CHAPTER XI.
MYSTERIOUS SIGNALS IN THE NIGHT.
Of course once Rob found himself away from that pungent smoke his sightwas gradually restored to him, though for quite a while his eyeballssmarted more or less from the experience.
"What will we do now?" asked Tubby, who was very happy in the knowledgethat he had been allowed to have at least a hand, two of them, heaffirmed, in the saving of the little one.
"I did have an idea of staying here all night," returned Rob. "But,since the inn has been destroyed, or will be utterly before the firedies down, of course that's out of the question."
"You remember we asked questions of the tavern-keeper," Merrittremarked. "He told us there was another village about three milesfarther on along the road. We might make out to go there, and see ifthey will put us up. If not, it's a haystack for ours, provided thereare any haystacks around."
"H'm! three miles or more, on that animated saw-buck, eh? I like that.It just invigorates me, of course," they heard Tubby telling himself,but his voice was anything but cheerful.
"Here comes the mother and the baby; she wants to thank you, Rob,"Merritt told the patrol leader.
"Let's hurry and get out of this, then!" urged Rob, who, above allthings, seemed to dislike being made a hero of when he felt that he hadnot done anything worth mentioning after all.
"No, you don't!" exclaimed Tubby, laying violent hands on his chum."It's only fair that you give the poor woman a chance to tell you howgrateful she is. As it stands to reason she speaks only Flemish, none ofus can make head or tail out of what she says, unless she mentions thatone word I know, which isn't likely."
But the woman could talk French, and she made it very evident to Robthat her mother heart was full of gratitude to him for what he had done.To the intense amusement of Tubby, she even kissed Rob again and again,on either cheek, after the manner of the Belgians.
"Bully! That's the ticket! Give him another for his mother! I like tosee anyone appreciate a _real_ hero. And here's the innkeeper; mebbehe'll want to add a few little caresses, too, Rob. Now, don't grieve hisheart by refusing. They all do it over here, I reckon."
The man who had owned the inn contented himself, however, by telling Robjust how much he appreciated the gallant work of the American Boy Scout.Rob would not soon forget that experience; and it must always bring awarm feeling to his heart when thinking of how, with such a littleeffort, he had made these two humble people supremely happy.
When he tried to make the man accept pay for their food, the otherutterly refused to listen to such a thing.
"It is the good wife and myself, young m'sieu, who are heavily in yourdebt," he told Rob, with the simplicity of sincerity. "How, then, couldwe ever forgive ourselves for taking money from one who has saved ourbaby's life? It would cause the blush of shame to dye our cheeks. Wecould never look our neighbors again in the face. It would not beright."
Of course that ended it, although Rob would rather have settled for thatsupper. Merritt tugged at his coat, understanding what it was all about.
"Don't insist, Rob," he told the other. "You mustn't try to take awaythe satisfaction he feels in having done one little thing for you. Letit go at that. He is not a poor man, I imagine, and has something laidby. Now, hadn't we better be getting out of here?"
"Oh! by the way, where are our horses?" asked Tubby, suddenly.
That reminded them they had forgotten all about the animals. The horseshad been left tied to a rail at some little distance alongside the innwhen they went in to get supper. Rob had intended, in case they meant tospend the night there, to have the three animals taken care of, and fed.
The hitching bar was entirely destitute of horses of any type when theyturned their eyes in that quarter.
"What if those awful Uhlans took our steeds away with them?" Tubbysuggested, with his usual blank look, and that woebegone shake of hishead.
"It seems unbelievable to me," Rob replied; "but I'll make someinquiries. The inn-keeper may have had them taken to the stables backyonder, though I remember noticing the animals at the time we werepeeping out of the window when the troopers were coming down the villagestreet. Wait for me, and I'll ask him."
"I surely hope you learn good news, Rob!" Tubby sighed, as he thought ofthree long Belgian miles separating him from some sort of bed, where hecould secure the rest he needed so badly.
