CHAPTER XX.
THE END OF A TRAITOR.
It was two years after the outbreak of the great war that theAustro-German armies were hurled forward in a great and final effort tocrush Serbia. Since the early days of the struggle, heavy battles hadbeen fought upon the Austro-Serbian frontier, with success first to oneside and then to the other.
Belgrade, the Serbian capital, had been bombarded time after time by thegreat Austrian guns and once the city had been occupied by the foe.Later, however, the Serbians had driven out the invader and reoccupiedthe capital. And now, the Austrian army, reinforced by a hundred thousandGermans, bringing the total number of troops to half a million, was againknocking at the gates of Belgrade; and the Serbians, realizing the utterhopelessness of their cause unless aid arrived from the Anglo-Frenchtroops at Saloniki, were preparing to flee.
This was the situation when the aeroplane bearing Hal, Chester and theirfriends descended just outside the city.
Hardly had they alighted when they were taken in charge by a squad ofSerbian troops. Colonel Anderson, acting as spokesman for the party,explained their presence in a few well-chosen words and asked to be takento the commanding officer. There was considerable red tape to go throughbefore the friends finally were ushered into the presence of the Serbiancommander, and that worthy immediately informed them he had but a fewmoments to give them.
Colonel Anderson, therefore, came to the point at once. He told him ofthe conversation he and Chester had overheard a short time before.
"And you say one of the men wore a Serbian uniform?" asked the general.
"Yes, sir."
"You don't know who he is--you didn't hear his name mentioned?"
"No, sir; but I would know him again if I saw him."
"Good. You shall have the chance. Now, how far from the city do you saythis conversation took place?"
"Must have been all of ten miles, sir."
"Then the men have hardly returned to the city yet. And you say you didnot hear the name of the member of the general staff, the first traitor,or spy mentioned as having divulged information?"
"No, sir."
"Very well. Now I will leave all of you here for an hour or so. I havesome matters to attend to. When I come back we'll see if you can identifythe man you speak of."
The general bowed to them and took his departure, leaving them alone inhis quarters.
From without a heavy cannonading could be heard.
"I guess the last advance has begun," said Chester slowly.
"You probably are right," agreed Hal. "And I feel sorry for theseSerbians. If the British and French could only get here in time."
"Well, I don't see why they don't," declared Chester. "England haspromised more than once since the war began that she would not permitSerbia to be crushed. Seems to me she should have taken some decisiveaction before now."
"You forget," said Colonel Anderson, "that England has her hands full inother parts of the great war theater--France, Belgium, the Dardanelles,Egypt, India and Africa."
"That's the trouble," said Hal. "England has too many irons in the fire.That's where the Germans and Austrians have the edge, as we say in theUnited States. Their armies are not scattered all over the world."
"That's true enough," replied Colonel Anderson, "and it is, withoutdoubt, the reason the Central Powers have not been crushed long ago."
Ivan now took a hand in the conversation.
"These wonderful tales you told me of my brother Alexis," he began.
"Well, what of them?" asked Hal.
"Why," said Ivan. "When I came with you I thought I should see somefighting. All I have done is fly through the air, like a bird, and hear athousand miles of talk. I want to see some fighting, like Alexis saw."
"You probably will see it soon enough," returned Chester quietly. "Evennow you can hear the booming of the great guns without. TheAustro-Germans are moving on Belgrade and it will only be hours beforethe Serbian retreat begins."
The conversation continued along various lines until the return of theSerbian commander, General Save.
"If you will come with me," he said to Colonel Anderson, "I will see ifyou can identify the traitor. Which of your friends here was with you?"
Colonel Anderson nodded toward Chester.
"Then he shall come, too. The others may remain here until we return."
Hal, Ivan and Nikol were undeniably disappointed at this turn of affairs.Not so Stubbs.
"This comes nearer being what I call comfort than anything I have enjoyedsince coming across to Europe," he said, settling himself in thecommander's easy chair and drawing exhilarating puffs from his pipe. "Idon't care how long we stay here."
"Mr. Stubbs," said Hal, "I am afraid you are lazy."
"Mr. Paine," said Stubbs, "I know I'm lazy."
