*CHAPTER III*
*AMONG THE ENEMY*
The aircraft settled to earth in the darkness as gently as a huge birdand Hal and Chester stepped out silently. For a moment they stoodtrying to get their bearings.
"Where do you figure we are?" asked Chester in a low tone.
"We should be a mile due east of Sedan," was Hal's reply. "I saw thelights of the city below as we passed."
"Sedan, eh?" said Chester. "What memories of school days that nameconjures up, Hal."
"So it does," was Hal's whispered response: "Of Bismarck, of NapoleonIII and of the French defeat in the deciding battle of theFranco-Prussian war."
"What a glorious thing it would be if the French could strike a decisiveblow at the Germans here now," muttered Chester. "It would beretribution."
"No less," Hal agreed; "and still, to my mind, it would be extremelybetter if the decisive blow were delivered by American troops, whetherat Sedan or elsewhere."
"Right, as usual, Hal," was Chester's reply.
And although neither lad knew it then, it was to be the fortune ofAmerican troops to wrest Sedan from the hands of the invader and to bethe first forces of democracy to tread the streets of the historic city.
"We've talked enough, Chester," Hal whispered. "It's time for action."
"Let's be on the move, then," Chester whispered back. "Which way?"
"Might as well head toward the city, I guess."
"How about the plane here?"
Hal shrugged in the darkness.
"We'll have to leave it, I guess. If we're not back by morning it willbe discovered, of course, and a search instituted for its occupants."
"Which might lead to our discovery," said Chester.
Again Hal shrugged.
"It might, of course," he agreed.
"Then why not pull it in among the trees there?" Chester wanted to know,pointing to a clump of trees a short distance away.
"Not a bad idea," Hal declared. "I hadn't noticed the trees, myself."
"As Stubbs would say, you must be more observing," was Chester'sresponse. "Lay hold here."
With some effort the boys wheeled the plane into the little clump oftrees and then stepped forth again.
"It may do," said Hal, eyeing the hiding place carefully in thedarkness. "It's invisible enough now, but I don't know how well thefoliage will protect the plane in daylight."
"It's the best we can do, at all events," declared Chester. "Come,let's be on our way."
"May as well, I guess," said Hal, and led the way toward the distantcity of Sedan.
From time to time the lads passed hurrying figures as they walked along,but they were not so much as accosted. In their German uniforms, theyfelt reasonably safe, particularly so as their features were concealedby the darkness. Once in the city, however, they knew they would haveto exercise greater caution.
Nevertheless they entered the outskirts of the city with firm tread andheaded directly toward the center of town. Neither had been in Sedanbefore and each was conscious of the utter foolishness of prowlingaround the edge of the city.
"We've got to get among the foe if we want to learn anything," Hal said.
A few lights still twinkled in the city, despite the lateness of thehour. On what appeared to be the main street, the lads made out afairly large hotel.
"Guess that's our destination," said Chester, pointing.
Hal nodded.
"That's the place," he said, "though I don't know what we'll do when weget there."
"Events will shape themselves," said Chester.
"That's what worries me. If I could shape them according to my ownneeds and desires it would be much better."
"Don't croak, Hal."
"I'm not croaking. I'm merely remarking."
"You remark a whole lot on the style of Anthony Stubbs, if you ask me,"declared Chester. "Come on, let's go into the hotel."
Hal made sure that his revolvers were ready in his pockets before hefollowed Chester through the door. Both lads kept their caps well overtheir eyes, for while there was little danger of their being suspected,their countenances lacked the heavy sluggishness of the Germans--a factwhich should it be noticed, might call for questions.
At one side of the small lobby was a desk. Chester approached it. A manrose to greet him.
"We want a room for the night," said Chester gruffly in German, usingthe commanding and ill-bred tone always affected by German officers intalking to inferiors in rank or civilians.
The man threw wide his arms.
"I'm sorry, Herr Captain," he said humbly, "but all the rooms areoccupied."
"What!" said Chester angrily. "I said that my friend and I desire aroom, and a room we will have if we have to trundle your guests out intothe street."
"But----" protested the hotel clerk.
