CHAPTER XII
TEMPTATIONS
"Gee whiz!" exclaimed Harry excitedly, grasping a portion of theframework of the Eagle to assist in keeping his balance as the greatplane shot skyward. "What's coming off here, anyhow?"
"What's the matter, Ned?" gasped Jack with equal astonishment.
Ned was too busy, however, just at that moment to give a suitable replyto the queries. The antics of the Eagle were occupying all hisattention, and he made extreme efforts to prevent the craft and itsfreight from being dashed to an ignominious end in the midst of thecamp of Germans who had succeeded in making a prisoner of Jimmie.
Instinctively the lad knew that something had happened to the boysbeneath the machine, although at the moment he was unable to see justwhat calamity had befallen them.
With a great leap the Eagle soared away from the camp amidst thehumming of bullets from the rifles of the angry Uhlans, who firedrapidly but without proper aim. Accustomed as they were to shooting attargets on a level with themselves, they found it an entirely differentproposition to properly aim their weapons when their quarry was at somedistance above the earth.
Several of the missiles, however, struck the fuselage and wings of theEagle, causing considerable alarm. The boys were devoutly thankfulthat none of the leaden messengers struck a vital part.
"Whew!" breathed Harry as the Eagle drew away from the scene. "Wedidn't have much margin that time, I declare!"
"I guess that next time we go through a German camp we'll just hang ananchor out overboard and hook up everything we can as we pass,"suggested Jack, peering back at the camp they had just left.
"Better get Dave out of his perilous position as soon as we can," putin Harry, remembering their new-found friend who had done such valiantservice. "He'll be tired by this time, with all this rough riding andbouncing about we have been giving him."
"Yes," added Jack with interest, "you certainly started upward with thelittle old Eagle going on two wheels. You're some driver, Ned."
"Let's make ready to help him out," persisted Harry.
"No use," objected Ned, shaking his head disconsolately, "he isn'tthere. I'm sure he dropped off back there at camp."
"What!" cried Harry in amazement. "Why do you think that?"
"Well, from the sudden way in which the Eagle's progress was checked,I'm sure that Jimmie caught the loop of line all right," was Ned'sanswer. "Then," he went on, "from the way in which the craft shookjust before she jumped skyward, I believe that the two boys were insome sort of difficulty. All at once we began to climb, and thatindicated to me clearly that a considerable weight had been lost."
"Do you mean to say you think both Jimmie and Dave fell?"
"I can't see any other way out of it," declared Ned.
"Well, of all things!" was Harry's expression as the truth of thematter began to dawn upon him. "What shall we do now?"
"I move we circle back in a big spiral," stated Jack, "and see if wecan see what's going on there. Maybe the boys are hurt."
"We weren't going high enough for the drop to badly injure either ofthem," declared Harry. "Unless they were tangled in the rope, theyhave landed upside down with care, all right."
"Jimmie will come out of any mixup with his fists doubled up," wasJack's almost laughing comment. "I believe that if that chap were tofall into the hopper of a mud scow he'd come out with a clean shirt onand a smile all over that freckled face of his."
"Yes, and ready to fight the chap that pushed him in," added Ned.
"Then let's get back there and see what we can see," urged Harry.
"Better not swing too close," advised Jack. "We can't tell what tricksthose fellows may have up their sleeves. They weren't prepared for oursudden coming, and so failed to get us. Next time, though, they may bemore fortunate and we might get something not wanted."
"What do you think, Ned," questioned Harry.
"I think it would be unwise to go back there too close now," was Ned'sadvice. "I'm of the opinion that our attempt to take Jimmie away had abad effect on them, and that they're quite angry."
"Well, swing around a ways and let us take a peep through the glasses.Maybe we can see what's going on back there."
Accordingly Ned, in an effort to appease the curiosity of his chums,brought the Eagle in a wide spiral to a position about three thousandfeet above the camp and a trifle to the westward. From this point ofvantage the lads could clearly see the camp within the range of theirfield glasses. Jack nearly danced with joy as he looked.
"Hurrah!" he shouted. "I can see a group about one of the tents thatlooks all flattened out. I'll bet that Jimmie landed on top of thetent and broke it down. They're standing in the middle of the groupthere, and seem to be surrounded by officers."
"Then the rest is easy," commented Ned, giving a touch of the leversthat carried the Eagle away on a straight flight to the westward.
"Easy?" queried Harry. "What do you mean--easy?"
"Why, they'll be taking train right away for the western front, unlesswe're badly mistaken," answered Ned. "All we have to do is to leavethem alone for a few days until they arrive at the front, and there wecan help Jimmie and Dave to escape."
"You figure that by that time the Germans will have forgotten us?"
"Either that or they'll have other things to think of."
"Then let's beat it out of this neighborhood," suggested Harry.
"Wait a minute," urged Jack. "What do you suppose they'll do to theboys if we leave them there? Won't they try to take out their spite onthe lads and go to extreme measures?"
"I hardly think so," argued Ned, tilting the planes to bring the Eaglea trifle closer to the earth. "In the first place, I think theofficers will want to keep the two lads for the amusement of thesoldiers. It will give them something to think about for a few days."
