CHAPTER XV.
ATTACKED BY THE ENEMY.
"What shall we do with him?" questioned Chester. "We can't go away andleave him here like this."
"No," Hal agreed. "I know we should, for our own safety may dependupon it, but just the same it goes against the grain."
"If we had something to dig with," said Chester.
"But we haven't," Hal interrupted.
But the two lads were saved the trouble of finding a grave for thetraitor, for suddenly through the woods came the sound of trampingfeet.
For a moment the two lads listened intently. Then Chester grabbed Halby the arm.
"Come," he said in a hoarse whisper, "we must find a place of safety."
Hal drew back.
"Wait until I see if Dersi happened to have another gun," he said.
He ran his hand over the dead man and at length rose up with a secondrevolver and a belt well filled with cartridges. One of the weapons hepassed to Chester.
"We'll probably need these," he said grimly. "Now, let's see if wecan't find a place to hide."
Cautiously the two lads made their way through the woods. They couldhear the sound of their pursuers, but they had little fear of beingdetected in the still uncertain light, as long as they kept the samedistance between themselves and the Germans.
But suddenly a gleam of light showed in the forest. A German soldierhad flashed a pocket searchlight, and the glare of it fell squarelyupon the crouching lads, before they could step behind a tree or anyother place of refuge.
"Run!" cried Hal, suiting the action to the word.
Chester needed no urging, and also took to his heels. But theirpresence had been discovered, as was proved by the sharp crack of arifle. Neither boy was touched, although the bullet passeduncomfortably close to Chester's head.
Stumbling along as fast as the semi-darkness would permit, the boysmade a brave effort to escape. But they were not to get off in sucheasy fashion. For again the searchlight lighted up the woods andexposed them to their pursuers. Both lads threw themselves to theground, and thus avoided the volley of shots that were fired at them.
As Chester dropped, he heard a startled exclamation from his chum,and, glancing quickly about, he could see no sign of him. The lad wasnon-plussed, but, before he could so much as move, he heard Hal'svoice, apparently below him:
"Quick, Chester! Down here, but be careful how you come."
Cautiously Chester moved in the direction of his friend's voice. Buthe was not cautious enough, and a moment later, grasping out wildlyfor some means to stay his rapid descent, he was sliding down whatseemed to be a steep embankment.
He brought up abruptly at the bottom, and felt Hal's hand upon hisarm.
"Great Scott!" he ejaculated. "Where are we? Down in the bottomlesspit?"
Hal clapped his hand over Chester's mouth, for his keen ears haddetected the sounds of footsteps above.
"Quiet!" he whispered.
Chester needed no second warning. He did not move a muscle. From abovecame the sound of a voice:
"I wonder where they went?"
"I don't know," answered another voice, "but we had best be careful.They are probably armed."
Now, Hal, moving his position slightly, felt a space behind him, andcrawled slowly backward, where the darkness seemed greater, pullingChester along after him. They continued this crawling for someminutes. Finally, raising his head, Hal dropped quickly again with amuttered exclamation.
In arising his head had come in contact with something above him.Raising an exploring hand, he investigated. He touched a rock above.Then he reached out on each side. As he had surmised, only a few feeteach way were solid walls.
"A cave," he muttered.
"What?" asked Chester.
"We are cooped up in a cave. If the Germans are wise enough, afterthey learn where we are, they will just sit down on the outside andstarve us out. But, if they try to come in--well, I don't think theywill get very far, as long as our cartridges hold out. You wait hereuntil I see how far back this thing goes."
Chester obeyed, and Hal continued his exploration. For two or threeminutes he crawled along, and then, turning a slight bend, gave asudden exclamation. He had come upon a possible means of exit, for,apparently, the cave had two openings.
Quickly Hal poked his head out and looked around. He could see no one.Slowly he crawled back to where he had left Chester, and informed himof what he had learned.
"Then the best thing we can do is to get out of here quick," wasChester's decision. "Let's go."
Slowly Hal led the way along the low passageway, and, reaching theopening again, poked his head out. This time he was doomed to adisappointment. Hardly had his head emerged from the hole in theground when he drew it in quickly again.
"What's the matter now?" demanded Chester.
"Matter is," said Hal quietly, "that there are six Germans standingabout five yards from the entrance."
"What!" cried Chester, in consternation.
"Exactly," said Hal; "if you don't believe it have a look foryourself."
"Oh, I don't want to look," said Chester, bitterly disappointed. "Ican take your word for it. What are we going to do now?"
"Well," said Hal, "it looks to me like a good time to get out theother end."
"Yes, but there are likely to be a few of them hanging about there,also," said Chester.
"That's so, too," agreed Hal. "Well, I'll tell you what: You sneakback there and investigate, and I'll stay here and guard this end, incase one of them tries to get in."
Slowly Chester crawled away. Reaching the opposite end of the cave, hecautiously poked his head out and looked around. In the dim light hecould see no one. But he was afraid to call out to Hal--his voicemight be overheard--so he took his tedious way back to where he hadleft his friend.
"All O. K.," he whispered.
"Good," said Hal. "Let's get out of here, then."
They crawled back along the dark passageway as rapidly as the darknessand the condition of the ground would permit, but before leaving theirplace of refuge, Chester thought it advisable to peep out once more.
And it was well that he did so. For, standing almost at the entranceof the cave three figures loomed up against the sky. Quickly Chesterdrew back in again.
"Three of 'em out there," he informed Hal briefly. "What are we goingto do now?"
"You've got me," replied Hal. "Can't you pick 'em off with your gun?"
"Oh, I can pick a couple of 'em off, all right. But what then? Wewould probably have a whole brigade upon us in two shakes of a lamb'stail."
"I guess you are right," Hal agreed. "But we have got to dosomething."
"So we have," replied Chester; "but the question is, what?"
Hal was silent for several minutes, thinking. Finally he said:
"Well, I guess the best thing to do is to wait and see what happens.Perhaps they may leave before broad daylight and not discover thiscave. In that case we shall be safe enough. Now you stay here andguard this end, and don't move unless I call. I'll do the same at theother end."
"All right," said Chester. "We'll keep our posts till daylight,whether they go away or not. Then, if we have not been discovered, wecan at least see what we are doing."
Hal moved slowly along the passageway once more, being very carefulnot to make any noise. He crawled on hands and knees, his head thrustout before him.
Suddenly, as he moved slowly along, his head came in contact withanother moving object with an audible crack.
He had bumped into a second crawling figure.