"Silence!" thundered Chester. "Now answer me. You have a room of yourown, have you not?"
"Yes, Herr Captain, but----"
"Silence!" cried Chester again. "Your key, if you please."
Again the man seemed on the point of protesting, and Chester steppedquickly toward him.
"Your key," he said again, and extended his hand.
The clerk's hand reached to his pocket, and he extended a key toChester.
"Yes, Herr Captain," he said humbly.
"Now lead the way to our room," commanded Chester, "and in future knowthat when an officer of the emperor commands, it is for you to obey."
"Yes, Herr Captain," said the man as he led the way toward the rear ofthe hotel.
There he preceded Hal and Chester up a flight of stairs and turned tothe left. They walked down a long hall until they reached a door at theextreme end. Here the guide stopped, turned to Chester and opened hismouth to speak.
"Silence!" said Chester sharply. "Open the door."
The hotel clerk shrugged his shoulders in a manner that meant he washedhis hands of the outcome and tried the knob of the door. The door swunginward and the clerk stood aside to allow Hal and Chester to pass.
It was dark in the room as the lads stepped across to the threshold.But hardly had they set foot in the room when a brilliant light shotforth.
For a moment the lads were blinded, but they were conscious of astartled ejaculation from the hotel clerk, who still stood without.
"Ha!" he exclaimed. "I thought so. Now for it, my dear Herr Captain."
When the lights flared up, Hal and Chester both dropped their hands totheir revolvers. But before either could produce a weapon, a shrillvoice cried in German:
"Hands up, there!"
There was nothing for the lads to do but obey. They still had not hadtime to accustom their eyes to the sudden light so were unable todistinguish the owner of the voice. But gradually their vision cleared.
Chester glanced sharply at the man who had stopped them. He sat up inbed and in both hands he held a revolver squarely levelled at the twolads.
Chester gave a sudden start. At the same moment the man in the bed gavevent to a queer sound and his revolvers wavered.
Chester leaped forward and possessed himself of the two revolvers withseveral quick movements. One of these he levelled at the man in the bed.
"Hands up!" he commanded sharply. The man in the bed opened his mouthto speak. "Silence!" cried Chester. "Not a word." He turned to Hal,who for the moment had been staring in open-mouthed wonder. "Explain tothe clerk, Hal," said Chester, "that we will take possession of thisroom, also of its occupant. It might be well to tell him that he shouldhave informed us his room was occupied. We will discuss that later."
"But I tried to tell you, Herr Captain," declared the frightened clerk."You would not listen, Herr Captain!"
"Silence!" commanded Chester. "Leave the room, and not one word aboutthis matter as you value your life. We shall take charge of your otherguest here. I've no doubt we shall all be good friends in the morning."
St
ill the clerk hesitated, but Hal settled the argument. He steppedquickly toward the clerk.
"Get out!" he commanded sharply.
The hotel clerk vanished.
In the meantime the man in the bed had been gazing at the two lads inastonishment. With his captured revolvers still in his hands, Chesterapproached him.
"Well," he said, "and what are you doing here, if I may ask?"
"By George! I don't see that it is any business of yours what I amdoing here," was the reply in English. "I might ask the same of you."
"And you might get the same answer, Mr. Stubbs," said Hal. "Threatenedto shoot us when we came in, didn't you?"
"And why shouldn't I?" demanded Anthony Stubbs, war correspondent of theNew York Gazette and companion of Hal and Chester on many a perilousventure. "When a man breaks into another man's room the first thing theman in the room naturally thinks about is something with which toprotect himself. I had those guns under my pillow and when I heard youcome in, I pressed the electric light button and grabbed the guns."
"Well, it's fortunate you didn't use 'em, Stubbs," said Hal. "If youhad shot me and I had found it out, I'd have had to lay you across myknee."
"You would, eh?" grumbled Stubbs. "I guess you would find that quite ajob."
"Come, come, Stubbs," said Chester: "and you, too, Hal. We're in aticklish position and there is no time for foolishness. What are youdoing here, Stubbs?"
"Well," said Stubbs, "I'll tell you; but as you'll have to spend thenight here, make yourselves comfortable. Sit down."