Presently Rob came back, and, when Tubby saw him shake his head in thenegative, he gave a dull sort of a groan.
"Bottom knocked out of everything, is it, Rob?" he asked, in a dazedsort of way.
"Well, nobody could give me any hope," was the reply. "Of course, thelandlord was too excited over the burning of his house to notice justwhat the Uhlans did as they rode away, but one man told us he saw thetroopers take our horses trailing behind them."
"Then that settles it," said Merritt; "though I'll never understand whatthey could want with those bony and tired nags, unless it was to makebologna sausages out of. We're in for a little hike that will stretchour legs."
"Yes, I guess it will," echoed Tubby, in a way that was hardly cheerful.
"And yours can stand a good deal of stretching, Tubby, you know," addedMerritt.
"There's no use crying over spilt milk," said Rob, in his usual cheeryfashion. "I more than half expected that we'd lose our mounts, sooner orlater."
"So did I," agreed Merritt. "Only I thought perhaps they'd die on ourhands from over-exertion. I never dreamed that rough riders like theGerman cavalrymen would want to be caught leading such ragtag animalsalong."
"Well, shall we make a move?" asked Rob.
There being no word against it, even from Tubby, who knew when dutycalled, the three scouts took their last look at the still burninghouses, and then strode forth on the road leading toward the east.
The night promised to be unusually clear, for one thing. This pleasedRob, for, as they would have no moon to light them on their way, eventhe stars were welcome.
Three miles, under ordinary conditions, would have been reckoned almostnothing to scouts accustomed to taking lengthy hikes over hills andalong valleys. It was a different matter, however, when passing througha war-distracted country, where hostile armies were encamped, so that atany minute they were apt to be greeted with a stern command, either inGerman or in French or Flemish, to stand and give the countersign, withthe warning that to attempt flight would be at the peril of their lives.
Naturally the nerves of the boys were continually on edge. Tubby, inparticular, kept his eyes roving from side to side, then into theuncertain distance ahead; and even at times turning to ascertainwhether they were being pursued by some soft-footed enemies who thoughtto take them by surprise.
In this way more than a mile was passed over. When Rob announced that hebelieved they must be all of halfway to the other village, Tubbyexpressed fervent thanks.
"I'm still able to put one foot in front of the other," he remarked in ahushed voice, for Rob had cautioned them against speaking aloud, as itmight draw unwelcome attention to the little party.
"Wait up a minute, please," whispered Merritt, and there was that abouthis mysterious manner that gave Tubby another bad shock.
"What's the matter, now, Merritt?" he asked softly but solicitously."Hope you haven't got a stone bruise on your heel. Did you hear anythingsuspicious? Are we going to be held up by a patrol? Oh! dear, why don'tyou hurry and tell us the worst?"
"What do you make of that flickering light over there, Rob?" askedMerritt. "It seems to be in an open field, as near as I can understand.Just watch how it keeps on jumping up and down, then sideways."
"Why, it caught my eye just about the time you spoke, Merritt," came thereply from the patrol leader. "It must either be the work of some crazyperson, or else a way of signaling by lantern."
"Say, I honestly believe you've struck the truth that shot, Rob," brokein Tubby, who had, of course, immediately turned toward the spotindicated. "See the way he swings the light around and makes all
mannerof figures in the air with the same. Why, that was the letter N, as sureas you live. And there goes E, followed by W and S. What does that spellbut NEWS? Hey! we're on the track of a discovery!"
"Will you keep still, Tubby, and let's see if he begins again?" saidMerritt eagerly.
"That must have been the last word of his message," remarked Robquickly, "but chances are he'll repeat it. Stand ready to spell it outas well as we can. Three scouts accustomed to reading the Myers code offire signaling ought to---- There, that was C; and after that O, A, S,T--which means COAST."
Slowly, and somewhat laboriously, the boys spelled the message, letterfor letter, their previous training proving of the greatest help; andthis was the result:
"_Coast clear--safe landing here--important news!_"