CHAPTER XVII.
A FRIEND IN NEED.
"What do you suppose is going to happen now?" asked Chester breathlessly.
"It's too deep for me," replied Hal. "I can't imagine what hewants with us."
"But who is he? That's what I would like to know," demanded Chester.
"I haven't the faintest idea, but he must be someone of importance."
"Oh, he's important enough, all right. You noticed his command wasobeyed."
"Well, I guess we shall find out in good time who he is," returned Hal.
The lads were taken to a large hut in the center of a great camp. The hutwas luxuriously appointed, and it was plainly evident that the man whohad saved them was one of the foremost of the huge German host.
The general himself had not arrived yet. But, after a long wait, he camein, alone. He motioned their guards away, and then turned on the boyswith a scowl.
"Do you remember me?" he demanded.
The two lads nodded affirmatively. They were, for the moment,beyond speech.
"And I remember you," went on the general. "You," he continued, pointingto Hal, "are the American upstart who almost knocked me over in thestation at Berlin. I said I would have you whipped. Well, my time hascome. Now, you just sit quiet," he said loudly, as Hal and Chester took astep forward. "I will write out your sentence right now," and he turnedtoward a table.
"I won't be whipped!" cried Hal to Chester. "They will have to killme first!"
The general paid no attention to this remark, but continued to write insilence. Finally he arose, with a paper in his hand.
"Here is your sentence," he said, turning to Hal. "Read, and see what youthink of it."
Hal took the paper the general extended to him. As he read an expressionof amazement passed over his face.
Hal passed the paper to Chester without a word, and, as Chester read, healso grew amazed. And no wonder.
For what the general had written was a safe-conduct for both lads to theBelgian lines; and the signature at the bottom was that of General CountVon Moltke, commander-in-chief of all the German armies!
Hal stepped forward.
"General," he stammered, "we--I--we don't know how to thank you."
The general raised a hand and said gruffly:
"Never mind that." The faint shadow of a smile flitted over his sterncountenance. "I suppose," he continued, "that you are wondering why I dothis, after what occurred in the station at Berlin. It is so, is it not?"
"It is very strange," muttered Chester, and Hal nodded his head inassent.
"Well, I'll tell you," said the general. "You remember when I pushed youaway from the train?" he queried, turning to Hal.
Hal nodded.
"When I turned round after that, feeling greatly pleased with myself, Inoticed, for the first time, the presence of a lady in my compartment.She looked at me in the greatest contempt. It confused me; and I am noteasily confused.
"Then she told me that she was your mother, and, you may believe, beratedme most wonderfully. She didn't cry, nor go into hysterics, which made agreat impression on me. Most mothers would. I felt decidedlyuncomfortable.
"I realized that I had acted like a boor. We had gone some distance, butI had the train stopped and backed into the station. You were not there.I telephoned your ambassador. You had been there and gone. We were unableto find you.
"I prevailed upon your mother to continue her journey to Brussels. Iissued an order to all my generals to keep a lookout for you and give yousafe-conduct into Belgium. It seems, however, that none of themrecognized you, or that you kept out of sight.
"I promised your mother I would get you out of the country in some way,and she was greatly relieved. She knew I would do it. That's all there isto the story. Now, I don't know what you lads were doing when you werecaptured, and I don't want to know. If you are mixed up in this war inany way, I don't want to know anything about it; but, if you are, take myadvice and go home to America. As I say, I don't want to know what youhave been doing since you left Berlin. It might force me to change myattitude. I promised your mother I would get you out of Germany, and Ishall do it."
Hal and Chester were greatly surprised by this recital, and both boysthanked the general as well as they could.
The general stepped to the entrance of his hut, and raised his hand. Anofficer entered and came to a salute.
"I have given these two lads safe-conduct into the Belgian lines," saidthe general. "See that they get there in safety."
"Yes, general," said the officer.
The general turned to the two boys.
"You would better go now," he said.
