk. What was more there was every indication of the wet turninginto ice.
Even the airmen's thick leather coats and fleece-lined glovesafforded but scant protection against the rigours of the penetratingair. Again and again Billy consulted the luminous hand of his watch.Would the hour of eleven never come?
"Why wait any longer?" asked the A.P., his teeth chattering with thecold. "We can make our way cautiously through the wood. We'll be amile nearer to the Golden Lion crossroads when we get to the otherside. We'll be too benumbed if we stop here."
"All right," agreed Barcroft. "Belts together, lads. We'll lower youas far as we can, John. Mind that ankle of yours when you drop."
It was an eerie business lowering Fuller through the darkness, butwithout mishap he alighted on the soft ground. Then having throwndown the water bottle and the rest of the provisions his twocomrades rejoined him.
"All right?" whispered Barcroft.
"Right as ninepence," replied the flight-lieutenant. "Lead on,Macduff."
Guided by a luminous spirit-compass Billy plunged into the wood, hiscompa
nions following in single file. Already the rain had beensufficiently heavy to moisten the ground in spite of the protectionafforded by the leafless branches. Here and there a dry twig crackedunder their feet; again and again they had to make detours to avoidthick-set undergrowth; once their progress was impeded by aknee-deep but sluggish brook, but without mishap the fugitivesgained the remote side of the wood.
Beyond all was dark as pitch. The sky being overcast even thestarlight was denied them. Presently a lantern gleamed in thedistance, its yellow glimmer lighting up the high-pitched roof andquaint chimneys of a tall building that had evidently escaped theruin of war.
Barcroft nudged the A.P.
"The 'Golden Lion'," he announced. "And another hour and a half towait."