CHAPTER V
THE BLACK PEAS
The howling without continued when Hal and Chester reached theirown quarters.
"Well, you've made another enemy, Hal," said Chester.
"Can't help that," was his chum's reply. "It had to be done. By the way,I wonder what's happened to Stubbs?"
"Oh, I guess he is spooking around some place. He'll turn upbefore long."
The lad was right. Hal and Chester had hardly composed themselves tosleep when the flap to the tent was lifted and Stubbs' head appeared. Hestruck a match and looked at the two lads.
"Asleep?" he asked.
Neither lad was, but neither replied. They were both too sleepy tocare to enter into a conversation with Stubbs, so they maintained adiscreet silence.
"All right, then," said Stubbs, "if you're asleep I'll soon be with you."
He removed his clothing and went to bed.
Stubbs was up early the following morning and when the lads aroseentertained them with an account of his wanderings.
"And," he concluded, "I've stumbled across a story that's a wonder."
"A story?" repeated Chester.
"Yes. A 'story' is a newspaper man's way of expressing something big."
"Something to do with the battle?" asked Hal.
"It may have and it may not," declared Stubbs. "It may have something todo with the whole war--and it may not. I don't know."
"What is it, Stubbs?" asked Chester.
Stubbs winked one eye at him.
"As I happened to stumble across this while I was snooping," hesaid, "and as you don't think much of snooping, I am going to keepthis to myself."
"Come, Mr. Stubbs," said Chester, "you know I was just fooling."
"Well, I may be just fooling now, for all you know," said Stubbs.
In vain did the lads plead to know what he was talking about. Stubbs wasobdurate and took his departure, announcing that he was going to do somemore "snooping," without enlightening them.
Hardly had he gone when the lads received a caller. It was none otherthan the young French boy whom Hal had rescued from the hands of histormentors the night before.
"They told me you came to my aid," he said to Hal, "so I have come tothank you."
"Who are they?" asked Hal.
"Some of the men. It was true that I was ill last night. Jules Clemenceauwill not forget."
The young French boy had stood with one hand in his pocket, and nowwithdrew the hand and extended it to Hal. As he did so, two small objectsfell from his pocket. Apparently Jules did not notice them. Hal shookhands with the boy and the Frenchman took his departure.
Chester, in the meantime, had picked up the two little objects and now hecalled to Jules, but the young Frenchman did not hear him.
"Oh, I guess he doesn't want these things, anyhow," the lad muttered.
"What things?" asked Hal, who had not seen the objects drop fromJules' pocket.
Chester passed one of the objects to him.
"Know what it is?" he asked.
"Sure," returned Hal, "don't you?"
"No. What is it?"
"A pea."
"I never saw a pea like that."
"Probably not. They are rather rare. A black pea, that's what it is.Where did you get it?"
"Jules dropped it out of his pocket."
"Well, as he seems to think I have done him a favor, I am just going tokeep this. I guess he won't mind. I'll carry it as a pocket piece."
"Then I'll carry the mate to it," said Chester.
He put the little round pea in his pocket and Hal followed suit.
Although neither could possibly have suspected it, these two little peaswere to be the means of getting them into all kinds of trouble.
There was heavy fighting that day and when night fell it found theGermans safely entrenched in the French second line trenches along aseven-mile front. For some reason or other Hal and Chester did not get tothe front, their duties confining them close to General Petain'sheadquarters. They were kept busy most of the day, however, and weretired out when they returned to their own quarters late that night.
Ready as they were for bed, they consented to sit up a while and talkwith Stubbs, who announced that he had a wonderful tale to unfold.
"Well," said Stubbs, "I have discovered a strange thing. It's a bigthing and there are many men in the French army implicated in it. Mostlikely in the British, too, and I know that it has touched the ranks ofthe enemy."
"What is it, a conspiracy?" asked Chester.
