CHAPTER XX.
THE CAMP FIRES OF AN ARMY.
"Here, it's getting well along into the afternoon," remarked Tubby witha forlorn look on his face, "and I'm so knocked out that if you told meyou meant to make a start for the little Belgian town right away I'dfaint, sure I would."
"Don't think of doing it, then, Tubby," Rob told him, "because the restof your chums are feeling in pretty much the same box themselves."
"We've had a terribly hard day of it, for a fact," agreed Merritt, as helooked around upon the scene, and shuddered in spite of his well knownnerve.
"Then please tell me what's the program?" pleaded the fat scout. "Thatmunch of black bread was good enough to keep a fellow from starving todeath; but I certainly do hope there's a better prospect ahead of us forsupper."
"Rob, you've got a scheme!" asserted Merritt.
"What makes you think so?" asked the other, smiling languidly; for hewas very nearly exhausted from the hard work he had done acting as anassistant field surgeon in the service of the Red Cross corps, doingtemporary work in binding up wounds, and giving stimulants to those whowere weak through loss of blood.
"Oh! I can tell it from the way you act," replied Merritt. "I haven'tbeen your closest chum all this time without getting to know whatdifferent things mean. Now give us a pointer; what about getting somesupper, and finding a place to sleep to-night?"
"Well, do you think you could stand for another night in the hay?"demanded Rob.
"Just try me, that's all!" whimpered Tubby. "And, say, if you'rethinking of going back to that village again, I only hope they'll begood to us, and feed us like they did this morning."
"That's what I had in mind," the patrol leader told them. "So the soonerwe make a start that way the sooner we can rest up."
It was weary work tramping all the way back to the little village wherethey had first met the ambulances of the Red Cross corps, and joinedhands with the workers. Rob would have liked to say good-by to theAmerican nurse who had taken so much interest in their welfare. He knew,though, that it would be too much for Tubby to approach that terriblefield hospital, where undoubtedly the nurses were still busily engagedhelping the surgeons in their labors.
Whenever Tubby groaned and gave signs of dropping, they called atemporary halt and, in this way, made it as easy for the fat scout aspossible.
Somehow the very thought of that sweet-scented hay appealed to Tubbyvery nearly as much as a good feed might; and that was saying a greatdeal.
"I don't wonder at hoboes liking haystacks when they're wandering aroundthe country, if only they're as nice as that mow we struck," he told theothers more than once. "Why, things couldn't be better. Now I understandwhat they mean when they say 'hitting the hay.' It means a sweet sleep.But we're really getting there, ain't we, Rob?"
"We're right on top of the village now, Tubby," Merritt told him.
"Yes," added Rob, "there you can see the elevation we stood on when wewatched the terrible battle. The village is here on our left. One moretug, and we'll arrive, so brace up, Tubby."
"Oh! I'm getting along quite decent, thank you, Rob. But I'll be gladwhen we're sitting on that bench under the shade of the tree."
As they entered the village they found that it was quite a differentplace from the time of their previous visit. Streams of wounded men hadbeen brought in, and every other cottage was turned into a temporaryhospital.
Of course the injured Belgians were given the first choice, as wasperfectly natural; but Rob was pleased to see that after all thesehumble villagers had human traits in their make-up. Misery makes thewhole world akin, and although they had no reason to love any Germaninvader, the sight of stalwart young Teutons suffering agonies touchedmany a mother's heart; their own sons might any day be in need of thesame attention from strangers, and they could not refuse to aid thesewounded foes.
So into many a Belgian home a sorely stricken German was carried, to becared for until the time came when he could be removed, either to hisown lines, or to Antwerp.
The boys first of all sought that shady spot where the bench mentionedby Tubby offered an inviting seat. Here they sat down, and observed themany stirring sights that were taking place all around them.
"I've seen two men taken to the barn," remarked Merritt, half an hourlater, "and so I reckon we'll have neighbors in our hay-mow to-night."
Tubby made a grimace, and then seemed to be ashamed of his selfishness.
