CHAPTER XXIV. THE AMBUSCADE.
"Well, here's a nice kettle of fish!" burst out Bumpus, fixing his eyeson the scout leader, as though mentally asking what Thad meant to do.
The actions of Giraffe spoke louder than words could have done. With areally wicked grin he reached down and took something in his hand whichit seemed he had stowed away in the body of the car. It was a clubalmost the size of a baseball bat, one of those home-run kind boys talkabout, and call "the old wagon-tongue."
"Say, I had a sort of hunch this would come in handy sooner or later,and now I know it!" Giraffe muttered, with a shake of his head.
"But what do you suppose this means, Thad?" asked Allan, with a puzzledlook on his face. "I always understood these Belgian boys werewell-behaved chaps, and the last ones in the world to do a thing likethis. If we were in some town across in our own country it wouldn't seemso strange."
"Stop and think for a minute what's happening here in Belgium this veryday," said Thad. "A million Germans have overrun the country, and everyBelgian capable of bearing arms is hurrying to the battle line. Ofcourse the boys are worked up to fever heat. You all saw how they actedwhen that mob surrounded us. They're not the same well-behaved boys theywere two weeks ago. The excitement has settled in their brains."
"But, Thad, that doesn't mean we've got to hand them over the old car,does it?" asked Bumpus.
"Certainly not," he was assured.
"Will we have to turn back again so as to keep from having a row?"continued the fat scout, anxiously.
"Well, I should hope not," burst out Giraffe, angrily. "I'd be willingto turn back before the majesty of the whole German army, but I'll behanged if I want to knuckle down to a pack of kids. If you ask myopinion there it is, straight goods!"
"There's another thing," said Thad, "that I think has had some influenceon these boys, or given them the idea of holding us up."
He pointed to a fence across from the inn-yard. It had some gaudy billspasted on it, which apparently none of the others had noticed before,though taught to use their eyes as scouts on every occasion.
"Why, those look mighty familiar!" said Bumpus.
"What's this?" cried Giraffe. "A regular American Wild West show overhere in Belgium, raking in the coin this last summer? Thad, if that gavean exhibition here, or anywhere close by, I can understand what youmean. The kids must have been practicing throwing the rope, and holdingup stages ever since. Yes, by George! that's where they get this ideafrom, as sure as anything."
"After all, the world is getting smaller all the time," remarked Allan,"when you can find such pictures as those thousands of miles away fromhome. Before long it may be all Japan, China and India will be lookingat our cowboys perform, and the Indians hold up stage coaches."
"Oh! they do that already," Thad told him; "for the moving pictures arebeing shown all around the world. But I've got an idea. Wait here forme, fellows."
With that the scout leader hurried away, leaving the trio to talkmatters over, and trying to guess what he had in view. A short timelater Thad reappeared, with a little package in his hand.
"I just happened to notice some whips for sale at a store in the place,"he explained, "and I've bought several. If we're forced to we'll usethem on those boys the best we know how. The old man told me they werethe bad lot of the village, so you see they do have them even over inBelgium."
"How that takes me back to dear old Cranford," sighed Bumpus, "where weused to have all manner of times with Brose Griffin and his cronies, EliBangs and Walt Hopkins. So they have a rowdy element here too, do they?Thad, I hope you didn't forget me when laying in that stock ofcowhides?"
"Three covered the entire stock they had," the other told him; "and soGiraffe will have to depend on that club of his; only I hope he uses itcarefully. It's big and heavy enough to floor anybody."
Giraffe nodded, and smiled.
"Oh! I'll be on the watch not to knock the poor chaps silly, if theytake warning, and clear out," he remarked, as he hid the article inquestion away, but in a place where it could be quickly seized.
It was in anything but a pleasant humor that Thad prepared to leave thevillage where they had been hospitably entertained, after that firstlittle misunderstanding. He did not like this idea of meeting the attackof the Belgian boys with violence, but there seemed to be no other way,for the old man had declined to ride out with them, saying that he didnot wish to be connected at all with the matter, and considered his dutydone in giving them due warning.
Thad was really under the impression that he would not be sorry if theboys received some sort of drubbing to pay them for their audacity intreating strangers in the way they intended.
There was no choice about the route; it was necessary that they go up ordown the river, since no other road led away from the place. Of courseacross the river there was one they would have been glad to have taken,only with the bridge gone it was not possible to get the car over.
"Somebody waving his hand to us, Thad, over there at that cottagewindow," observed the watchful Giraffe.
"I think it must be our old friend," said Thad, as he made haste toanswer the signal. "Yes, I can see his face now, and his gray beard."
They passed out of the village, with the people simply looking afterthem, for all signs of resentment had apparently died out. These goodfolks had too many serious troubles of their own to think of hunting upnew ones.
"I wonder how far we'll get before they jump out at us?"
