CHAPTER XIII.
NOT CAUGHT NAPPING.
Frank was perfectly satisfied with the promise given him by Major Nixon.He knew the bluff British soldier would keep his word to the letter.While the man who had been caught hiding in the hangar of the youngAmerican aviators would be taken to a place of security and keptcarefully guarded, in order to prevent his knowledge concerning thecontemplated aerial raid from leaking out, at the same time his lifewould not pay the penalty of his capture.
After some more conversation covering the matter Frank, knowing theother to be very busy, took his leave.
"A last word of warning, my boy," said the soldier, after shaking hands."Keep on the alert wherever you go in Dunkirk. While the place itself isloyal, and is thronged now with soldiers of every type, at the same timewe know there are many secret sympathizers with the other side heretrying to learn the plans of our generals, so that they can communicatethem to the Kaiser's leaders."
"But why should I be picked out for trouble?" asked Frank.
"Because they know that you are here to complete a deal entered intowith the French Government in connection with your wonderful seaplanebefore this war was dreamed of. They would be willing to do something toprevent you from standing between their plans and the securing ordestroying of the machine in the hangar."
"I had not thought of it in that light," said Frank, disturbed more orless.
"Pardon me for saying it," continued the Major, "but they understandthat if you could only be made to disappear your companions would bemuch easier to hoodwink, and their plans looking toward destroying the_Sea Eagle_ would be crowned with success. You will be doubly careful,Frank, I hope."
The boy promised this. Even though he might not be willing to admit thatthese secret agents of the Kaiser would dream of attempting anyviolence, at the same time he saw the soldier was really concerned abouthim.
So they parted with mutual good wishes.
Frank found himself again on the streets of the French seacoast city.Dunkirk was a far different place in these strenuous war times from theother days, when peace lay upon the land, and men went about theircustomary vocations of fishing, trading, and disposing of the productsof the rich soil.
Now everywhere he looked Frank could see soldiers, and then moresoldiers. They thronged the principal streets, and passed in and out ofthe shops buying things that appealed to their fancy. There were allmanner of strange foreign troops to be met with--Gurkhas from far-awayIndia; Canadians who resembled the Rough Riders of our own Spanish Wartimes; Colonials from Australia or New Zealand; and many others whointerested the boy very much.
Then, with the warning of Major Nixon still ringing in his ears, Franksuddenly became aware of the fact that he himself was an object ofinterest, though there was nothing about his make-up calculated toattract attention in all that strange collection of men from the fourquarters of the globe.
Several times, on glancing hastily about him, he had noticed a certainman dressed like a citizen apparently staring into the window of astore. Frank began to believe the man was following him, and so he madea test to prove it.
"I like that, now," he said to himself, with a chuckle when again hefound that he had not shaken the unknown off his track by slipping intoa certain side street, for the man was standing there on the curb as heturned, and calmly brushing his sleeve as though utterly unconcerned.
"I wonder if they would dare try to stop me on the way to the hangar,"Frank was asking himself, though he immediately added: "that's hardlylikely, for there's really no time when I'm out of sight of soldiers onthe road, because they're going and coming constantly. I could even fallin behind a regiment if I wanted, and have plenty of company all the wayto the gates of our compound."
Just then he found himself attracted by the actions of a couple ahead ofhim, a man of middle age and a woman. Apparently she had been seizedwith some sort of vertigo, for the man was acting as though dreadfullyalarmed. He had thrown an arm about her, and was looking around in anappealing way.
It happened that Frank was about the only person nearby, and it was onlynatural for him to hasten forward.
"Oh! please help me support my wife, young sir!" exclaimed the citizenas Frank arrived. "She is fainting, and just when we had reached ourhome here. Would you mind supporting her on the other side, andassisting me to get her to the door?"
An appeal like that could not be easily resisted, especially by one soready to help others as Frank Chester had always been in the past.
Somehow it did not appear to strike him as singular that the citizenshould be so fluent in his English when he was supposed to be aFrenchman. All Frank thought of then was that the man was indifficulties, and it would be next to nothing for him to lend the othera helping hand.
So he took hold on the other side of the woman who was acting as thoughswooning. Frank could not but notice that she appeared anything butfragile.
The door of the modest looking house was close by, and between them heand the distracted husband managed to half lead, half drag, the faintingwoman up to it. The man immediately opened the door with one hand.
"Please assist me a little further, and I will be so thankful!" hepleaded.
Frank might have actually entered the house, only for a little thingthat he had noticed. As they approached the door he had seen the mancast a quick glance upward toward the second story. The latticed blindswere shut, but as Frank used his eyes to advantage he believed he sawsomeone's face back of the screen.
Like a flash it struck him that the man must have made some sort ofquick signal to the party who was hidden up there. Frank became cautiousin that second, remembering the warning given him by Major Nixon.
These spies were up to all manner of trickery in order to carry outtheir well-laid plans, and might not this pretended swooning of thewoman be only a bait intended to coax him into a trap?
Frank immediately released his hold of the woman, and he noticed thatshe did not appear to be in danger of falling after he had withdrawn hissupport, which in itself was a suspicious sign.
"Oh! I hope you will help me just a little further!" exclaimed the man."Inside is a chair, and if we could place her in that it is all I couldask of you. Thank you a thousand times for what you have done already;but do not leave me just yet."
It seemed hard to refuse, but Frank steeled his heart. He was positiveby now he had been made a victim to a deep-laid plot, and if he butstepped within that open door something unpleasant was sure to happen tohim.
"You will have to excuse me, but I can go no further," he said hastily.
The man said something half under his breath. Frank saw that the womanwas apparently suddenly regaining her senses, for she had thrown out ahand, and seemed to be trying to clutch hold of his sleeve.
The boy had no difficulty in avoiding the contact, however, thanks tohis suspicions. He dodged back, and then with a smile turned and walkedquickly away. When he glanced over his shoulder a minute later thecouple had vanished, evidently going into the house, which Frank couldimagine must be a nest of spies.
"That was a pretty close call for me," he was saying to himself as hewalked on; "and I can imagine there'll be a hurried exodus from thatbuilding inside of a few minutes if I cared to hang around and watch.They'll be afraid that I may tell on them, and have the soldierssurround the place. But it isn't my business as a neutral to have Germanspies arrested and shot."
Frank sauntered on. He had a few errands to attend to, some smallsupplies to purchase connected with the seaplane, for new wants wereconstantly cropping up in that line.
The little adventure caused his blood to warm up, but Frank had beenthrough so much in his past that he had by this time come to take suchthings as a matter of course, and accept them philosophically.
"If that was intended for a stall," he said to himself presently, "itshows how desperate they're getting about our disposing of the _SeaEagle_ to the French Government. Why, you
'd think orders had gone out inBerlin to prevent the transfer by hook or by crook. Certain it is thesepeople are risking their lives in the effort. But they will have to getup pretty early in the morning to best us, that's all I can say, even ifit does sound like boasting."
Though remaining watchful, he was soon busy with his errands. No onebrushed elbows with him in the stores but that Frank used his eyes totake note. Those who could arrange such an ingenious scheme as thatswooning lady and the call upon him for assistance might be equal toother games of like character.
He managed to accomplish his several duties without any further causefor alarm, and was once more on the streets observing all that happened.A constantly increasing push of eager observers toward a certain pointtold Frank there must be something of an unusual interest taking placethere, and consumed by the same curiosity he joined the throng, for hehad heard someone say the ambulances with the wounded had just come infrom the front.