"Yes, the two boys will amuse the soldiers, all right!" declared Jack."But what will happen to the two boys meanwhile?"
"That's what I'm coming to," went on Ned. "I figure that they will notbe willing to see harm come to the lads through the Germans directly,because it would make trouble between the German nation and ours andthat of Dave. They may make the lads go into the front lines when theyget to the front, and if they should get hit by a bullet from one oftheir own countrymen the situation would be different."
"I see," reflected Harry. "Then in that case the Germans could claimthey were not directly responsible. They might claim that the boys gotenthusiastic and enlisted voluntarily. If they got shot it was nofault of the dear, kind Germans!" he finished sarcastically.
"Well, that's about the way of it, I guess," answered Ned. "Anyhow,"he added, "I'm not a bit afraid for the boys' safety until Verdun isreached. After that I'm not at all so sure as I'd like."
"Then I agree that it's best that we just hit it up for the west."
"Right-o!" cried Jack. "Let's get out of town, as that freightconductor used to say. And let's be quick about it."
"We'll be in plenty of time if we just jog along easily and save anyundue strain on the machine," advised Ned. "We'd better be on thelookout for something to eat instead of worrying about speed."
"We can eat some of this canned goods we put aboard back there inPeremysl," suggested Harry. "I'm getting a little bit hungry now."
"Then don't eat anything until you're good and hungry," Ned put in witha smile. "We can't tell where we'll be apt to get anything after thispresent supply is exhausted."
"Then I won't eat just now," agreed Harry. "I'm not so hungry."
Ned's laugh at the other's reply went far to break the spell ofmelancholy that rested upon the group after they had discovered theloss of their comrades. Truly they needed a bit of cheering, for thesituation was anything but pleasant and hopeful.
"I see a little village off there to the right a piece," said Jackpresently. "We'd better find a favorable landing spot not far from thetown pretty soon, for it's coming on dark and we'll be unable to seewithout
showing searchlights that would expose ourselves."
"You're right, I believe," Ned said. "We'd better land."
"All right, then," agreed Harry. "Let's come down easy, though."
Under Ned's capable hands the Eagle swooped silently and swiftly towardthe earth. The great machine behaved splendidly in every particular.All three boys craned their necks eagerly toward the earth as theydescended. With watchful eyes they peered about.
In another five minutes they were standing beside the Eagle, whichrested easily in a grassy spot beneath some tall trees that screenedthe lads from the eyes of anyone passing upon the road.
Their flight through the twilight had been apparently unobserved, forno outcry from the nearby village had reached their ears.
For a few minutes the three lads stood peering anxiously forth from ascreen of bushes that separated them from the highway.
At length Ned signalled his comrades to follow, and cautiously steppedforth from the copse. The others were close upon this heels.
"Let's go to the village," offered Ned, "and try to find out just wherewe are. Then we can know what to do next."
"Go ahead!" agreed Jack and Harry in chorus.
Ned walked down the road a few paces, then turned to look back at thespot where they had come through the bushes. He examined carefully theshrubbery, and stood a short time examining the outline of the treesand larger growth, carefully noting the contour.
"Getting a landmark for use when you return?" asked Harry.
"That's just it!" laughed Ned. "Never can tell, you know," he went onin mock seriousness. "Might have to come back in a hurry!"
Laughingly the three then proceeded on their way into the town.
They had not far to go, and were congratulating themselves upon thefact that the village seemed almost deserted, when a man stepped intothe road from the deep shadow of a low building.
"Halt!" challenged the newcomer. "Who goes there?"
"A friend!" was Ned's instant answer.
"Advance for examination, friend!" came the next command.
The boys stepped forward wonderingly, not understanding the cause forthe man's challenge nor who he might be.
"Germans again, I'll bet!" whispered Harry as they proceeded.
"What town is this?" inquired Ned as the three approached the spotwhere their challenger stood. "We are lost and would like help."
"Ah, then you have come to the right place," the other said in apleasant tone. "We can surely help you to find yourself, and also cangive you a little lift upon your journey. Which way do you go?"
"We want to get to the United States," Ned answered. "We have a littlework to do over here first, and would like to know just where we arenow. It will help us to get located correctly."
"Then I will make a bargain with you," went on the other in a smoothtone. "In exchange for information from us, we ask the same from you.Are you willing to make an exchange?"
"Perhaps," Ned answered. "Maybe our information wouldn't help."
"We shall see. Now, first, you are at Bochnia, a little way to theeast of Cracow. Vienna lies almost due southwest, and the city ofBerlin is almost due northwest. You are nearly one hundred and fiftymiles almost due west of Peremysl," he concluded.
"That's good!" declared Ned. "We thank you heartily."
"Food is scarce," went on the other. "Gasoline is also scarce, and sois information. You may have all you want of either if you will befair enough to reciprocate my kindness."
"What can we do for you in exchange for all this kindness?"
"Tell me how many German troops are leaving Peremysl," said the man.
For a moment Ned was about to speak. Then he stopped.
"We can't tell you that!" he said in a low tone. "We're not spies!"