Leaving the general's quarters, Colonel Anderson and Chester accompaniedthe Serbian commander toward the front.
"The enemy has begun his advance," General Save explained, as they walkedalong. "He is attacking in force all along the line. We are resisting aswell as we may. That is why every available man has been sent forward. Wewill find the traitor there some place."
"And do you have any hope of holding back the enemy, sir?" Chester asked.
"None," returned the general quietly. "We will resist to the last, buteven now preparations are being made for evacuating the capital. Withthe coming of darkness, the retreat will begin. We shall fall back toNish, which, I trust, we shall be able to hold until Anglo-Frenchassistance arrives."
"I hope so, sir," declared Chester.
"And as soon as you have picked out this traitor for me," said GeneralSave, "I will ask you to undertake a mission for me."
"We shall be glad to be of service, sir," replied Colonel Anderson. "Andthe nature of the mission?"
"Why," said the commander. "I have information to the effect that theAnglo-French troops are already on the way from Saloniki. They may notknow of the real seriousness of our position. Communication has beenhampered for the last few days. I will send word to them by you."
"Very well, sir," said Colonel Anderson. "We shall be glad to go."
"Now keep your eyes open," said General Save, as they came for the firsttime among the Serbian troops, the men farthest from the front, men beingheld in reserve.
Among the regiments the three passed slowly, scanning the face of everyofficer; and they came upon their man sooner than they could reasonablyhave hoped.
Chester suddenly touched General Save on the arm.
"Look! There he is!" the lad said in a low voice.
The general glanced in the direction indicated. Perhaps twenty yards tothe left, engaged in conversation with an officer who wore colonel'sstripes, and a man whom General Save immediately recognized as one of thegeneral staff, stood the person the lads had seen in the woods a fewhours earlier. "Are you sure that is he?" demanded the Serbian commander.
Chester nodded his head vigorously.
"Certain, sir," Colonel Anderson agreed.
"Very good. Then come with me."
The general approached the group of officers, who stood respectfully atattention when they perceived his approach.
"Captain Dellse!" said the General.
"Sir," replied the officer, stepping toward the Serbian commander.
The older officer looked squarely into the man's eyes for severalmoments without saying a word. The traitor tried his best to return thegeneral's steady gaze and for a moment he succeeded. Then his eyeswavered slightly.
General Save extended his right hand.
"Your sword, sir!" he commanded.
The other staggered back and his face turned a ghastly white.
"Wha--what, sir?" he stammered.
"Your sword," repeated the general calmly, his hand still extended.
With a visible effort the other pulled himself together.
"I do not understand you, sir," he said, with a subdued air of insolence,glancing quickly about at the othe
rs who now surrounded him.
General Save lost all patience now. He took a step forward.
"Give me your sword, you traitor!" he commanded angrily. "You are underarrest. You shall be shot in ten minutes."
The face of the accused officer turned livid. There was no pretending tomisunderstand now.
Quickly he glanced about him. Chester and Colonel Anderson, in theircivilian clothes, stood each with a hand in his right coat pocket, and inthe hand of each rested a little automatic.
An ever increasing group of Serbian officers also surrounded him. The manwith whom the traitor had been engaged in conversation moved graduallytoward the rear of the circle. General Save caught sight of him out ofthe corner of his eye.
"Colonel Breyold!" he commanded.
The other halted.
"Come here, sir," commanded the general.
Glancing furtively about him, the other obeyed. The Serbian commanderturned to another of his officers.
"Relieve Colonel Breyold of his sword," he commanded.
Without waiting to see that his command was carried out, he stepped closeto Dellse. The other gave way before him and with a sudden movementproduced a revolver.
Before those nearby could interfere, he had raised the weapon and pulledthe trigger. There was a sharp report, a flash of fire, and when thesmoke had cleared away, Dellse and General Save were locked in eachother's embrace, struggling furiously.
With loud cries other Serbian officers jumped forward and separated thecombatants. Dellse's weapon was wrested from his grasp and in a moment hewas powerless.
"Are you hurt, sir?" asked one of the officers anxiously of the general.
"No," was the reply.
With a gesture of his arm, he indicated the two traitors. "Take them outand shoot them immediately!" he ordered.