That was Bumpus trying to secure an opinion. It was one of his ways offishing for what he called "a rise." And as usual Giraffe hastened toaccommodate him.
"Oh! not far, you can depend on it, Bumpus," he said, "because theyhaven't been gone long, and would have to tramp it. I reckon now they'djust want to get say half a mile or so outside the place, so the racketthey kick up won't reach the ears of their folks here."
"Undo the package, Allan," said Thad, with a business-like air.
This being done disclosed three stout whips of the type often spoken ofas "cowhides." Bumpus immediately took possession of one, and seemed tobe as tickled as a child with a new toy.
"They're just prime stuff, Thad," he asserted. "Course I've never dustedany fellow's jacket with such a thing, and I don't hanker after the jobnow; but what has to be can't be helped. I'll promise you to do my levelbest to sting their legs, for that's the best way, I take it."
Giraffe looked at the whips rather enviously. Possibly he almost feltsorry he had displayed that ferocious club so hastily; only for that hemight have been given one of the cowhides to manipulate, instead ofBumpus.
They had by this time left the village behind them. The river lay ontheir left, and the further bank was not very far away. Thad waswatching the road in advance, as though mentally figuring on where theywould run across the ambuscade planned by these bellicose Belgian boys.
"There's some sort of a turn I can see up yonder, Thad," venturedGiraffe, with his neck stretched in his favorite manner when sightingthings, and which peculiarity had given him his queer nick-name.
"Yes, it's a bend, all right," added Allan.
"Just around a place like that would offer a fine chance to jump out onus, I'd think," suggested Giraffe.
He was bending down while speaking, and taking hold of his cudgel asthough intending to be ready when the call to duty came.
"Listen," said Thad, impressively. "I'll stop the car the very secondthey come in sight. The chances are they'll have the road blocked insome way, so as to prevent our getting past. Then when I give the wordeverybody get out in a hurry, and meet their rush with the liveliestbusiness you know how."
"He didn't say how many there were in this bunch, did he, Thad?" askedBumpus.
"No, and I forgot to ask him," came the reply.
"That's the way with scouts always," said Giraffe, pompously. "Whendanger comes along a scout shouldn't say, 'How many are there of theenemy,' but just shout out, 'Wh
ere are they, so I can get busy?'"
"Half a dozen or ten, it doesn't matter," said Allan, "we're primed toscatter them like chaff before the wind. Remember they are bringing allthis trouble down on their own silly heads. It isn't any of ourchoosing."
It was in this resolute spirit then that they approached the bend in theriver road, around which they fully expected to find trouble lurking.Bumpus was so tremendously excited that he actually seemed to be holdinghis breath. His blue eyes were round, and staring at that curve in theroad now dreadfully near; and if the hand that gripped that toughcowhide trembled it was from nervous tension, not fear.
Apparently all was calm and peaceful about that spot. Not a single signof anything unusual could the four scouts detect as they came close tothe bend. Doubtless watchful eyes had noted their coming, and the newshad been duly conveyed to those who were in hiding, so that they wouldknow when to commence operations.
Now the car had reached the turn and was commencing to negotiate it.Whatever was in store for the chums it could not be longer delayed.Still, so far as they could see after swinging around the curve, theroad was perfectly clear of all manner of obstacles, which fact rathersurprised Giraffe, who had evidently anticipated discovering a logthrown in such a way as to completely barricade the thoroughfare.
"Why, they don't seem to be here after all, Thad!" he exclaimed.
Giraffe spoke just a second too soon. In fact hardly had the last wordleft his lips when there was something doing just ahead of them.
A shrill whistle sounded, and at that the bushes on both sides of theroad seemed to be alive with leaping figures. Some seven or eight boyshad been concealed there, and now hurried out on the road. Some of themcarried branches, others stones, and still more hastened to throw ahalf-rotten log across the road, effectually blocking it for the passageof a vehicle, especially a car.
Thad was ready for just this sort of thing. He instantly shut off thepower and there was no trouble whatever in coaxing the car to come to acomplete standstill--there never was any complaint along this score, allthe anxiety being in the other direction.
Immediately the Belgian boys rushed to surround the car. Their actionswere very threatening, for they shouted, and waved their arms, andseveral even had sticks with which they cut the air venomously. Perhapsthey expected that the four boys in khaki would just naturally throw uptheir hands in the same way the actors in the American show had donewhen the road-agents were robbing the stage coach.
It was a mistake, and those Belgian lads discovered this for themselvesbefore five more seconds had passed. Instead of displaying a willingnessto yield without any struggle the strangers immediately started in to"rough house" it in the most approved fashion.
"Go for 'em!" shouted Giraffe, as he made a leap over the side of thecar, just as furiously as he had many a time in the past accomplished a"flying tackle" in battling for his school colors on the gridiron.
The others were not far behind him, even clumsy Bumpus displayingunwonted agility in bouncing out of the car, rawhide in hand.