CHAPTER XVIII. GOOD SAMARITANS.
"Well done, Allan!" exclaimed Giraffe as the third boy successfullyclutched the aviator, after they had managed between them to swing himin.
Thad now gave instructions just how to work the branches free, one byone.
"Keep a good hold on him everybody," he said, and was also pleased tonote that the aeroplane pilot had himself taken a desperate clutch upona small limb, as though meaning to be of what little assistance hecould.
Step by step they accomplished it, and before long were commencing todescend the tree. The man proved to be full of grit, as was to beexpected of one who continually took his life in his hands in makingthose daring aerial flights, thousands of feet above the earth, and overhostile lines at that, where he would be a target for dozens ofexploding shrapnel bombs.
Bumpus down below grew more and more excited the closer they came. Hehad braced himself like a gladiator, as though he meant to try and catchthe man if by any mischance he slipped from their grasp and fell, andBumpus would have been foolish enough to offer himself as a buffer, hadany such accident happened.
But there was, fortunately, no slip, and presently they lowered the maninto his waiting arms, so that after all Bumpus was able to do a smallshare in the rescue.
Apparently the poor fellow was greatly weakened by his recent terribleexperience. To hang there the livelong night, swaying with the branches,and in constant danger of dropping to his death, must have been a severeshock to his nervous system. And then besides he had lost much blood,and that would weaken him in itself, even without the lingering peril.
He sank to the ground, but at the same time looked inquiringly at them,as though to question whether they were capable of helping him further.
"Tell him, Giraffe, if you can," said Thad, "that as Boy Scouts, over inAmerica, we have learned how to care for all ordinary wounds, and thatwe mean to do what is possible for his arm."
"It's lucky, Thad," said Bumpus, "that you always insisted on carryingthat little roll of linen along with you, and some healing salve. I ownup there have been times when I thought you were foolish to loadyourself down that way, but I see how valuable it can come in."
"Some people think it folly to insure their houses," said Thad, "butwhen the fire comes along they understand what a comfort it is to thosewho get the cash to rebuild. I carry this stuff because one of us mightget hurt when away from a doctor or surgeon. And I'm willing to use iton the first fellow we've run across who needs it."
Meanwhile Giraffe was again talking with the pilot. The man nodded hishead eagerly when he heard what the tall boy said. Perhaps he knew whatGerman Boy Scouts were always taught to do in emergencies, but was indoubt with regard to their American cousins, for Giraffe had of courseinformed him before then how they came from over the sea, and were onlypilgrims in Belgium at the time.
It was deemed advisable to help the man down to the little stream thatThad had noticed close by. Here they commenced to get his leather coatoff. It was no easy task, and Bumpus turned pale when he saw what a messhis arm was in, through lack of attention for so many hours.
Giraffe had been dispatched over to the car and returned with a littletin bucket they happened to possess. Allan meanwhile had started a smallfire, and over this the tin utensil, after being filled with water, wasplaced.
When the liquid was heated enough Thad started to wash the man's arm.Gradually the nature of the wound was disclosed. After all it was not sovery serious, when that dried blood had been cleansed from his arm. Somemissile from the bursting shrapnel bomb had cut through the muscles, butit would soon heal, if no serious consequences followed his longexposure.
Thad used his liniment and bound the arm up as carefully as anyexperienced Red Cross surgeon could have done under similar conditions.The man looked very grateful. That could be seen in his manner, and thepleased way in which he followed all of Thad's operations with his eyes.
Still, there was an expression of doubt on his face now and then, andThad could give a pretty good guess what it meant. Undoubtedly theGerman air pilot had begun to wonder just what his status was going tobe, now that he had been rescued from his perilous position in that hightreetop, and his wound so splendidly dressed. Would he have to considerhimself a prisoner of war? These boys in khaki who said they came fromAmerica,--were they so much in sympathy with the Allies that they wouldconsider it their duty to hand him over to the Belgians?
He must have put the question to Giraffe when he talked so fast, forthat worthy after having him repeat it more slowly shook his head, andturning to Thad remarked:
"What d'ye think, Thad, the poor chap is wondering whether he's aprisoner of war or not?"
"Do you mean he thinks we want to consider him our prisoner?" asked theother. "Just let him know that we're as neutral as we can be, Giraffe.While we don't like this thing of the big German army invading thecountry of the poor Belgians, and think it all wrong, still we're nottaking any side. So far as we're concerned he is as free as the air."
When Giraffe told this to the eagerly listening air pilot he seemed tobe very much gratified.
"He says he has good friends not a great ways off," reported Giraffe,after some more talk with the wounded aviator, "and thinks he couldmanage to reach them, if only he can hide somewhere till dark settlesdown."
"That's all right!" Thad declared, "and so far as we're concerned wehope he may sooner or later manage to get back inside the German lines.He's a brave man, and we're only too glad to have been of service tohim."
