CHAPTER VI CAUGHT BETWEEN THE LINES
Concerning one thing, at least, there was no longer any doubt. Theycould plainly hear the deep grumble of big guns, while the very earthunder them trembled perceptibly with the tremendous shock of theexplosions that were miles away.
Undoubtedly the battle was on that must decide the fate of the gayFrench capital. Von Kluck and those other daring Teuton commanders wereconverging in toward Paris just as the spokes of a giant wheel drawcloser as they approach the hub. If General Joffre, the veteran Frenchleader, could manage through strategy to baffle their designs he wouldwin such immortal fame as no man short of Napoleon had ever attained inthe estimation of the French nation.
The boys hunted high and low for some means of transportation. Otherswere doing the same thing, white of face, as they listened to thosedreadful sounds. For aught some of these people knew tens of thousandsof Germans might be covering the roads in that section of the countrywhere their beloved homes lay, and their hearts were filled with direforebodings whenever they thought of the innocent ones toward whom theywere endeavoring to hasten.
“We’re mighty lucky to get even this ricketty old rig!” Allan declaredas Bumpus and Giraffe were mounting to seats in the wagon. “It’ll helpus on our way some miles, and when the horse lays down on us, why we’llbe that much closer to Paris. Then walking is good in the bargain, youknow.”
“Oh, I’ll agree to try anything you say, fellows!” Bumpus groaned, “ifonly it promises to help things along. We must manage to get there byhook or by crook.”
They were duly warned concerning the chances of meeting with detachmentsof the enemy while on the road; since it must be taken for granted thatthe moving army would have skirmishers and cavalry forces guarding itsflanks, so that the French might not execute a brilliant flank attackand throw the main line into temporary confusion.
It was all very thrilling, especially when they could constantly hearthe rumble of artillery far in the distance. The battle that this markedwas being fought many miles away; but even at that, they had no reasonto believe the country lying between would be free from the invaders.
To Bumpus their progress was terribly slow. True, the poor horse did hisbest under the lash that the peasant boy in the wooden sabotsadministered almost without cessation; but at that it seemed a snail’space to the impatient boy.
Giraffe advised him to get out and run ahead if he felt that way.
“Time enough to do that when I have to,” Bumpus retorted. “I’m savingmyself for an emergency. And from the way this crowbait keeps stumblingalong I reckon it’s going to come to a case of shank’s mare right soonwith us.”
Thad, however, was bent on keeping their seats just as long as theycould. There would be plenty of time for walking when they were forcedto that extremity. And he had found other things to attract hisattention in the bargain.
Once, when they chanced to be passing over a little rise, he discovereda moving mass of men a couple of miles away. The sun glinted from theiraccoutrements and disclosed the fact that they must be marchingsoldiers. When he called the attention of the others to that particularquarter Giraffe, who had extra strong eyesight, immediately declaredthey were German soldiers without doubt.
“I could tell the French blue right away if I saw it,” he said. “Thosemen are wearing a sort of greenish-gray uniform, the same as we saw onthe Germans up in Belgium when we were trying to make Antwerp. Yes, andthey’ve got those odd spiked helmets on that only the Germans fancy.”
The alarming fact that they were now so very close to the oncominginvading army gave them all a new thrill. Even the peasant boy stared atthe vision, and looked as though almost heart-broken; for he haddoubtless heard terrible stories connected with that other raid throughhis beloved France, long before he was born, and, of course, he couldonly fear the worst.
As their road seemed to turn somewhat toward the south just there theboys determined to go on, trusting to luck to see them through. At theworst, if they did come in contact with any troop of raiding Uhlans,they could fall back on the fact of being Americans, and perhaps manageto pass muster.
Among themselves they talked it over as the boy continued to beat thehorse and cause him to keep jogging along the winding road. It was soondecided that the moving stream of men they had glimpsed could not belongto the corps that was engaged so fiercely in battle with the Alliesdefending the approaches to Paris. They must be another sectionentirely, heading so as to attack the forts around Paris from the west.And it turned out later on just as they had figured, so that the boyscould plume themselves on their sagacity.
Just a quarter of an hour afterward Giraffe uttered a cry.
“What’s this I see away over yonder, fellows?” he called out, pointingas he spoke. “Another army in motion and heading so as to come smack upagainst those chaps in the gray-green uniforms. But say, these troopsare in the French blue. Bully for them, they are meaning to make it hotfor the Kaiser when he tries to sneak into Paris by the back door. It’strue some of my folks did come from that same Rhine country a long whileago, but now I’m backing the under dog in the fight, and somehow mysympathies seem to be with poor France.”
“But see here, how about us?” ejaculated Bumpus. “Suppose those twoarmies get to smashing away at each other and with four boys caughtbetween the lines? If that happens, wouldn’t we be apt to find ourselvesin a pickle enough? I guess we’d better be looking around for a hidingplace. And a deep cyclone cellar’d just about suit me right now.”