"Well, if we do have to play nurse," he observed with the air of aphilosopher, "I suppose we can stand it. What are all our troubles, I'dlike to know, compared to those these poor people are suffering?"
"That's right, Tubby," said Merritt, "and we'll manage to pick upplenty of sleep, I should think."
"It'll have to be in the early part of the night, then," Rob told them,"because we want to get out of this a couple of hours before daylight."
"You mean to start then for Sempst, do you?" asked Tubby, with a sigh.
"Yes, because it might turn out to be dangerous work walking in broaddaylight, until we've managed to get around the Germans," Rob explained."I've already picked up considerable information about the country, andthe lay of the land. Between now and the time we turn in I hope to learnstill more, so that I can take you on a road by starlight that will makea circuit around the German camps."
Apparently both his mates had the utmost confidence in Rob's ability todo this, for there was no word of protest raised. Merritt asked a fewquestions, and then they fell back upon their old occupation of watchingthe movements of the villagers, mostly women, as they bustled to andfro.
Pretty soon Rob sauntered over to the inn, and had a long talk with theold man who ran the public house. They could see him doing considerablepointing, and from this fact judged that Rob was keeping his word aboutpicking up all the information possible.
When he came back it was getting near sundown; and of course the firstthing Tubby asked was:
"Did he say we could have it, Rob?"
As both of the other scouts were so well acquainted with Tubby's weakpoints they did not need a dictionary in order to understand what was onhis mind.
"I'm glad to tell you, Tubby," replied the other, "that the innkeepersays we deserve the best supper he can get ready. It seems that they'vebeen talking about us here. Some of the nurses must have told how weworked on the battlefield; or it may be the wounded soldiers mentionedthe fact that we did something to help them bear up till the stretchersarrived. No matter what happened, the innkeeper thinks a heap of us all,and we'll not go to our hay shake-downs hungry this night!"
"Hurray!" cried Tubby joyfully, "he's certainly a good fellow, Rob, Itell you; and I'm never going to forget him. The man who keeps my bodyand soul together has my eternal gratitude."
Later on they were called in, and found that a substantial meal had beenprepared for them. Tubby was fairly ravenous, and his chums found itnecessary to warn him not to founder.
"Remember, we've got to be up and doing by three in the morning at thelatest," Rob observed, "and if you make yourself sick the whole planwill be knocked galley-west. We might have to leave you behind, afterall."
That last threat brought Tubby to his senses.
"Why, you see," he explained, as he pushed himself away from the tableand its temptations, "I was trying to fix it so that in case we had togo without our breakfast to-morrow I'd be in shape to stand it."
"Sometimes," mused Merritt, "I think you're trying to fix it so that youcould do without eating for a week."
When they made their way outside again it was to find that night hadfallen. In the western sky a young moon looked down pityingly on thefield which had so lately been marked by the desperate charge of theGerman hosts, only to fail in their effort to break through the Belgianintrenchments with their barbed wire defenses.
"Look, over there are hundreds of little fires flickering!" exclaimedTubby.
"Those are the camp fires of the Germans," Rob told him. "I want to fixthem in my m
ind, because we will have to make a wide detour, so as toavoid running across any patrol on the outskirts of their camp. I hopeby the time daylight comes we can be far enough around to get offwithout being seen. The worst thing is this khaki uniform business. Ifonly we had on ordinary clothes we might be taken for Belgian boys. But,as it is, they'll think we're soldiers, or at the least Belgian scouts,and they treat them as if they were regular enlisted men."
Shortly afterward they again sought the barn. The lantern once more hungon its accustomed hook, and by its friendly gleam Rob and his two chumswere enabled to find the place where on the preceding night they hadslept so well. The wounded men happened to be removed from them by somelittle distance. They could be heard occasionally groaning, or talkingin low tones; but, as the boys were too tired to remain awake long, theysoon lost all consciousness of what was passing around them.
Perhaps the crowing of a rooster nearby may have told Rob that it was inthe neighborhood of three o'clock, for he aroused his chums close tothat time.