CHAPTER XXII. UP FROM THE DEPTHS.
That must have been the thought flashing through the mind of each of theother three scouts. Indeed, what else could they believe, after seeingthe woman carrying on in such a wild way?
Giraffe made a flying leap out of the car, nor were the others farbehind him. They all ran toward the cottage, and the kneeling woman,deeply impressed with the seriousness of the incident. Their duty asscouts loomed up before them. Unless it was already too late they mustfind some way to save the poor woman's child from a watery grave.
Giraffe was trying to understand what she was crying as the others cameup, although from the frown on his face it was evident that he could notbe meeting with any great success.
"His name is Benjy, boys," the tall scout exclaimed, "and he's downthere in the well!"
"Oh! the poor little chap!" whimpered Bumpus, as he watched the othersthrow themselves flat on their stomachs, and try to peer into the darkrecesses of the gaping stone-bordered hole in the ground.
"Listen!" said Thad, in a thrilling voice. "I can hear splashing downthere!"
"Sure thing!" added Giraffe, "which shows the child is alive still. Thatsettles it with me. I'm the one to go down!"
Thad had already discovered that there was a windlass above the well. Astout rope was wound around the barrel of this, and the bucket could beseen standing on the other side on a stone shelf intended for thepurpose.
He knew that whatever was done there should be no more delay than wasabsolutely necessary. His first act therefore was to step around andrelease the bucket, at the same time grasping hold of the handle of thewindlass.
"Put your feet on the bucket and hold on, Giraffe," he told theadventurous one. "When you get down close to the water give one call. Tolower a little more give two; and when you're ready to come up make itthree. Understand that?"
"All right, Thad; lower away!"
Bumpus was also peering over the edge into those mysterious depths. Thewoman was beside him, still wringing her hands in nervous anguish, andrepeating that word "Benjy" until it was so impressed on the memory ofBumpus that he could never forget it.
Immediately Giraffe disappeared from view, and all they could hearconsisted of the creaking of the windlass, as Thad lowered away, and thehysterical wailing of the woman belonging at the cottage.
A dozen and more times had the handle gone around and Thad began towonder how deep that well could be. Then suddenly he heard a cry. Itwelled up from the depths and sounded very weird, but Thad knew thismust be the signal he had arranged with Giraffe, to indicate that thelatter was close to the water.
Immediately there came two more calls, which meant that Giraffe wishedto be lowered a little further; Thad accordingly allowed another turn ofthe handle, so as to release several more feet of the rope. A single cryannounced that this was enough; and then a brief period of greatsuspense followed.
They heard the dripping of water, accompanied by more or less splashing.
"Oh! I hope he hasn't fallen in himself!" Bumpus was heard to say, witha long breath, as his overwrought feelings almost overpowered him.
Then came three calls. That was the signal for those above to draw up.Allan was already at Thad's side, and ready to bend the power of hisyoung muscles to assist in the task, and together they made thatwindlass creak at a lively rate as they worked.
Bumpus was on his knees now. He acted as though a new fear oppressed hisheart. What if the strain proved too great, and the rope parted--Giraffemust be hurled back into the depths, and a tragedy would be presented tothem.
It was with the liveliest possible feeling of gratitude that Bumpusfinally saw the beloved face of his chum appear in view above the stonecoping of the well. He was also struck with the fact that Giraffe seemedto be grinning instead of having a serious expression on his thincountenance.
Allan put out a hand and assisted him to effect a landing on solidground. Meanwhile the woman had set up a renewal of her half shrieksBumpus could easily guess why this should be, for look as he might hecould see no sign of a child!
"Where's poor little Benjy, Giraffe?" the fat scout demanded, halfindignantly, for he could not understand what it all meant.
Then what did Giraffe do but thrust a hand into the bosom of hissplashed khaki coat and draw out the queerest _puppy_ Bumpus had everseen. He stared at the water-soaked little beast as though he thought hemight be looking at something unreal.
Allan burst out into a shout, while the woman with a shriek of delightsnatched little Benjy from the hands of the one who had saved him, andkissed his doggy mouth again and again.
Giraffe stood there with that grin spreading across his face. He lookeddown at his wet feet and leggings.
"Think of me taking all that trouble for a fike not much bigger'n apostage stamp?" he presently exclaimed. "I guess the joke's on me thistime, boys, so laugh all you're a mind to. I'm wet up to my knees, allright; but I got dear little Benjy, didn't I?"
Thad clapped him on the shoulder.
"After all there's not so much to laugh about, Giraffe," he said,soberly. "We all thought Benjy was a child, and you risked your life tosave him. The motive is what counts every time; and I'm sure you didwhat any scout would be proud to own to; but we're glad it wasn't achild after all, for it would have been drowned."
"I guess you're about right there, Thad," the other admitted, "for yousee the puppy could swim, which is what a child couldn't do. Let's begoing on again, fellows."