"Thad," continues Giraffe, "he says he wants to write something down ifyou've got a pencil and paper handy. I think he means to fix it so thatin case we run across some of his people they'll be good to us. It's theonly way he knows to show how grateful he feels."
"I don't know but what it might be a good idea, although we hope wewon't come across any of those German raiders," Thad remarked, as hesearched his pockets, and found the needed articles.
The man wrote with some difficulty, for his hand was stiff, but after hehad completed his task Giraffe said he could read it all right.
"He's gone and told how he happened to land in a tree top, and wouldhave died there only for us getting him down," explained Giraffe; "andthen he goes on to tell how we bound up his wounds, and did everythingfor him we could; so that he asks any German officer who reads this tobe kind to us for his sake. I reckon now that the name he's signed iswell known among German airmen; seems to me I've heard it, or seen it inprint."
The air pilot had gotten out his pipe, and was actually enjoying asmoke. Doubtless, being addicted to the weed he would have suffered lessduring the long night could he have had the satisfaction of anoccasional puff.
Allan looked at him curiously, while Giraffe was filled with admiration.
"These air pilots have to be pretty cool customers, it strikes me," heremarked, as they prepared to say good-bye to the man, who evidently didnot think it wise on his part to go near the road, lest he be seen andtaken prisoner.
"They certainly do," said Thad, "because there isn't a second whenthey're up in the air that they're not in deadly danger. A man maystumble on land; he may have an accident when on the water, but he's gota fair chance to save himself. With them a collapse means being snuffedout of existence."
"Whew! excuse me from being an aviator!" declared Bumpus, so ferventlythat Giraffe turned and looked him over from head to foot, to remarkcaustically:
"No danger of that happening, Bumpus. They'd have to build a Zeppelin toaccommodate you."
"Oh! I'm not thinking seriously of trying it, Giraffe," said the other,sweetly. "I guess I know my shortcomings as well as any one could. Idon't expect to fly as long as I stay in this world. There may be atime--but never mind about that. Our friend wants to shake hands withyou, Thad. He knows what a heap you've done for him, and I guess he'llhave a right good opinion of American Boy Scouts after this."
The rescued German aviato
r shook hands not only with Thad but each oneof them in turn, and he said something in his own language which Giraffelater on told them was a warm expression of his heartfelt gratitude.
As the four lads started toward the road where they had left thestranded car he was standing there and waving his uninjured hand afterthem. When, however, they arrived at the mound and looked back once morehe had disappeared.
Some people were coming along the road, and possibly the man may havediscovered them before the boys did, seeking a place of refuge in orderthat they might not make out that he was a German, and so carry the newsto some Belgian regiment quartered nearby.
Thad started in to work at the engine as though this thing of beingcalled off to save the life of a birdman was a mere nothing at all, justcoming along in the course of his ordinary business.
Bumpus installed himself in his seat and watched him work. That was afavorite occupation with Bumpus, for he did enjoy seeing some one elsedo things about as well as any boy that ever lived.
"Think he'll get clear of his enemies, Thad?" he remarked, showing thatall the while his thoughts were connected with the air pilot whom theyhad just rescued.
"He seemed to feel pretty sure of it," the other replied, "though ofcourse he'd have to avoid all the people living around this section, forthey'd turn on him if they guessed he was a German. The Belgians arepretty furious over their country being overrun with the Kaiser'stroops. I've even seen old peasants handling guns as if they meant tofight for their homes, a very foolish thing for them to do, because itwould only enrage the invaders, and end with a massacre."
"You act as if you'd remedied the break in the engine, Thad, seeing thatyou're putting up your tools, and wiping your hands off," remarkedGiraffe.
"I've got it fixed," Thad informed him, without any great show ofenthusiasm; "but remember I'm not promising how long it's going tostand. There's always a toss-up with a machine of this kind as to whatpart will break down next."
"Tell me about that, will you?" growled Giraffe, in disgust. "I'd liketo kick the old box into the river only that it does save us somewalking. It's a lottery any way you can fix it."
"Get aboard everybody, and let's see how she cranks," suggested Thad.
As usual it took several urgent efforts before the engine decided toheed the call to duty.
"There, she sings like a bird!" cried Bumpus as the loud whirr announcedthat once again their motor was in working order.
So they started off.
"One thing sure," remarked Giraffe, looking back toward the place wherepresently they could just glimpse the top of the tall tree where theyhad found such queer fruit growing, "that was a remarkable littleadventure, and none of us are likely to forget it in a hurry either."
"I know for one I won't!" declared Bumpus; "and every time I look atthis bolt that I took from the broken Taube aeroplane I'll think of howyou fellows climbed right up to the top of that tree and brought thebirdman down safe to the ground, and how I stood there to receive him.Yes, it's marked with a white stone in my memory, and I can just imaginehow Smithy, Step Hen, Davy Jones and Bob White'll stare when they hearthe story of the wrecked aeroplane man!"