He extended his hand, and both boys grasped it heartily.
"Good luck to you," he called, as they followed the officer from the hut;"my regards to your mother."
And that was the last the boys saw of the commander-in-chief of all thearmed hosts of Germany.
Straight through the great German camp the officer led the boys swiftly.At the farthest outposts he halted, and signaled another officer.
"Lieutenant," he commanded, "take a flag of truce and escort theseboys to the Belgian lines. They have been given safe-conduct byGeneral Von Moltke."
The officer saluted, and the boys followed him. Under a flag of trucethey traversed the distance between the Belgian lines.
Out of danger at last, the two lads hastened to the quarters ofthe commanding general, and reported. The general was genuinelyglad to see them.
"I had about given you up for lost," he said. "But you have arrived inthe nick of time. A concerted German advance is expected momentarily, andwithout the reply you have brought we would have been at a greatdisadvantage."
Their mission successfully completed, the lads now hunted up CaptainDerevaux. They found the young captain in his quarters. He jumped up asthe two boys entered, ran hurriedly forward and greeted them effusively.
"Believe me, I am glad to see you again," he exclaimed. "I had madecertain I would never see you alive."
"Oh, we are hard to get rid of," replied Hal, with a smile. "I guesswe'll continue to stick around for some time yet."
"Well, you don't know how glad I am to see you back safely," continuedthe Frenchman. "But come in and tell me all about your journey."
For a long time the three talked; and then Hal bethought himself to askconcerning the situation in Liege.
"We are expecting an attack in force at almost any minute," explained theyoung captain; "and we are prepared to give a good account of ourselves.In spite of the fact that we are sure to be greatly outnumbered, there isno doubt that we can hold the forts. Of the city itself, I am not socertain, although these Belgians will fight to the last.
"Everything that can be done to strengthen our position has already beendone, and all we can do now is to wait for the attack that must comesoon. Already the German forces have delayed longer than had beenanticipated, but every hour of delay makes our position that muchstronger.
"British troops have been landed in France, and French and English bothare hurrying to the support of the Belgians. It is impossible for them toarrive in time to take part in the coming fight, but it is the plan ofthe Belgians to delay the German advance as long as possible. Believe me,the Germans will find the Belgian defense such a stumbling-block as theyhave not counted upon."
"There is no question that they will fight to the last?" asked Hal.
"Not the slightest," was the reply, "Their resentment of the violation ofBelgian neutrality knows no bounds. They will fight to the last drop ofblood in them."
"Then I suppose the battle of Liege will be one of the bloodiest inhistory," declared Chester.
"Undoubtedly," replied the captain; "and, if I mistake not, it is only amatter of hours until it begins. The troops are sleeping on their arms,and at the first word of a German advance the entire Belgian army will behurled into the battle."
"Do you really believe the Belgians will be able to check theGerman advance?"
; "I do. These great steel forts are practically impregnable. They cansuccessfully withstand the fire of the big German guns for weeks; and forthe Germans to try and take them by storm will mean annihilation. But asuccessful charge would put the city proper into their hands."
"But in that event is there any likelihood of the forts surrendering?"
"I think not. In fact, I am positive of it. But come, boys, we havetalked enough, and it is getting late. I guess we would better turn in.There is no telling when we may get to sleep again."
Accordingly, almost fully dressed, the three threw themselves down, andsoon were fast asleep.
To Hal and Chester it seemed they had hardly closed their eyes when theywere rudely awakened. It was the sound of a cannon that had aroused them,but for the moment they could not tell what it was.
The boys sat up and rubbed their eyes sleepily. Outside it was light. Thegray dawn crept through the entrance, dispelling the shadows of thedarkened hut.
"What was it?" cried Chester.
And, even as he spoke, it came again, the heavy boom of a single hugecannon, followed almost immediately by the crash of thousands uponthousands of rifles. The machine and rapid-fire guns broke loose withtheir leaden messengers of death, and a bugle sounded:
"To arms!"