“We couldn’t go back if we wanted to,” announced Thad, decisively,“because the Germans must have swarmed across the road a few miles overthere where we came from. And so far as I can see, there isn’t muchchance of our hiding around here.”
The horse was showing positive signs of giving out. Indeed, the peasantboy had used his whip up in urging the beast on, and, moreover, he couldhardly lift his own arm to ply it any longer.
Seeing this, Thad decided that the critical moment had come. They mustabandon the wagon and most of their luggage, which latter happened to beexceedingly limited, for by degrees they had gotten rid of most of theirthings ere this.
When necessity drives there is no use complaining, and these scouts hadbeen through so much in the time they were comrades that by now theycould meet an emergency without a grumble. Even Bumpus refrained fromcomplaining. He knew Thad could be depended on to do the very best forthem. There must always be a way out of a difficulty if only a fellowwas smart enough to find it; and Thad had that happy faculty highlydeveloped.
So they paid off the peasant boy and advised him to start back towardhome, even though he might be detained a long time on the road. Oncethey found themselves afoot again the four boys started off bravely,each carrying a share of what luggage they wished to keep, if it couldbe managed.
The one hope they hugged to their hearts was that they might come incontact with the advancing French forces rather than be overwhelmed bythe Germans. In case the former came about they had arranged their planof action, meaning to ask only the liberty of keeping on toward Paris,skirting the crowded road and making progress toward their destination.
It struck Thad that the noise of the cannon had grown much louder. Thiswould appear to indicate that the range of the battle must be spreading;also, that it was coming nearer and nearer all the time as freshdetachments took up the fight.
Giraffe sniffed now and then, very much like a war-horse scentingbattle-smoke.
“And it certainly does smell like burnt powder, believe me, fellows,” hetold his chums. “You can see that the breeze sets from that direction,which is why we hear the guns so plainly. Whee! but there must be heapsof exciting events happening right now, and I’d give something to beable to glimpse the same.”
Strange to say, the others were feeling more or less in the same mood.It must be in the blood for human beings to wish to gaze upon terriblescenes of carnage and valor; for no one had
before this ever accusedeither Thad or Allan of being the possessor of a blood-thirsty spirit.They just realized that history was being made close to them, and thatscenes were being enacted every hour that would in future days beimmortalized by some skilful painter with his brush. And they were,after all, boys with inquiring minds, as well as having a fair amount ofcuriosity in their make-up.
It must have been a great temptation, and they surrendered to its wiles.Besides, there was really nothing for them but to either go on or standstill; and no matter which they decided to do, the end would likely bethe same. If they were caught between the lines they could hardly expectto get out of the jaws of the trap without seeing something of theconflict that hung in the balance.
“Oh!” suddenly exclaimed Bumpus when there came a peculiarly sharp crashnot more than half a mile away from them; “was that an exploding shell,do you think?”
“Just what it was,” asserted Giraffe promptly. “Which shows that thingsare closing in on us right smart, as our Southern chum, Bob White Quail,would say if he was along now. And, what’s more, we’ll be hearing a lotof the same before we get out of this neck of the woods.”
Bumpus had reason for looking worried. He knew what a terrible amount ofdamage an exploding shell might accomplish, even when it came from onlyan ordinary field battery, and he had no wish to offer his pudgy form asa target for the gunner.
They hurried along the road, hoping every minute that a turn woulddisclose the presence of men in the French blue. A second crash did notmake Bumpus feel any more cheerful, especially since this detonationcame from still another quarter.
“Do you suppose they’ve glimpsed us and are trying to drop one of thosehorrible shells right in our midst?” he asked Thad.
Before the scout leader could make any reply there was a sudden wildburst of cannonading from a point close by. Thad guessed the truth atonce as if by some instinct. Evidently there must be an advanced Frenchfield battery secreted in the region, where it commanded the road overwhich the Germans were thronging, and this had commenced action. Thoseseveral German shells had been dropped just to disclose the position ofthis battery; its presence being suspected, thanks to some air scout whohad passed over previously and communicated the facts to the invadinggeneral.
A tremendous din quickly broke out. Guns were fired by the dozen, andthe crash of bursting bombs almost deafened the four hurrying boys.
They had good reason to hasten their steps, for to the right and to theleft the shells exploded. One tore a great hole in the roadway not ahundred yards in front of them, causing the stones and dirt to fly inevery direction.
It was almost impossible to know which way to turn, and as for finding aplace of refuge, that was utterly out of the question. There did notseem to be a rod of territory that those searching shells might not fallupon. One place was just as safe as another, since it was all a matterof luck. So Thad kept them on the move, huddled in as small a compass aspossible, with the idea of presenting as minute a target to the rain ofbombs as they could.
“Listen!” yelled Giraffe as they ran along, with Bumpus puffing like awinded horse dragging a load up hill, “they’re coming right now—theFrench battery, I mean. Got too hot for ’em where they were, and they’reon the jump for safer quarters. Thad, if we get half a chance, let’s tryto hook on to some ammunition caisson! Anything to give those shells theslip! And there the guns come with a whirl!”