"It is," said Stubbs, "and it's a whopper. I haven't been able to findthe names of any of the leaders and I wouldn't know what to do if I didlearn who they are. This one thing, rather than anything else, is likelyto disrupt the aims of the Allies."
"Then you had better tell General Petain about it," declared Hal.
"I suppose I should," said Stubbs, as he drew out his pipe and proceededto fill it.
He was quiet a moment as he ran his fingers in his vest pocket,seeking a match.
"Say, I'm a good one, ain't I?" he demanded, forgetting his grammarabsolutely.
"What's the matter now?" asked Hal.
"Matter is that I can never keep a match. Have you got one?"
"Fortunately for you, I have," said Chester. "I don't carry them, as arule, having no use for them, but I chanced to find a box of safetymatches to-day."
He reached in his pocket and produced the box; and as he did so thelittle black pea rolled from his pocket. It rolled toward Stubbs and thelittle man caught it. He would have returned it to Chester, but as hestarted to do so he took a close look at it. He gave a sudden start andthe box of matches Chester had extended to him dropped to the floor evenas his fingers would have closed on it.
"H-m-m-m," he muttered to himself. "I wonder. I suppose it would be agreat thing. I wonder."
Stubbs picked up the box of matches and proceeded to light his pipe withdeliberation.
"Well, now that you have that pipe puffing," said Hal, "what's the restof this story of yours?"
"On second thought," said Stubbs calmly, "I have decided to keep itto myself."
"You're not going to tell us?" demanded Chester.
"No," said Stubbs. "By the way, here's your black pea," for Chester hadnot noticed that he had dropped it.
"Thanks," said Chester, taking the pea and dropping it in his pocket, "Iwouldn't want to lose it."
"No, I guess not," said Stubbs mysteriously. "Pretty scarce articles. Idon't suppose you could find another one in some distance."
"Oh, yes, you could," said Hal. "I have one myself."
"That so?" said Stubbs, and added to himself: "I thought so, but I wantedto make sure."
Hal produced his black pea. Stubbs examined it carefully and passed itback to him.
"Better keep it in a safe place," he said. "As I say, they are scarceand it never does a fellow any good to lose anything when there isanyone around."
Hal and Chester started guiltily. How could Stubbs know they had foundthe peas when they fell from the pocket of Jules Clemenceau? Stubbs, whohad been watching the two closely, observed these sudden starts andinterpreted them to his own satisfaction.
"Come now, Stubbs," said Chester, "tell us the rest of this storyof yours."
"No," said Stubbs, "I am going to keep it to myself." He added under hisbreath: "The young cubs! Trying to pump an old-timer like me to see howmuch I know!"
"You mean you are not even going to tell the general?" asked Hal.
"That's what I mean," said Stubbs.
Hal and Chester exchanged glances. They wondered what had come over thelittle man so suddenly. Stubbs caught the interchange of glances andagain he read it wrong. To Stubbs it appeared that there was relief ontheir features.
Stubbs shook his head.
"I'm going to turn in," he said.
Not another word could the lads get out of him, try as they would. ButStubbs, on his cot, did not sleep immediately. Covertly he watched thetwo lads as they
talked in tones too low for him to hear, strain his earsas he would.
"Well, I guess I don't need to hear 'em," he told himself. "I can guesswhat it's all about."
He rolled over and went to sleep.
But the nature of the lads' conversation was a whole lot different fromwhat Stubbs thought it was, though it concerned the little man himself.
"Something wrong with him," said Chester.
"Right you are," agreed Hal. "Talks like we had offended him orsomething."
"Maybe he just wants to keep us guessing."
"That might be it. Anyhow, if he doesn't tell us to-morrow, I'm going totell him what I think of him."
"Then he won't talk," said Chester.
"We might be able to get him mad enough to make him talk," returned Hal.
"By Jove! so we might," said Chester. "We'll have a try at it to-morrowif it's necessary."
"All right. Then let's turn in. I've a feeling it's going to be astrenuous day to-morrow."
And it was; though not strenuous in the way Hal had expected.