spies. And if youget an extra helmet out there you might give me one. I've been here sixmonths and I've never seen one, on a German or off. I let a womanreporter through last week," he added, "and d'you think she thanked me?No. She gave me hell because the Germans had a raid that night andnearly got her. I'm a soldier, not a prophet."
Tish left us immediately to go back to Mr. Burton, and Aggie clutchedat my arm in a frenzy of anxiety.
"She's going to do it, Lizzie!" she said with her teeth chattering."She's going to V---- to rescue Charlie Sands, and we'll all be caught,and--Lizzie, I feel that I shall never see home again."
"Well, if you ask me, I don't think you will," I said as calmly aspossible. Aggie put her head on my shoulder and wept between sneezes.
"I know I'm weak, Lizzie," she moaned, "but I'm frightened, and I'm notafraid to say so. You'd think she only had to shoo those Germans like alot of chickens. I love Tish, but if she'd only sprain her ankle orsomething!"
However, Tish came back soon, bringing Mr. Burton with her and twobaskets with cigarettes on top and grenades below, and also ourrevolvers and a supply of extra cartridges. She had not explained herplan to Mr. Burton, so we sat down behind the wall and she told him. Heseemed quite willing and cheerful.
"Certainly," he said. "It is all quite clear. We simply go into No Man'sLand for souvenirs, and they pass us. Perfectly natural, of course. Wethen continue to advance to the German lines, and then commit suicide.I've been thinking of doing it for some time anyhow, and this way has anelement of the dramatic that appeals to me." I have learned since thathe felt that the only thing to do was to humor Tish, and that he wasconvinced that about a hundred yards in No Man's Land would hurt no one,and, as he expressed it, clear the air. How little he knew our dearTish!
As it is not my intention to implicate any of those brave boys whosought to give us merely the innocent pleasure of visiting the strip ofland between the two armies I shall draw a veil over our excursionthrough the trenches that night, where we were met everywhere withacclaim and gratitude, and finally assisted out of the trenches by meansof a ladder. As it was quite dark the grenades in the basket entirelyescaped notice, and we found ourselves at last headed toward the Germanlines, and fully armed, though looking, as Mr. Burton observed, like apicnic party.
He persisted in making humorous sallies such as: "Did any one rememberthe pepper and salt?" and "I hope somebody brought pickles. What's apicnic without pickles?"
I regret to say that we were fired on by some of our own soldiers whodidn't understand the situation, shortly after this, and that the bottleof blackberry cordial which I was carrying was broken to fragments.
"If they hit this market basket there'll be a little excitement," Mr.Burton said. He then stopped and said that a joke was a joke, but therewas such a thing as carrying it too far, and that we'd better look for ahelmet or two and then go back.
"The Germans are just on the other side of that wood," he whispered;"and they don't know a joke when they see one."
"I thought, Mr. Burton, you promised to take Hilda a German officer,"Tish said scornfully.
"I did," he agreed. "I did indeed. But now I think of it, I didn'tpromise her a live one. The more I consider the matter the more I amsure that no stipulation was made as to the conditions of delivery.I----"
But when he saw Tish continuing to advance he became very serious, andeven suggested that if we would only go back he would himself advance asfar as possible and endeavor to reach V----.
Just what Tish's reply would have been I do not know, as at that momentAggie stumbled and fell into a deep shell hole full of water. We heardthe splash and waited for her voice, as we were uncertain of her exactposition.
But what was our surprise on hearing a deep masculine voice say: "Handsup, you dirty swine!"
"Let go of me," came in piteous accents from Aggie.
There was then complete silence, until the other voice said: "Well, I'llbe damned!" It then said: "Bill, Bill!"
"Here," said still another voice, a short distance away, in a sort ofloud whisper.
"There's a mermaid in my pool," said the first voice. "Did you drawanything?"
"Lucky devil," said the other voice. "I'm drawing about eight feet ofwater, that's all."
Tish then advanced in the direction of the voices and said: "Aggie, areyou all right?"
"I'm half drowned. And there's a man here."
The first voice then said in an aggrieved manner: "This is my puddle,you know, lady. And if my revolver wasn't wet through I'm afraid therewould be one mermaid less, or whatever you are."
The Germans at that moment sent up one of their white lights, whichresemble certain of our Fourth of July pieces, which float a long timeand give the effect of full moonlight.
"Down," said Mr. Burton, and we all fell flat on our faces. Before doingso, however, we had a short glimpse of Aggie's head and another abovethe water in the shell hole, and realized that her position was veryuncomfortable.
When the light died away the two men emerged, and with some difficultydragged her out. It was while this was going on that Tish caught my armand whispered: "Lizzie, I have heard that voice before."
Well, it had a familiar sound to me also, and when he addressed theother man as Grogan I suddenly remembered. It was the man we had thrownfrom the ambulance in Paris the night Tish salvaged it! I told Tish in awhisper, and she remembered the incident clearly.
"You sure gave me a scare," he said to Aggie. "For if you were a GermanI was gone, and if you were an officer of the A. E. F. I was gone more.Bill and I just slipped out to take a look round the town behind thosewoods, account of our captain being a prisoner there."
"Who is your captain?" Tish asked.
"Name's Weber. We pulled off a raid last night, and he and a fellownamed Sands got grabbed."
"Weber?" said Mr. Burton, forgetting to whisper.
"You--you don't mean Captain Weber?" I asked after a sickening pause.
"That's the man."
"Oh, dear!" said Aggie.
Suddenly Mr. Burton stopped and put down the basket of grenades.
"I'm damned if I'm going to rescue him!" he said firmly. "Now look here,Miss Tish, I hate to disappoint you, but I've got private reasons forleaving Weber exactly where he is.
"I don't wish him any harm, but if they'd take him and put him to roadmending for three or four years I'd be a happier man. And as far as I'mconcerned, I'm going to give them the chance."
The two men had stood listening, and now Bill spoke:
"Am I to understand that this is a rescue party?" he said. "Seeing thebasket I thought it was a picnic. I just want to say this: If you haveany idea of going to V----, and as we were going in that directionourselves, we might combine. My friend here and I were over last night,and we know how to get into the town."
"Very well," Tish agreed after a moment's hesitation. "I have noobjection. It must be distinctly understood, however, that I am incharge. Captain Sands is my nephew."
Another light went up just then, and I perceived that he was staring ather.
"My--my word!" he gasped.
We then fell on our faces, and while lying there I heard him whisperingto Bill. He then said to Tish: "I believe, lady, that we have metbefore."
"Very possibly," Tish said calmly. "In the course of my welfare work Ihave met many of our brave men."
"I wouldn't call it exactly welfare work you were doing when I saw you."
"No?" said Tish.
"You may be interested to know that if you hadn't stolen thatambulance----"
"Salvaged."
"----salvaged that ambulance I would now be in safety in Paris, insteadof---- Not that I'd exchange," he added. "I wouldn't have missed thisexcursion for a good bit. But they made it so darned unpleasant for methat I enlisted."
The starlight having now died we rose and prepared to advance. Mr.Burton, however, was very difficult and tried to get Tish to promise toleave Captain Weber if we found him.
"It's the o
nly bit of luck I've had since I left home, Miss Tish," hesaid.
Tish, however, ignored him, and with the help of our new allies brieflysketched a plan of campaign.
I make no pretensions to military knowledge, but I shall try to explainthe situation at V----, as our dear Tish learned it from the general'spapers and the two soldiers. The real German position--a military termmeaning location and not attitude--was behind the town, but they keptenough soldiers in it to