"I thought I was thirsty," said Bumpus, "but I guess I can wait till wecome to a well that isn't used for a swimming tank by dogs."
The woman seeing them moving off tried to thank them for having savedher little pet. Of course not being able to talk French the boys couldnot understand just what she said, though they caught the meaning, andnodded their heads accordingly.
Once they were going they found occasion to laugh again and again asdifferent remarks were made concerning features connected with theadventure. Giraffe laughed louder than any one else. He said he nolonger felt sleepy, and that he believed it would be better for him tosit with his feet in the sun so as to dry off.
Half an hour afterwards it was found that they were once moreapproaching what seemed to be a bridge. Remembering the tragicoccurrences that had taken place at that other crossing of the river theboys naturally felt more or less anxiety as to what they might runacross here.
"It's guarded, as sure as anything," said Giraffe, who had stretched hislong neck in order to give those keen eyes of his a better chance tosee. "Yes, and by Belgian soldiers in the bargain, sure pop. I can tellby their uniforms."
"I hope they won't think of stopping us from crossing," said Bumpus.
As they drew nearer to the bridge they saw several men in blue uniforms,and wearing high-peaked hats, holding their guns in a significant manneras though giving plain warning that access to the bridge was forbidden.Thad felt from this that they were doomed to meet with a disappointment.
He stopped the car close to the guard. To the surprise of the boys oneof the soldiers, evidently guessing their nationality from the littleflags which they still wore fastened to their coats, addressed them invery good English.
"It is not possible for you to cross the bridge!" was what he said.
"We are hoping to reach Antwerp, where this boy has a sick mother whoneeds him," Thad explained, laying a hand on Bumpus's shoulder as hespoke.
The soldier shook his head in the negative.
"No car can cross the bridge after this; it would not be safe, and wouldspoil all our plans for a trap," he went on to say.
"But couldn't you make an exception in our case?" asked Bumpus, tryingto throw all the pathos possible into his voice.
Again the soldier shook his head.
"It is impossible," he said, in a manner that would admit of no furtherargument. "You must turn and follow the river road to the west. There isanother small bridge six miles that way, not str
ong enough for guns tobe moved over, but you might get across. I hope you reach Antwerpsafely."
"We happened to see the fight at the other bridge, and watched when itwas in the end blown up," Giraffe ventured to say, at which the other'sface lighted up and just as Giraffe knew would be the case he cried out:
"Tell us what happened there, for we have been wondering what all thesounds of fighting in that direction meant. But we have had no word upto now."
Accordingly Thad, assisted by the others at intervals, related some ofthe stirring sights they had seen while on the watch-hill a mile or moredistant from the battlefield at the bridge. The three Belgians listenedeagerly, and while two of the guard might not fully understand what wassaid, they caught enough to feel that their comrades had won new honorby their gallant defense of the bridge, and its ultimate destructionwhen defense was no longer possible.
"Thank you very much for giving us such splendid news," said the soldierwho spoke English, as he thrust out a hand to Thad; "and in return I maylet you into a secret that will explain why you cannot cross here. Thisbridge had been weakened so that it is apt to fall when any weight isput on it. Even your car might be sufficient to bring about thecatastrophe. We are hoping it will go down with the first detachment ofraiding Uhlans that comes this way. Our duty is to fire on them and getthem to charge. If twenty go down with the bridge so much the better."
Of course Thad realized that all thought of crossing there must beabandoned. He saw that a road ran along the river, and by taking thisthey would after a bit come to the small bridge which was recommendedfor their notice.
So the boys started, making up their minds that, as Giraffe said, "Younever know what's best for you; and after all our going this way mayturn out to be just splendid."
"If it'd only throw us in the way of getting a new supply of petrol I'dask nothing better," remarked Allan.
"It's getting pretty near high noon too, don't forget," said Bumpus,significantly; "and human beings have to be fed as well as cranky oldengines. I ought to have asked that accommodating fellow whether therewas any village on the bank of the river down this way. Seems to methere must be. Anyhow we could try every house we struck, and see ifsome lady wouldn't get us up a dinner for ready cash."
"One thing I think we might do," suggested Thad; "that's lay insomething at the very next chance. I mean food to cook, together withseveral pans, and a pot to boil coffee in. Then we'd feel independent ofany inn; and if overtaken by night could get on fairly well."
Bumpus expressed delight at the idea.
"I think it's a great scheme, Thad!" he declared, with beaming face;"and really I'm surprised that none of us have thought of that dodgebefore. We've got plenty of room aboard the old machine to stow things;and for my part it's going to bring up heaps of happy memories ofby-gone days and nights, when we've sat around a jolly camp fire withour mates."
"Then that settles it," decided the scout leader.
"And, Thad," called out Giraffe, after one of his observations, "unlessall signs are wrong we're going to have a chance to get some dinner, andp'r'aps lay in all those stores, because there's a village ahead of us."
"That eagle eye of yours is correct as usual, Giraffe," said Allan,after taking a look for himself.